Thee Kavaliers
Congregation For Anti-flirts Inc/pride
Based in McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, Thee Kavaliers issued 4 singles on the now-legendary Pharaoh label (home to the Headstones, Playboys Of Edinburg, Christopher & The Souls and more) between October '65 and January '67, and were part of a thriving local scene. Sadly, no Pharaoh 45 was commercially successful, and having vanished into the ether alongside thousands of other US garage 45s from the same period, their work was eventually rediscovered in the late '70s/early '80s, with Headstones and Playboys sides first reappearing on the first volume of the equally legendary 'Flashback' LP series in 1980. Subsequently, these Pharaoh 45s are HIGHLY sought after these days, with good condition copies changing hands on the collector's market for up to $2000 in some cases!! Thankfully, Hyperloop have once again come to the rescue by combining the A-sides of the first and last Kavaliers 45s, possibly creating their strongest 2-sider to date! 'Congregation' features some super-gnarly fuzz, gritty organ and a near-hysterical vocal that rattles along at quite a pace, while 'Pride' is a more laid back, introspective jangler with lush vocal harmonies. As usual, the packaging is top-notch with a dazzling array of goodies inside: a 7" square double-sided repro of original labels, double-sided postcard, jukebox title strip, 3 x 4" square cards advertising future releases and 2 x 4" square cards advertising related releases on other labels.