Sebastian

What does it say on the test pressing? Any writing on the labels? What's in the deadwax? Isn't the version of "I Gotta Stand For Something" credited to Apple And The Three Oranges on the Now-Again label compilation the exact same versions that were released as by both Barney Williams and Professor And The Efficiency Experts on STANSON cat# 123?

Original.

That sounds reasonable. Found this site a moment ago (that I had no idea existed), it has got some good info: https://www.monarchrecorddatabase.com/monarch-history

I think you're absolutely right. But are you 100% sure that Monarch actually pressed vinyl? I've read elsewhere that they only had styrene presses and vinyl records that carry a delta number were pressed at Alco and not Monarch.

Many of the records pressed on vinyl that bears a "monarch" delta number were actually pressed by Alco. Monarch and Alco shared the same delta numbering system. The records pressed on vinyl that used the monarch delta numbering system should have a (sometimes very faint) Alco stamp in addition to the delta number in the run-out groove.

Yes.

Both sides on that No Na Mee's 45 are fantastic. Robb is 100% right. Very few of the tracks posted in this thread would be considered garage by people who actually like and collect that "genre" of music. Strings, horns and harmony vocals are by-and-large big no-no's. Unison (but not harmony) group vocals are more tolerated. Horns are OK when it comes to frat-inflicted stuff like The Sonics etc. Snotty/snarling/screaming vocals, pummeling beat, distorted guitars, fuzz guitar or heavily distorted guitar break are crucial unless the song is a moody mid-tempo lament or of the more jingle-jangle Byrds-ian variant. Heavy Kinks/Animals/Them/Pretty Things influence. Often heavy r&b or bo-beat influence, but seldom soul influence. A few examples:

I've got the previously undocumented Normar issue of... Larry Darnell's "Too Many Heartaches" / "Cheating On Me" ...on ebay right now. Barely known to exist as a withdrawn Resist label release, but the Normar issue seems to be a unicorn! Here it is: https://www.ebay.com/itm/376289468539 Plenty of other stuff up right now as well: https://www.ebay.com/str/pushkings?_sop=1

The flipside on that Columbia 45 is fabulous:

Wow, have to admit that the recording of "A Place For Me" on the acetate is so different from the Leverett Sisters version that I didn't even recognise that they were versions of the same song! The version of "The River Is Wide" on the acetate sounds like it is modelled after the 1969 Grassroots version, not the 1966 version by the Forum and the vocal stylings of The Forum are totally different than the vocals on the acetate so it's probably an unrelated group/artist. Both sides on the acetate can be heard here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/356778676048

That vocal sounds like an uncanny mix of Box Tops-era Alex Chilton and "Genuine Imitation Life Gazette"-era Frankie Valli. It's neither of them, but this sure is a full fledged production that it wouldn't surprise me if it has been released in some form. The flipside on the acetate, "The River Is Wide", is a cover of The Grassroots / The Forum. Two fabulous studio/sunshine pop sides. 👍

Side One 1. TEARS AT THE END OF A LOVE AFFAIR - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell 2. THINK IT OVER (BEFORE YOU BREAK MY HEART) - Brenda Holloway 3. HE WHO PICKS A ROSE - Jimmy Ruffin 4. IF YOU EVER GET YOUR HANDS ON LOVE - Gladys Knight And The Pips 5. SUSPICION - The Originals 6. BABY A GO-GO - Barbara McNair 7. (TELL ME) AIN'T IT THE TRUTH - J.J. Barnes 8. TELL ME IT'S JUST A RUMOUR BABY - The Funk Brothers Side Two 1. THIS LOVE STARVED HEART OF MINE (IT'S KILLING ME) - Marvin Gaye 2. CRYING IN THE NIGHT - The Monitors 3. YOU HIT ME WHERE IT HURT ME - Kim Weston 4. KEEP STEPPING (NEVER LOOK BACK) - Carolyn Crawford 5. BABY HIT AND RUN (ALTERNATE VOCAL) - The Contours 6. I GOTTA FIND A WAY TO GET YOU BACK - Tammi Terrell 7. MEMORIES OF HER LOVE KEEP HAUNTING ME - The Spinners 8. COME ON AND SEE ME - Chris Clark

Just because it was released on a Nashville label doesn't mean that it was recorded there. It could've been re-cut in Miami and then they just had the tapes sent to A-Bet/Nashboro. Or as you write, there might've been multiple vocal takes on the original master tape that they could've used for the A-Bet release. In any case, the bongos and backing vocals are not present on the Demon Hot release.

The lead vocal phrasing is ever-so-slightly different on Demon Hot vs. A-Bet, so at least parts of it must've been re-recorded and not just remixed.

The other side of the Happy Cats 45 on Grapevine, "These Boots Are Made For Walking", was released on a US 45 in 1966 on the Omack label. The other side is called "My Tune" (penned by Riley Hampton and published by Ollie McLaughlin), I'm guessing it's not "Destroy That Boy", but I haven't heard it. More info here: https://boogaloobag.com/2014/07/23/destroy-that-boogaloo/