Nuggets II: Crawdaddy Simone by The Syndicats

Aphoristical
October 25, 2026
Nuggets II

The Syndicats are best known for their succession of lead guitarists, Steve Howe, Ray Fenwick, and Peter Banks.

Crawdaddy Simone—The Syndicats

Track 62, disc 3
Year: 1965
From: London, United Kingdom.

8/10

More about Nuggets II

Credits

3/8. CRAWDADDY SIMONE – The Syndicats (U.K.)
(Jeff Williams/Ray Fenwick)

PERSONNEL/JOHNNY LAMB: vocals * RAY FENWICK: guitar * JEFF WILLIAMS: electric piano * KEVIN DRISCOLL: bass * PAUL HOLM: drums
Produced by JOE MEEK
Recorded in London, England
Columbia single #DB-7986 (1965)

The Syndicats

According to the AllMusic Guide, The Syndicats were one of an “untold number of R&B-rock groups sprouting up around London in 1963”. 17-year-old guitarist Steve Howe joined in 1964, in time for their first single, a cover of Chuck Berry’s ‘Maybellene’.

Howe left the Syndicats in 1965. His replacement was Ray Fenwick, who plays lead guitar on ‘Crawdaddy Simone’.

Crawdaddy Simone

The legendary Joe Meek produced all three Syndicats’ singles. His methods for ‘Crawdaddy Simone’ were simple:

According to drummer Paul Holm, “Crawdaddy Simone” was thrown together in a matter of minutes as a B-side, with Meek encouraging the young musicians to “just go wild.” The Syndicats rose to the occasion. After building a suitably menacing mood on the song’s main riff, they detonate in a cacophony of scraping, screeching guitar, crashing cymbals, and cascading drums.
Mike Stax, Nuggets liner notes

‘Crawdaddy Simone’ is a simple, bluesy song. The most notable moment is the instrumental breakdown from around 1:15, a wild squall of feedback that must have sounded alien in 1965. Fenwick also plays a wild solo at the song’s conclusion. It’s not a great song, but the instrumental parts are impressively out there for 1965.

The Aftermath

Ray Fenwick left the Syndicats in 1965. His replacement was Peter Banks.

The band continued to play live well into 1966. They finally broke up after an incident onstage at the Locarno Ballroom, Stevenage, when Driscoll reportedly destroyed a grand piano with a fire ax. Surveying the damage, the heavies that managed the theater insisted rather persuasively that The Syndicats “never work again.” Valuing their good health, and feeling things had run their course anyway, the band complied.
Mike Stax, Nuggets liner notes

Peter Banks became a founding member of Yes. His replacement was Steve Howe, who played on the band’s most popular records, like Fragile and Close to the Edge.

Meanwhile, Fenwick went on to play with The Spencer Davis Group and the Ian Gillan Band.