The Ugly Ducklings

Along with the Haunted, the Ugly Ducklings were probably the best Canadian rock group of the mid-'60s. Like the Haunted, they drew heavily from the Rolling Stones -- as well as bits of the Kinks and Pretty Things -- for their raunchy R&B/rock sound, but had the edge over the Haunted in that they wrote stronger original material. Scoring a national hit with "Nothin'," the Toronto band recorded an album in 1966 and a few singles in 1966 and 1967, perhaps gaining their greatest international exposure when their "Just In Case You're Wondering" made it onto one of the Pebbles compilations. ~ Richie Unterberger