The Ugly Ducklings? Anyone Heard Of Em...

[shainhouse]

This band is hilarious. My buddy Rob introduced them to me in Leeds and I can't get enough of it right now. It's comedy hip-hop based around a fictional fast-food shop called 'Meat Shake.' The album is called Taste The Secret

More info...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009IC1F/102-9035315-5579343?v=glance

note... this is not the Toronto band that formed in the 1960s.

[SmoothedShredder]

yup... these guys and I go back years...

There first album is great... Journey to Anywhwere...

This is cheese but I studied Geography, and one of the lines in the title track song goes:

"On a Journey to Anywhere you can draw your own map."

Pick up lines is a fun tune too. Lyrics Below:

The Meat Shake Album is a great concept album...

DJ Enstein is no light weight either... but the fact that you've never heard of him might lead you to other conclusions.

PICK UP LINES

What's the place where you see more girls

that you'd like to pick up, than any other place?

Honey was offended by the pick up line

Honey was offended by the pick up line

Honey was offended by the pick up line

Honey was offended by the pick up line

If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?

Can I buy you a drink? Your glass is empty

What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?

Anyway, you come here often? Is this seat taken miss?

America? No? Well you should be a model I'm

New in town so could you show me around?

Can I call you sometime?

I'd like to get to knowin

Your place or mine? I love your eyes, hey where you goin?

Now, honey didn't do what everyone else does

She stood out without making a scene because she was

The hottest but the most modest in a long plaid skirt

And a shirt with a little picture of Ernie & Bert

Now, she played no sports except scholastic sorts

An academic epidemic during book reports

The starlet of a play, not a harlot to lay

So all the school ?? mad that she wouldn't give it away

See,

[CHORUS 1]

Honey was offended by the pick up line

Honey was offended by the pick up line

When Joe the superhoe said, "Baby what's your sign?"

Honey was offended by the pick up line

Cut my bangs so they don't hang, then shampoo the doo

Get the hair out of my eye so I can look into

Of you master and capture the flag

In a '65 rag with brand new tags

She's for real, I feel *chills, they're multiplyin*

*it's so electrifyin, it's so electrifyin*

No denyin that I'm tryin to undress her

With that phony rap, you wouldn't even get near it

She wouldn't go for sugar-coated lyrics

So other girls would say, "She must be gay"

And call her a Lenny Dykstra

But soo what? They really wanted to just like her

Jealous, I won't offend her, I'll treat her tender

Defend her and send her letters and such

But there's no rush and there's no

Baby you're so fine I wanna make you mine

Cuz honey simply ignored the pick-up line

[CHORUS 1]

[CHORUS 2]

Honey was offended by the pick up line

Honey was offended by the pick up line

There's no "Baby you're fine I wanna make you mine"

Cuz Honey was offended by the pick up line

Well excuse me (x4)

Y'all step up to this

Now the main dude who wooed women tried to make his move

On her, so we all watched to see what she would do

He moved in: "Hey baby doll.. what's up with us?"

And honey was like, "Excuse me, but I'm gonna be late for my bus"

So I stepped up to her and said here's what I'm about

Long walks, deep thoughts, I I'd take you out, I won't

Play games or try to take the truth and bend it

I just wanna talk, and she wasn't offended

[CHORUS 1]

[CHORUS 2]

The pickup line, the pick up line

Honey was offended by the pick up line

Honey was offended by the pick up line

When the R&B singer said let's bump n grind

Honey was offended by the pick up line

-30-

A refreshing change of perspective on the whole "big-booty ho's" that exist in the bling bling era of Hip hop...

That why in the main stream UD don't exist.

Big up Shainhouse for groovin' on these cats. Check out some CRANKSHAFT for some UD side projects... and any extra info you got on these dudes would be great!

[shainhouse]

The opening track on 'Taste the Secret,' the Meat Shake album is a tune called 'Opening Band,' which is brilliant. I fully recommend these guys. You can actually get the record for $6 on amazon. I'm definitely gonna dig up more.

Edited August 12, 2005 by Guest

[deranger]

my roomate tony rage introduced them to me. he digs them something aweful. they're pretty good...

[whiteymuseum]

The Toronto band that formed in the 1960's is way better.

[Dr. J]

The Toronto band that formed in the 1960's is way better.

:thumbup:I'm with you Whitey! real disappointed when I opened this up and found it wasn't about Canada's original garage band

[whiteymuseum]

There still rumblings that they will reunite for some shows. Fingers crossed.

[Dr. J]

There still rumblings that they will reunite for some shows. Fingers crossed.

That would be cool. Probably wouldn't have their original "in your face" impact, but would be fun nonetheless. Thought I heard somewhere that the original guitarist had passed away. Don't know if that's true. If so Mike McKenna (Mainline) played with them for awhile so he could pick it up. The lead singer (Dave Byngham) still plays in a pickup band in the Peterborough area. Think they're called the Innocent Bystanders or something. KevO might know.

The Ducklings debut album (Somewhere Outside) was one of the first records I ever bought. Loved it...still do. As you know, it's probably the most collectable album ever made in Canada (followed by the first recording of Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks (The Band)).

Good stuff! Let me know if you hear anything, Whitey.

[TonyRage]

My Roomate Dreanger is right....something 'aweful'.

I love 80's cartoon references. I also dig the sweet hippy bashing on Taste the Secret.

[million]

I thought it was about the originals too! Funny to find this post today because I was just listening to "Somewhere Outside" on vinyl today. A buddy of mine has it and was kind enough to give me a listen. His copy is NM and sounds great... fantastic band. Now I've just got to convince him to trade it to me. He wanted to try to find out what it's worth before selling... anyone know?

BTW... I've been told a number of times that the Ducklings were from Woodstock... is that true or was it indeed T.O.?

[Dr. J]

He wanted to try to find out what it's worth before selling... anyone know?

BTW... I've been told a number of times that the Ducklings were from Woodstock... is that true or was it indeed T.O.?

The Ugly Ducklings were indeed a Toronto band. Went to Cedarbrae Collegiate and formed in the mid-sixties in Yorkville village. Interestingly, the group started out as a Rolling Stones' cover band and called themselves The Strolling Bones.

A decent copy of their Somewhere Outside album (w/inner sleeve), if you can find one (which it seems you have, million) will fetch $200.00. Mint could go higher.

Over the years I've been witness to a number of great musical performances, but in my mind, the best I ever saw was in '66 when the Ugly Ducklings opened for the Stones at Maple Leaf Gardens. Both bands were just hitting their stride! Absolutely incredible!...and no Mooose I wasn't around for the invention of the automobile haha

[million]

Good to know. I'll pass it on. His copy sounded fantastic but I didn't view the vinyl to see what wear it had. The jacket is definitely NM+.

I don't know who told me they were from Woodstock. Thanks for the background info. How many albums did they release? 45's? I love vinyl.

[Dr. J]

No problem, million. As you can probably tell, The Ducklings were/are one of my all-time favourite bands. Following the show at the Gardens, I basically followed them around eastern Ontario (Kingston/Belleville/Ottawa etc) wherever they were playing and those were pre-internet days, so it was often hard to find out where and when a band was appearing.

One show I regret missing went down in Peterborough. The lads were opening were for soul singer Wilson Pickett ("In the Midnight Hour"). What made the show memorable were the members of Picket's back-up band...Duck Dunn on bass, Buddy Miles on drums and a young lad by the name of Jimmy James on guitar...that's right, Mr Hendrix, himself!

There are a couple of reasons why the Duckling's album is very collectible. Not only was it good, but it was different from anything else being done in Canada at the time, and, in the end, it was the only album done by the original band. Released in '67, unfortunately the group broke up the next year. They re-united in 1980 (minus their drummer) for a follow-up LP (Off The Wall) and over the years differing personnel would produce two more albums (DuckTales & SNAFU), but time had passed them by and none of it would match the frantic energy of the original.

[million]

Thanks Dr. J! Too bad there aren't any recordings from their shows. When was that Peterborough show? I didn't realize Hendrix played with Pickett. I always thought his only pre-solo stuff was done with Curtis Knight (or is that just recording?) Did the Ducklings come out with any 45's with the original line-up?

Any other good canuck bands from mid 60's to mid 70's that you'd recommend checking out (bands I'm unlikely to know)? What do you think of Perth County Conspiracy? I like the Alive album but haven't heard much of their other stuff (I know I've moved onto a different genre).

BTW... not Canadian but I just picked up some early 70's Leo Kottke... wah!!

[Dr. J]

Hendrix definitely played with Wilson Pickett. His early friendship with drummer Buddy Miles eventually led to the formation of the Band of Gypsies. It's my understanding that before he left for England, Jimi had played live with a number of R&B artists including Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner and James Brown. Can any Hendrix fans confirm?

The original Ducklings released 5 singles. The most successful was the last one - Gaslight (spent 6 - 8 weeks at #1 on the CHUM charts...unheard of at the time for a Canadian band). Ironically, it was later discovered that the only member of the band actually on the record was singer Dave Byngham who had flown to NYC to record the song with Johnny Carson's Tonight Show Orchestra. Go figure.

Million, 2 other bands I'd recommend from the era are The Paupers and The Mandala. Founded by drummer Skip Prokop, who would later form Lighthouse, The Paupers issued two folk-rock beauties...Magic People and Ellis Island. For awhile they were managed by Albert Grossman (Dylan's manager). The Mandala who released 1 LP ( Soul Crusade)were more R&B influenced. They were co-founded by guitar great Domenic Troiano who sadly passed away a few weeks ago.

Although known for its strong singer/songwriter tradition, Canada also has a strong, but vastly neglected, rock history as well. Here (click Pop Encyclopedia)is a good source of info.

Thanks for the reminder on Perth County Conspiracy. Must confess I'm not all that familiar with their work, but am curious to go back and check it out.

[bradm]

From allmusic's Hendrix biography

...he'd served his apprenticeship the long, mundane way in numerous R&B acts on the chitlin circuit. During the early and mid-'60s, he worked with such R&B/soul greats as Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, and King Curtis as a backup guitarist.

Aloha,

Brad

[Dr. J]

Thanks Brad. I knew he had been with Pickett, but wasn't sure who else.

Also, i feel bad about diverting this thread. Bouche, is there any way we can move the posts dealing with the Toronto version of the Ugly Ducklings to it's own thread?