Unbelievable Uglies

Detroit Lakes, MN-based psych combo the Unbelievable Uglies formed in 1963 -- according to the book Fuzz, Acid and Flowers, the lineup originally comprised singer/upright bassist Winston Fink (born Dave Hoffman), fellow frontman Dave Prentice, guitarist Greg Paul, keyboardist Bob Eveslage, and drummer Mike Shannon. Famed for their raucous, unpredictable live sets, the group quickly emerged as one of the most popular acts in the upper Midwest, and in 1964 issued their debut single, "Judy Angel," on the Music Masters label. Soon after, Eveslage left the lineup -- in 1966, he issued a solo single, "The Days When I Knew Judy," credited to Robbie Jay -- and was replaced by keyboardist Mike Gilson. In 1965 the new-look Uglies returned with the Cardinal effort "Off My Hands," soon after signing to Soma for "Keep Her Satisfied." All three singles enjoyed enough local airplay to land the group a deal with Liberty, and in mid-1967 they released their major-label debut, the Bobby Vee-produced "Sorry." Vee also helmed the Uglies' acknowledged masterpiece, the ferocious follow-up "Spider-Man." In November of 1967, the band traveled to Fargo, ND, to open for the Who on the opening night of the British legends' first headlining U.S. tour. (The show made national headlines when the mayor of Fargo accused the Who of inciting the teen audience to riot and banned them from ever appearing in his city again.) Prentice left the Uglies around the time they landed with the Sound label for "New Day" -- he was replaced by singer Alan Spears in time for 1968's "Ain't Gonna Eat My Heart Out," their first of three singles for UA. "The Tin Drum" appeared later that year, and in 1969 the Uglies issued "Hello Gooday." Despite the relative volume of their major-label output, the band's regional...