Yorktown was the predecessor of Yorkville and was launched in 1966. According to Nicholas Jennings, “The label, owned by Bill Gilliland and Fred White, was home to the Ugly Ducklings, who were one of the most popular groups playing in Toronto’s Yorkville district. With Capitol behind the Ducklings’ first singles, the band quickly gained national attention. Yorktown’s first release was a keeper: a snarling piece of punk by The Ducks called “Nothin’”. When the song was entered in the weekly “battle of the bands” contest at Toronto’s CHUM radio station, it won 13 consecutive times. That success led to the gig of their dreams – opening for their heroes, The Rolling Stones, at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens in the summer of ’66.” (Source: Nicholas Jennings, “Fifty Years Of Music The Story Of EMI Music Canada, Macmillan Canada, Toronto, 2000).

The initial releases on the Yorktown label were all but Ugly Ducklings releases. The Ugly Ducklings migrated to the Yorkville label by the end of 1966. But the early issues on the tiny Yorktown label are prized by collectors, especially those copies that are in excellent condition.

At this time, the Yorktown label agreement with Capitol ended, and a new label called Yorkville Records was established. Yorkville discs were pressed and distributed by Arc Records of Toronto, which itself was a subsidiary of the Arc Sound Company. Arc Sound had been established in Toronto in 1958 by Philip G. Anderson and William R. (Bill) Gilliland.

The Stitch In Tyme were from the Maritimes and their version of the Revolver track Got To Get You Into My Life was a minor hit. It had been a throwaway studio recording to fill out some studio time but featured some great psych-echo effects. It is a great version. The Quiet Jungle’s Ship Of Dreams is an excellent slice of “psych” as well. David Clayton Thomas would leave Toronto for New York and Blood Sweat And Tears fame. The Sugar Shoppe featured Victor Garber who would later move into acting and appeared in the film Titanic as the ship’s designer ! The Sugar Shoppe recordings are all well arranged pop recordings with polished vocals. Anne Murray would later hit gold with Snowbird after she was picked up by Capitol Records of Canada. The Yorkville label would issue records through the 1970s and into the early 1980s.

The Yorkville label was the closest to a psychedelic label that Canada ever got. The bright colours of the label and the unique collection of artists make this a label that record collectors love. In addition, the records themselves were pressed on high quality vinyl in small quantities. For more information, please refer to the links at the bottom of this article.

Note: The following discography starts with the Yorktown issues and then covers the Yorkville label until approximately 1971.
A complete listing of the later Yorkville 45s appears in David Whatmough’s privately published catalogues of Canadian 45RPM, 78RPM, and LP releases.

Yorktown

45 RPM singles, (distributed by Capitol Records Of Canada Ltd.)

Serial Number	Artist	Title
45001	Ugly Ducklings	Nothin’ / I Can Tell
July 1966, (initial batch of copies on plain black label)
Above Left - Compo pressing of Yorktown 45001, first label. Above Right - Compo pressing of Yorktown 45001, second label, titles flipped !
45002	Ugly Ducklings	She Ain’t No Use To Me / 10:30 Train
September 1966
45003	Ugly Ducklings	Just In Case You Wonder / That’s Just A Thought I Had In My Mind
December 1966
45004	Bruce Mitchell	Santas Flight / Night Before Christmas
December 1966
45005	Ugly Ducklings	Postmans Fancy / Not For Long
Early 1967

33 RPM Long Playing Albums

Serial Number	Artist	Title
YT 50.001	Ugly Ducklings	Somewhere Outside
1967, Tracks include Nothin’, Do What You Want, She Ain’t No Use To Me, Just In Case You Wonder, Not For Long, Ain’t Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore, Hey Mama (Keep Your Big Mouth Shut), 10:30 Train, That’s Just A Thought That I Had In My Mind, Postman’s Fancy, Windy City (Noise At The North End)
Note: there are two versions of this LP, the first has the three-tone Yorktown label while the second version features just a white demo-style label. Dave Byngham told me that the two versions have slightly different mixes of some of the tracks.
Top Left - The 1966 cover features the Parrs logo at left, and the Yorktown box at the top right of the cover. Top Right - The 1967 cover omits both the Parrs logo and Yorktown box.
Bottom Left - The original 1966 Compo pressing with multi-coloured label. Bottom Right - The later 1967 Compo pressing with plain white label.

Yorkville

45 RPM singles, (1967 through 1971, distributed by Arc Records, Toronto)

Serial Number	Artist	Title
45001	Stitch In Tyme	Got To Get You Into My Life / Dry Your Eyes
1966
45002	TBD	TBD
45003	TBD	TBD
45004	Quiet Jungle	Ship Of Dreams / Everything
1967, Great Psychedelia !
45005	Susan Taylor	Don’t make Promises / Twelfth Of Never
1967
45006	TBD	TBD
45007	B.T.B.-4	Do It To ‘Em / Sparrows And Daisies
1967
45008	Quiet Jungle	Too Much In Love / Make Up Your Mind
1967
45009	Sugar Shoppe	Canada / Thoroughly Modern Millie
1967. Canada was written by Bobby Gimby and was the theme song for Canada’s Centennial celebration in 1967 – selling more copies than the Beatles singles in 1967 !
45010	B.T.B.-4	Jack Rabbit / Tell Me
1967
45011	Stitch In Tyme	New Dawn / Don’t Make Promises
1967
45012	Sugar Shoppe	Canada / Canada
1967
45013	Ugly Ducklings	Gaslight / Rimb Nugget
1967
45014	Susan Taylor	If You Love Me / Reason To Believe
1967
45015	Sugar Shoppe	The Attitude / If I Were A Carpenter
1967
45016	Ronnie Hawkins	Home From the Forest / Will The Circle Be Unbroken
1967
45017	Ugly Ducklings	Epilogue / I Know What To Say
1968
45018	Willapuss	Wallapuss To June / Sacraficial Virgin
1968
45019	Ronnie Hawkins	Mary Jane / Reason To Believe
1968
45020	David Clayton, Thomas Combine	Father Dear Father / Chairman Of The Board
1968
45021	Anne Murray	Some Birds / For Baby / Paths Of Victory
45022	Terence Father	Dear Father / Different World
1969
45023	Anne Murray	Its All Over / Paths Of Victory
1969
45024	Tote Family	Right Girl / Miles And Miles
1969
45025	Inner City Mission	Get Back John / Got So Many People
1970
45026	Inner City Mission	White Witch / TBD
1970
45027	Inner City Mission	Love The Night Away / TBD
1970
45028	Inner City Mission	Love The Night Away / White Witch
1970
45029	Inner City Mission	Balazar / TBD
1970
45030	Inner City Mission	Good Old Joe / Love The Night Away
1970
45031	Inner City Mission	Wild World / White Witch
1970
45032	Sebastian	Jimmy Janis & Alan / Wexford Boulevard Hangup
1970
45033	Ocean	Put Your Hand In The Hand / Tear Down The Fences
1971
45034	Brutus	Help Me Free Me / Mistakes Friend
1971
45035	Ocean	Deep Enough For Me / No Other Woman
1971
45036	James Houston	Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time / I Can’t Hear It Anymore
1971
45037	Arwyn Davidson	Simple Man / Birth Life Death
1971
45038	Terry Black & Laurel Ward	Goin’ Down / Oh Babe
1971
45039	Ocean	We Got A Dream / Will The Circle Be Unbroken
1971

Note: Singles were released on this series through 45105 which was well into the late 1970s and early 1980s and the complete
series is documented in David Whatmough’s excellent book “50 Year Directory Of Canadian 45 RPM and 78 RPM Records
(Hamilton, Ontario – self published

33 RPM Long Playing Albums

(gold label for the first four LPs, then multi-colour psych label like the 45s, distributed by Arc Records, Toronto)

Serial Number	Artist	Title
YVM 33001	Various Artists	Yorkville Evolution
1968, Mono. (Ugly Ducklings, Ronnie Hawkins, The Stitch In Tyme, The Sugar Shoppe, The Big Town Boys, The Majestics, Terry Black, Ritchie Knight And The Midnights, The Quiet Jungle, Little Caesar And The Consuls, Susan Taylor), Unless You Care, Charlena, Ship Of Dreams, Finger Poppin’ Time, Don’t Make Promises
YVM 33002	Ronnie Hawkins	Home From The Forest
1968, Lady From Baltimore, It’s Alright, Long Black Veil, Black Sheep Boy, Early Morning Rain, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Home From The Forest, I Still Miss Someone, Reason To Believe, Rich Man’s Spiritual, Girl From The North Country
YVM 33003	Various Artists	CTV’s After Four
1968, Mono. CTV’s After Four was the name of the Thursday teen supplement of the Toronto Telegram which also became the name of a CTV television show. The Scarlet Ribbon, Ronnie Hawkins, The Sugar Shoppe, The Big Town Boys, The Willapuss Wallapuss, The Ugly Ducklings, Terry Black, Susan Taylor, Patricia-Anne, Bob Francis, The Chain Rattlers Orchestra, Bonnie & Clyde, The Majestics, Teak Wood, Ritchie Knight And The Midnights, The Stitch In Tyme
Four In The Morning, Mary Jane, If I Were A carpenter, Do It To ‘Em, To Jone, Epilogue, Only 16, If You Love Me, Changin’ Time, I’m A Bad Bad Boy, Winchester Cathedral, Kazoo, Sweet Soul Music, You Keep Me Hangin’ On, The Joke, Dry Your Eyes
Note – the Bob Francis track is a great version of the Pink Floyd’s See Emily Play although it is listed on the cover and label as “I’m A Bad Bad Boy”
YVM 33004	Gordon Lowe With Laurel Ward	Gordon Lowe With Laurel Ward
1968, Stereo. Pleasant folk-oriented pop with female backing from Laurel Ward (1968). Tracks: Pride And Mind, Prisms, Out Of My Mind, To A Friend, Her World, Birth Of A River, Down Child, Jenny’s Gone, Forest In The Rain, Love Is Gone, Round And Round, Really Care
YVM 33005	Ocean	Ocean
Gospel-tinged soul from 1970. The group had a big hit with “Put Your Hand In The Hand” which must have been good news for the owners !. tracks: Put Your Hand In The Hand, Pleasure Of Your Company, We Got A Dream, The One Who’s Left, Deep Enough For Me, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Stones I Throw, No Other Woman

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Some Other Recommended Sample Introductory Discography For The Yorkville Sound

Ian & Sylvia – Lovin’ Sound (Lp, includes the great single Lovin’ Sound, MGM SE-4388, 1967)

Kensington Market – Avenue Road (Lp, includes I Would Be The One and Speaking Of Dreams, 1968, Warner Brothers WS-1754)

Bobby Kris & The Imperials – 45 She Belongs to Me (Columbia C4-2687, 1966)

Jon & Lee & The Checkmates (aka The Jon-Lee Group) – 45 Bring It Down Front / Pork Chops (Sparton P1617, issued 1967)

Gordon Lightfoot – The Way I Feel (Lp, United Artists UAS-6587 STEREO, June 1967 includes probably his greatest work Canadian Railroad Trilogy)

Luke & The Apostles – 45 Been Burnt / Don’t Know Why Elektra EK 45105, 1967

Majestics – Here Come Da Judge (Lp, Arc 780 1967)

Mandala – Soul Crusade (Lp, Atlantic SD-8184 1968 includes the hit single Love-It is)

The Paupers – Magic People (Lp, Verve Forecast FT-3026 MONO 1967 includes the great single “Think I Care”)

Jack London & The Sparrows – 45 If You Don’t Want My Love / It’s Been One Of Those Days Today (Capitol 72203, issued February 1965)

David Clayton Thomas & The Shays – 45 Brainwashed / Barbie-Lee, Roman Records DR-1105, 1966

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Recommended Online Reference Sources

http://www.garagehangover.com/tag/yorkville/

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/emc/arc-records