Track Listing

1. Obatala
2. Buffalo Gals
3. Merengue
4. Punk It Up
5. Legba
6. Jive My Baby
7. Song For Chango
8. Soweto
9. World's Famous
10. Duck For The Oyster
11. Double Dutch

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120613 in Music
• Released on: 1988-02-29
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

An eclectic, often overlooked classic
Before I heard African dance rhythms in popular music, before I heard Paul Simon's 'Graceland' and before I heard anyone 'scratching', this album brought these (and hundreds more) sounds and influences together in this incredible album.

Not only does it feature classic McLaren tracks of the time (especially the smash hit Buffalo Gals), but it also features most of the members of the yet to be formed Art of Noise (including Trevor Horn as the producer).

This is an extraordinary album and anyone interested in the beginnings of pop/world music crossover, hip-hop, scratching or sampling should listen and learn.

Seamless blend of world, pop and rock music
Duck Rock from 1983 still sounds fresh and relevant. It's a brilliant fusion of world & roots music, scratch and sampling techniques, dance beats, pop hooks and rock riffs. The mainly instrumental Obatala opens the album on a moody mid-tempo note; based on a drumming style from the Dominican Republic, the languid track has snippets of a female vocal far in the background. Legba is similarly atmospheric but based on Cuban beats and purely instrumental whilst Buffalo Gals is an expertly arranged feast of samples, scratching, percolating rhythms and solo & massed vocals.

Four songs are inspired by and employ musicians from South Africa, three from the Zulu culture and from the Shangaan (Tsonga). They are (1) the uptempo Double Dutch, one of the most melodious tracks with various forms of backing vocals (2) the fascinating hybrid Punk It Up, a song about The Sex Pistols sung in English and Zulu with pennywhistles and gospel backing vocals, (3) the tuneful Jive My Baby Jive with its great interplay of male and female vocals and hypnotic beat. Shangaan township music is represented by (4) the buoyant Living on the Road in Soweto, an example of a popular style also present on Paul Simon's Graceland.

Another one with a pronounced African influence is Song For Chango, a combination of chanting & Afro-Cuban rhythms. The fast-paced and polyrhythmic Merengue takes the listener back to the Dominican Republic, and is vaguely reminiscent of some of the styles that Kid Creole & The Coconuts experimented with. Duck Rock concludes with Duck for the Oyster, a vibrant finale based on the Appalachian square dance with inspired fiddle playing. What makes it all the more charming and cohesive is the voice of a DJ and the callers that give it the lively feel of a radio show. Malcolm McLaren proves himself to be an excellent stylist on this innovative and well-produced album. Duck Rock is a joyful musical tour through Africa and the Caribbean.

Seamless blend of world, pop and rock music
Duck Rock is pure genius – a brilliant fusion of world and roots music influences, the scratch and sampling technique, dance beats, pop hooks and rock riffs. It starts with the semi-instrumental, atmospheric Obatala, then into the catchy Buffalo Girls, followed by the even more engaging Double Dutch with its lovely South African influenced sound. Jive My Baby Jive is another melodic song with great interplay of male and female vocals and a hypnotic rhythm. What makes it all the more charming and cohesive, is the voice of the DJ and callers that gives it the vibrant feel of a radio show. McLaren proves himself to be an excellent stylist on this innovative and well-produced album. Duck Rock is a wonderful slab of joyful noise!