Duck Rock

Untitled

In 1983 British impresario Malcolm McLaren released Duck Rock, an album that mixed up styles from South Africa, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, and the US, including hip hop. The album proved to be highly influential in bringing hip hop to a wider audience in the UK. Two of the singles from the album ("Buffalo Gals" and "Double Dutch") became major chart hits on both sides of the Atlantic. Duck Rock was dedicated to Harry McClintock, better known as Haywire Mac. The album artwork was by Dondi White and Nick Egan, with the illustration by Keith Haring.

Guest musicians featured on this album include Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, J. J. Jeczalik, and Thomas Dolby. Side recordings that Horn, Dudley and Jeczalik made in between takes of Duck Rock would eventually become the first album of the Art of Noise. Clips of the World's Famous Supreme Team radio show appear between songs, which made the album one of the earliest recordings on which members of the Nation of Gods and Earths appear.

Duck Rock ultimately became a critical favorite in many music critics' eyes, having garnered such accolades as BBC Two's Critical Music label and others. However, Robert Christgau criticized McLaren and Horn for failing to give credit to the South African musicians involved in the recording, such as Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. The Mbaqanga group the Boyoyo Boys took legal action against Mclaren over the similarity of "Double Dutch" with its own hit "Puleng." After a lengthy legal battle in the UK, the matter was settled out of court, with payment made to the South African copyright holders, songwriter Petrus Maneli and publisher Gallo Music, but Horn and Mclaren retained their songwriting credits.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Obatala"	Horn, McLaren	4:17
2.	"Buffalo Gals"	Dudley, Horn, McLaren	4:22
3.	"Double Dutch"	Horn, McLaren	5:53
4.	"El San Juanera"	Horn, McLaren	1:56
5.	"Merengue"	Horn, McLaren	3:52
6.	"Punk it Up"	Horn, McLaren	4:11

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Legba"	Horn, McLaren	4:03
8.	"Jive My Baby"	Horn, McLaren	5:35
9.	"Song for Chango"	Horn, McLaren	2:49
10.	"(living on the road in) Soweto"	Horn, McLaren	3:53
11.	"World's Famous"	Dudley, McLaren	1:41
12.	"Duck for the Oyster"	Horn, McLaren	2:57

More tracks

1. "Zulu's on a Time Bomb" (Horn, McLaren)
2. "She's Looking Like a Hobo" (Horn, McLaren)
3. "Double Dutch - New Dance Mix" (Horn, McLaren)
4. "Roly Poly" (Horn, McLaren)
5. "D'ya like Scratchin'? - with the Red River Gals" (Horn, Dudley, McLaren)
6. "World's Famous - Radio ID" (Horn, Dudley, McLaren)

Personnel

• Malcolm Mclaren – figure caller, singer (known as Talcy Malcy)
• Se'Divine the Mastermind - DJ, rapper (known as See Divine the Mastermind, Divine)
• JazzyJust the Superstar - DJ, rapper (known as just Allah the Superstar, Just a Lot of Superstar, Justice)
• Trevor Horn – producer
• Anne Dudley – arranger, keyboards, string arrangements
• Thomas Dolby – keyboards
• Gary Langan - jew's harp, engineer
• J.J. Jeczalik – synthesizer
• David Birch – guitar
• Louis Jordan – percussion
• Keith Haring - illustration
• Dondi White - graffiti
• Nick Egan - cover design
• additional musicians uncredited - backing vocals, bass guitar

Releases

• Album release 1981-1982, Charisma Records
• CD release: 1987