Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The only reason this is here is because it’s from before streaming, when if you bought a shit album you had to convince yourself you liked it.

Their bio states they have no face, no names, no gender. I wish they had no album.

This is exactly the kind of electronic, avant-garde, wacked out shit I signed up for.

Sometimes I think I'm okay; I am a normal, well-adjusted human being. But then I remember how much I genuinely enjoy The Residents.

1 Oh my God it’s the eyeball dudes. I’ve heard of these guys, but I’ve never listened to anything they’ve put out, mostly due to the general discomfort they give me. And I gotta say, going in with just that knowledge, somehow all of my expectations were met. Yep, it’s just a bunch of weird noises and voices for 35 minutes. There’s a certain 60’s Saturday morning cartoon vibe buried in all of the chaos that I think I had mild appreciation for, but that’s probably the most positive thing I can say about this album - when I realized the first track Constantinople is the band’s most popular on Spotify, I knew I had a very, very long listen ahead. Ironically, compared to many of the other albums I’ve rated poorly thus far, there’s actually quite a bit that’s remarkable and stood out to me across my listening, but I feel like trying to express any of it into any kinds of words here would be a massive waste of time for everyone involved. I’m convinced that no one actually listens to this kind of stuff out of pure personal enjoyment, and it instead becomes known and popularized from the kinds of reactions you get from people when you put it on. If you’re into really bizarre or trippy stuff for whatever reason, I guess give this a listen. If you’re looking to enjoy some new music, I suggest listening to quite possibly anything else. This shit made me want to listen to The Beatles. In summary, art rock is dumb - there’s nothing profound about making your music unlistenable. At least this one wasn’t as aggressive as that Suicide album.

I don't want this in my life

It's brilliant. I can't imagine Ween, Primus or any number of wonky abstract acts existing without this existing first. And they beat Daft Punk to the masks. And they ruined Happy Birthday. It is a thing of great wonder and I love it.

This must be a joke. I’ve been reviewing these albums for over two years and this has to be the worst one yet.

NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE If you've arrived at this album with the intent to take the Residents seriously then you've already failed. Their Dadaist approach to music has allowed them to experiment and venture into areas that no other musical artists would dare approach. A complete disregard for melody and structure gives them free reign to explore dissonance, new forms of instrumentation, and (most importantly) humor. The Residents revel in being inaccessible and strange. That being said, it's not a very pleasant listening experience, is it? It certainly excels in being an abstract horror for the ears, but it's rarely something that I would listen to for my own enjoyment. Perhaps that is the end goal of the Residents, given their reputation. It's an album worth trying at least once. NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE

Dogshit

The correct way to do that avant-garde type shit.

The Residents are bit like communism in that I like them better in theory than I do in practice. And maybe it’s the years I’ve spent listening to weird, out-there music, but this record isn’t nearly as unlistenable as some of you make it out to be. In fact, I’m willing to bet if someone put Tom Waits’ phony-ass gravel voice over top of this music, most of you a) wouldn’t realize it wasn’t actually a Tom Waits record and b) would be falling all over yourselves to praise it.

10/10 The Residents are so fucking cool and crazy this is beyond just music, it’s transcendental art

Started off thinking it was shit, but it was a grower not a shower, and after a while I started to enjoy it somewhat. Not enough to rank it alongside my other 3 stars. But I will listen to more of them, and perhaps it will continue to grow. Definitely not one for the gym. Probably not the best whilst driving. Potentially alright in the bath, if you've munched down a handful of mushrooms beforehand.

Just when I thought this experiment has shown me the lowest lows, this crap comes around the corner and proves me wrong

Okay, this is epic. Time for a break from all the humdrum rock albums, here's something freaky deaky. Album so weird that I had to play it on my headphones so as not to scare everyone in the house, including the dogs. Love how creepy the vocals are sometimes, really processed to hell and back. The fact that this is from the '70s makes it that much more impressive. Could you imagine walking into your son's room in 1978 and hearing him listen to this? I'd probably call the police. Never heard of these guys before, but color me intrigued. "Constantinople" is absolutely insane, and I loved the really weird birthday song on here. I would rather hear a dozen more albums like this from the forgotten freaks living in tunnels beneath our world than hear another Elvis Costello snoozer. Spooky fun! Favorite tracks: Constantinople, Blue Rosebuds, Birthday Boy, Hello Skinny. Album art: Love love love the color scheme, I'll repeat it as many times as we get one: red/white/black makes for some of my favorite covers out there. A psycho magician guy making the titular stab of the titular duck. Great show. 4/5

This needs to be removed from this list

It’s like Primus’s even weirder uncle.

This shit is wild. I'll stab a duck right now if Gene and Dean Ween didn't go ape over this at some point in their lives. I'm not sure how to rate this. I liked this a lot but it's not a "put it on anytime" album. You need to be in a really specific mood for this. Oh dear, that overall community score is just too low. I guess it has to be a 5 now. I'm doing my part.

they say that art disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed. an album that would make zappa proud, no doubt. dissonant, alien, surreal, anxious... a majority of the songs seem less like songs and more like cries for help. a few decent tracks like the one i've picked make you feel like you're in a demented moshpit, but a giant majority are just... weird.

Well this was a wild ride, but not particularly fun. This arty type genre of music certainly pushes the boundaries of what we consider to be music with only a vague resemblance to traditional melody, rhythm and vocals. Similar to say Trout Mask Replica, it takes considerable effort to get through, but the extremely poor and muddled audio quality ultimately makes it a frustrating exercise.

Cool. Cool cool cool. So glad I got to hear this before I died. Look, I've heard plenty of "weird" shit in my time, and I'm completely open to absorbing all forms of artistic expression. And yes, I hear the Primus and Ween and all of that in this album. But this is just boring. It's not particularly challenging or satirical the way a Zappa or Beefheart record would be, and there's nothing here that keeps me invested in terms of melody or production. It feels like Outsider music without sparking a sense of curiosity for how it was created. The band's decision to keep their identities anonymous is perhaps the most intriguing thing about all this, but even then, I really don't care who's behind the masks. Maybe people did back in 72.

To review this album for its musical merit would make about as much intellectual sense as appraising the aftermath of a bloody and horrific car crash for its colour scheme or aesthetic. It would be an insult to all involved. Instead, I will evaluate this album for the only purpose it can possible be useful for; a method of torture during interrogation: “Highly effective! If I was subjected to it once more, I would gladly rat out everyone I’ve ever known and loved, just to switch it off - 5 stars”

When the album first started I had to check whether or not my speakers were broken. They weren't it was just the horrific music ( if I can call it that ). I couldn't even tell what instruments they were trying to play. I thought the worse music I ever heard was my sister playing the voiln. However, this is a billion times worse. If I could rate this with negative stars I would. Whoever put this on the list of 1001 best albums was either stoned, drunk or paid a handsome fee to sneak it in. I should have listened to my friend "No, please El G, I beg you, save yourself this torment" Sorry Chris

Having to listen to this album borders on psychological torture. It’s only 35 minutes but is a continuous assault on the senses. 1/10

Fucking awful.

I love this mental stuff, I don't care. Go away and listen to your War On Drugs albums.

Curiously, this is the most listenable Residents album I've had the opportunity to explore so far. That duck voice in "Constantinople" and many other tracks from this 'double-EP' reminds me of the sorts of surreal antics David Lynch would perform as a musical artist many years later. The result is moody and disturbing, but also evocative, and often endearing (in keeping with Lynch's cinematography). Some of the textures and instrumentations are hypnotic. And many moments are frankly groundbreaking for the time period. It might be a stretch to consider any Residents album as "essential records", yet I respect the 1001 Albums book for trying hard to include the weirdest sort of experimental music that can exist, here rubbing shoulders with blatantly commercial pop artists whose success in the charts is light-years away from the underground fame painstakingly reached by the dadaist outfit (the problem, as always, is to decide which sort of experimental stuff you must select). Ironically, I will say the same thing about the Residents than the thing I've recently said about the Monkees or Britney Spears: a compilation or playlist of the best cuts in their discography is probably more satisfying and dynamic than discrete studio albums. That said, being the underdog that they are because of their niche "artistry", the Residents deserve as many benevolent takes and open-minded assessments as they can garner. Which why I will bump my own grading of this album a notch. This won't save this record for its infamously low global score on this app. But it will be my good deed of the day. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential" albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5+3.5). Number of albums left to review: 77 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 397 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 230 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 297 (including this one)

I'm not sure "enjoyed" is the right word, but I appreciated hearing this. It sounds like people allowing themselves to be the strangest version of themselves, and I find that inspiring. Interesting reading about their long and storied history, avanti garden approach and anonymity. I am amazed that they are still active as a band in 2023.

It's like if the Max Headroom hijacking incident was an album

"Duck Stab/Buster & Glen" is the fifth studio album by American art rock group the Residents. Experimental rock. Yeah, I'd say. "Duck Stab!" was originally released as an EP. It sold out quickly and was re-released with the B-side "Buster & Glen," which was intended to follow up "Duck Stab!" A decent critic description of their music is "songs as nursery rhymes that blend the sinister with simple." A pennywhistle and a voice which sounds like the singer just engulfed helium opens "Constantinople." The pace picks up with horns. It's musically busy and sounds like a skit. "Sinister Exaggerator" darkens the tone with synth keys, a beat and foreboding, exaggerated strings. The narrator is telling someone that he is basically a piece of shit. The lyrics include Elmer Fudd, oyster beds and saliva. A distorted gazzo or maybe a violin begins "Bach Is Dead." The vocals repeat "Bach Is Dead." It's a song about musical elitists and that there is other good music out there. "Lizard Lady" has piercing keys, muffled vocals and a woman screaming. Oh, it's about a woman getting kidnapped by a lizard. "Weight-Lifting Lulu" is a chilling song musically and lyrically as the singer describes a man who loves Lulu's charm but not her weight-lifting body. The man gives a gun to the grandfather who shoots her. Didn't see that coming. The best way to describe this music is the sound of distorted notes of instruments which carry the melody mixed with a background of 50's/60's cartoon music and nonsensical lyrics which sometimes might have a deeper meaning. And, yes, somehow I liked this album because of all this. I think their favorite instrument might be the gazoo. Their influence is undeniable for bands such as Primus. The Residents have 60 albums overall. I wouldn't recommend trying to listen to them all but you might get a kick out of some of the songs on this album or you might feel like throwing your shoe through the window.

This was a trolling attempt right

Welp, I found my tolerance line. This Ducking Terrible.

This makes me want to Ducking Stab myself in the ear holes.

15 seconds in, I felt that duck's pain.

They no longer need to waterboard people for info - they just play this album out loud, it's more effective Whoever added this to the list needs to be checked over by a mental health professional because they're clearly not doing well 1 ⭐️

I did this project to get out of my comfort zone. Maybe my comfort zone wasn’t so bad.

dadaism in music form

Fucking awful

Bro, c’mon. No. Skip

This is painful, do I actually have to finish? I did, but through gritted teeth bc that was hot trash. Also lol at them first sending me to the deluxe 2 hour edition foh. I’d rate this lower if I could.

WOW WE FOUND THE WORST ALBUM this album is fucking weird. also two hours long. This stressed me out to listen to. If I could give less than one star, I would

what in the fuck did i just listen to. absolute trash. Avant-garde art experiment masquerading as "music"

Pure trash. I couldn’t rate this low enough.

Jesus, I can't believe I made through the entire album. This just may be worse than that dude who named all his albums after himself. I kept thinking this is what an album by the Munchkins from Wizard of Oz would sound like. I laughed a couple times, then realized I had another 30 minutes of this stuff. Then I cried a little and finished the album. For me, this may have taken over the #1 spot of the worse things I have ever heard musically. Will not revisit. Will never listen again. This is where I wish you can rate as a negative number. Will, loving your reviews! Keep it up. Ha.

Yeah…no thanks…

The soundtrack to an art school version of the Smurfs, leaning heavily on Gargamel as the antihero. Mostly tedious crap, with occasional brief moments where it is mildly entertaining.

What the fuck

My kind of humor, my kind of madness. I like things that both alienate and fascinate which this album does in abundance. Disjointed melodies, surreal lyrics, and unsettling atmospheres, what more could you ask for?

I have no idea how to rate this. I hated almost every second, but this is what I signed up for in the first place. You just have to admire this complete commitment to whatever artistic vision they decided on. If you think Tom Waits is only slightly odd, this might be for you.

A new experience for me. At first I was very put off by the vocalist's off key voice, but it suits the lyrics. I can't listen to this as background music ... yet. Over time I may be able too, but there is so much crazy in this, that my mind keeps getting drawn in to the sound and lyrics.

This sort of feels like the evil version of Sparks. I mean, you got high register, goofy songs that take some getting used to, especially when it comes to this album. However, the Residents are not here to make pop masterpieces, but rather avant garde art that can be hard to stomach for the average person. Me liking this album does not mean those who don't are dumb, because of course not, this is just straight weird. I'm just intrigued and pulled in by the shock of it all, so when you get something that actually rocks, it really does rock. If anything I'd say the amount of songs makes it repetitive to listen to, not so much strange, although that is certainly there. I don't know man, I just think this is a neat collection of the anti-mainstream and macabre, and it scratches some itches doing so.

Fun to see something this demented appear on this list. #residentssweep

Har rullat på 10 låtar med dem på Spotify. Annorlunda, absolut. Inte hört detta album tidigare. Min fru bad mig stänga av. Eller rättare sagt, stängde jag inte av så sker ett mord.

This is absolutely not for everyday listening, but strange enough quite interesting. I couldn't turn it off.

Definitely unique. It's weird giving this 3 stars, as I usually give that to middle of the road, not particularly good, not particularly bad albums. This album isn't one of those, but flip-flops between "I wish I never had ears" and "This is musical genius"

I was checking my history a couple of weeks ago and realised that, whilst I had had a good number of the highest rated albums on the list I had not had any of the lowest. The next day, I got Dagmar Krause’s Tank Battles, and today I got this. I was happier two weeks ago.

And I thought Captain Beefheart was weird. Wow. And according to AllMusic, compared to their other albums, this is "probably the least experimental of the bunch". Still, I'm glad I listened to (some of) it. Many of the songs, like "Laughing Song", remind me of Les Claypool quite a bit. Interesting to see that Primus, Mr. Bungle, etc. didn't actually invent the circus-freak-music wheel. 2/5 for novelty, but probably will never listen to this group again.

The Residents sound like a band that you’d see playing in a bar in an early David Lynch movie. I couldn’t listen to this LP before I went to bed because I was sure it would give me nightmares. The fact that they can create such an eerie, uneasy vibe is worth an extra point or two. I added another point when I saw in Spotify that it was released in 1972, which would make it “proto” something or another. But that seems to be a typo. 1978 sounds about right.

3/10. It's hard to make a song about Constantinople that I won't like, but these guys did it. There were some kind of cool songs on there, and the sing-songy vocals did work with the weirdness of the sound, but at the end of the day it was just unpleasant to listen to much of the time.

This wasn't any dumber than Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Worst album I’ve ever heard, and I like weird stuff

This is the album someone puts on after you say "I'll listen to anything" and they reply "ANYTHING???"

# Album Name: Duck Stab-Buster & Glen # Artist: The Residents # Rating: 1/5 # Comments: Absolute dog shit. This is not music. This is wank. # Top Tunes: You wot? Absolutely sweet FA # Would I listen to it again? I wouldnt give this one to my worst enemy.

Best Song: Constantinople. This got a brief chuckle out of me before I realized that this was by far the musical and comedic highpoint of the album and it was all downhill from here. Worst Song: The Booker Tease. This is literally just noise. Overall: I appreciate experimentalism as much as the next guy, but I feel like too often experimental bands really just have an aversion to editing. This album is stuffed with dozens of tracks (and according to Wikipedia, this album was one of the first of 40+ presumably similar offerings), and I just wonder if any thought or curation went into any of what is presented here. Sure there's a few moments that give a sort of funny-itchy feeling, but everything feels like a first draft, thoughtlessly created and equally thoughtlessly consumed.

hmm. I can always appreciate.. but I will likely never listen to this again

I feel like I am being trolled. This album was not good for my mental health

Mostly unlistenable dreck - this strikes me as art for art's sake. That is to say it is without any discernible purpose. The best part of the album was the songs were, gratefully, short.

not my music at all. experimental genre? anyway. yuck. not for me.

I get why people were influenced by this but that person is not me. Some songs are listenable and others aren't but it gets more annoying the longer you listen and very tireseome.

i don’t have anything against weirdos but why would i listen to this shit?

This is...something. If I hear the word Constantinople one more time I may scream. Blue Rosebuds is awful too. At least its only 35 minutes long?

To be honest, I skimmed this and found it really a challenge to enjoy. It's like the soundtrack to a mass murder or something. Blech.

On album #924, I have finally found the most intolerable album on the list.

This is without a doubt the worst thing I've ever heard. I'm actually glad it's on this list to raise awareness for people to stay far away. At least with some genres like heavy metal I can kind of understand why some people might enjoy it. No one enjoys this music. This is nauseatingly bad. 0/10 (0/5)

Couldn't get through it

Yeah this was nonsense. I did not finish it.

If I could rate it lower I would. Painfful

Was the included on the list of albums because it demonstrates how much you can suck and still gain recognition? Zero stars.

The instrumentals had potential but the vocals were beyond terrible

There’s a sub genre of music on this project ‘collection of random sounds’ - within that genre, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but, this is actually probably one of the best. I think in terms of what it’s trying to do and the atmosphere it’s trying to create it’s probably the most commercial and coherent of those albums. Having said that, I’ll also never listen to it again 1.4

No need for an album whose only purpose is to annoy you.

God I wish I were that duck right now

Ridiculous, just harsh sounding and frankly pretty spooky considering the season. Its good bad music if that makes sense.

Christ...

this is not music -1/5

I think I would have to be stoned to enjoy this. It's creepy and kind of disturbing.

0/5 Wow this was not for me.

Dear god, this was genuinely difficult to listen to. The whole album was weird and off-putting. It could be the soundtrack to a demonic carnival. Easily the worst album I've ever listened to. Zero stars.

No doubt there's an experimental pioneering aspect of this in 1972, and probably inspired a bunch of our now well-loved artists, but it doesn't hold up to modern standards, it's just, well, annoying. 1.5

Only my second one-star review. Weirdness for the sake of weirdness. Singer sounds kinda like Les Claypool Primus if he didn't have much musical talent. And the whole thing is just not particularly pleasant to listen to. I get the whole 'deconstruction of the musical paradigm' thing -- and at least it has a backbeat instead of just being noise. But it just goes...on...and...on...like the soundtrack to a badly constructed haunted house ride. And really -- all the live tracks and other versions? I mean, just why? So, really not my thing. I would have been just as happy never hearing this.

elektr. punk, 1978 ->1

Godverdomme deze hakt er in. Alsof je op een verjaardag bent waar teveel kinderen zijn die allemaal van die Fisher Price rommel met batterijen erin hebben. Semi-willekeurige geluiden die vooral irritatie opwekken, maar dan ook nog dissonant als de ziekte. Wat kut. Ik kan vrijwel altijd wel iets positiefs vinden in een album maar in dit geval moet ik me gewonnen geven. Dieptepunt.

This album is so ridiculous it's fantastic.

This is one of the weirder albums I've heard. I'm glad I was here for it.

I going all in on this. Art with a capital "A". Certainly there are moments of dissonance but it's mostly playful. Rarely has music been both this experimental as well actually listenable (this may not be a popular opinion). Ideal for this list.

Fun in a schizophrenic, fever dreamy kind of way. Not sure it was intended to be an enjoyable listen, but I had a good time

This was the most surprising and delightful album thus far! Totally excited about this pic, as I had never heard of them or about them.

This is so fucking weird and I love it so much.

Pros: * Good for a halloween party * Useful to scary people you don't like on their birthday * or for sending people to hell Cons: * Creepy af * 2 hour dnf 5/5 for art, 1/5 for music