Reviews (page 2 of 8)
What an eclectic mix of genres; happy discovery of the sample from Em's Without Me; Buffalo Gals
Dude YES! Wow this album fucking ruled. It is literally a fusion of everything cool ever. African beats and hooks and instrumentals. Thomas Dolby and Trevor horn homemade synth beats. Incredible grooves. 50 different genres in one. I’m in love
This album is mad. It's such a collage and combo of styles, music and everything. It's art. It's anticipating stuff like trip-hop and sample based music coming later. Second track was sampled by Eminem in Without Me. It's funny. It's ironic. It's just art really.
What the heck was that.
Feels like Digital Underground’s Sex Packets and Paul Simon’s Graceland wrapped up in one. And I gave both of those albums 5 stars. I enjoyed this one equally as much, and rating purely on my experience with the album alone, it too gets 5 stars.
Wow. This album was all over the place... In the best way possible. Very very interesting to me.
What the duck? This rocks!
Three buffalo gals go round the outside
Blew my mind. This is fun as shit. Gonna give it a 5 cause I believe it needs more recognition.
At once exhilarating, problematic and downright creative, Duck Rock could very easily be the prime example of keeping a finger on the pulse of things. Spurning the by now hallowed carcass of punk for the life-altering, game changing scenery of nascent hip-hop just so happened to be the only logical step for Malcolm McLaren to make and, for forty plus minutes, it pays off in dividends. Of course, never giving credit where credit is due is never a good thing but the sounds offered from such disrespect tends to outweigh the negatives once the grooves get going. Malcolm wasn't the first one on board and he wouldn't be the last, as the subtle influence Duck Rock holds still lingers on.
Nice
A surprising and fun album. Something I wasn’t expecting at all and want to read more about it.
You can either whine about some political correct bullshit or have fun listening to this amazing album.
A pocketful of drugs. A circus on mars. Three monkeys singing opera. This is insane. If you didn't love this, delete my contact, delete your phone, delete yourself. We can't be friends. We shouldn't even be on the same planet. A delight. A masterpiece. I need a nap.
This album is ace. Hopefully the impact it had to inspire others to delve deeper into what at the time were obscure music for western audiences countered some of the cultural appropriation issues.
I’m a rhythm hound. I love all the variety of rhythms on this album. The more times I listen to this the more I enjoy it. I was always familiar with Malcolm McLaren because I owned the album after this one back in real time. So I knew it would be something original and somewhat challenging. I’m not disappointed! This is so ahead of its time, including the hilarious radio interstitials… including a shout out to city of my birth, Poughkeepsie!! Reading other reviews of this album, thinking about cultural appropriation: this album is clearly guilty of that. I’m appreciative of whoever named Mahalthini and the Mahotella Queens, who appear (uncredited!!) on this album. That review led me to their music… LOVE! They deserve to be on this list in their own right. I’m grateful for finding them, even in this roundabout way. They certainly deserve recognition. Their talent is a big part of the success of this album. I want to give this album five stars but perhaps won’t based on how the credit might not have been shared properly. Need to give it a think because I do love the cleverness of this album and the exposure it gave to different rhythms. My policy, with albums of other musicians whom I ethically disagree with, is to just rate on my experience of the album. know that I’m aware that this is problematic.
Really fun listen like a trip back in time.
Wow, what an album! Of course I'd heard of Malcolm McLaren before (who hasn't), but I didn't think I'd heard any of this. As it turned out, so much was recognisable. How much of this is due to McLaren's ripping off of other artists I couldn't say, but to rate this album poorly based on McLaren as an individual (as so many other reviewers have done) does a grave disservice to the musicians that created and performed this wonderful music. I will be separating the art from the (alleged?) artist and voting 5 stars and then will be looking into more music of this style, in particular the uncredited artists listed in this section of McLaren's Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_McLaren#Royalty_payment_controversies
Yes
Loved the conceit of the latenight radio show, fits the absolute incredibe variety of the album well. Truly marvelous sound.
Due to how absolutely wild this album is, I’m giving it the crown. It Is just SO interesting, so fun, an absolute joy.
Absolutely groundbreaking mix of world and the emerging electronic music.
good
Now we're talking. This was like finally get a joke that you hear on the Simpsons...about half of the songs I've heard referenced before, and they were pretty good. Upbeat, energetic, a wide variety of genres (loved the last hillbilly ditty). This is the first album that made me want to go back and listen to more of the artist's catalogue.
New to me. I’ll keep it on rotation.
Found this whole thing very silly (I love) and good party nonsense (more love) - a good lesson in why it’s sometimes better to not have any contextual knowledge of the “artist”
What people might not appreciate in 2024 is that ideas traveled much more slowly in 1983. It took people like Malcolm McLaren to go out and find new material and then encourge musicians to experiment with it. And what exciting ideas he discovered. This album shows the enthusiasm and consideration with which MM undertook the task - very different from the algorithmic fire hyrant of randomness and cat videos that replaced him.
Wow! What a gem to discover this album. Pure aural delight. I listened to this two times and I see many more spins in my future. Jive my Baby is gonna be today’s ear worm
Really fun album, something you can shake your ass too! I love the Caribbean influence in some of the songs, and it was cool hearing the original song for that famous sample!
I've loved this from since its first release.
Hip hop roots. 5/5
Definitely a change of pace. I enjoyed the idea of it feeling like a radio show with chatter between music. In the streaming era we don’t get that anymore.
I really love this album. It is a bit quirky for something to recommend to everyone to listen to, but the first track is really sublime and feels timeless. If you would have played that first track and said it was a new song by Damon Albarn, I would have believed it! The rest of the album is very early hip-hop, compiled seamlessly like the DJ's that wouldn't really show up for years later. The album, as a whole, really does feel like a lost link or precursor to so many other hip-hop and DJ acts that I've loved for two decades.
Wait, where did this come from?! Might be the most eclectic album I've heard in a long time. Thought it was going to be some kind of early hip-hop sample based album kind of like Entroducing, but then it switches to a pop banger on 'Double Dutch', then a wild salsa song, a synthpop kind of song, and it's all tied together with this radio show concept with little skits appearing throughout. I love it. And it was made in 1983, insane. A 2.73 average rating though, you people should be ashamed.
Weirdest album I've ever heard.
Sound track for shopping at 10,000 Villages.
Delightfully entertaining variety of styles here. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dit is een ontdekking! Ik vind dit echt een superalbum. Het heeft met zijn Afrikaanse invloeden af en toe wat weg van Graceland Paul Simon, maar dan hiphop. Ook leuk om de originele nummers te horen waar zoveel samples vandaag komen.
What a lovely unexpected surprise. Eclectic - perfect length, great tunes and I actual like the radio show inserts - frames the variety well. Who knew. One of the best and nicest discoveries of this exercise to me - at album 599.
That was one batshit insane PARTY! This is exactly the kind of stuff I came here for. Too crazy, I loved it.
5/5. Honestly a pretty rockin album. I have no idea what the genre is but it’s cool nonetheless. It has aged, with the use of “Female” constantly but the switch between radio and songs is really smooth. And the influences this album takes is numerous, from African to Indian to Jazz and Soul to Electronic sampling finishing it off with hip hop. A pretty cool experience. Best song: Double Dutch, Duck for the Oyster (mainly for the insanity that is this song)
Great crazy act, scratch and Latino dance. Love it
I was going to say that this is some pretty bland pastiche . . . but then I read that it was recorded 40 years ago and holy fuck this was ahead of its time!
Never new about this. And I love the shit out of it.
Surprisingly interesting one
This is a really fun album. I've never heard of this one but really enjoyed it. Lots of upbeat songs with a unique theme and flow to the album. The interstitial radio-style talking and introductions give everything a really cohesive feel. I can definitely see the influence this album has had on modern music. Glad this one came up in my feed today. Standout Tracks: Obatala, Buffalo Gals, Double Dutch, Merengue, Punk It Up, Jive My Baby, Soweto
Well this is just loads of fun, especially when McLaren isn't speaking. You've got the Art of Noise, you've got Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens (massively not cool that they were uncredited - wtf), you've got Thomas Dolby, you've got the pirate DJs the Supreme Team all smooshed together by Trevor Horn and the gang. There's so much to love. Keith Haring cover art as well. It's so ubiquitously 80s, it's kind of wonderful. Even if McLaren comes across as one of the creepiest dudes ever, and most of this album is magpie-ing shit from everywhere - and although that is kind of the entire point, see above, pay those people! They made half the record pop. Also love happening upon another PWEI sample (end of Merengue = end of 88 Seconds...and still counting) Man From Delmonte stole the Makgona Tsohle Band sound (specifically on Water in My Eyes which I still love) and mixed it with Marr/Orange Juice guitar, and although no-one seems to have heard of them these days I still like them. This album sent me off on a journey of listening to all of the above over the course of the day. Therefore, inspirational.
Loved it, wasn’t expecting it to be as interesting as it is.
I've never heard this one. It's great.
Having skipped out on this for two weeks - life generally having got on top of me - I come back to this after being recommended the absolutely dismal Urban Hymns by The Verve. Well. Is this seriously from 1982? Like seriously? And from the former manager of The New York Dolls and The Sex Pistols? Wow. This album is piggin' great. It comes at you from every direction - hip hop, hodown, electronic, African - it's all over the shop, yet still completely coherent and cohesive. I'm genuinely impressed.
This album was one of my gateways into hip hop. A classic, with a star-studded cast. This listen through I found the eclectic nature of the various styles a little jarring in places, but it sounded revolutionary at the time. I’d give this 5 stars just for the joyous bounce of Double Dutch, but this is still a great listen and a hugely influential album.
There's so much more to this album than simply Buffalo Gals and a song about skipping. It's rich in styles, piecing together different cultures and seeing where it takes you. Yep, Malcolm was the great magpie. A musical thief who lifted other ideas for his own benefit. But he had the vision to look a little further afield whilst others stayed at home. I had no idea Thomas Dolby was involved in this. The best album artwork ever?
Wasn't too sure about this at first but it turned out to be a solid fun album. Once it got going it reminded me a lot of street festivals/carnivals I had been to in my youth with all the exhilaration of the communal party atmosphere that they had. Really didn't like that last song 'Duck for the Oyster' but the rest of the album I would happily listen to again.
Loooooved it. In my top 5 so far
Yes! Easy 5. Especially listening to it on duckduckgo. Problem is - this is an album of carefully crafted transitions that need to be fully appreciated on hard media, not via YouTube with ads dividing every fucking track. Keep that in mind while experiencing this album in a format that's kind of antithetical to it.
1983 Hip-hop
Wild and fun. I don't think I've ever heard an album quite like this one. A breath a of fresh air
I don't want to give the excuse that this didn't land because I'm British; but this bland country-rock simply didn't connect with me at all. Boring music, boring lyrics, happy to see the back of this - my Steve Earle comments, but the app glitched. Duck Rock - this was an unexpected joy. Who knows how much of that old charlatan McLaren's input actually made it to the record? Should I care? This is a kaleidoscopic blending of all kinds of influences, yet sounds surprisingly coherent. Love it!
legit. probably some complications with attribution etc, but the sound biz is so good on my earholes.
Very few ducks.
Whole album pretty much goes hard
All over the musical map in a good way.
Not for me but vry creative and fun, radio segments reminded me of songs for the deaf
A very unusual but enjoyable mix of African music and early hip hop beats, samba and Hispanic music too. A really weird album, the kind I am glad is on this list for broadening the microscopic horizons of its listeners. Sorry to hear that the credited artist is really just a thieving producer, but I like his taste in stolen goods. I liked the analogy of another reviewer: "like if you invited a really great set of friends over for a potluck and then posted photos of it captioned "look at this great dinner i made." The potluck was good, the attribution, not so much." True, but I did enjoy the dinner a lot.
What a fun collection of sounds! It very much sounds like the 80s so the mishmash of genres comes off as charmingly naive at worst which I will take over cynically calculated and overproduced any day.
What is an Impresario? I dont really know, but Malcolm McClaren is always described as one. I think its a pretty cool title. Maybe DJ Kahled would be the closest Impresario that we have today? Someone that doesnt really do anything, but curates? Anyway, this album is pretty sick. Love the way that hip hop is blended with the African pop music sound. Really cool.
I only know him as the Sex Pistols manager. I had no idea he had an album. I quickly looked at Wikipedia and he has great musicians on here. I would have never sought this out on my own since I had no idea of it’s existence. I’m glad this album was suggested. It’s interesting and keeping my attention.
Well I certainly remember the absurdity of "Buffalo Gals" from when it was on the radio at the time, but had no idea it had this whole-ass mess of an album attached to it. I've always had a slightly jaded attitude about McLaren, like he was fashion punk instead of real political punk, which isn't helping. And I'd feel a little more charitable if the samples from various musicians had been attributed; it feels a little tone-deaf right now. But when I pretend to have no idea about the context of this record? I have to say it's a pretty fun listen. 4/5
interessting experimental hip hop elements. totaly worth a listen
Would'nt have guessed UK
Very interesting blend of music with the african/ hip hop/ reggae and a heavy dose of sampling for a live DJ style. There's a lot of high energy forward momentum going on with a few tracks to break it up and keep things unpredictable and interesting (Duck For The Oyster is an odd placement though). Not sure I would would have found this album outside of this list which is great.
Lowkey kaleidoscopic.
extremely disappointing I didn't hear a single quack. also i have no idea what I just listened to but I kinda liked it.
This album was so goddamn fun. I wish I could give it 4.5 but this will have to suffice.
Wow Macolm really shoved every single element of the 80s into one album and you know what, it works? not particularly controversial to say loool. It's really overstimulating but I do like it. Ol Malcom was a lot wasn't he, a busy busy boy. Why not release this album you know? Sex Pistols was old hat, you gotta REINVENT THE WHEEL. I wrote that like it was a reference to something and it isn't. But he was a visionary. Reinventing.... or maybe... a white guy a little bit borrowing from other cultures to make something cool WHO CAN SAY. but it is good. (not that he did that, but the sound of the album).
So far it feels like minecraft music in a way and I really like it. It is not like minecraft music anymore but I'm still really enjoying it. I love the random skits, they're super fun. This album has such an upbeat feeling that makes me happy.
Good for me
Obviously this album is caked in controversy, the uncredited artist list is shameful. But it’s undeniable the influence this has had, and I enjoyed about 80% of it. Except for duck for the oyster which was as awful as I expected a song with a title like that to be. I would agree this is a must listen though.
I think there is a lot here to love. I know that Malcolm McLaren gets a lot of hate but the vision he has for music seems pretty good. This album gives us a lot of that including the adding of the "skits" that I think were not a thing back then but are still used now and a lot of interesting music. Again we sometimes have to seperate the sheister from the music itself
8.5
Thought this was fun. No idea who Malcolm McClaren is really. Was expecting punk. Wasn't sure who was making this, but enjoyed it for what it was. I listen to world music and folk music at lot, I don't have much experience of listening to hip hop. I'm always looking for something different and unusual, and like albums that are complete piece of work, so this was a ride. Before reading about the album I might have assumed it was an exploration of cultural identity. Maybe so - perhaps not McClaren's own?! Would listen again but also seek out the (uncredited) artists as it was the world music that drew me into the record. The Boyoyo Boys Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens MD Shirinda & the Gaza Sisters Luis Kalaff y sus Alegres Dominicanos. 4
From what it says in the 10001 book, the fact that some coherent album came to be at all is nothing short of a miracle. The process seems like it was chaotic, but that is unimportant. Most prevalent here are the African sounds which are the perfect mix of joyousness and weight. The hip hop elements are fun and well observed. The radio announcement segues aren’t too annoying, which is something that can easily happen with such things. And there are other interesting tracks that are less easy to pigeonhole. I would have appreciated it if they had resisted the urge to take the line-dance dabbling of Buffalo Gals and push it further to end up full hoedown for the dreadful closer, but I have learned to raise the needle early and pretend it doesn’t exist. Aside from that, there really is quality throughout this unusual album.
Such a weird mashup artist very fun
Rv
I like the blending of genres here, but the songs don’t quite do it for me. There’s a bit of that 80s hip-hip vibe that can feel a bit stiff and trite
Enjoyed this one more than I expected. It has some of that desert rock feel, which I guess is just my ignorance of African rock. I like the feeling like the dial is turning from station to station. Fun album. 3.5/5
Mad as a box of frogs but brilliant anyway
Problematični klasik ranog sempliranja
3.5
A lot of people have rated this low on the basis that McLaren is a jerk and cultural appropriator. I didn’t know any of that going in, and from what I’ve read, it sounds like he was more of a lovable jerk than say, Ryan Adams, who I just reviewed before this. I mean, dude was affiliated with the Sex Pistols and said aloud (rather than kept the notion a secret like 98% of other artists here) that he intended on making money through his music. Everybody steals from everybody. Eminem would pay homage to this- two trailer park girls go around the outside (I’d never known what that line was all about- now finally, clarity!). All that being said, my impression from the music alone, going in fresh, was that this was awesome. This is wild, crazy, and fancy free. We go from hip hop to Africa to some weird hallucinatory cartoon cowboy rodeo thing. I will put this on again. This is one worth the vinyl collection. And to the haters who can’t get their head around why this should be here, chill bro. We need more insanity and unbridled creativity like this in our world.
sorry but TWO tracks from this going top 10 in the UK is the funniest thing i ever heard. obviously this is 'problematic' in the ways that MM didn't credit any of the musicians he sampled and worked with... interesting because the world famous supreme team are so foregrounded which says something about how he engages with cultures and which he finds more palatable... very strange and interesting album and I guess it got me thinking about Graceland which i think is way more offensive especially considering Paul Simon broke the cultural boycott against apartheid in South Africa to record it... anyways the music i thought was really awesome and reading more about MM it seems his politics were solid and good.. on his wiki it says his last words were: "Free Leonard Peltier"... so shout out my guy LOL
Not enough quacking, but this is still pretty cool!
So bizarre but very fun. Can’t say I’d reach for any of these individually but as a group they work really well because of the radio show format, which I really enjoyed.
This was so weird and fun. I don't really get how it was made/produced... a lot of uncredited artists I guess? Very fun listen though!
Man plunders music from all over the world then passes it off as his own - is this the most British album of all time? Catchy tho
This is a really interesting record. As a huge Wu-Ta g fan this sounded familiar to me. It took awhile but I was able to pick out the moments that RZA used either in whole or as inspiration for his records. I like the mixture of sounds and styles and the segments with The Supreme Team enough want to listen again.
It was sort of like a musical collage. It kept me guessing. I liked some of the latin-sounding songs in the middle. It was quite a journey of an album; I don't know what to rate it, but I'll be generous and give it a four since it did something so unique. I would not listen to this not in album form, which is a big plus from my point of view.
Malcolm McLaren is an interesting figure. People joke that in the Sex Pistols, he essentially created a punk rock Boy Band (they have a point); a few years later he stole Adam Ant’s backing band to create Bow Wow Wow, led by a hypersexualized 13-year-old girl. I see him as a not entirely benevolent Loki-type marketing impresario. Here he steps into the role of producer-musician and delivers an arty post-punk album of adventurous, laissez-faire sonic collage. I like it. It’s a fun and interesting pastiche of disparate sounds, audio snippets and musical styles, delivered by what would become The Art of Noise. McLaren wasn’t the first punk act to dabble in hip-hop — both The Clash and Blondie had already done that — but I think it works, and the genre was still mostly foreign to white audiences in 1983. He did, however, beat Paul Simon by several years to the charms of South African township jive (and then got sued for not crediting any of the musicians). The two singles are dumb but infectious, but closer “Duck For the Oyster” is irredeemably annoying and should have been cut.
Completely unknown and completely surprising. This is such a fun album. A lot of world sounds and hip hop for this being a white guy from the UK, but so be it. Can't deny the fun.
In its way, kind of a brilliant bit of sampling and borrowing to make something surprising, fun, fluent, and way ahead of its time. Not everything works, and McLaren's narcissistic refusal to credit any of the musicians involved, or any of the inspirations, is contemptible. Still, it holds up as an album, not just an odd cultural artefact.
based on the first song, i would have never guessed what the rest of the album was going to sound like… based on the first and SECOND song, i would have never guessed what the rest of the album was going to sound like… by the 5th track i had given up on trying to figure it out and just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
Wow, this was totally unexpected. I have no idea what I thought it was going to be, but it definitely wasn't what it turned out to be. Initially I thought it was early rap or hip hop, but it deviates from that into a delightful blend of different world cultures. Very pleasantly surprised.
That was really cool. Listened to it a couple of times.
It's a bit weird but i like it, not quite 4 but i'll still give it
It might be cultural appropriation but it's also fire
First thoughts. Uh oh. I've avoided this since I saw McLaren on TV in the 90s claiming he invented hip hop. But that's the point of this, right, to listen to something you wouldn't necessarily choose and be challenged. 4/5 for the music, -10,000 for not giving the musicians on this the money and credit owed.
Craaaazy album. Tour of west africa, south america, central america. hilarious DJ interludes, I enjoyed. Fav is between Punk It Up and Jive my Baby, the latter probably just beating it out. 4/5.
Well that was a surprise. Almost didn't listen after that PIL album. It pains me this predates the Beastie Boys, very much wanted to call it a rip off. Good job Malcolm!!
A funny record that should brighten your day!
Cool to hear the music that influenced Eminem. Also, very dynamic sound. It was all over the place. Not enough melody though.
Honestly this was weird as hell, but really fun to listen to! 3.5 stars
Malcolm McLaren – *Duck Rock* (1983) An in-depth, track-by-track tour of the most joyfully problematic record ever cut in a London basement. --- ### 1. Context & Cast - **Executive “concept”**: McLaren, fresh from dismantling punk with the Sex Pistols, decides the next frontier is “music that hasn’t been colonised by rock”. - **Studio brains**: Trevor Horn (Art of Noise) builds the beats on the Fairlight; Anne Dudley arranges strings; J.J. Jeczalik chops tapes; Thomas Dolby adds synth gloss. - **Un-credited stars**: Mahlathini & the Mahotella Queens (South Africa), the World’s Famous Supreme Team (NYC), plus half a dozen township guitarists and go-go percussionists whose names never appeared on the sleeve. --- ### 2. Lyric Sheet (what there is of it) McLaren doesn’t “write songs”; he pastes square-dance calls, pidgin Spanish, playground chants and radio-drop slogans over other people’s music. The words function as tourist sign-posts rather than narrative: - **“Buffalo Gals”** – square-dance commands (“round the outside”) become the first hip-hop couplet most British kids ever heard. - **“Double Dutch”** – jump-rope rhymes traded with Mahlathini’s Zulu growl; language as jump-cut. - **“Soweto”** – almost no English; the Queens’ township melody is left untranslated, exoticised. - **“Duck for the Oyster”** – hoedown square-dance clichés delivered so straight they circle back to surreal. **Verdict**: Lyrics are collage, not confession; they age best when they stay phonetic and meaningless. Whenever McLaren tries to “mean” something (“Punk It Up”) it curdles into self-mythology. --- ### 3. Music – the good bits he didn’t actually play The sonic blueprint is early-80s crate-digging before crate-digging had a name: | Track | Core Loop | Added Spice | Why it still slaps | |-------|-----------|-------------|--------------------| | Buffalo Gals | 1979 NYC breakbeat “Pump It Up” | Fairlight stabs, square-dance caller | First UK record to scratch in real time; Eminem samples it 19 years later | | Double Dutch | Mahlathini guitar figure + Queens call-and-response | Horn’s Linn-Drum claps | Township funk at 110 BPM = proto-graceland with grit | | Soweto | Straight lift of the Queens’ 1977 single “Thatha S’thandana” | Dudley’s string pad (one overdub) | Still the happiest 3-minutes of township pop ever pressed | | World’s Famous | Supreme Team radio show | Live skip-proof scratch | Pre-figs De La Soul’s “Doin’ Our Own Dang” skit aesthetic | | Duck for the Oyster | Appalachian fiddle 78 rpm | Chipmunk-pitched vocal | So stupid it becomes avant-garde | **Production tricks that became templates** - Micro-sampling voice as percussion (years before Art of Noise’s “Close to the Edit”). - Segue-way radio drops => DJ Shadow / Prince Paul album continuity. - World-music + breakbeat = blueprint for “worldbeat” 1986-92 (Soul II Soul, Massive Attack). --- ### 4. Themes (intended & accidental) **Intended**: Global jukebox; punk’s DIY applied to the whole planet; “authenticity is dead, long live collage”. **Accidental**: Colonial tourism; white mediator profits off Black bodies; credit lines as reparations. **Meta-theme**: The album *is* its own controversy – every listen forces you to decide whether pleasure justifies plunder. --- ### 5. Influence – where you still hear it - **Hip-hop**: First top-40 UK home-grown “rap” record; opens the door for Cookie Crew, Monie Love, Soul II Soul. - **Pop**: Paul Simon hears “Double Dutch”, books Ladysmith Black Mambazo for *Graceland*. - **Electronic**: The Fairlight programming DNA runs through Art of Noise, Trevor Horn’s work with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and later big-beat (Fatboy Slim samples “Buffalo Gals” live intro). - **Visual**: Boom-box cover art becomes clip-art for 80s B-boy flyers; Supreme Team comic-style drops pre-date Gorillaz. --- ### 6. Pros & Cons in 2025 ears | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Still the most genre-per-minute fun you can have in 40 minutes | McLaren credited as “songwriter” on tracks he neither wrote nor performed | | Introduced township mbaqanga and NY scratching to suburban UK kids who thought “rap” meant “Rapture” | Mahlathini & the Queens were paid session fees, not royalties; lawsuit settled out of court | | Horn/Dudley production = master-class in lo-fi sampling, tape edits, and drum-machine swing | McLaren’s vocal moments are tourist-level embarrassing (“Punk It Up”) | | Track-to-track segues feel like a mixtape, predates De La Soul by 5 years | Last track “Duck for the Oyster” is unlistenable novelty that nukes the album’s second side | | Artwork & logo (by Dondi White) is hip-hop history you can frame | Album ends up classified as “novelty” in most shops, undermining its innovations | --- ### 7. Bottom line Listen with uBlock on your conscience: the good bits are *great*, the bad bits are a teaching moment. Stream the African-rooted tracks (“Soweto”, “Double Dutch”) on repeat; buy the Mahlathini originals when you’re ready to tip the scales toward justice. *Duck Rock* is neither masterpiece nor scam; it’s a Rosetta Stone showing how fast Western pop can mine, remix and market the globe – and how long the bill takes to arrive.
Had no idea what to expect, and enjoyed myself quite a bit. An interesting mix of stuff to listen to.
Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Don't take this the wrong way. I actually enjoyed this funky, fun jam album! It's a good buffer between rap and rock I've been getting.
Wow I'd never heard of this album at all...unless you count the reference from Eminem's "without me". I really enjoyed this but feel like the whole radio show concept actually really detracts from my enjoyment of the listening experience and I would have loved this even more if it was just an instrumental world beat crossover album. Still a lot of really cool African inspired rhythms and sounds on this and it even predates Graceland by several years. So definitely ahead of its time/influential. Excited to see what else this guy did in his discography.
This turned out to be nothing like what I expected from the Sex Pistols’ former manager. Great fun and all over the map stylistically.
This was a good surprise - very different to what I expected from a guy i associates with punk savagery.
This was crazy old school hip-hop and more.
Loved it
What a discovery!
This was a pleasant surprise and something I had never heard before yesterday. As I mentioned in the chat, the fact that Eminem referenced Buffalo Gals blew me away. My favorites were that song, Double Dutch, and Punk It Up. As far as the cultural appropriation goes, I will outsource my thoughts to the Robert Christgau review from 40 years ago: I wish he'd thought to mention which specific Africans contributed to which specific tracks. Culture may be collective, but (in this culture) wealth ain't.
4/5 - I honestly could rate this anywhere between a 2 and a 4. I’m going to go on the high end, because despite the backstory, writing credits, etc, it feels like an important album for the time, and I enjoyed at least half the songs, and wouldn’t mind listening again. The whole project makes you think about how much music is borrowed, stolen, imitated, and pasted together to create new art. I’m not gonna untangle that with my insignificant rating here.
if it looks like a punk, walks like a punk and quacks like a punk then it must be a rip-off
this isn't at all what i expected this album to sound like but it's great, it's one of the most interesting albums i've ever listened to in terms of production and seemed to be really ahead of its time.
Duck Rock by Malcolm McLaren is a really cool record — and very different from what I’d usually listen to. I’m grateful to this challenge for introducing me to it. The album is fast-paced and full of variety, blending global sounds with an early glimpse of hip hop. The first three tracks are superb, and I was fascinated to learn that Eminem later sampled Buffalo Gals. I found myself replaying those opening songs several times today. While the second half doesn’t quite maintain the energy of the explosive start, Duck Rock remains a fun, inventive listen and an important piece of musical history for what it pioneered and inspired. Favourite track: Buffalo Gals, Double Dutch, and Punk It Up — there’s so much happening in Punk It Up, it’s hard not to love it. Least favourite track: The album loses a bit of momentum halfway through; Legba in particular feels weaker and duck for the oyster is either garbage or a genius bit of comedy. Album artwork: A vibrant, colourful cover that perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the record.
Really interesting
Malcolm McLaren's Duck Rock is shockingly modern and clearly influential. "Buffalo Gals" made its way to Eminem's "Without Me," while "Duck for the Oyster" sounds like it could have been made by Primus. The album is produced by McLaren and Trevor Horn who you may know better as the guy with the glasses from The Buggles. Horn and McLaren share most writing credits with additional contributions from Ann Dudley of Art of Noise.
This is pure fun. Not even remotely close to what I ... didn't even know to expect. I mean if this doesn't work on a person's mood, not much will! The African beat definitely has a Paul Simon vibe (as if in any possible world that could be a bad thing!) but Malcolm McLaren stands on his own to be sure as a musician. The best way to describe this is joyous fun! So happy to listen to this! Ha!
Party album! The skits bugged me but the songs were a ton of fun.
Completely bonkers album - one I will definitely revisit
This was pretty fun. I liked it. 3.8/5
Ok it has everything. The quality is ok. Mostly hiphop. Did without me (by Eminem) reference buffalo gals? A nice listen. It might appear to be a ”Window of the World” album but it’s actually not too bad.
Well that was a bit of fun.
What on earth to do with this one... Malcolm McLaren always struck me as a bit of an ass. Sure, he created The Sex Pistols, but it was mostly driven by the image and used to sell clothes. It was undoubtedly a culture phenomenon. It was also a bit like having a house band for an offensive (by the standards of the time) version of The Gap. Here McLaren focused on his debut album. Not as an artist, mind you, but an "impresario", whatever that means. His focus now is on the music of Africa and the African diaspora (particularly American hip hop). I find something particularly sleazy about the fact that he claims not to be an artist but puts his name on the cover and takes half of the songwriting credits (the other half going to Trevor Horn, but not to any of the black musicians featured). OK, complained about McLaren a fair amount, this album is actually pretty fun to listen to. And to be fair to McLaren, he does use his fame to give a platform to diverse artists (supposedly increasing the popularity of hip hop in the UK). So I don't know. Is it a good album? Sure. Did McLaren go about it the wrong way? I'd argue yes. I guess at the end of the day, I'm judging from the music, not the linear notes, so it deserves some credit for that.
I quite enjoyed this in a perverse way. Hard to explain. "Double Dutch" catchy song that was like watching Simba skip across the African savanna. Then you get a weird novelty song that is some kind of Cuban / Spanish version of a Rumba. They manage to mash all the genres I typically hate and make something enjoyable. For its age and captivating theatre, I like it. Would be the only pop, hip hop / rap I think I might actually tolerate as a live act.
Interesting album, loved when younger and into break-dancing😆, would seek physical copy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Crazy wild, break dancing, scratching
Honestly when I saw Duck Rock I was expecting rock but honestly I loved the vibes of this album
I did not know what to expect headed into this. I knew who he was but didn’t know anything about the sort of music he himself created. This was a great surprise, loved it. It was like listening to 3 different albums at the same time, but absolutely in a good way. Love the Afropop influence, was already a fan of music from much of that part of the world thanks to the gateways of Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon. Would recommend!
Not dated at all, especially for its time
Mr McLaren certainly divides opinion. I do own all of his albums and I like them all.
Interessant & abwechslungsreich
8/10 - very refreshing! latin, afro, hipo hop beats, very surprised this is from the 80s!
Pretty cool album and not at all what I expected
yeah this was decent
Really liked this album so I guess I have to dress in sack cloth and dump ashes on my head according to my fellow 1001 killjoys.
This was super cool and unexpected.
I know a little bit about Malcolm McLaren from reading about his involvement with Sex Pistols, Bow Wow Wow, and Adam & The Ants. I have to say, I don't have a very favorable opinion of the man; he seems to steal rather than borrow, and his treatment of Annabella Lwin seems predatory and pedophilic. I don't McLaren's music, and I'm willing to try to give him a fair shot, but I already think he sucks as a person. I have no idea what this album is going to sound like, but let's dive in! I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected to. I really loved the percussion, synthesizers, and keyboards. The parallels between the sound of this album and Paul Simon’s Graceland are numerous, although this album cannot hold a candle to Graceland. I really enjoyed the overall sound of this album, and I thought it was really well produced and arranged. It goes without saying that it’s cruel that the some of the musicians who worked on this album weren’t given any credit, which was on my mind while I was listening to this. The fusion of world music with elements of hip-hop was really interesting, and while the radio DJ bits fit in a thematic sense of the album, I found those segments annoying. A few notes on songs that I enjoyed: -“Obatala” really hooked me in, and completely defied my expectations. I loved the main melodies, and the percussion was great too. -“Buffalo Gals” was really great. You could feel The Art of Noise’s fingerprint all over this song, and I loved the Grandmaster Flash sounding rap at the end. I had no idea that Neneh Cherry sampled this on “Buffalo Stance,” but this song has a great beat and groove to it, so it makes sense that it would make for a great sample. This definitely felt like a novelty song, but it fit well with the overall sound of the album. -“Double Dutch” was one of the songs that really reminded me of Graceland. I loved the bass and synthesizers, and the backing vocals were outstanding. I really loved the rich strings towards the end of the song as well. The lyrics that kept referencing high school girls definitely gave me the ick, but musically, this song was a blast. -The African sounds of “Punk It Up” were really great. I loved the guitar playing and string arrangements, and the vocals were great too. -I loved the synthesizers and percussion on “Legba.” I loved how the main melody changed and evolved over the course of the song. -The rhythms on “Jive My Baby” were fantastic. It was a really fun song, and I loved its upbeat sound. -I loved the overall sound of “Soweto.” The vocals and the synthesized strings sound fantastic together. This might have been my favorite song on the album. It was just really beautiful to listen to. There were a few songs I didn’t care for on this album; “Duck For The Oyster” in particular stuck out like a sore thumb, and I’m really confused as to why it was included on this album. There were some songs too where McLaren’s vocals weren’t very good, and he was easily outshone by the backing vocals. Overall, though, this album was really good, bolstered by some really fun and rich musical arrangements. It’s crazy to hear how this album influenced music throughout the rest of the eighties and well into the nineties. Malcolm McLaren wasn’t the nicest of people, but he was certainly very good at his job.
it was fun
South African music? 80s hip hop? Electronic music? Fun listen
Again unexpectedly good
Great Album due to the contributors but it felt exploitative by the person who released it.
Highlights: Buffalo Girls - 8.5 (Hip hop Influencer) Double Dutch - 9.5 - CGV verified Decent Album, wanted to do something and did it. Duck for the Oyster is a weird way to end a solid album though. 8/10
Very 80s hip hop vibes
Surprising and refreshing grooves seemingly from around the world! Now curious to know how this album came about.. 3.9
This made me wonder if Person Pitch was on this list and it sadly isn't. I like weird mash up stuff like this.
Weird how calm (and calming and charming) the opener is. Honest joy throughout this makes it more sonically pleasing and vastly more interesting than the Sex Pistols to one’s ears and perhaps more meaningful, too. "Jive Me Baby" is also fun. Last song sort of ruins the sophisticated travelogue vibe. Yes, it seems a bit like a science project, but at least the operative science seems to be anthropology.
A pretty good album, I liked Double Dutch, Punk It Up and Jive My Baby.
Knowing nothing about Malcolm McLaren, this album is great - apparently he's a bit of a knob so that's not great, but I can't deny how much I love this mix of world music and electronic. It also loses a star for that last track, because seriously what even was that
Dang I really liked this, it was pretty zany but I felt like it was the clear precursor to Graceland (and just as exploitative of S. African musicians). Only song I didn't enjoy was the closer, that was a total miss and why we're now at a soft 4/5. Albums like this are why this project is still fun, never heard of this guy before
I am at an absolute loss. Some genuinely great African and South American inspired tracks and some of the clearest examples of the cultural crossover between New Wave and Hip Hop are buried on a quasi-piss-take album by an absolute goon. Am I supposed to take this seriously? The World's Famous Supreme Team do, when they espouse 5 Percent-er thought on World's Famous, but I'm not positive Malcolm McLaren does. Is he taking this album seriously? He capped it off with Duck for The Oyster, so I'm compelled to say he isn't but this album's produced by Trevor fucking Horn, it sounds incredible. Based purely on enjoyment of listening, I have to give it a 4, and if you ask me to rate it on anything else I will short-circuit and self-destruct.
Hauska afrikanmakuinen levy! 4/5
Interesting album. I don't understand who Malcolm McLaren is and what made him create an album like this. Low 4.
WOOOOW Finally something I think i 'propah' like! "OMG"
I have no idea what i just listened but hell yeah!
Un album rafraîchissant par sa variété, après tous les albums qui, par décennie, se ressemblent. J’ai aimé l’audace, la légèreté, l’originalité
What a rollercoaster of an album. But honestly is super fun and silly and just interesting to listen to. I didn't know I needed African mixed with South American mixed with dosido all tied together with a hip hop radio channel MC, but here we are, and I am happy about it. 8/10
Мне нравится нетрадиционная такая развлекательная музыка. Неожиданно Eminem в Without Me отсылал к песне из этого альбома Buffalo Gals. Незаезженно, оригинально.
Eclectically good.
4/5.
Fun but super super weird haha. Sounds so modern?
Certainly, there are highlights here, like the classic, irresistible Buffalo Gals or Double Dutch, but some of this is not perfect. Consistently fun though!
Malcom McLaren doesn’t make music here as much has he orchestrated a surreal collage that demands you just have an open mind (and hope you like South African & tropical & Caribbean music). Didn’t really go into this expecting anything specific, and was quickly hit with one of the nicest, sweetest, most calming song openers I’ve ever heard - right up my alley in how calming and almost ambient it is. Then “Buffalo Gals” comes on and the placid state Ive been lulled into is quickly shattered and I’m now expecting the unexpected. It’s the type of surreal sampling technique that really sends the listener into a feverish dream state. If you like this album but have never heard anything else like it, I IMPLORE you to listen to some newer surrealist stuff. Deaths Dynamic Shroud, Nmesh, or even some Oneohtrix Point Never kinda took this surreal formula and ran with it. I am also reminded of Apex Twin in the way this album also goes from the most frenetic mess of sounds to something twinkly and beautiful in the span of a few minutes. I’m such a sucker for albums with radio interludes and radio dj’s as pseudo narrators - especially here where it provides a little through-line in the otherwise nonsensical sound collage craziness. This is an incredibly demanding listen, and probably was even more hard to stomach for it’s time, before the advent of internet media overload made something so surreal kinda normal. If this wasn’t/isn’t for you, I completely understand. But a song like “Punk It Up” mashed into everything going on here, especially given the context of its creator? So, so cool. “Song For Chango” is another highlight for me, if there even a way to sort and organize my thoughts on the track sequencing. This album ending with some sort of reverb screaming sound is so perfect. I really thought about giving this a 5/5 stars. I can’t and won’t, it just isn’t quite there, but it’s damn close. I had SUCH a good time listening to this album, and probably won’t listen to it many more times. So frenetic and fun. The dancing monkey in my brain is activated and satisfied. Everybody should listen to this album just once. You can hate it, but you have to experience it!
This was more interesting than I expected it would be, and I enjoyed this quite a bit.
I don’t know what I just listened to, but I liked it. “Two Buffalo gals go around the outside around the outside around the outside.” Lots of experimentation but in good ways.
I really love the instruments used in Obatala, a sort of neo-asia/reggae themed mix. The radio interludes sound like they could be straight from a Saint Pepsi album and the interpolation Eminem later used from Buffalo Gals shows Mclaren has an ear for the iconic. While this album wasn't at all the first to use samples heavily it uses them in a really tasteful way. I've heard Double Dutch before and I love the way the radio intro helps blend it into the previous song, I wish more albums would do that. It's just a really cute song, I was always infamously bad at school skipping and I never even understood how double dutch works but this song makes me feel like I could. I really like World's Famous, it works very well to end the album.
If you can’t decide if you’re in the mood for De La Soul or Ladysmith Black Mambazo, this would be a good album to reach for.
Enjoyed the variety on this album, even if it was a bit uneven in quality. Did not enjoy all the "filler" tracks, though. They make me less apt to go back and listen to it again. 3.5* rounding up.
19/02/25 Having seen the album cover i was wondering what i was in for, this was a pleasant surprise.
I'd never even heard of this album before today. I understand the criticism of cultural appropriation, and that makes this album tricky. Having said that, it has some bangers on it and I'll be listening to this more.
Een lekker creatief en vrolijk zootje, en dat anno 1983! Het ideale tegenwicht tegen al die punkrommel, deze Manu Chao avant la lettre (of wat het ook mag wezen). Hiphop, latin en allerlei andere ongein door elkaar, ik kon dit goed hebben.
Met deze titel had ik veel verwacht, maar dit niet. Een mengeling van rustgevende en vrolijkmakende muziek. Van zuidelijke klanken tot jaren '80 hiphop. Is het het allerbeste? Nee. Maar dit zet je zo nog eens op!
Apart om iemand als Malcolm McLaren, die ons oa de Sex Pistols heeft gegeven, dit soort muziek uit te zien brengen. Buffalo Gals ken ik zowaar, misschien nog wel meer van de sample. Op wiki kan ik verder niet zo snel iets vinden over waar die nog meer in is gebruikt. Wel dat Trevor Horn, "the man who invented the sound of the 80s" en verantwoordelijk voor oa Frankie goes to Hollywood, de nummers grotendeels heeft gemaakt. Ik vind het ergens wel geinig. Wat blije caribbean en afrikaanse invloeden, wat early 80s hiphop, geinige beatjes, scratches en samples. Het is niet zo goed als het plaatje dat we hiervoor kregen, Bob Marley's Exodus, maar het gaat wel in 1 moeite door. Ik heb hier met plezier naar geluisterd en dat had ik vooraf niet verwacht.
Delightful. Love hearing from all the females out there. Borderline 5.
woah. really wish he’d left that last song on the cutting room floor.
eclectic interesting
Spændende album. Og sikkert ret vild i '83. 1 ekstra point for det.
I’m going to be quite subjective with this note. This is not a good album; however, it documents a scene perfectly. It’s not about the songwriting or even the production, it’s about what was happening in the underground, its interests in world music and pushing boundaries. It’s about the character - Malcolm - bringing to his limited spotlight what he considered was cool. This album is a sonic DeLorean.
The diversity of this album alone gets like 3 stars but then you add, the extra bonus of realizing where Eminem stole that trailer park girls line from and that adds another star. 6 is cool reminds me of a track off the NBK soundtrack. But all the track thus far....track! lol that's punny. #8 also has that same sound. Song for Chango is cool! Sounds Brazilian. LOL that last track was a dosy do song! Good stuff man. 4 stars. 5 stars. I'm torn. I'll decide monday. And now for my Release Radar!!
It's a mood, but the only memorable thing for me is the "coming-coming to you loud and clear" sample that went on to feature in Erykah Badu's The Healer. Duck Rock gets brownie points for that.
Very unique! This was a pleasant surprise to me. The radio station concept was very cool and fun. The tracks are very diverse and break into a lot of world music.
Pretty awesome album. Tons of samples used by later rap groups from World's Famous Supreme Team. Pretty groundbreaking for 1983. Love the African music that Paul Simon came along and made super famous with "Graceland". Must hear tracks: Double Dutch Punk It Up Jive My Baby 3.5/5 which translates to a 4/5.
this is such an interesting album - there's such a wide range of musical influences coming through, and it feels like it switches from sampled beats to live performances of world sounds that range from African to Gospel to boom bap. The motif that repeats is someone calling into a radio station which seems to fit the duck radio theme. I surprisingly loved this album.
8/10 Dosta zanimljivo. Pocetak hip hopa meets world music + nezaobilazno scratchanje karakteristicno za žanr u 80ima. Prva stvar, Obatama i Legba su mi "ambijentalni" favoriti i nesto sto bi si doma pustao nakon posla za opustanje, Soweto mi je bas odlicna u worldmusic kategoriji albuma, a World's Famous mi je primjer odlicnog hip hopa u počecima. Ma, i zadnja kaubojska stvar mi je baš zabavna i smiješna. Bas mi je sjeo ovaj album, jako šaroliko (i nenaporno) u konačnici. Može, volim ovakva iznenadjenja i definitivno istražujem dalje McLarena!
Full of fun, varied tracks with a consistent theme of “radio show” throughout that helps you get accustomed to the variations on display.
Never heard of this but I'm all about finding weird random crazy shit like this! The instrumentals and various interludes were cool and it's ahead of its time being from the early 80s. The "World Music " vibes pretty good too.
So strange and such a pleasure to listen to. This album is why I like this project so much. Would never know this album if not for this list.
Oh wow... what a ride, what just happened here? Starting off with 'Buffalo Girls', I thought we were off in some kind of early-hip-hop direction. But then we took a left turn onto "latin up-tempo music", which seems to make up the majority of this record. But before arriving in "weird american rodeo town" represented by 'Duck For The Oyster', we had to take a quick detour into an 80s synthpop-ville, with 'World's Famous' (which might have been my favourite song of this record). This album was really all over the place, and I mean that mostly in a good way. It is always fun to hear something that you don't expect! If he could have just managed to tone down the craziness a bit and keep it a bit more cohesive I think it could've gotten a higher rating easily! As it stands, the best songs were the ones that were not really representative of the album; 'World's Famous' and 'Buffalo Gals'. I enjoyed the mid-section to some degree, but that wasn't the best. Not everything is great on this record, but for once I actually think this might be an example of when it actually paid off to to just break all boundaries and go crazy. Interesting album that takes you on a weird journey, and rewards you with some cool songs and an overall nice feeling!
This album is crazy. How have I never heard of this guy before?
How much of this album was actually by Malcolm McLaren and how much was just plagiarised or others' work that McLaren claimed is debateable. He always was a slimy shit of a man. That said, the actual music was enjoyable. A four star album by a one star human being.
This felt kinda like a fever dream. Like someone was stuck in a radio room in a time machine
7.5/10
Fav: Obatala Least Fav: El San Juanera
A bit quirky, but it was fun. I really liked Buffalo Gals.
Very original, opened my eyes to how he exploited other musicians without giving them credits. The 4 stars are for those who actually wrote the music.
Now that's what I was talking about when I said something about stealing from artists who are actually good
This was quite an interesting listen. Blends of rock, jazz, world music, hip-hop, punk… it’s quite the melting pot of influences, and created by the manager of the Sex Pistols. To be honest, I like it more than anything by the Sex Pistols. I debated between 3 and 4 stars, but it has enough interesting moments to justify 4. It was also interesting to hear the genesis of Eminem’s “trailer park girls” verse from Without Me in McLaren’s song Buffalo Girls. I didn’t know who McLaren was as I was listening to it, and thought for sure he was an obscure New York City artist. I was shocked when I read he was British and managed the Sex Pistols before his solo career. Interesting!
Super different from anything I've heard before, I can see how this precedes hip hop in some markets. I didn't love every track, but a lot I really enjoyed, good discovery. Maybe it's white people appropriating black music again (what isn't in the 20th century), but it is catchy. 4*
There’s a lot of good stuff here. McClaren has an ear for talent and he’s very good at promoting different ideas. I think the issue is with McClaren himself, whose vocals feel more like PT Barnum hosting a circus. When it’s just music, it’s actually very good. He’s just a super weird man. 4/5
This album is surprisingly musical for a hip-hop album. Many of the songs don't include lyrics and are purely instrumental. It's a nice mix actually, and this is from someone who doesn't normally listen to hip-hop. I really appreciate the African and Latin influences with the drums and melodies. They give it a very unique kind of sound, especially for the time. Sometimes it sounds like it's from the 90's instead of the early 80's. Favorite song: "Legba" Best representation of the album: "Buffalo Gals"
Low-key a gem for 1983 with some cool famous samples showing up. Cool to hear this one, kind of an odd collection of songs, also confusing to me who the actual musicians and artists were as there are plenty of singers etc. but no one credited.
This is a weird one. The guy who was responsible for the punk aesthetic makes a “rap” album that sounds like Graceland.
Musically, I really enjoyed this, but god was Malcolm McLaren a shit
I'm slightly lost for words on this one Weird. Cringe. Laughable. It was all over the place. But I weirdly enjoyed it! Currently lying in bed rethinking all of my life choices after that album. Wondering why I'm giving it such a high score. Who knows 4 ⭐️
Some good quality early hip hop. Some strange songs sprinkled in but overall very enjoyable and fun.
I liked this way more than I expected to after reading the Wikipedia summary. Double Dutch, Punk It Up, and Jive My Baby were my favorite tracks. 3.5 rounded up to 4
4/5 - a lot of fun to be fair
At first I thought it would be some early hip-hop album. Turned out to be funky. These guys just look for good sounds from anywhere around the world throughout the whole album. And you can hear the fun they are having.
I can dig this.
this was such an awesome listen. lots of hip hop influence, and all my fellow hip hop nerds will recognize MANY samples on this record.
Pretty, mostly instrumental Obatala instantly creates a mood. World music inspired. Buffalo Gals has a quirky intro, radio DJ samples, record scratches, and an old school hip hop sound to it. Programmed drums and synth bass. Double Dutch gets even weirder, with complicated melodies, but it's lots of fun. We go deeper into the Latin or Caribbean inspired sounds next, with classical guitar featuring. Punk It Up is a highlight. Back to instrumental next with Legba and it's incredible and cinematic, percussion like maracas with multiple overlapping synth melodies. Song for Chango is good too, tropical sounds. World's Famous is a short but excellent track, jazzy hop hop. I was hoping for another instrumental but the outro sounds like line dancing music. Never let them know your next move.
This album was so much fun! I really enjoyed the tunes and early hip hop radio style.
Nostalgia maybe, but mostly holds up. Good example of how often in music, kids are way ahead of where the general market is. And a good early example for a young me that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, since Malcolm looked more like a quirky English professor than an innovative musician that played a part in mainstreaming hip-hop. This reminds me when rap was generally disrespected and presumed to be a passing fad. Us fifteen-year-olds seemed to know Buffalo Gals was something special. I also remember this being one of my first exposures to South African rhythms (three years before Paul made it mainstream with Graceland), and just loved it. Great to hear this again.
Very cool use of diverse influences and beats from around the world
A pretty good example of musical experimentation done well, incorporating a wide array of world influences and synthesizing them into a fun, listenable record. The heavy use of Afro and Latin genres lend the album a joyful, festive sound, and the use of record scratching and samples predicts later artists in the vein of J Dilla and Madlib. I also particularly liked the radio show interludes that tied the record together into a pseudo radio program. Note: this review is for the actually music only, which was performed by amazing musicians from diverse backgrounds. Malcolm McLaren himself is an exploitive pedophile with no musical chops to speak of, and his contributions to this record make it worse. This album should be re-released with the proper credits and stripped of that creep’s name.
I had never played this album before, and was only familiar with Buffalo Gals, a traditional American song, which most memorably featured in Frank Capra’s classic film, It’s A Wonderful Life(1946). In 1994, Liz Phair would lift lines from Double Dutch for her classic song, Whip-Smart. Both these singles made the 2UE Top 40 - Buffalo Gals reached 25 & Double Dutch climbed to #17. This is a terrific record that must have had a huge influence on the popularity of world music. So many styles, including some classy hip-hop, & all so well-done. In early 1986, I took a call at Scratches Record Shop from someone at the NSW Art Gallery. They wanted to know if I had a copy of the Bow Wow Wow album, See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! McLaren had created & managed the band. They just wanted to borrow the cover, which they blew up into a wall-size copy for the 1986 Biennale, in which McLaren was one of the guest artists. We were invited to the opening & that’s when I got to see the bastard. The album cover famously copied Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe as a photograph. I really liked aBowWowWow, but I think Duck Rock is a better album.
Ça c’est un certified drôle d’album, mais dans le bon sens du terme, c’est un véritable patchwork de styles qui fonctionnent drôlement bien ensemble. Hip-hop, musique du monde, électronique, rock, et même rigodon! D’un autre côté c’est pas THE shit, mais vu qu’ils ont essayé de quoi, point bonus
This was great. Such a fun album from a really cool point in hip hop history. Miss radio shows :(
I just can't believe how out of nowhere this album is. So clever and creative.
I thought this was cool as hell. The best part of this group is discovering new tunes. I will return to this.
Lots to like on here. He seems like a bit of a cock, ripped off a lot of stuff and didn’t give any credit to anyone. The end result is quite cool though.
Is this what cultural appropriation sounds like? The man took a bunch of sounds and styles from 80s NYC, threw them in a box and shook them up. I don’t hate this. There’s a lot of good stuff here. McClaren has an ear for talent and he’s very good at promoting different ideas. But some of it feels a little strange. It’s almost like he’s looking at NYC culture as a wild curiosity. Sometimes it feels more like creatures on display at the zoo, than a celebration of diversity. This is not to say that this is not a good record. I’d argue that it’s pretty great at times. I think the issue is with McClaren himself, who’s vocals feel more like PT Barnum hosting a circus. When it’s just music, it’s actually very good. He’s just a super weird cat of a man.
This was a fun listen. In a strange way, there were more than a couple of moments that reminded me of Laurie Anderson with the backup singers and the melody choices. It was dated, and eclectic, and upbeat, and I even enjoyed the "supreme team" theme that ran through the record.
Kek album wel, gevarieerd en origineel. Aardige banger ook die ‘Buffalo Gals’
Some reallllly nice, sommige eh
Of course, it's extremely outdated, however, I guess this is the kind of album that probably really changed the game when released, spreading all these different music styles around the world. I bet that McLaren was probably not a music genius, but his marketing feeling proved one more time to be very sharp.
This is great! Most of the album is African pop but there's also a couple old school hip-hop tracks including the incredible "Buffalo Gals." Once the hook came in ("First buffalo girl go around the outside," etc) I realized that I knew it from being referenced and sampled in other songs. (Eminem's reference to it was the first one that jumped to mind.) Anyway, the song is awesome. Great beat and great record scratching! It's a jam. "Legba" was another stand out track for me. The synth tones sound like nothing I've ever heard before. They're sad and beautiful. I love the way the different layers of melody seem to speak to each other. It's a gorgeous song that I got lost in. The concept of being a radio show fits the album because it's got a little bit of this and a little bit of that musically. It can feel like you're listening to a radio DJ playing whatever he wants. I'll probably want to skip past some of the DJ transitions on future listens but it was fun on the first go. The only track that didn't work for me was the rodeo dance closer "Duck For Oyster." I just didn't see the point of that one. But overall, this was fascinating and fun. I'm clicking through the tracks and remembering how many excellent songs are on it. The soft, mellow opener "Obatala" is beautiful. "Double Dutch" is big fun and really catchy. And "Song For Chango" is another interestingly layered track I'm gonna want to revisit.
This album was absolutely wild. It was like if Paul Simon and the Avalanches had a love child that grew up on 1950s Cowboy serials. That being said, it was absolutely captivating from start to finish; not a single track felt like it was too long or out of place. Just a barrage of noise that individually might have felt chaotic or annoying but somehow combined was greater than the sum of its parts. Some tracks genuinely stirred something in me that didn't want them to end. Just a bizarre and fun experience.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Obatala, Buffalo gals, Merengue, Jive my baby
I liked this a lot. Very novel and compelling. I understand why this album is in the list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die tomorrow.
fun and groovy
Seems really innovative in terms of style, but what is with the hoedowns?
I'm not really sure what I just listened to, it was so wacky. Can't place it genre-wise but there was some impressive scratchwork and I would imagine it's been sampled a fair few times
Very neat. A world album from the 80's. Lots of different influences. Not much singing.
out there is an understatement when it comes to this album. holy moly. if i were to give a good summary of this stuff? a very wacky trek around the world. we're going to africa we're going to mexico we're going to america we're going where?? this album was actually not mainly written by this malcolm mclaren guy, but rather this is believed to be the very first album by the art of noise, crazy experimental synths, sample-flipping and all. being their first ever album, you can immediately hear their style being established, and while charming it's a little rough, but nothing too bad!
Had no idea Malcolm made albums, but am aware of him from the Sex Pistols. I think this album is fun and full of good samples. The users that are mad at this album for trying to be hip-hop must have 0 idea what sampling is or what Malcolm was trying to accomplish.
Es experimental, me gustó mucho ✨
Very unique and interesting album. 4/5
Wild album, actually really liked it but I’m not sure why
When I first saw this I had assumed this was a bit of the UK-Centric worldview peeking through from the critics that compiled the list. After all, I don’t think this album did anything substantial in the US. Boy was I surprised. Right at the start, Obatala hooks me. It’s lush and expansive and leads you through what the rest of the album will be. There are some repetitive moments and it rarely resembles anything you’d hear on the radio with a chorus, but it’s such a vibe to get lost in. I loved this one.
Un popurrí del copón. Me ha gustado y todo... Un 4.
Didn't expect to like this, but goddamn I was wrong.
This album has some tracks that have been extensively sampled to the point that I had no idea this was their origin. Additionally, this album really runs the gamut as it explores African music, Latin/South American music, and even country while grouding it in an early hip hop framework. It makes for a very strange and oddly compelling listen.
Love the radio bits and can see why it introduced hip-hop and scratching to the mainstream.
Weird good background stuff. Love all the sampling as usual. Think I've heard this before but great songs anyway. 3.75 or 4
Unorthodox, genre-defying, experimental album.
Buffalo Gals, is dit dan weer door Eminem gesampled? Sowieso is dit album redelijk early hiphop. Best wel geinig om te luisteren. Ik ben zeer in de war van dit album hahah Double Dutch is een grappig nummer? Het hele album is tot nu toe een soort Afrikaans muziekalbum. Dit album is echt pure chaos en ik ben best wel hier daarvoor. Merengue is juist weer een compleet spaans samba achtig nummer. Werkt het allemaal samen? Nee niet perse, het is een beetje alsof je je liked numbers op shuffle hebt gezet en constant van genre naar genre gegooid word. Het is mij wel een beetje onduidelijk wat Malcolm McLaren nou aan dit album heeft toegevoegd? Is hij de producer? Zingt hij op albums? Ik kan werkelijk niets vinden anders dan dat hij de muziek heeft samengesteld? Het zal wel. Het is in elk geval eens iets anders dan het 300e britpop album! Wat een insane album ahahha, ik kan hier best wel van genieten hoe het alle kanten op springt. Niet alle muziek is even goed, maar ik kan dit zo erg waarderen om het feit dat het echt iets nieuws is. Nog steeds 0 clue wat Malcolm hieraan heeft bijgedragen, maar goed, de muziek an sich klinkt vrolijk en dat is ook wat waard. Dit album is van de hiphop, naar de Afrikaanse muziek, naar de Latijn Amerikaanse muziek. Dit is nou echt een album wat ik nooit had geluisterd zonder deze lijst en waar ik deze lijst nou echt serieus voor neem. En ok, niet elk nummer slaagt, zeker niet, maar puur voor de verassing krijgt het van mij toch 4 sterren FAVO: Buffalo Gals, Double Dutch, Jive My Baby, Soweto, Duck for the Oyster
Interesting album. Felt like I was cruising around on a carribean island in an old jalopy
Throwback.
SO WEIRD but in the best way, had absolutely no idea what to expect, and this definitely wasn't it, but loved it.
really cool and unique
I liked it!
It's very eclectic as an album. Well thought out too... A nice album from a guy that produced the New York Dolls and The Sex Pistols.
Well, now, that was interesting, and unexpected. Also gave me a chance to read about Malcolm McLaren, who is quite a polymath.
I certainly really enjoyed a lot of this album. It does go on quite a strange path, though. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I need to ponder it some more, but for now I will think of the parts I liked.
This album was pretty fun to listen to. Some different styles in there. Overall good, but it also didn’t really connect with me on all levels.
It's kinda cool, kinda odd and very mixed. It's the musical equivalent of a charcuterie board of exotic and unusual meats. I don't think there's much here I'll take away from this but it was an interesting listen, and it's interesting to see that this helped introduce hip-hop to the UK. Additionally it's interesting to hear the origin of an Eminem lyric. But either way, this is a weird, fun and catchy album, but it still failed to fully hook me. Favourite: Legba
The skits weren't great, but the rest of it just about makes up for it. Some great jams on here. Best track: Merengue
I had a home-taped cassette of this in my late teens. I don't remember how this came about, other than I'm sure my brother introduced me to it. I listened to it a lot. It's a unique piece, interesting and fun, and was neat to revisit.
Was not expecting a serene soundscape to start this album. Oh it's hip hop. Oh it's world music. I really like most, if not all of the songs on the album. Unfortunately it doesn't really sound like an album to me. It feels more like a playlist. I guess that's what you'll get from travelling the world in one album. Definitely was grooving to a number of these songs
Get skiva
Sid Vicious died for this
De va sickk
ganske ait egt
Perhaps not as ground-breaking as some people think; John Peel had been playing similar for a while, but important and influential nevertheless. And a great collection of songs to boot.
I really liked this! Something different and fun.
Fuck Rock
Yup, it's good
Great cut up monster and given the publishing year absolutely astonishing. 3.6
Ok, this was a very entertaining listen. Kinda questionable premise overall, but if you just give in and accept the colonialism then I find it fascinating that McLaren co-opted hip-hop, South African choral work, and _line dancing_, and blended them all together! 😆 There's a definite ambient sensibility in the way the tracks all flow together. Fave track - "Jive My Baby Jive" is a stomp. "Obatala" kinda prefigures vaporwave!
That was wild. It really felt like flipping through radio stations. It was a great use of the radio hosts between songs too. The variation between genres was cool too. 8.5/10
I enjoyed this far more than I expected. It's Graceland, but if Paul Simon had gotten into hip hop. And couldn't sing for shit. I'll probably buy this now, it's that good.
MM, dodgy geezer, but had vision and a magpie like ability to capture and cannibalise the zeitgeist to thoroughly mix metaphors. Not heard this album all the way through before, but Buffalo Gals and Double Dutch have always been up there as two of my favourite tracks of all time. The Japanese inflected Obatala is a lovely start. Elements of hip hop, Country, Southern African music abound. Great stuff
After hearing the keyboards, I was not at all surprised to learn Trevor Horn and Thomas Dolby contributed to this album.
Surprising great! To be honest I went into listening to this with a closed mind, "Rap!", I found myself really enjoying this.
I feel like I don’t really get this album like there’s something to “get” that I’m missing it’s a fun album but I was kinda confused by why it sounds the weird way it does, idk might need some context to understand this 7/10
TWO BUFFALO GALS GO AROUND THE OUTSIDE, ROUND THE OUTSIDE, ROUND THE OUTSIDE
Kinda kitschy, but the grooves, tunes and especially bass lines are worth almost every minute. I enjoyed it despite my dim expectations. (prior listen)
This is a wonderful album.
What the hell was that? Certainly not a traditional album but I couldn't not like it
This was such a unique album i didn’t know what to expect. Each song was different than the next.
This shit is nuts. Love it
Super eclectic. Some hip-hoppy, some almost mariachi, some more punky. Definitely a good ride
In early 1983, I was crazy about breakdancing. The only thing left in life (having satisfied my parents by being admitted to the most selective * secondary school in Nigeria **) was to become a professional breakdancer. To throw shapes. To have the MC hail me by name (what happened to MCs, actually?). To be an associate member of the Rock Steady Crew (and for a while, in a ghoulish extension of the rumour that Crazy Legs had broken his neck doing a headspin, a full member.) Anyways, all I did all day was to to watch pre-MTV videos incorporating breakdancing in one form or another. Bits of Herbie Hancock's 'Rokit'. MJ backsliding in 'Billie Jean'. Kraftwerk's 'Tour de France'. (Tour de France's video, as far as I recall, does not have any breakdancing. But there was an alternative clip that they showed on telly sometimes, that scene from Breakin', Shrimp with the broom. It moved me to tears every time. Tears of rage and frustration, mind; he was so good, I was so...not.) And Malcolm MacLaren and his All-Stars' 'Buffalo Gals'. MacLaren was a thieving magpie. But (and I'm not sure whether this is to his credit or not), he never denied it. And (and this is to his credit) he was usually very curious, and thus creative w/r/t what he was thieving and repositioning. In '83, this song was kind of like Gaga's Let's Dance 25 years on. Dazzled by the video, I never really considered the song on its merits at the time. But unlike the song that launched a thousand to the power of a thousand Little Monsters, 'Buffalo Gals' is actually good. Very good. As too is Duck Rock. It's belongs to a narrow and narrowing school of inquisitive pop, made by people who have large egos, great memories, and enough bluster about them to get crazy great things funded and made. (Damon Alburn is another example. And to be clear, this is intended as the highest praise possible). * At the time. Also depends on how you define the word "selective" ** I thought I had satisfied my parents. [Hollow/bitter laugh]
just interesting as fuck😂
This is a really odd mix… not very cohesive but full of some great eclectic bangers. Can see how this was considered extremely influential!
Much better than I had imagined
What a unique album. Strange blend of hip-hop and some pseudo-Calypso/tribal? Then it basically ended with a hoedown... I just don't know what to make of it. Would definitely listen again.
When I first heard the 2 singles from the the 80s I thought it was a bit of a gimmick. . In retrospect it is way ahead of its time transposing Soweto rhythms with hip hop and Art of Noise dynamics. A solid 4 for its sheer exuberance. (And i usually hate 80s albums)
Never heard of them before. I liked it.