Reviews (page 3 of 8)
What a delightfully wacky record... loved it.
13th July 2022 Listened while in the office. Had book club in Hyde park in the evening. Actually really enjoyed this, it was like leaving some random radio on for an hour. Great fun.
I really liked this album, the concept worked really well, and the transition between american radio DJ conversations and music from many different genres was cool. This album reminded me of 'Songs for the Deaf', probably just because of the radio chatter between songs. Last song was a weird one (Duck for the Oyster), a weird squaredancing jaunt. The weirdest thing though was the constant reference to callers into the show as 'female', lol there are so many better words to use!
Enjoyed this kind of all over the place. Buffalo Gals is so recognizable because of all the samples in hip hop and rock Fave tracks: “Jive My Baby” “Buffalo Gals”
Broad spectrum of genres crammed onto a single album. Somehow works
I was really happy to see this record appear on this list because it was such a huge influence on developing my musical tastes, I particularly love the ambient/tribal sounds of Obatala and Legba. This was made years before Paul Simon (similarly stole from South African musicians) but I won’t go there. This is also worlds away from the Sex Pistols and it is one of the groundbreaking records that ushered in hip hop, even though the scratching and lyrics are pretty dated. McLaren gets an extra point for recruiting some top shelf talent - Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, and JJ Jeczalik who would go on to form the 80s seminal group, The Art of Noise, and also notable pop culture artist Keith Haring for the album cover.
V enjoyable! Would be a great album to pop on at a party. Just fun and unexpected.
I really enjoyed this album. It's a shame it's credited to Malcolm McLaren given that he did fuck all, isn't a musician, and is a bell end.
Can’t work it out. I kinda really admire it and it’s properly uplifting but I just can’t ever imagine choosing to listen to it again. It’s the exact reason why I thought Id do this though as have never come across it previously!
Skrýtið og skemmtilegt. 11 ára ég var boppandi eins og ég veit ekki hvað.
who else wants to eat mushrooms and stay up until 1985 to catch the 4am show?
All over the place some of it liked some I wasn't so fond of but this was definitely a ride.
avant-garde early hip-hop? hip-hop to play for your parents? i don't know what genre this album is. i like it though.
Love a good production showcase
Really liked it. Good for late-night listening.
A truly unusual album, with a mix of genres. Great fun.
Up until this album the only hip hop I had heard Rapture by Blondie and a few Sugarhill and Furious Five tracks. OK I was not quite 10 but for this lanky carnival barker who was told was someone important, it was time to give this genre a listen. It was also my first introduction to so called world music as well, years before Paul Simon colonised the genre. Having said that, I am taking a star off for McLaren and Trevor Horn's failure to credit Boyoyo Boys or Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. Anyway great album, essential really because of the fact that the same guy who a few years earlier was marketing Punk bought Hip Hop to a wider appeal. I was lucky to pick this up on vinyl a few years ago so am pretty happy with that
Not a fan of music like this, but I enjoyed the sounds!
Issues with cultural appropriation aside, ‘Duck Rock’ is that strange blend of hip hop, Latin, South African and Caribbean rhythms, silly Malcolm McLaren lyrics, Bronx DJ radio show snippets, and square-dancing music you never knew you needed in your life until now.
Un popurrí del copón. Me ha gustado y todo...
Wiki have this listed as novelty, I struggle to see how they get to that. There were hints of grandmaster flash and Herbie Hancock through the album. I’ve heard Double Dutch many times in the past as a single but never ventured into the album, I didn’t know what I was missing Wasn’t keen on duck for the oyster and Obatala didn’t really seem to fit into the album well but the rest of them I could get into and liked
A really fun sounding album. Very dancabke
Weird but impressive album for 1983, world music, hip hop, and all kinds of unique elements ahead of their time.
Kinda kitschy, but the grooves, tunes and especially bass lines are worth almost every minute. I enjoyed it despite my dim expectations.
love this old freewheelin experimental shit. can recognize the avalanches / the books in here
This was released in 1983??? This is like a decade before its time. Holy shit.
this is groovy as all hell - what even?? crazy stuff!
Sem sombra de dúvidas o album mais aleatório que eu já ouvi e um dos mais divertidos.
The opening track sounds like something playing in the little China section of Epcot. I obviously loved it. I had to Google what year Paul Simon's Graceland came out after hearing 'Double Dutch' (1986, 3 years after this) because this definitely sounds like an influence. 'Soweto' is my favourite track which again mixes that world music sound with a driving guitar riff.
World music explotaition de la máxima calidad. Curioso que el My Life in the Bush of Ghosts de Brian Eno y David Byrne sea considerado una obra de arte y este está medio olvidado, yo lo percibo como que lo consideran vulgar. Parten de lo mismo, anglosajones tomando la música del tercer mundo para hacer lo que se les da la gana con eso. Brillante resultado. Malcolm era un wey que hacía arte a partir de su gusto, y este disco demuestra que su gusto es impecable. Sí, familia, el gusto existe, no se crean esas patrañas que dicen que no. Aquí hay merengue, rap de la escuela de tus abuelitos, electro, pop africano, collage, found sounds.
Pretty cool, feels like i’m Listening to a weird independent radio station. Last song is pretty bad tho.
Idk if this was intentional but I can't look at their album cover and not see a geoduck. This was enjoyable! Not something I'd usually listen to or actively seek out, but fun. Think the DJing took a sec to get used to and I still think it's a bit weird, but I came around. Groovy beats. Solid 4
Desconcertante. Me parece interesante la propuesta ecléctica, aunque llega a sacar de onda que no siempre se mezclan los ritmos muy orgánicamente que digamos, de repente tuve que parar Song for Chango para asegurarme de que no tenía dos canciones superpuestas por accidente en otra pestaña. Canción que más me gustó: Jive my baby, tiene una ondida buena ondita. Mood: en té de tila y espresso al mismo tiempo
This is classified as Hip/Hop but I can barely hear it. Not saying it's a bad thing because I really liked the album. I also liked hearing the part Eminem sampled as well as the Run The Jewels sample, but overall, this album was super funky and unique with every song. The little quips where the people were calling in reminded me of Kurupt Fm (People just do nothing) when they would have their little conversations on the songs, but I didn't really like those parts in this album. My favorite tracks were Buffalo Gals and Merengue (especially how fast-paced that song was, made me wanna hit the Me te llamo Latin jazz Tony K Dort dance). Yoooo, this album would be wacky after hitting a spliff (drooling emoji).
This one was very interesting. I’m not one for skits but this one did capture early radio stations I heard growing up. I liked the music once it got started. Solid album.
Wow, what a ride! World music put together in the finest way. The hip hop seems out of place with 2021 eyes, but overall, the album is really fun and enjoyable, and I’m shocked at this man’s early exposure to African music, 4 years before Paul Simon’s Graceland.
Kinda loved this? Feels waaay ahead of its time for 1983, but maybe I’m just out of the loop. The only thing I can compare it to are moments from The Avalanches. Feels like an interesting collage, but unsurprising to read that none of the African musicians were credited. (Shocking)
Pleasantly surprised
This is an interesting mix of styles. I don’t really know what I expected it to be, but it’s more diverse than I expected.
Great mix of worldly songs
7/10 FT: Buffalo girls
Some good stuff, interspersed with annoying scratching. Not liking this enough to make it a regular listen.
Apple Music calls this Hip Hop, but there's only one of those on this album, Rather, it seems to take a world tour of generes, and having a blast with every one. The DJ gimmick is quickly tiresome, but this is an early version of it, so I'll overlook it. The joy is infectious. 3/5
3 sterne
Merengue is a standout for me.
i liked the songs on here a lot, probably because he stole them all lmao
I enjoyed this album quite a bit more than I thought I would, was a cool fusion of several styles. Overall 3.25/5 See a lot of hate for the artist in the reviews, which might be true.. Unfortunately a lot of bad practices have happened in the history of music so I try not to let that affect my opinion.
An eclectic mix of hip hop, Latin, and African music that McLaren largely nicked. That being said, the album is very easy to listen to and most songs are quite catchy, so I’ll turn a blind eye.
Divertido, raro. Me llama la atención lo latino. Muy de fondo o soundtrack, difícilmente escuchable como disco.
I don’t hate this. In fact the it’s the South African vibes I love the best, McLaren is definitely a musical magpie. It does end up a bit of a mess though. Overall a fun listen
What a melting pot! Great.
Effectively Malcolm McLaren and the Art of Noise and that AON influence comes through. An interesting artifact, gets a bit repetitive but was one of the first commercial "world music" hits in UK.
It somehow felt like each song was a different genre. I recognized Buffalo Gals only from Eminem.
I completely forgot this existed, and would never have guessed this was created by the produce of Sex Pistols and other early punk. Thank you for bringing this to me and givng me the chance to re-explore and read up. Kind of like how Lydon did PiL and Strummer did with the Mescalaros, these early punks evolved to explore much more diverse styles as they aged. Some tracks, like Duck Rock, leaned too heavily into crappies 80s synth pop, but the afro-beat and early hip hop tracks made up for it. Bumping down to 3 because I'm annoyed about the shafting credits to the African contributers. Putz.
a moment in time - and it stands up much better than I expected it would, all these years on.
Interestingly odd.
Random thoughts: * I thought this was some Howard the Duck movie tie in which honestly sounded pretty horrible. Luckily, this was way more interesting! * Buffalo Gals is the bomb! I see why it was interpolated by Eminem. * This is like the coolest radio station from possible Long Island. Shout out Oyster Bay. * This is the kind of discovery I was hoping for from 1001. * Sometimes the radio interludes are a bit too much but overall it gives the right vibe. * Also, there is so many genres blending which is pretty normal now but obviously this was a pioneering album at the time. * Interesting album and the reason why I am doing 1001.
Sure
2.5 if possible. Rounding up.
Three stars for teaching me the origin of Eminem's "Two trailer park girls go 'round the outside"
I mean, cool that he took all this world music and fused it with hip hop, but feels kinda weird that apparently it needs a white dude from England to make that stuff worthy of "you have to listen to it before you die"
Heard Before? Only "Buffalo Gals". Verdict: Ignore the name on the cover and all circumstances of the album's production and it becomes a fascinating relic of the early sampling era. Talk about plunderphonic, but the beat of Soweto is, in fact, indestructible. Listen Again? Unlikely, but I'm glad I finally heard the whole thing.
komischer mix aus hip hop, spanischer musik, rock, random snippets etc., also so mid
Its hard to know what to do with this. This album is very manufactured much like most of the things McLaren did. But I did enjoy its weirdness.
Alright but apparently bad
Was war denn das für eine Mischung? Ein bisschen Afrika, ein bisschen..., abgeschlossen durch einen Square Dance ...
Did not really want to rate this one. I really liked the music. Very fun and groovy. Could dance along. But the lyrics were... Questionable. First time I have noticed that with an album on here. The use of the word "female" over and over again. Some other lyrics that I'm like... Hmm. And the music feels strange for a white artist to make, but I might be missing something there. To close with something positive: did like that there was a main theme throughout the album and small things kept coming back.
This album is all over the place in terms of genre, and I'm not entirely sure if that's a good or bad thing. 2.5 bumped up to 3.
gillade! bra produktioner och lite galet att han varit manager till en hel drös band :O
I remain utterly baffled that this is the man who managed The Sex Pistols. I knew “Double Dutch” already, and recognised “Buffalo Gals” from the Eminem sample. Aside from those, I was totally unfamiliar with this - but I quite enjoyed it. It dragged out a little long and, towards the end, the songs lost their spark, but generally I went in with low expectations and came out very surprised.
It's just okay.
I wasn't sure about the album at first, but it sort of grew on me. With a name like Malcolm McLaren I should've expected it, but I was surprised when I found out this man was as white as white can be.
Interesting, thought it was going to be more 80's (Men w/o Hats-Flock of Seagulls) but never got there.
I liked this a lot more than I initially thought I would. It's bizarre and eclectic, catchy and goofy—at times a hip hop album, a radio show, a world music expose. By the last track, it's like someone broke into the Looney Tunes sound booth and went insane. I don’t think the songwriting is all that strong, but I do appreciate this for what it is.
I enjoyed this eclectic mix. Never heard of him or this album but it was different enough to keep me interested.
I don’t know what this is but I kind of liked it.
It's ok
Interesting listen but there's gotta be better albums that didn't make the list.
Ça l’air d’être un des records les plus originaux depuis le début, FUN Purée, « round the outside vient de là » Sur un Album entier pas sûr que ça m’intéresse quand même L’album est vraiment bizarre en fait Il y a malgré tout des bonnes musiques (song for chango) qui captent mon attention J’ai aussi un problème avec le fait que ce soit Malcom McLaren qui nous fasse découvrir des sons traditionnels africains et nous importe le hip hop en Europe 6/10 ? 3/5 ?
What a weird ass album lol it was very world sounding but also just out there!
Interesting concept, it’s like listening to a radio straight of a Spike Lee joint. So, this album is cool if you like this vibe but just once or twice. I wouldn’t listen to it on a regular basis.
A bit of this and a bit of that type album. A weird and interesting mix of hip hop, world music, and god knows what else which is apparently British. Jive My Baby is brilliant!
Seemed both exploitive of and enthusiastic about various NYC cultures. Nenah Cherry had a better Buffalo song
The underlying music is really interesting and good. I understand that it's stolen in a worse way than any sampling. Whatever original sounds have been put over said music is pretty bad.
Weird album, like it’s full of bangers but it’s also cultural appropriation the album, so I dunno. Did I enjoy it? Yeah. Did it make me feel a bit bad? Also yeah. So idk, three stars?
not much to write home about
favs: double dutch punk it up
World hiphop som introducerer collage genren som jeg så godt kan lide, som er meget video agtig hvis man kan sige det sådan og blander mange forskellige genre og lyde. Ham der har været med til at lave det har tidligere arbejdet med sex pistols bl.a. jeg synes det var et sjovt album at lytte til bl.a. fordi det var grineren den måde det var lavet radio agtig på, som også er en af genrene som er beskrevet. Men det er åbenbart også et kultur og politisk album som handler om at sorte også skal have plads i industrien. Det nåede også hele vejen til Europa og blev populært. Jeg synes overall det var godt men også rimelig forgetable i min bog, men generelt et rigtig godt album at lytte til fra start til slut, da det føles som om det er meget sammenhængende. Lyden er bare lidt klassisk old School hip hop i min optik.
3.5
Pleasant enough for three stars, but not pleasant enough to be remembered beyond a single listen. ★★★
funky
Unlike anything i ever heard before! My favorite moment is when the DJ asks the callers to call in about a girl with amnesia if you know her so she can learn something about herself
A unique collection of songs ranging from pseudo raggae to rap to dance (specifically break dancing) to r&b. I have to admit I liked it more than I thought I might when the album's first song played. Definitely an album worthy of this list as something you should experience as an outside the box sound.
A long time ago, I mentioned how manager Malcolm McLaren was involved in the formation of the Sex Pistols. As it turns out, that's not all. He also managed the likes of the New York Dolls, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow, albeit rather poorly for all of them. Not only that, but he also decided to pursue a solo career, with Duck Rock as his debut. After managing multiple acts, did he fare well on his own? Well, not exactly. This album is admittedly tricky to discuss, given how wildly inconsistent in tone and style it is. It is a true hodgepodge of different sounds and genres attempted, including hip hop, mbaqanga, merengue, Afropop, new wave, synthpop, and closing out with the country pastiche of "Duck for the Oyster". Along the way, clips from the short-lived hip hop radio show The World's Famous Supreme Team are interspersed between tracks, making for one of the loosest framing devices I've heard in a while. As for McLaren himself, while he is vocally present throughout the record, his role could best be described as a hype man, supporting the musicians he assembled with exclamations and ad-libs, save for a few instrumentals like "Legba" and "Song for Chango". I won't deny that McLaren assembled a good cast of musicians for exposing a lot of hip hop and world music to a wider audience in the U.K., even if he didn't fully acknowledge all of the artists he brought in, like the uncredited mbaqaanga vocal group Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens on tracks like "Double Dutch" and "Jive My Baby". But I also find McLaren to be an obnoxious presence on his own record, taking these various stylings and dating them with some truly cringeworthy dialogue, be it the attempts at dance routines on "Buffalo Gals" and "Soweto", or having to remind the audience that he founded the Sex Pistols on "Punk It Up". Not to mention, his presence is redundant, as The World's Famous Supreme Team, whom McLaren invited for this record, was already a reasonable hype duo present throughout, and weren't nearly as aggravating a vocal presence. All's to say that I felt Malcolm McLaren got in the way of his own world music/hip-hop novelty crossover record. While I was generally fine with the individual stylings offered on Duck Rock, it's a tonally inconsistent record, curated by a man who seemed to revel in the cheapening of these sounds.
A fun kind of experimental vibe
What the inside of Spike Lee’s head sounds like
This was kinda weird but it wasn't bad. Some hip hop ish stuff, some rock ish stuff, some like drums and chanting ish stuff? The in between songs "radio station" bits were pretty funny though. 3/5
Liked this more than I expected to, I enjoyed the radio broadcast gimmick and thought it was an interesting mash-up of music styles (though a bit annoying at points).
Mr. 1001 Guy has decided I need more Worldbeat in my life, I guess. I like the really sample-heavy turntable songs and some of the more ambient stuff is nice, but I prefer that Jah Wobble album I got a little bit ago to this. The bulk of this album takes pretty heavily from Southern African music, and while it's neat, those sections started to lose me towards the end. That one really high-energy Latin song towards the start of the album was pretty neat, though. It's like 50/50 great and boring.
фенс більше заходить
This is basically a scam of Milli Vanilli proportions. Most of the musicianship on this album is made by uncredited musicians, with Malcolm McLaren adding oh yeahs and that line Eminem sampled. As always with this man, there’s a scam involved. However, the album isn’t bad. It’s danceable and innovative, ahead of its time. 5/10 or thereabout
Not sure what to make of this one. It seems like it's mostly samples of other people's music, and the wiki shows that many of the samples went uncredited originally, which sucks. Overall, it made for an interesting listen; not really something I'd choose to listen to myself, at least not often. 2.5/5
Strange
3.5 plenty to like here.
This sounds like a fresh experimental rap beat dj innovative album. Never heard it but its a great sampling class for beginners. I liked it and although not for heavy rotation its good to listen to learn and know what was evolving into music in 1983
Knepigt. En del sköna "låtar". Men tydligt att det är hopkok och samplingar som i sig inte är klockrent. Spretar åt massa håll också. Men det är ändå en skön känsla nästan rakt igenom.
Även om Malcolm verkar ha snott det mesta och inte förtjänar särskilt mycket cred så tycker jag att det här var trevlig lyssning och jag förstår vilket avtryck den gjort på hiphopen, särskilt eftersom man plockar upp en hel del mer samtida referenser till denna. Samplingarna och sättet han samplar på känns nästan modernt, vilket imponerar med tanke på när den kom. Stark trea.
more eclectic and random than expected. I knew he was into rap back in the day. I was like listening to the radio in Grand theft Auto
5/10 – Mediocre
This sounds both ahead of its time and very 80s at the same time. Everything good about this album is most likely due to the original musicians and Trevor Horn.
All over the place, but somehow works.
This album is creative, interesting, and fun.
Alright 3/5
I guess for 83 it’s kinda decent
I can see the future
Очекував повеќе.
Interesting album
Endelig noget der var helt sit eget og unikt. Har gemt åbningsnummeret og synes der var nogle højdepunkter, men det var også lidt skørt nogengange. Et album der mixer lyde fra både afrika og sydamerika og har eftersigende bragt hip hop indflydelse ind i britisk kultur. 3.5
I didn't mind this.
3.5
Different
It’s fun but kinda all over the place. Then apparently all of this are uncredited ripoffs, not helping
80s hip hop. The album mixes up styles from South Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the United States, including hip hop. Loads of samples and beats. World music influences.
I don’t really know what to say. I enjoyed it but what it is. Seems to be a lot of stolen sounds and culture….
It gives me mix feelings.. Some times I like a track and then I don't anymore.. Not a bad one by any mean but not sure I will relisting to it 3/5
Tudo ao mesmo lugar ao mesmo tempo
Curioso e experimental
Pretty decent! Interesting sound.
Some worldly sounding music mixed with some hip hop. I recognize some parts as samples from other more current artists (you know what I mean!). Can’t seem to know what it wants to be
Not my cup of tea
This was an odd album that took me on an eccentric journey. I dont know if it was my cut of tea or not. Working on expanding my horizons.
had to do a deep dive on 'world's famous supreme team' radio show, the nation of gods and earth, and 5 per centers. really interesting time in American history and a ton of artists i like were influenced by people who lived in this time 3/5
buffalo girls go round the outside round the outside
My rating 2.6. It’s fine
I mean its kind of a bop idk maybe im just in a weird mood
Something plunderphonic about it, in good and bad ways. Who is McLaren ripping off on this track. Still a fun worldly sound, and actually pretty cool. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? Some Owned: No 48/209 (22%) Will I get: No
fascinatingly eclectic but generally danceable. the interstitial material isn't great. real shame they put the white dude's name on it, it feels like almost more of a collaboration / compilation album
this was a bit bonkers but i loved it
Really not what I expected, which was more angry punk and shouting. I liked a lot of layering that was happening throughout this album, and it was overall a fun listen.
Very surprising?! This is so 80s. Which is not a bad thing. A bit too much talking but this was a fun listen.
I am fully aware this is appropriated music without due credit to many of the artists, but I did really enjoy this (not so much the constant talking) which I wasn't expecting at all. The album itself is incredibly creative and upbeat and I particularly liked hearing Buffalo Gals because of how it inspired Eminem's Without Me.
I thought it had interesting beats.
There was a moment around the early 80s where punks and punk-adjacent made second-hand hip-hop/afropop records (Mick Jones' Big Audio Dynamite, Captain Sensible's "Wot", much of Joe strummer's solo output) of varying degrees of quality and authenticity. I'm not sure Malcolm McLaren was even in the room when any of this music was assembled by Thomas Dolby and Art of Noise. Like the aforementioned, though, it is undeniably catchy stuff. I want to hate it, but I will have "Buffalo Gals" in my head for the rest of the day.
Yeahhhhhh that last song..... what.
Music for crazy people
Нихуя се менеджер секс пистолз че делал
I'm not a fan of his style of singing/rapping, it's off-putting and uninteresting. Everything else about this is pretty fire, though. It's a r ally fun fusion of a lot of different sounds and styles. Some of it gets a little weird, bordering in bad, like "Duck For The Oyster". But overall a really fun listen with bonus points for innovation and bold decisions. Favorite Song(s): Double Dutch
strange but decent
Odd album, but I personally really liked it. But I can't really give it any higher than I did, since it isn't my favorite genre and the oddities were a bit too much in the end. 3/5
I get that this was made by a white dude from the UK, but I was tapping my toes throughout. Fun record.
I had no expectations of this and even then they were not met. I am not even sure what this was, a blend of hip hop, Latin music, and general world sounds I think.
I suppose a case could be made that I HAD to hear this album before I died. But I think I could argue just as effectively that this is 45 minutes of my life I'll never get back again. I'm leaning toward overrating it slightly just because of its exuberant mixture of various sounds and musical influences. But truly, I can't imagine I will still remember this two weeks from now.
Honestly this was fun
Surprised to say I'm enjoying this. "Sex Pistols guy does hip hop-infused weird experimental stuff" was not a promising pitch. Listening notes: -What the hell? Eminem sampled *this* for Without Me? -The weird kinda calypso track is interesting. This is definitely an eclectic album -Okay the latin dance segments mixed in here are fascinating. What a strange lil album -But he doesn't really take enough time for there to be a realized vision here Review: Weird album. Glad it made the list, but content to mostly forget about it now.
Not what I was expecting.
Inventive and fun, will need more than one listen. The story behind it is wild.
I could see myself listening to this at a resort, would make some crazy hip-hop samples
Very interesting listen. Afro-Carribean feel.
Could this be the best music album ever recorded by a music manager? I say this in both the best and worst ways possible.
One of the funnest albums this generator has given. I really enjoyed it and was surprised about the mesh of different sounds. McLaren is like an 80s Fatboy Slim and would definitely listen to this again.
Fun album, bit incoherent musically but I guess it is an interesting medley of 1983 hiphop, puerto rican and south african music?
Decent
This was alright, I’d never heard of the artist before but had heard of a couple of songs 🤣
Very enjoyable and somewhat iconic (even if some of it was thieved).
12/25/25. Merry Christmas! Pretty interesting one to get on this day, feels nostalgic in a weird way with the radio station cut-ins throughout. Enjoyed the catchy samples and rhythms presented, and sounds like a soft introduction to hip hop to an unfamiliar crowd.
Interessante geschiedenis deze man, de originele culture vulture? Een paar nummers van hem zijn ontelbaar keer gesampled, dus er zit wel wat tussen.
Groovy music. Background sorta thing
Why does it have such a low 2.65 rating?? Okay, sometimes it's stolen, but fuck copyright. Copyright is shit. Besides, that’s a great album created by a sick person. Why sick? Who the fuck comes up with the idea to mix all of this and hip hop in a radio program wrap?! How many genres you want? Yes It feels like Columbian ex-Medellin cartel narco who's still on coke and moved to LA, learned what hip-hop is on TV and wanted to make an album with as many genres and music all around the world in a wrap of hip hop radio program. WTF The listening experience of this like Compton with Bronx interrupting Mexico City and trying to take over control. Legba track is like aliens invading Colombia, but in the end American black LA gangsters saved everyone. I want to relisten to it, especially Jive My Baby, while riding a cabriolet in the San-Fernando Valley. 3/5 —————————————— Liked: — Merengue
First time listening... I'll admit I liked way more than I thought I would.
I kept expecting to hate this but I made it through the whole record and for reasons I’m not in touch with actually… enjoyed it? Even the cheesy MC/DJ stuff. I don’t think it was nostalgia because this wasn’t my thing back in the day. It’s was far better than most of the 80’s hip hop in this list.
This was a strange blend of world music and early hip hop. I could have done without the fake call in show bits. As strange as it was, it kept my interest.
this is the most early 80s sounding hip hop/DJ albumm I've heard. Some tracks are fine but any with Malcolm's actual voice in them are oddly unsettling
Just OK.
Weird and fun
Nice groves
Musically this is a fun album. Some good sounds and vocals. It's a lot of fun. However I am not a fan of Malcolm McLaren's shtick. He was a guy who was happy to use people and appropriate to gain notoriety and fill his own bank account. So a bit of an oddity for me. A fun album put together by a dick head.
Fun record. You can hear how much influence he had on later performers.
I skipped this originally as I bloody hate the man. In doing so I happened to look at some of the reviews and background so it only compounds my hate. Stripped of the man and the exploitation though, this was generally interesting enough, listenable and enjoyable. Largely due to all the people it ripped off though.
I don't know what I expected here, but it wasn't this. I think I expected hip hop and it felt more like Latin or African beats with some djs talking between the tracks and then a couple of tracks were they mention barn dancing. The world music beats were pretty nice, the rest of it was also on there. There was a bit Eminem has referenced, so I guess maybe it's influential in a world I'm not part of. It was fine.
I don’t know. . .
More interesting as a historical document than an album. But, cultural appropriation aside, not without its charm.
Quack Stone.
Should interesting, listenable music be put aside when it turns out to be largely appropriated? I don’t know, but…
I don't see this entering regular rotation, but it felt interesting as a document of a time.
The manager of the Sex Pistols apparently gets inspired by hip hop beats in the early 80s and music from a whole bunch of different countries (mostly Latin America?) and makes this very weird, eccentric dance record that Eminem borrowed from at the beginning of “Without Me”. Did I get all that right? This is far better than it has any right to be.
This was an interesting one. I think I liked the...middle of the album the best. But given the history and background, now that I've read up on it, I don't think I'll listen to it again.
Favorite Track: Jive My Baby
Pas mon genre musical
Two great songs. Two okay songs. The rest was boring to me.
That was... interesting. Not bad, not good but interesting. I would listen to it again.
I won’t be reminiscing about any of these songs on my deathbed but they were whacky enough to keep me entertained for 40 minutes.
I gotta say - a lot of unexpected turns. Music was pleasant enough
Another one that falls more into novelty
Cultural appropriation in music form. It's a good mash up of an album - it's a shame that McLaren didn't credit any of the musicians he sampled and used. If we're being kind, it's a musical curio - important in the development of sampling and introducing hip-hop to a larger audience, but that's about it. Best Tracks: Obatala; Double Dutch; Punk It Up
Preconception going into this: MM was a music impresario who put the Sex Pistols together. Cool! Result of listening: Well, that was different than I expected, but not terrible. Parts were pretty catchy. Guess it's on this list because it was influential in popularizing Afropop or world music or the like. Maybe South African music particularly -- I caught a reference to Soweto. It does seem like it may have been delivered without giving any credit to the actual musicians on it.
***five tracks are enjoyable ragae music, others are not enjoyable RAP.
This was so weird. But I liked a few of them. Strong 3.
A hum baa baa.
I love the blend of South African music, DJ scratches, hip hop, etc. I could do without the protracted radio show interludes.
This has been a complicated one, but interesting. Musically, it's a 5/5. One complication is that I have no idea how to attribute what I like musically. I know I love the Caribbean and African tracks that are prominently on display here. I have no idea what anyone involved in the making of this album contributed to this. This is the first I'm hearing of McLaren and he seems a polarizing figure. I don't have time (or interest really) to educate myself about his career and contributions to culture and how he either used or exploited musicians, but I'm not liking the little I've read related to this album. Anyway, he has great taste in the music he chose for this, and that music was great.
Interesting album. Contains stuff I didn't know Eminem had stolen.
Too eclectic. The African elements were cool but felt forced.
Not sure any of these songs are memorable but credit for an album that combines square dancing and African drumming. Buffalo Gals and Soweto two best
A different perspective on rap and hip-hop with a very early example on this record. It sounds more like an experiment on different sounds, rythms and samples joined with rap style singing. It was interesting.
ENTENSTEIN hahahaha han en moment brucht bis ich cheggt han, vo wo ich de eint teil vo huffalo gals kenne...FUNNY die karribischi gitarre wie zB bi double dutch macht iwie no easy spass, hett denkt das nervt meh hahaha hahaha wie lustig eifach d nation of gods and earths😭😭 joo sie hend offesichtlch spass gha und es isch recht kreativ, ohni eifach megaa random z sii (ussert vlt bi duck for the oyster)
This is sort of interesting world music vibes crossed with early hip hop
It's a crap album, but it's a fine compilation of world music
Iconic.
Decent
Interesting listen. Feels like an early precursor to sampledelia
An eclectic mix of styles and genres, it goes hard, and it works for that.
"Better a spectacular failure, than a benign success"
An album with a ton going on and it sounds like they had fun making it. Its endearingly dated. Favorite song: Double Dutch
*Duck Rock* Quite honestly I didn't find this album all that bad as the chat seem to be making it out for. Given the music itself I probably would go for honestly a light 3½... I think the only really Innovative part of this is basically it's one of the early uses of the fairlight as a sampler. But I can also hear songs that remind me of things that would become hits later. "Buffalo Gals", with the inclusion of the work of The World's Most Famous Supreme Team, reminded me of what Herbie Hancock would do on "Rock It" and I think some of the production ideas kind of reminded me of a low-key version of what Seige Seige Sputnik would take a hyper dance spin on in 1986. If there's one thing that kind of keeps it from really yelling for me as an album it is the DJ tracks bumpers. And it's not as if they were bad or boring, it didn't seem to lend itself too much of the music at hand. They just seemed like they were there, getting in the way. The album itself didn't feel like it was a radio themed album so it didn't really make any sence and often slowed the roll... just like listening to the DJs on the radio. Mid to High 3 (6.7) ★★★
It was a little schizophrenic
world music inspired hip hop with banter between songs to seem as if you were listening to a radio station complete with a d.j. and people “calling in”. certainly a unique listening experience.
I actually kind of dug this a bit.
What an odd album. It’s fun, it’s weird, it’s all over the place. 2.5 seems appropriate for this, but honestly I’ll bump it up to a three. It’s fine, but nothing I’ll come back to. A two just seems a tad low for this
This album is all over the place, in a good way. There were clearly a lot of influences from all around the globe and I’m sure it had some influence on later artists as well. It’s also always fun to find a snippet of a song that an even bigger song sampled later. Probably won’t come back to listen to this one but I understand the significance and its place on the list.
Is this cultural appropriation? Am I allowed to like this? Because I kinda do.
Quite a confusing listen, I'm not really sure what it's trying to do as I think that an actual hip hop album with actual rapping would be a lot more interesting over some of these beats, which are quite good and interesting (The worlds famous song is probably the best for this reason). I'm just not sure about some of the vocal samples which if you took out would have made the songs better. Not really talking about the radio clips, which I guess add some immersion or something. Some of the more ambient synth beats like the first one are really quite interesting, and not really something that was used in actual early hip hop. This might be cultural appropriation a bit ermm. Favourite songs: Obatala, Legba, song for chango,world's famous. Overall around 5/10
World music influenced and musically very early in introducing both world music and some hip hop style to the more conservative world.. Defines the word eclectic quite well. The use of multiple vocals is interesting. The use of the radio station bits I found annoying overall. Lyrics are fairly bland overall.
5.27
This album is absolutely fascinating but i'm not sure i like it.
This was a weird one but enjoyable. It drew on a shedload of influences but somehow wasn’t intolerable and seemed relatively novel. Some of it was a bit on the weird side so it wasn’t always the easiest listen but overall decent. A bit of a lazy review as listened a few days ago.
ALL over the place!! mostly pretty cool
An interesting experimental record that I had no knowledge of prior to this listen. Full of early 80's experimental musical touches. A lot of scratching, sampling, and electronics. Of it's time but but so much so that it transports you to it.
Really, really disjointed. The faux radio transitions didn't age super well but I didn't hate them. Last song was bad. Wish McLaren 1) didn't sing/rap on any of these tracks and 2) credited the artists, all of whom did great work on the album.
6/10 weird ass album
I don't know if this is a good album, but it certainly is an interesting one. Even a fun one, for the most part. My brain says it's a 2, my heart says it's got some je nais c'est quois that the other things I've given a 2 simply lack. I'm gonna follow my heart here.
6/10
Better than Coldplay
Favorite Track: Buffalo Gals
Fun global mush mash. Unfortunate he didn't give proper credits.
Ok.
- manager do NY Dolls e Sex Pystols - uma tentativa de inovar com excertos de músicas regionais latinas e africanas, elementos de rap e música eletrônica inspirada no krautrock - ingleses se apropriando de culturas do “terceiro mundo”
Should I feel bad for enjoying this?
5/10 This album is inoffensive and seems ready made for hooks for better music. 9-9-2025
Interesting album. I’ve read the reviews so the artist may be suspect, but the mood and tracks on this remind me hip hop’s origins. Overall, I dig it.
A third of the time, I thought, “Is this cultural appropriation or appreciation?” Another third of the time, I thought, “Wait, hold on– this album kind of grooves!” And a final third of the time, I thought, “Is this record racist?” Less problematic than My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, but still pretty difficult when you give it a second thought. Unfortunately, though, this is a lot more influential, even if I think there’s better early-era plunderphonic records to point to for a list like this. I’d rather just listen to “Buffalo Gals” and call it a day, though, that track kills undeniably and even without my too-woke take, it’s leagues above the rest of the weird sampled-“world” music here.
Forward-looking for the time, a bit dated now. And that doesn't begin to address his appropriation.
This is definitely the case where it’s important to read the reviews to fully contextualize what’s happening on the album, i.e., colonialism. I like the sounds, but they’re not Malcolm McLaren’s.
Pretty decent, just quite distracting when I was trying to focus. not the albums fault even if it was a bit all over the place.
own
Not what I expected from the title. The World songs were pretty good; most of them. I think the hiphop flavour is a bit too strong for my tastes. This album is pretty strange.
This was an interesting album, with a mix of African, Caribbean, and hip-hip sounds. At first I wasn’t bought in, but I kept catching myself bopping to some of the tracks. Not sure if I’ll come back to this often, but enjoyed the ride. Favorite tracks: - Double Dutch - Punk It Up - Soweto
Not bad!
I was more on board with this in the beginning, bit it got a little stale towards the end. 3/5
SHANE MALCOLM MCLAREN STOLE THIS MUSIC HOW CAN YOU LIKE THIS ALBUM WHEN HE STOLE THE MUSIC??? Groovy stuff
What strange ride, but it was fun (for the most part) and funky. I don't know how often I'll come back in whole, but it'll be fun when a song or two mixes in
Not sure what warrants this being on a list like this. Might be one of the "had to be there" type albums. Overall not terrible, some fun reggae/African jams but probably something I won't come back to.
My picks are merengue, soweto and duck for the oyster
Innovative for its time. Fun to listen to again, but it doesn't really hold up.
Gostei
Está curioso cuánto menos
I'm going to flle this under 'Interesting Curio'. Certainly diferent to anything he'd put out before. Some of it works well, some of it... doesn't. Still, good to hear Buffalo Gals and Double Dutch again; it's been years.
This album was interesting, I'll give it that. Reading other review apparently this guy took advantage of black artists or appropriated their music? Lame if true. Speaking to the music itself, it was alright, some tracks were pretty wack and others I enjoyed-ish. Standouts: Punk It Up (I guess, not many standouts) Rating: 3/5
Probably 7
Pretty chaotic and hard to listen to or follow.
Alt Title: Malcolm's Awesome Mixtape #4
I thought it was fairly interesting i think
Interesting story behind this album and McLaren in general
=The Beatles I mean it's fine but... why
didn't love it. don't think I'm particularly cool enough to get this album
Me ha prcido muy extraño. No es de mi gusto.
Album 813 of 1089 Malcolm McLaren -Duck Rock (1983) Rating : 3 / 5 A wild, genre-hopping experiment that helped introduce hip-hop and global sounds to a broader Western audience. I really enjoyed the radio show interludes, as if it were a radio broadcast and they DJ was talking to the listeners on the phone. I did recognize “Buffalo Gals”. They go round the back side. Good find.
If you look at the album as 'Malcolm McLaren' project, yes you're going to hate it. THat's what Malcolm was - not an Impresario as he likes to call himself, more of a provocateur - someone who gets in your face. He's more of a modern day hype man. If this was a Flavor Flav album people would be okay. Malcolm McLaren doesn't create art, he appropriates like a hype man does and that's not a bad thing. The fact that he's a cunt is. 3.5/5
Not bad island rock vibes, liked 3rd song the most, found where this eminem sample came.from 3/5.
Surprising! I wasn’t sure what I’d get but I must have misunderstood his rep because I was thinking punk. Great album.
Приличный такой турнтейбл вэйв, или как это назвать. Вайб. Лучшая песня - Buffalo Gals.
very interesting, didn't hate it like I thought I might.
This album was pretty wild and out there. Apprearently this guy was the Sex Pistols's manager? Weird. I do like the throwing spaghetti at a wall and see what sticks kind of approach, although the results are more interesting than they are actually good and memorable. Still, very unique release and exactly the kind of album these type of lists are for. Key tracks: Obatala
Interesting mix of (approachable) world music and hip hop. Caught a couple-two-tree modern day rap samples in there. I like the idea of it sounding like a radio show, with callers and everything. Seems like a revolutionary idea for a 1983 LP. 3.5 stars
very cool! got me excited for any hip-hop albums on this list
Public access tv dj set list. 5/10
I heard some iconic samples in this album (Buffalo Girls Go Round The Outside).... an interesting blend of afrobeat and hip-hop.
I went into this fully expecting to hate it, and I do hate the IDEA of it and how it was made, but I can’t deny that I actually enjoyed a lot of it and I liked the weird collagey nature of it… so it feels strange to be giving this 3 stars but that’s what I’m gonna do.
Actually a really interesting album. Kind of like a precursor to hip-hop with the beats, obviously no rapping on it though. I also liked the ambient noise elements and the concept album theme. I would actually give this 4 stars if not for the terribly annoying last song. Favorites: Obatala, Double Dutch, Merengue, Punk it Up Least Favorite: Duck for the Oyster
At times it does feel like random elements thrown together. For me the surprising thing is that it often works. Can’t see myself seeking this out again but glad I had the experience. 3/5
Fun and groovy music with themes from Africa and south America mixed with rap and instrumental. It kind of reminds me of Yello i some songs but the album as a whole is hard to put a finger on what its trying to be other than an expression of Malcom McLaren and what he felt like making. That isn't a bad thing, it just makes it harder to try and categorize what I just listened to. Any way I enjoyed most of it so I wont think to deeply about it and just play my favorites again!
I do remember some of these songs from the time. He seems like a bit of a magpie taking things he likes from all over. It's interesting, brings different genres to a wider audience but I'd rather listen to the original artists.
Not sure what to make of this. I know that Trevor Horn was involved and that this morphed into Art of Noise, which I really liked at the time. Found some of the tracks jarring but big fan of double Dutch.
I enjoyed this mish-mash of genres but it’s messed up that this album is solely credited to Malcolm McLaren. How much did the Sex Pistols impresario really contribute to this music?
Kind of felt like I was listening to an early hip hop mixed tape, or a very eclectic radio station. There's rap, African music, funk, Caribbean music, latin music and more on this record. It's a lot of fun. Some of the beats hit real hard. It's very danceable. I was a bit surprised though when I saw the guy listed as the creator of this album. Apparently the artist is Malcolm McLaren... the fashion designer who helped mastermind The Sex Pistols and the punk subculture. He does do some vocals on this thing... but from what i've read he's more a musical curator than an actual artist. He doesn't play an instrument. He just knows talent when he sees it and brings people together. He's the DJ Khalid of this record. A bulk of the album was created by 2 DJs/rappers i've never heard of (they go by the duo name: The World's Famous Supreme Team). It is a little concerning that neither is credited on Spotify or on this review site. I have a bad feeling that Malcolm is the only person getting paid off this thing, but I could be wrong. Random thoughts: -> Good listen. Great vibes. Gets you moving. -> Even though this thing was made in the 80s, the production holds up. -> World's Famous is a highlight, amazing beat. -> Did Eminem get "2 trailer park girls go round the outside" from Buffalo Gals? Who knew. Who knew. -> Duck For The Oysters is a weird novelty country song... that I think Malcolm actually sings on. Feels like his vibe. Note: His voice is not very good. He's definitely the weakest singer on this album. Luckily he's not on most tracks. -> I do like the title "Duck Rock"... just not sure it fits this album. Feels like the name of a post-punk album that either doesn't take itself seriously at all or takes itself wayyyy too seriously
Da va litt artig, egentlig
Double Dutch // Merengue // Jive My Baby //
A curiosity and overall a bit of a mess but something interesting in it, which is always the way with Trevor Horn. I think it may have been more impactful at the time but in retrospect lacks a bit of cohesion.
The cultural appropriation thing is bad although if this was a key influence in bringing hip-hop to a wider (whiter) audience in its fledgling days as a genre, then we can be pleased for that. It's a bit of a hard album to get your head around because I'm not entirely clear what Malcolm McLaren actually did for it, and his name is on the cover, but anyway. It's hard not to tap your foot and nod your head along at various points on this album. Double Dutch is a real groove The record scratching and little radio skits were prevailing features of rap albums for years to come and sound fun. It does feel very disjointed and all over the place though - it starts with a very atmospheric instrumental track driven by bongos, goes latino at one point (Merengue) and ends with what sounds like a hoedown with fiddles etc.? All a bit weird, but enjoyable in places, so 3 seems fair Give artists their props though please Malcolm
Suprised by this, obviously an early runner in mixing albums leading to hop hop. However lots of African music which is always top on a sunny day and some other random bits thrown in for good measure. Totally get why it's here for a change and that makes me happy!
I’m really torn on this one. If it wasn’t for the connection with that utter twat McLaren, this would be a five star album. I listened to Puleng by the Boyoyo Boys, and the rip off that is Double Dutch is unbelievable. So I’m going to call it 3 stars, losing a point for not crediting the African singers on the album, but I’m gonna have to give it another star for its undoubted role in helping popularise world music. But then losing that star for sticking a novelty song on the end that sounds like it was done on cocaine.
Listenable.
sometimes annoying. sometimes not. makes me confused
I think Double Dutch is a great song but it never occurred to me in 1983 that it ripped off someone else's work without credits :( Anyway I like quite a lot of this, largely due to the infectious South African music. Would give an album of the originals 5 stars (I went and listened to the Mahotella Queens after this) this loses a couple of stars for the shamelessness of appropriating without credit.
that was strange 3/5
Onhan näissä tällaisissa tosi skittivoittoisissa sekoilulevyissä jotain tosi karnevalistisen hauskaa ja yllätyksellistä. Oikein pätevää matskua tekemisen taustalla. Pitäisinkö tätä nyt suurena taiteena? En. Mutta nautin kyllä. 3/5
What the fuck was this? Some really old hip hop, some world, some... country? Is that what that was? Idk. Strange but engaging listen
I never heard of this artist nor listened to any of this music. Simply refreshing and fully of rhythm, melody, and talent. It’s fun to hear the influence it’s had on other, more famous artists. Don’t know why he ended the album like a cartoon though.
white people the more i read about this man the more i do not like this man fun album
3.5 I’m well familiar with Malcolm McLaren as a fashion designer and manager of the Sex Pistols, a group he assembled to help sell his clothing. However, I did not know that the guy had albums of his own to his name, but as I probably should have guessed, the name on the front is about the only connection he has with the actual music here. Once again, he commissioned other people to do the work for him, but in this instance, he just straight-up took all of the credit, leaving a majority of the African performers on this album completely uncredited. It’s a pretty bad look, and while it did largely help lead to the popularization of hip hop music in the UK, it also feels incredibly exploitative and left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Still, to the actual musicians’ credit (not Malcolm’s), a lot of the stuff here is really good. There’s something about 80s hip hop that’s so damn fun, and the first few tracks here are no exception - though, during my first listen of Buffalo Gals, all I kept thinking to myself was, “This can’t be what I think it is.” Sure enough, it is. Yes, Eminem sampled this specific song for Without Me. Considering the track involves Em acknowledging how his success is owed to black music, it makes you wonder if maybe there’s something there. I digress, the deeper you get into the album, the more it seems to transition into - for lack of a better word - world music, African-leaning especially, and, as someone who admittedly knows very little about the genres heard, I really liked most of it. Once again, everything had a fun energy to it - while the circumstances surrounding this album are unfortunate, I can’t deny that it sounds like the performers are really enjoying themselves, and that translates in the music. There’s definitely some stuff mixed in that feels a bit like filler, but nothing I found unenjoyable. I even kind of liked the radio DJ dude who popped in between songs, though it was a touch much by the end. All in all, solid, fun, album - just wish it was the product of actual artists and not a businessman.
One of the most unique listening experiences I’ve ever had. The amount of left turns this album took was insane. However, this does sound gimmicky at times, especially with the DJ interpolated throughout the album. Either way, I’d highly recommend just to listen to this just for the experience.