Duck Rock

'Impresario' of the punk movement, promotor/manager of bands like New York Dolls and Sex Pistols, and register of the 'hip new thing,' McLaren, I gotta give it to him, 'put together' a remarkable album of world music and Hip-hop. For me, 'Double Dutch,' 'Punk it Up,' and 'Jive My Baby' are the standouts. So from an aesthetic point of view, it triumphs. Historically, it's also fascinating to hear what was up in '83. The outtakes from The World's Famous Supreme Team, a Hip-hop radio show active from '79 to '91, are especially immersive. But morally, 'impresario' in my mind is no different from 'poacher' and 'opportunist.' As much as I enjoy a track like 'Soweto,' appropriation w/o credit spawns an ugly, colonial atmosphere. No good.

Pretty weird but good but also kinda not? Very mixed feelings here. Not all 3s are created equal.

This album was so weird but it was fun

Culture vulture backstory aside it was weird but fun, I kind of liked it? Shoutout the interpolation of “buffalo girls” by Eminem Two trailer park girls go round the outside

Album was all over the place. Real eccentric. Some bangers some skippers. Averages out to an average album.

Groundbreaking in the 1980s Hip Hop scene, those tracks sound dated now. But the fusion of street party vibes with international music is fun and lively— precedes and paves the way for the 90’s world music craze. Need another listen (airplane), but this could be a 3 or a 4.

3/5

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is a very eclectic album, leaning heavily into completely unrelated genres like hip hop, world music, and square dance music. There are some catchy tunes as well. Overall I'm not sure I would come back and listen again but I'm glad to have heard it once.

Some bangers

The idea of styling it after a radio program was really good.

Well this was a vibe. This had absolutely everything, all sorts of genres going on, which I appreciated. Probably unlucky to miss out on a 4. Simpsons: No

A hate the culture vulture vibes and I hate how much I liked it. Just credit the artists you steal from dude. White people, eh?

Surprisingly good. I enjoyed this

Fine music, feels predatory

Hm. A lot of interesting bits but also a lot that didn't land for me, not a big skit/interstitial fan

Did this guy just get a load of people into a room and claim the credit? Apart from that this album is just pretty ok

Strange, but mostly background music.

The music is not particularly burdensome to the ear, and thanks for that. 5.5 out of 10.

I think this is the third time in recent times I've heard a song and been embarrassed to learn Eminem just sampled it and didn't actually write it

Really, really intriguing as a historical document. To think this was out in 1983, a really early and accurate representation of hip hop years before it reached the UK mainstream, and all fronted by the whiniest white English man. Also fascinating to hear a range of African sounds and samples which you still don't commonly hear in western music, and none-more-80s production from Trevor Horn. Admittedly, it's not really very *good*, but it IS fascinating.

Hmmm…interesting.

Some of it was good. Some was ok. The banter was annoying.

Such an oddball record. Cool uses of 80’s hip hop beats, world music samples and generally unpredictable mixes.

Weirdest Sammelsurium an afrikanischen, karibischen Einflüssen, hip hop, country

Diferente pero sigue sin emocionarme

Guess I should know better than to believe the hype. Perhaps this was groundbreaking when it released but listening to it now i found it pretty underwhelming. Filled a journey to work but would've preferred listening to something else tbh.

Not what I was expecting at all from the sex pistols manager, random mix of genres with different world music and hip hop, felt quite messy but it was very unique especially with hip hop in 1983 in the UK.

Arh. Emenim was here. (Buffalo Girls / without me) Ret hyggeligt med lidt World music. Ikke sådan vanvittigt godt men jeg var underhold.

I do think this is an interesting album, and it's nice to get some real variety - however I saw the comments about 'musical colonialism' and I'm inclined to agree that a bunch of white-British people getting together to 'bring international music to the masses' does whiff of privilege and virtue-signaling. It's either just above or just below a 3*, so I'll middle it out

Catchy. It is a very fun album and i especially dig the eclectic approach; however, not a fan how records of other artists are used without any credit given whatsoever.

first listen loved the variety but didn't think any of the songs were a terribly strong composition

I love how this sounds and I think there are a lot of great ideas. However, learning a bit more about the album I feel less happy praising the credited artist. I enjoyed this record a lot, but it made me wish I was listening to the recorded artists instead. 3.5

Rating: 6/10 Decent combination of world music and hip-hop.

Interesting collection of songs, but none of it seems to be HIM!

Don't know what this was but I enjoyed it

Pretty all over the place, fine though!

Sparkling—I want to line dance to Double Dutch. Then I heard the Merengue/Punk It Up double play! It’s all foryoubaby, foryoubaby, foryoubaby … Though the last track was ????

Definitely hear the Paul Simon of it all and enjoyed aspects of this album a lot, but the last song really ruined it for me. Appreciated the ride, but hated the ending. Would give it a 2.5, but rounding up.

Nothing could have prepared me for this mix of old-school rap and Paul Simon-less Graceland. Weird, but inoffensive.

Had a great time at this party.

worldy, hip-hoppy, interesting

Weird. Ahead of it's time I'm sure.

I don't even know what to say about this. Not remotely what I expected. Liked it quite a bit, actually. Thought most of the music was really good. Points, as always, for being eclectic. The in-between dj stuff got a little old, though. 3.85

They dabbled in plenty of genres here, from Caribbean to both South African and America and while I did enjoy the majority of it, things did feel a little messy at times. The concept of the radio station sorta helped with the mix of genres I suppose. Oddly enough, the chill vibes of the opening instrumental track turned out to be my favourite. 3 stars

Glad this is on the list. One I don’t think too many people these days are throwing on as a favourite listen. But well worth it in hearing the arch of music history.

As a major MMcL skeptic, one was fully prepared to hate on this, but found rather found oneself enjoying it. There's some sense of joy in the songs plus some thoughtfulness in their selection. One could do without all the audio snippets from early hip-hop radio (which seems to predict the too-many skits to come on even quality hip-hip records). And the "launch of world music" seems like an overstatement, but still pretty enjoyable and an interesting artifact to listen to. Until the last song, where so much goodwill is lost.

I quite liked this one. i bet it was super unique for its time, good mix of music and other bits in the songs.

The DJ parts have not aged well but the South African tunes are great

Weird album, and at the same time really cool. Like hearing to a radio station. Cool concept. 3 stars

I think this would be more well regarded if it was presented as a band as opposed to a solo album. If everyone who contributed was credited, most of the negative reviews would go away.

I can see where this album probably influenced the Beastie Boys, and the sample by Eminem is obvious. It's quite a strange and intriguing album.

Much better than 'Duck Stab' and not as difficult to sit thru as 'Howard the Duck' Duck Rock challenged my assumptions on anything duck-related and won me over. Well, as much as you can win someone over with dated synth, hi-trebble and strange radio samples paired with Paul Simon-esque Graceland tracks. Perhaps I'm in a more forgiving headspace today, but I didn't completely hate this ducking album. Similarly there is another movie almost equally as bad, released about the same time called Teen Wolf. Both of these movies included someone in a duck and wolf suit.

I went back and forth between love and hate on this one, so I’ll average it out to a 3. It had cool weird music and not cool weird music, but it was an adventure!

I like the music. Especially the weird and different styles and influences all mixed together. I hate the talky radio bits.

fun record, with influences from several genres around the world ... some say stolen/ripped-off !

I liked a few of the songs on here, double Dutch in particular was fun. But learning more about this album and where the music came from, I dunno dampens my.enthusiasm substantially. I'd like to go listen to some of the original recordings that were used here though.

Čudno, drugačije, pomalo eksperimentalno, malo kao world music vibe, malo hip hopa, dobri synthevi, iako mi nekako ne prija baš Bit će neka solidna trojčica samo zato što se neću vraćati ovome albumu

As one half of UK Duck Rock duo Houmous & Chutney, I know a thing or two about catchy, fun records. 3.4

Not my thing at all but an extra star as it sounds brilliant for its age

Good quack 👍🏻

Sì dai

Some really enjoyable parts of this album. Knew the music by Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens right away. Bummer they weren’t properly credited. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again

Like scanning the radio in a new town, you stumble through a restless collage of rhythms—fascinating in passing, forgotten on the next frequency.

Somewhat uninpressed by this. I expected more from an album that helped spread hiphop to Britain.

Really hard to define this one. Latin beats, African beats, 80s hip hop and some scratching. The album was really all over the place but at least it was a fun listen. It reminded me quite a bit of the soundtrack to the game "Jet Set Radio". The album didn't really leave me with any lasting impression though. 3 star.

What a strange album. I kinda liked it, all told!

Duck Rock is like an odd mix tape - or a soundtrack - as an eclectic collection of songs of a range of styles. This was the debut album for Malcom McLaren, who achieved fame as the producer and manager for the New York Dolls, the Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow. McLaren's history as an impresario may have undermined the reception of his albums; his "adoption" of a number of styles, with a few legal battles over copyrighted material, has led to an impression that at least some of this material was appropriated. The songs are a combination of South African elements, hip hop rhythms, early scratching, and folk music from a range of traditions. The result is an interesting mix, but hard to discuss as the work of one band... and comes across as rather scattered.

You old faker Malcom. Again, plastic pop has been good pop ever since, well at least The Archies. Here the rascal rips off whole genres of black music from hip-hop to S Africa and sells it right back to us.

Don't understand all the hate for this album on here. What a great exploration of different genres from the Americas. And I mean, for all the hate over the appropriation of hip-hop by a British white dude, Eminem went and created one of his catchiest songs from one of said gringe hip-hop songs. Solid 3* from me, interesting listen.

I can get down with this

Three years before Graceland, Malcolm McLaren would take credit for the work of South African musicians for his benefit. Buffalo Gals is a jam though.

This is by Malcolm McLaren? I guess I expected a punk album, but I actually enjoyed the world music beats quite a lot. The last track is rubbish, though.

3.75

Better than I expected!!

Weird but catchy

Exotic, fun.

2.5/5. Not bad, but I don't see the significance of this. Some of the songs are weird - is that the point of this?

Well, whatever I was expecting when Malcolm McLaren popped up on my album list today, it wasn't this. Nevermind, this is exactly what I was expecting. It's a deeply cynical series of half-baked musical ideas that only manage to sound okay because Malcolm surrounded himself with talented artists. I guess I just thought it would be more of a punk album. The hip-hop DJ interstitials are a huge waste of time. 3/5 There were certainly parts of this album that I enjoyed, but this album is also really incoherent and feels like Malcolm got a bunch of artists to do his homework for him

en meget tidlig hiphop produktion, virkelig blandede godter

I have a fever dream but someone left on the radio

Weird doesn’t even begin to describe this album. When the album started, that first song had me questioning what the hell I was listening to. When I look at photos and read descriptions on who Malcolm McLaren was, I was definitely not expecting these kind of sounds from this album. As the album progressed, and the vibe of the album became more clear, I found myself enjoying it more and I caught myself tapping my foot multiple times throughout the album. Yes, I do think the DJ bit throughout is corny/cheesy, but for 1983, I feel like it was par for the course. Overall, I enjoyed the album. I listened to it on my way to and from work yesterday, and both times, enjoyed it the weirdness to it. Also, I didn’t realize that Buffalo Gals was the original to Eminem’s “Round the outside, round the outside, round the outside” bit. The more you know

So Trevor Horn and Anne Dudley have lead credit on all the tracks for production and keys and strings, and Sedevine and Just Allah are the rappers. McLaren is listed as the band's "figure caller." This early instance of "world music" is credited like a circus with him as a ringmaster. His musical role is at best a conductor, at worst just hollering his copyright watermark over these people between songs. You would have to call this "exotica" because it would only be cohesive to an insanely sheltered person. Was it their idea to call themselves "The Ebonettes"??? No wonder they sued him. I was definitely thinking of Graceland (3 years later) and I was horrified to realize McLaren's goblin hypeman delivery might have influenced David Byrne. Between the heinous context, genuine talent on display, and clear influence on later albums, I have looped around to conceding it is an Important Album. What's good about it musically is no credit to McLaren, and what's influential about it may be as much ill as good, however you want to read it into our culture afterwards.

Interesting use of samples that doesn't get too repetitive.

Okay I like the world music part of this :/ Still weird he's a white British guy tho

All over the places styles. World music, calypso, hip hop. Kinda dug it! Don't love the interludes, but it does give it an old school radio vibe at times. Would play again.

A bit weird and just a little bit interesting. Not quite a three but on the three side of a 2.5.

this was wild, enjoyed some of it.

I don’t … really know what to do with this album. Tone is all over the place which can be a cool thing because it shifts genres so often but it throws off the vibe once it establishes a vibe. Goes from hip hop to line dancing to Jamaican jive to … how do you even categorize this? Works to listen to songs individually depending on what you want to hear in the moment but you don’t get consistent enough of a vibe to really enjoy this fully as a body of work, as a full project. At least on first listen, it’s jarring and unexpected.

Some catchy songs 3/5

Music is pretty good on this album but the radio show stuff is just annoying. 3 stars or C- for me.

Not what I expected, pretty good

Based on the first track, I was getting ready to slap 5 stars on this album. Based on the second track, I thought this would be an interesting album even if it isn't a five. After I finished the last track, I barely knew what the fuck I just listened to. It starts out as an ambient African kinda thing then becomes very very early hip hop before just spazzing out with a million different influences in the final half. On top of the hip hop, there's stuff that sounds pure 80s, stuff that sounds ahead of its time, Spanish stuff, jive stuff, you name it. Very eclectic but not much of it totally stuck for me. Obatala was the standout ambient track thing. Also the "round the outside"sample was fun to hear in the wild.

Fun radio-show.

Yeah, that was a thing. Buffalo Gals was fun, but it's pretty dated.

Now this seems like the gentrification of early hip hop but it is not terrible... Buffalo girls still sounds a good as when I first hear it in 82. However the rest of the album is mildly interesting at best.

Vähän sitä sun tätä :D Enimmäkseen instrumentaalista. Mukana aika läppia skittejä. Osittain myös räppiä. Parhaat: Aika tasapaksua, mikään ei pompannut erikoisemmin

insanely ahead of its time if morally dubious...that being said i admire this more than i enjoy its sonic textures 6/10

3.5 From what I understand, this isn’t really original work? More a white dude taking world music songs he likes and just kinda throwing them in a sequence, with little substantial changes to them? So I can’t rate it higher because of that, but honestly, he picked great songs. This was really fun to listen to. Just great energy all the way through.

Decent album made by an awful person. 3/5

The skits were okay!

Definitely unique. I like the uniqueness of it, but it’s still not the best. Between a 3 and a 4, but I’m giving it a 3 because of the whole sampling problem on this. (It’s mentioned in some of the other reviews).

This is a weird one. Pretty eclectic collection of tunes. It's pretty shitty there are so many uncredited musicians on this album. Both black and white. Thank goodness the cultural appropriation police are out in force keeping us safe. Other than Buffalo Gals I didn't think I'd heard anything else.

I struggle with this one. Its incredibly interesting, but as I understand it, also controversial for the treatment of the recording artists on this record.

A visionary project. Combining some of the best bits and energy of early hip-hop with the gonzo genre hopping and anarchic silliness of Frank Zappa. It's also a chore to listen to.

Прикольный. Интересно было услышать, что отсюда Эминем взял первые строчки на Without me. Интересно было послушать.

weirdo shit but cool. also apparently an important album or whatever

A pretty weird and out there album, a few songs had me moving but this didn’t really do anything for me. It’s meh.

This shit will keep you guessing. I would say at it's core it is Hip Hop but there are so many different styles of music going on from song to song and sometimes multiple within one song. I though it was a good mix of the classic upbeat hip hop I like with the added bonus of all kinds of unfamiliar styles and sounds I didn't expect. Very original and I am surprised I don't know of any groups that were inspired by this style because I think a lot more could be done with it.

Not a big world music fan but this was pretty fun. prob wont check out out again. Soweto and worlds famous were cool.

Not really my cup of tea. The range of sounds and styles is interesting.

I like the variety of the album, the world influences and that hip-hop was used so early in the decade. It is a superficial album, though and knowing Malcom McLaren he probably sampled a lot of stuff without crediting the original artists as he was known for taking things from others and sold it in his name.

Some werid shit, interesting bit of hip hop but combined with the Caribbean influences makes it sound very unique. Cool to find out eminem samples from this. Could second listen.

Reading the other reviews I realize how problematic this is from an appropriation standpoint but it’s still a uniquely interesting pastiche of musical styles. I’m torn.

Dutch Rock I know Buffalo Gals and Double Dutch but not much else on here. I always felt this was probably similar to Tom Tom Club and some of the Big Audio Dynamite albums from a year or so later. It’s a bit of a curate’s egg, there’s lots to like, some great songs, lots of fun and experimentation and sense that it was ahead of it’s time, with early hip hop, pop, Afrobeat and a bit of Latin all mashed up. But it is definitely patchy and not everything fully works. The cultural appropriation thing is quite interesting too, I don’t really have a problem with people magpie-ing music and influences from wherever they hear them, but when they don’t give credit to people who play on the album and essentially co-write some of it, it feels a bit dodgy. Linked to that I also wonder what, apart from some rapping, what Malcom McLaren actually contributed musically. I get that he is more of a conceptual person, but it feels like Art of Noise plus various African and American musicians actually did this and he is just putting his name to it. Which is not uncommon for him, and I'm probably inclined to feel that is also dodgy. There are quite a few standout tracks. Obatala really grew on me on repeat listens, a lovely little track. Buffalo Gals is a great bit of early 80s hip hop through a weird Englishman’s lens. Great hook.
I’ve always loved Double Dutch, a great bit of rapping with Afrobeat vibes. I don’t know what the words are in the hook but I like to sing ‘Airport, Airport M&S’, particularly if I’m buying some bottled water at an airport M&S. I liked the electro-soundtrack vibe of Legba. Soweto is just fantastic, a great groove, really infectious. Jive My Baby and Song for Chango I liked, even if they aren’t that strong. World Famous is fine, but feels dated. I wasn’t keen on Merengue and Punk it Up seemed to be an inferior version of Soweto. Duck for the Oyster is a bit annoying. You can tell it’s from the early 80s because of the drum machine sound, but apart from World Famous it doesn’t sound to dated. I suppose that’s due to the genius of Trevor Horn. Very identifiably 80s but still sounds good. Overall it’s definitely an enjoyable listen with some great highs, (Obatala, Buffalo Gals, Double Dutch, Soweto) but I don’t think it all quite adds up to a fully satisfying album. Sometimes these ramshackle eclectic albums are great, the sense of fun and experimentation is its own kind of unifying force, but sometimes, like this, it can feel a bit too scattergun and doesn’t hang together. There’s a decent amount of playslistable tracks but I think I’m more likely to turn to Tom Tom Club or Bing Audio Dynamite’s first 2 albums if I want a bit of 80s joyful eclecticism. ⭐⭐⭐ PS, love the Keith Haring cover

A summertime album, and apparently important for introducing Britain to hip-hop. The incorporation (and potential plagiarism) of South American music stands out among its late-80s peers. I'm glad I've heard this album, and may put some of its highlights on at a party, but I'm not sure if I'd spend a lot of time with it. It's a little dated. I can't hold that against it too much because the engineering holds up. I gravitate towards the instrumental tracks, which is unusual for me. I can't shake the fact that the ex-Sex Pistols manager (the one who recruited Sid Vicious) 'made' this. Maybe that's unfair; maybe it's simply discerning. Maybe it just means I shouldn't read the Wiki. Still, I'm hesitant to credit what I did enjoy to McLaren. Highlights: Obatala, Buffalo Gals, Merengue, Legba

Weird af

Had a lot of different musical styles. Didn't feel warm and familiar on first listen. Might grow on me if I keep listening to it like Tap Root Manuscript did

mclaren had a beautiful anarchic creative spirit but he was also kind of silly

Mikä sotku. Mielestäni se tosiasia, että vanha Malcolm kutsuu itseään "impressarioksi" eikä "muusikoksi", on selvä. Tämä albumi on vain sekalainen sekoitus musiikillisia konsepteja. Mikään ei todellakaan toimi, eikä se koskaan varsinaisesti yhdisty millään johdonmukaiseksi. Tämä oli erittäin mielenkiintoista! Kuuntelin tätä ajaessani asioita autossani kahden päivän ajan. Oli hauskaa ja mukaansatempaavaa olla mukana. Tätä en yleensä kuuntele, mutta nautin siitä. Se oli musiikillisesti niin tiivistä, että minusta tuntuu, että minun pitäisi kuunnella se uudelleen ainakin kerran. meringue

Fun. 3

A lot better than I thought. I was aware of a couple of tracks before but was surprised what a decent listen this was

I understand why it's historically important for the UK but white guy steals black music. 2.5/5

What an expérience, had to listen IT again for sure !!!

It doesn't seem like the album's producers did their due diligence to credit their influences.

A very eclectic album by an artist I've never heard of. Apple Music says this is hip-hop, and while a couple of tracks have hip-hop elements, I certainly wouldn't put it in that genre. Maybe "World music?" Interesting enough stuff here to warrant at least one listen. And the in between stuff with the DJ was fine I guess. Favorite track: Buffalo Gals

Unlike anything I’ve heard, in a good way.

It’s such a trip to find the origin of musical references (i.e. “two trailer park girls go round the outside”) amidst a crazy-eclectic hodge-podge of musical styles. I did enjoy the old-school hip-hop roots. Easily the best square-dancing single of 1983.

Some interesting ideas incorporating african influences and hip-hop on... an early 80s British album? Interesting from a historical perspective, it didn't wow me or offend me.

Not bad, not super good.

Interesting use of sampling

Surprisingly versatile and varied, with plenty of genres being displayed at a pretty competent level, and with influences on hip-hop so early in the genre's lifetime, it is done relatively well. I think the gimmick of the album is interesting, too, being that of a radio show that's the "best" on the airwaves. While actually catching most of these songs in the middle of the night would scare me more than anything, its basis is pretty solid. Most of the songs are cheesy, or even arguably annoying, and it has far too much filler for what could've been a very solid, early case of plunderphonics, but it's fun enough that I'd say I enjoyed my time. Certainly not essential listening, you really only need two or three tracks to get the whole picture, but I'll admit I'm at least pleasantly surprised, albeit more so than actually in tune with the music at play.

the music dances between being energetically fun and straight-up anxiety-attack-inducing; and the World's Famous Supreme Team denotes its place in hip-hop history while the straight-up theft of African music makes one want to scratch it from the annals.

A psychedelic trip blending genres I didn't know where a wonderful match. Not everything hit but an important album of its era.

This gets points for variety, but overall it's just kind of a silly unfocused mess of styles with very little substance.

Eclectic mix of r and b, international, funk, and spoken .

Feels like I should think this is more tacky and annoying than I actually do. It IS very tacky and annoying, but in a way that mostly works. Kinda had fun with this one.

Album - 3 Malcolm McLaren - 0

Very interesting

музыкально прям троечка, но как феномен круто

Сложно Вроде прикольный хип-хоп, местами хорошо, но не цепляет никак. Как будто не веришь Алкоальбом: да балтика 0

3.0 Probably influenced a lot of people, introducing world music and urban. Worth the listen but not going on a regular rotation

Very odd, with little or no hint of his involvement with some of the biggest bands of the previous decade. I liked it, I think, but it was so weird that I spent most of my first listen through spotting bits that had been sampled (and then trying to work out if it was from this album, or for this album, that the sampling took place!)

Side A rules...Side B slows just a bit. Overall a worthy listen. 3.5/5

Electronic dance music, this thing is all over the place, African, latin, hip hop? Theres even a hoe down

Never heard this one. Some great tracks and some odd

I didn’t expect to enjoy the album as much as I did. It was quite different. I mainly associate McLaren with the Sex Pistols so this was not what I expected. A good 3*

That was different. It's not going on regular rotation but was fun while it lasted.

This was fun, more than I expected it to be. The variety of styles on this album is incredibly expansive to the point of near absurdity. It shouldn't really work at all, but somehow it does. The songs themselves are clever, charming, occasionally silly, and entirely over the top, but never boring. The weak spot for me would be anywhere McLaren uses his own vocal, which frequently is too weak to hold up to the boldness of whatever is going on musically behind him. Also yeah, these musicians deserved proper credit for their work. There's no album without them. Fave Songs: Buffalo Gals, Obatala, Double Dutch, Jive My Baby, Song for Chango

Interesting, but my thing

My biggest take away from this album was that I got to hear what I am assuming is the source material that Eminem used in one of his songs (Buffalo Gals).

Dit is echt helemaal niet gek zeg, behoorlijk groovy

obatala, merengue

A haiku: Sex Pistol guru Makes hip-hop square-dance opus Eminem loves it

At times this felt like appropriative whitewashed claptrap, but then the track would change and the artistry would shine through. Settles on a 3 for me, but I do find myself wanting to relisten

Well that was unexpected! I recommended it to Paul Reinert, as right up his unusual, funky, melodic alley.

A haphazard approach to world music, with some beautiful-yet-simple tracks led by choruses of vocalists, mixed together with subpar takes on proto-hip-hop. The track listing was the definition of hit-or-miss, with strong cuts like Jive My Baby (man, that hook), Punk It Up, and Double Dutch alternated with some noticeably weaker ones (Song For Chango, Legba, Buffalo Gals). I don't really get what McLaren was going for, but whatever concept might have existed was pretty messy and inconsistent. Other notes: - Cover artwork is great - The context of this album and the unacknowledged theft of musical ideas must be taken into account - 3/5

Well, I finally get the "round the outside" reference in that Eminem song. This is a weird album if you can call it that. Kudos to McLaren for bringing African mbaqanga and American hip-hop to a broader audience in the UK, fuck McLaren for the classic colonialist move of not crediting the artists properly (or at all). Outside of the short lived cultural significance this has, there's not a lot to recommend it. It's more listenable than I expected, and the mbaqanga grooves on "Double Dutch" are infectious, but I'd much rather be listening to the real stuff over this pastiche.

Malcolm McLaren is quite the divisive character. Manager(and sometimes the ostensible creator) of many great musical groups like The Sex Pistols, New York Dolls, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow. And while he had a large hand in making them famous, I don't think any of these relationships ended well. On Duck Rock, there is a wide variety of wonderful musicians and sounds from across the world. And while McLaren has done a good job bringing them together on this album, my thoughts on it are colored by his controversial approach to how he treated and (ab)used these musicians. Relationship Status: It's Complicated

Interesting. I like and didn’t at times

A wife mix of world music and hip-hop. Pretty interesting. Enjoyed the South American-type songs.

meh

3.5 enjoyable album to listen to as a whole. I wouldn’t say any single song stands out on its own but the album as a whole is good

Dad rock the album. That's mean, it's a fine album and a catchy one.

Energetic, a bit unhinged, this was probably off the walls in 1983. Not bad, just kind of dated.

This was a great listen. Thoroughly enjoyed and I'm more impressed after reading the backstory of the album and the artist and how influential this record was. I don't know if I would often reach to put this album on but I'm left impressed and happy after hearing it here for the first time. Will make myself put it on in the future!

What a quirky album. Jumped around from old-school hip-hop jock radio to tracked that have this African sound to it, but with a cool blend of the two. And a yee haw howdy square dancin' ending. What on earth

This is a weird one to listen to and read about. First track going into the second track is a wild time if you don't know what's coming next. As a whole though, it's a fun listen. I'm not really sure what Malcolm Maclaren's role in this whole thing is, but the end result is interesting and a cool intersection of early hip-hop and "world music".

a real island feel, interspersed with something else from the 80s. Can't put my finger on it now. Would love to be chilling on an island right now with some Kalik.

I going to pretend i didn't hear "Duck for the Oyster"... definitely a bizarre experiment to close the album. Though it probably had about 50-75% too much skit, i was surprised by the creativity and how the world-music influence hip hop was pretty interesting and enjoyable. Double Dutch, Punk It Up, Jive My Baby and Soweto stood out for me. Buffalo Gals had a bit of a dated sound, but overall the album was a bit of a positive surprise.

love the south african vibes but other than that it was not a refined record in my opinion

Viihdyttävä 3/5 Oli kyl aik mielenkiintonen 3.5/5

World famous, but I didn’t know it!

Erg grappige en goed uitgevoerde mix van stijlen, zeker als je beseft hoe oud dit is. De man is verder niet vies van een beetje verbale zelfbevlekking als het gaat om zijn bemoeienis met de Sex Pistols

I appreciated this bad boy more after reading the context and it started off much stronger than it finished but overall fairly enjoyable.

Con miembros de lo que sería The Art Of Noise.

A nice diversion, not much more.

It’s alright if you’re into goofy rap. I’m not.

Certainly unique. A fun blend of different influences.

It's . . . something. Verging on the plunderphonics of the era, but not quite on par with its contemporaries. Idk it's run of the mill for sure, unique but not necessarily "great". 5/10.

3.5

Super interesting album and unlike anything I've ever heard before. Not what I expected from the manager of the Sex Pistols!

My favorite part of this album was the wikipedia article. And it's always nice to learn some origins of stuff that is just ubiquitous later. 3/5

surprised by this, i liked it!

I really liked the first song, but the rest of the album not as much.

3,5. Skemmtilegir sprettir.

Oh, this was fun

Solid. Interesting

This is an album in line with the direction some English punks rockers went after punk blew up: Jah Wobble, PiL, Big Audio Dynamite. It's an awful mess of genres but I like it and I think its fun.

Based on prior info, I thought I'd dislike this more. A few moments really poked through and shined though, and instead I got a confusing album.

Pretty mad. Put me in the mood for avalanches. Some cool sounds

World music, hip hop. Que lo baile que lo baile...

Like Joe Strummer, McClaren does a brilliant job of blending all of the amazing music floating around London at the time. But the best parts, by far, are entirely the work of the South African musicians he neither credited nor compensated until they successfully sued him (with Paul Simon's help). So we're back to the the 21st Century moral dilemma - what do you do with really interesting art produced by Tossers?

It was... OK. I mean, I get what the album was going for and there was a wide range of styles that were used for this first example of sampling. Interesting to see where "round the outside" comes from, I never would have guessed that from Eminem. But some of the songs did overstay their welcome a bit, like "Legba." "Double Dutch" I didn't get at all, either. Ultimately, it was an interesting experiment. But not something that I would say let's put that on again. And... Malcolm McLaren? Really?

Duck for the Oyster songs like a Ween song. That was really my only takeaway from listening to this.

World music, hip hop. Que lo baile que lo baile...

Vaikka yleensä lähestynkin subjektiivisten kokemusteni analyysiä teeskennellyllä objektiivisuudella, jonka on tarkoitus sulkea pois pelkkien odotusten mukaan arviointi, en voi olla kysymättä: miten tämä ei voi olla paskaa? Lisään: suosikkini on alkukaksikko, joista ensimmäinen on yksinkertaisinta mahdollista maalailua, ja toinen täysi sekamelska, johon on niitattu pari erinomaista samplea ja muuta. Mutta kukahan tämän kaiken on oikeasti saanut aikaan?

So weird and different it was a fun listen

Ne pas se faire avoir par la première track !!

points for uniqeness and what felt like a whole niche of music I'd never encountered before. Standouts were Buffalo gals and El san juanera. I appreciated the very unexpected shout out lmao I thought i was losing it

3.0 - 3.5

Very different. World ish hip hop music. Lots of cuts and scratches came from this. Dunno how much relisten there is here

Thought was going to be better,..

Fun little album. British hip-hop is funny, but I enjoyed it moderately.

I'm not really sure what I've just listened to. Unique is one of putting it. It was weirdly entertaining.

A pretty fun experiment if a bit dated as an experiment and a not so cohesive experience. I still think it’s a good record, especially given year.

This was an interesting mix of hip-hop and African music, with a touch of Latin flavor and, shockingly, some square dancing. Listened to it on YouTube and it played some of his other stuff once the album was finished, and it appears that combining different genres is McLaren's thing. He's done some funky reinterpretations of classical music, with his takes on Carmen and Blue Danube being the standouts. Might have to do some more exploration of his work.

I understand the significance of Buffalo Gals, but the rest of the album was all over the place. It was strangely part rap & part world. No cohesion.

Fine

WTF did I just listen to? I don't think I'll ever listen to it again on purpose, but I'm glad I took the time to listen to this album. I'd never heard of it or Malcolm McLaren before today.

это странный мировой компот, мало что отложилось, но забавно что я их за неделю до этого встретила в твиторе

very very very VERY strange record of stranger circumstance carried by the supreme team that arrives at strange and faux-exotic soundscapes in equal measure. at least ten years ahead of its time.

I like some Malcolm McLaren. But this left my head scratching. The radio DJ interludes grated on my nerves. There were a few good songs, but after three listens (under duress the third time - I had the album on repeat while I was painting and didn’t want to wash my hands to stop it), I don’t want to hear this again.

this is so batshit. I always thought mclaren was just a bit of a shock jock attention creating manager who got publicity through cheap tricks, but it turns out he seems to give a shit about music and bringing a whole new sound over to the uk. it does seem a bit generous for him to put his own name on the album as he's clearly more of a curator than creator but he's done a decent job of mashing this together. I'd usually mark down for the skits, but i actually liked the shitty radio phone in.

A spikey haired young man once told me to eat his shorts and in a moment of pure rage I did just that. We had a 6 month long affair, which culminated in his death. I don't miss that little jerk.

The most interesting 3 I'll ever listen too. Was great to hear were alot of the original samples from some of my favorite rappers came from, I can see why they just selected parts of the song rather than the entire thing. Some of its okay, but I'll never want to listen to again

Liked the singles, the rest was a stretch.

This was confusing! I think I enjoyed it but was surprised it was mostly sampled music I guess. Generally quite fun and put me in a good mood

Thoroughly odd record

Kind of a weird one. Couldn't really get into it, and all the skits get a bit grating after a while. Might be worth another try at some point

A properly odd album that's difficult to rate. I think I must have heard Buffalo Girls before, and my wife described it as a "skipping song" that she knew from school. And there's that stuff on here. And then there's the rather lovely African inspired stuff as well that reminds me of the Bhundu Boys and other southern African music which seems to very rarely appear on this list. A shame that that stuff doesn't - although this is nice to hear McLaren not properly crediting the musicians from that part of the world that either inspired or contributed directly to this is shit. Ultimately I enjoyed the rhythms on most of this, but the "annoyance quotient" is just too high to make me want to listen again. And, anyway, I'd rather listen to the actual African stuff that inspired it.

I know not what to expect. Strange album title and artwork. Leads in with some atmospheric, dreamy, and slightly dubby instrumental on Oblata, then flips into a radio-style intro to Buffalo Gals. Buffalo Gals is familiar as it appears to be something that J Dilla samples on Workinonit (great song). This album seems like a seminole work in splicing / sampling at the bleeding edge of rap. Digging the infusion of Latin and African instrumental work alongside classic hip-hop. So far no real standout tracks, but it has a good vibe unto itself. All around its a solid vibe album.. not really much to bring me back, per se, but I'm glad to have been exposed to it.

Well that sure was whacky. I am glad I listened to it but highly likely I will never play on of those songs again. The DJ radio show bit was hilarious. 2/5 for enjoyment but 4/5 for creativity.

WORLD MUSACK! This album was all over the place. Really liked some parts really hated other parts. Idk what to do I'm going 3.

This must have seemed pretty cutting edge when it came out, but I can’t get past McLaren’s cynical way of producing music. I think the prudent thing to do would be to learn more about the original music he took inspiration from, and go listen to that.

nice early hip-hop, chill vibes

It's alright but to call it an album by Malcolm McLaren seems like a bit of a stretch.

This is wild. I don't know how much is sampling and how much is taking uncredited musicians work as-is and making a track though. Very interesting mashup and slice in time, for sure.

Hey duck...

Interesting. It ticked all the boxes for me: Varied, silly, a bit of jazz a bit of hip hop. It didn't quite hold it together in the execution though. I liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to.

Ah, Buffalo Gals "go round the outside", that's where Eminem got that line, good to know. This album is not what I was expecting at all, it's an interesting pick'n'mix of genres. While the Malcolm McLaren attribution is off-putting, I'm still glad I've listened to it, once.

40-year-old album. 3.5/5

Interesting

Weird. I was excited when I thought this was British hip hop and was quickly it in my place by what it quite frankly a deceptive description. Yes, there is some hip hop in there, however it is more than not a love letter to various styles from across the world! Gets a bit ‘samey’ after about four tracks but hey ho. A pleasant listen but not one I’ll be mad for buying.

I remember this coming out and at the time it never really interested me. The video for Double Dutch was kind of cool, but the world music influences left me cold. Having been semi-forced to listen to the entire album, it was actually kind of enjoyable. I found Malcom McLaren's voice a bit annoying and felt the whole thing would have been better if had stuck to producing, or coming up with ideas, or whatever he actually did on this album, leaving everything else to the professionals. Couldn't give a stuff about who got credited and who didn't, not an issue for me; some of these artists got a kickstart to their careers and a new audience for their music. The world music influences still leave me somewhat cold, steel drums and people chanting meaningless words, but overall it was pleasant enough. The "Punk it Up" track was the only time I felt mildly annoyed throughout my listen. Double Dutch raises the rating from 2 to 3 stars.

This album was very good because of its nationality and language and I found It very groovy

Had no idea that this even existed. Thanks for another eye opener 1001

What an interesting album. An odd collection of Caribbean, African and proto- hip-hop. I need to listen to this again. Oh and that's where Eminem got it from.

Not quite sure what I listened to beyond a bit of cultural appropriation but hey, it was fun

This was an interesting listen. Not exactly what I expected, which made it better, in this case. It was fun and I enjoyed the radio bits. A high three. I liked a few of the songs, and it was nice to listen to, but I can't see myself coming back to it at the moment. My opinion of it may change over time though. My favourite songs were Double Dutch and Merengue.

This was an interesting album in, and of, the fact that it was a white British dude bringing rap/hip-hop to a wider audience. It is further complicated by the fact that he was a sketchy dude who was known for plagiarizing foreign artists. Regardless, If it wasn't for Duck Rock, we might not have Eminem's "Without Me"/

I did not really enjoy listening to this. I appreciate the ambition, but music is hard enough without trying to cover all these genres. Feeling 2.5 but I’ll round up Buffalo Gals.

This is as much a Trevor Horn disc as a Malcolm McLaren disc. This is a pleasant mix of disparate styles from all over the world circa 1980. In addition to a then nascent hip-hop scene, there is country and western, afro-beat, all wrapped in an 80s Trevor Horn sheen. There is a novelty aspect to it, but it somehow works. Fun, but not great. We are looking for great on this list.

Liked this a lot more than I thought I would A real melting pot of different sounds and cultures As an album it’s lack of cohesion means it’s more of a compilation though

First off, Trevor Horn deserves way more credit for the musical direction of this album. McLaren just discovered these artists but had no idea what to do with them or even pay them which is a crime. There's some good stuff on here but McLaren is a slime ball so I can't give it to high of a ranking. To think, Trevor Horn went from the Buggles, to Yes, to the manager of the Sex Pistols, back to Yes, to Frankie Goes to Hollywood then to Seal. Horn is a genius.

A great mixture of world music and funk. It makes me want to dance. There are some fantastic tunes there

Interesting stuff, it has aged pretty well.

Rart, men gøy. Allikevel nok å høre det en gang

It's like if you took a GTA radio station and made it into an album

Weird little album. shout out eminem for taking some lyrics from this album

This was a wild ride, felt like lots of different vibes. A good one and done album.

Interesting cultural artefact, so I'll give it a 3 for that - but the best parts of this record were those he ripped off from African and other original musicians

I've never heard of Malcolm McLaren before. His name evokes a no nonsense League 2 football manager that favours a 4-4-2 with a big man/small man combo up top. However, it turns out that names (and appearances) can be deceptive. Malcolm McLaren is an innovative music, art and fashion impresario and has created a massively eclectic and influential album. It mixes hip hop, South American, African and Caribbean styles and is a lot of fun. Quite a bit was familiar. I think it may have been sampled by the likes of Eminem and Fatboy Slim. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Punk It Up Date listened: 28/03/23

This feels very 80s, a good fun listen. Favourite is Double Dutch. Merengue piqued my interest as it uses the same sampled dialogue that another song I like also uses.

World music, hip hop. Que lo baile que lo baile...

I can hear the influences in this 80s album. Not my fave, not my least fave.

Well this album is all over the place, isn't it? It's an interesting mix of world and hip hop (especially in the outros for each song). I had to keep active listening to this album because I didn't know what to expect from each song

A wide range of musical styles and genre make for a strange, though interesting mix of music that is somehow associated with Malcolm McLaren? I've never taken anything seriously from Malcolm (Pistols, perfect example) and I found it a challenging listen, but if you listen to it without any pretenses or expectations, the music is fun and spirited.

Ok

This was interesting and apparently a very important album.

Musik man blir glad av. Dock inte jättebra.

Not as bonkers as I thought it was going to be.

My first thought here was.... Surely not that Malcom McLaren. My second thought was holy shit, its that Malcom Mclaren. I'm finding it quite hard to put into words how I feel about this absolutely mental record, part hip hop, mostly world music made by the manager of the Sex Pistols. One thing its not is subtle which is kind of to its credit. But its all over the place and such a weird mix of stuff, surprisingly it actually sounds quite cohesive though. That being said I don't think I'll be in a rush to revisit this one.

I was somehow unaware that Malcolm McLaren had made any of his own music, especially a whole album called Duck Rock of all things. The cover art is perfection. The content is a great musical trip, some fun songs and some ridiculous songs. Not what I was expecting, except that Malcolm slapped his name on a bunch of stuff that wasn't actually his.

Wild! Very out there. But culturally significant apparently so I’m glad I checked it out.

Pretty groovy dub stuff.

It feels like listening to a radio station but the signals keep changing so most of the time you have no idea about what is going on.

This was a rather interesting album. I liked the creativity. 6/10

When HipHop was good. This album could be 5-stars based on it's clear influence on HipHop over the next 10 years alone. On the other hand it is quite silly.

This album was weird as hell I would give a 3.5 if I could

Clearly MM half inched anythig that was good on the album, and it started really well but faded out. Of it's time, but intersting

Sounds reasonably fresh still, even though it's nearly 40 years old. Some good memories of my teenage years aswell. Not a life changing album, but fun.

Music and jams from the whole, wide World, mixed together with some electronic music and hip hop. Quite a positive and original album, with one great hit "Double Dutch". I will be definitely coming back to this song again and again. Otherwise, fun tracks, but nothing memorable, although I'll try again listening to the album in the future.

Enjoyed this one.

Interesting album that influenced a lot after it.

Spretigt!

Certainly never would've guessed that this guy was British. Obatala and Legba were pretty great. For some reason the tracks with vocals were all underwhelming for me.

- Weird proto-rap - The fact this album came out as early as it did is incredible, and gives it an extra * for me - Fav songs: Buffalo Gals, Double Dutch

Not as whacky or obnoxious as I expected, quite holiday vibez actually. The original round the outside, round the outside!

Really an interesting album. Pretty eclectic blend of genres including hip-hop, world music, and avant-garde sampling. Very ahead of its time for 1983. Pretty fun listen.

Ooh boy this was a mixed bag. At times I couldn’t stand this, but some tracks were pretty good. Nothing was a knock out.

Jaren '90 hip-hop, maar nummers als "Double Dutch" doen me dan weer aan Paul Simon denken. Interessant album met heel diverse muziekstijlen. ***

Influential in its day for bringing hip hop to a wider audience in the UK. Today it feels like a very strange mix but then Mr McLaren never did worry about convention

Duck Rock was surprisingly interesting, sounds very much more 90s than 80s and more American than it is. Double Dutch is a cracker of a track, the rest is solid-to-good, 3/5 please.

Now this I enjoyed much more than I expected. Had heard of McLaren because of the Sex Pistols and Vivienne Westwood stuff, but didn't know that he'd released anything under his own name. Not sure how much of this is actually him, but it's a bizarre mix of sounds and styles that fits together pretty well and is a really fun listen. The radio presenter schtick is a nice touch the first time, but it gets a bit wearing after 40 minutes... Does not sound British at all, he's borrowed sounds from everywhere (sometimes without crediting the people he's borrowed from). 3/5, it's really fun.

Felt like I was listening to alien trying to emulate earth music but not in a negative way

Early african / hip hop integration - a punk / hip hop Graceland - a pleasant discovery

Sounds like the Disney version of works music, but I feel better towards it

Punk it up, jive my baby, duck for the oyster are personal highlights, quite a fun album, sounds very dated

wack sound

A record from 1983 that sounds like it sampled every hip hop album since 1990. Then it has some caribbean vibes and African influence to boot. What a wild ride.

What a wild mix of genres…. Buffalo Gals is classic.

All that scratching is making me itch

3 1/2

It’s a bit like an art installation rather than a bunch of songs, which makes sense - but I didn't expect this from the mentor of the Sex Pistols.

Une radio libre très drôle et animée. Difool nous accompagne de 21h à minuit sans qu'on ne voie le temps passer. Les différentes parties de la soirée sont toutes aussi divertissantes les unes que les autres : Romano et Cédric nous offre d'abord un hilarant clash de la drague avant que Romano ne monopolise l'antenne pour son célèbre top bug. Il enchaînera avec le problème du mois tandis que la Marie nous parlera du pénis en forme de robinet de son compagnon. En bref, un excellent moment.

Je n'ai rien compris au concept de cet album. Dans un premier temps, un auditeur vient nous raconter un problème sentimental l'opposant à sa camarade de classe, afin de rechercher des conseils sur comment gérer cette situation. Dans un second temps, la Marie nous raconte la fois où complétement émechée, elle s'est endormie sur son partenaire sexuel de l'époque. Enfin, le Top Bugs de Romano nous est présenté sur la fin de l'album, provoquant une floppée de rire au sein de la radio libre. Vous comprennez maintenant qu'il me fût difficile d'y voir clair, dans le doute j'accorde donc la note de 3/5 pour être sûr de ne pas me tromper.

This was an interesting listen but can't say I'd listen to it again.

Pretty much what you’d expect from 80s Malcolm McLaren. He led the way on many ways, but his own offerings were never as good as the work of others he produced. It’s an ok album to have on in the background, but doesn’t grab your attention in any way.

E ovo je iznenađenje - nekako svjetska glazba, a da mi se sviđa. Dakle ide pod albume što zvuče kao radijska postaja, kao da je radijski album. Najmanje mi se sviđaju hip hop elementi, ali zato je ostatak dobar - ali nije dovoljno za četiri jer je dosta uzjeban, ne znam šta pokušava album biti po vrsti.

A bit different with some world music and hip hop but not for me I wouldn’t listen again