Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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Ducks Deluxe

  • Ducks Deluxe [RCA Victor, 1974] B+
  • Don't Mind Rockin' Tonite [RCA Victor, 1978] A-

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Ducks Deluxe [RCA Victor, 1974]
These swampy genre pieces, spawned in the backwaters of the English pub scene and drawled with hush-moufed abandon by Sean Tyla (spelling phonetic?), are tuneful, affectionate, raunchy, and sometimes inspired--a lick here, a yell there, a concept somewhere else. but it's a lot harder for an English band that loves America by phonograph to tell us something about ourselves in 1974 than it was for a comparable band in 1964--especially since the 1974 band loves America's rural past, just like Ry Cooder. B+

Don't Mind Rockin' Tonite [RCA Victor, 1978]
Comprising six (of the seven best) tracks from the deleted Ducks Deluxe, three from the import-only Taxi to the Terminal Zone, and some singles, this candidly simplistic compilation is designed to appeal to fans of the Rumour (featuring ex-Duck Martin Belmont) and the Motors (headed by ex-Deluxe Nick Garvey and Andy McMasters). Neither of whom have all that many fans, actually. The music is pure rock and roll, maybe too pure, combining the Rumour's spirited intensity and the Motors' cheerful manipulation at a more primitive stage. Fans of the Tyla Gang will dig it. A-