For a brief flicker in the early 70s, Ducks Deluxe ruled the pubrock circuit. Their sweat-soaked energy and straightforward rock’n’roll had no gimmicks attached, nor a discernible image. All these guys wanted to do was get on stage, plug in and take the music and the fans to the limit.
People now often cite the Ducks because various members went on to achieve a higher profile in more successful bands like The Motors and Graham Parker & The Rumour. But this lot should be honoured in their own right. And this three CD box set does exactly that.
Both early Ducks Deluxe albums are here – their self-titled debut from 1974 and Taxi To The Terminal Zone the next year – plus EP tracks and the A and B-sides of all their singles. There are also demos, plus 2009 reunion mini album Box Of Shorts and live material from a 2012 gig at the Half Moon in Putney.
Here’s clear affirmation that Ducks Deluxe were one of the UK’s best bands over four decades back, and can still back many others into a corner.
