DUCK STAB
UNCLE WILLIE'S HIGHLY OPINIONATED GUIDE TO THE RESIDENTS
Duck Stab is the seven-song EP that lifted many people
across the country out of the slumber of the Seventies.
Never before had we heard such words, such rhymes, such
rhythms, and such instruments whose origins were unknown.
This EP stands out in contrast to The Residents’ earlier
albums. The songs are short and concise. The misty veil has
been lifted, revealing clear lyrics which are well crafted
to a fanciful perfection. The music, complex and
commanding, cooperates with the lyrics to create a most
startling and vivid world.
After Duck Stab was released in February of ‘78, the
follow-up EP, Buster & Glen, was added to it to form a
single album, which was later released in November of that
year.
Musically, it’s difficult to describe this diverse album.
There is the silky, seductive, and murky aspect which
appears on “Blue Rosebuds” where the music creates a
supporting liquid background upon which the lyrics float.
As found on most of the album, there is a balance between
the music and the lyrics. They never step on each other as
they take turns moving in and out of the foreground.
There are many moments when the music brings itself into
the foreground. A fine one, is the hypnotic and sparkling
metallic percussion sequence which occurs three times on
“Elvis And His Boss”. Another, is the percolating bass and
percussion on “The Laughing Song”.
Special notice should be paid to the supreme sensual
mastery of the analog electronics on “Krafty Cheese”. Due
to the primitive technology available at the time, it
required great skill and patience to synthesize these
sounds. In addition, The Residents possessed a certain
artistic sensibility which allowed them to create sounds
which were distinctively their own.
The lyrics play a very dominant role on this album. They
are like rhyming instruments that project pictures before
our eyes. There is a style emerging in the imagery and
particularly in the rhythm of the lyrics. The Residents use
words for the sake of their sounds, for the images they
create, and for how they feel when leaving the tongue. Who
could tamper with the following verses?
An oily ole egg with a red peg leg
Thought a porcupine was
his daughter.
A red red rose saw a big pig pose
On the edge of a silver
dollar.
- Laughing Song
Skinny found a “Hello Dolly”
Record in the hall.
He sold it
to a truck driver
In the fall.
- Hello Skinny
Every word is perfect. The images created are strong, and
the words that were lucky enough to have been chosen may
not themselves understand why they were. Why is it
important that we know where he found the record? And why
should we care in what season he sold it, or that he sold
it at all?
Duck Stab represents the crystallization of a style. A
style which will re-emerge, fully developed, on the
Commercial Album.
- David Willenbrink