Ducks Deluxe are an English pub rock band of the 1970s, who continue to tour and record new material. Usually called "The Ducks" by their fans, they were known for up-tempo, energetic performances, and the successful careers of their members, after they disbanded.

History

The band formed in February 1972, with ex Brinsley Schwarz roadie Martin Belmont on guitar, former Help Yourself collaborator Sean Tyla, also on guitar, ex Help Yourself bassist Ken Whaley, and Magic Michael (Michael Cousins) on percussion. They named themselves after a slot machine at the Severn Bridge Service Station. Cousins was soon replaced by drummer Tim Roper and former Flamin' Groovies roadie, Nick Garvey, also joined. Playing more energetic music than most others on the London pub-rock circuit, the Ducks soon had a twice weekly booking at the Tally Ho in Kentish Town,Ducks Deluxe - The Manband Archive
retrieved 13 November 2008 and a manager, Dai Davies. Whaley left, and later rejoined Help Yourself, and in December 1972, the Ducks recorded two tracks at

Man A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...

's Christmas party, one of which,"Boogaloo Babe", was released on a double 10" album '' Christmas at the Patti'', their first appearance on a record.Biguntidy Article on Ducks Deluxe
retrieved 13 November 2008 In 1973, the band signed to RCA and released their first single, "Coast to Coast", written by Sean Tyla and Nick Garvey, though Tyla is not credited on the track, because he was trying to untangle himself from a previous publishing deal. They also appeared in BBC TV ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'' called ''Blooming Youth''. Their eponymous debut album ''Ducks Deluxe'' was released in early 1974, and "captures something of the fire and excitement that the Ducks' live act generated". Keyboard and bass player Andy McMaster joined from The Sabres, to record a second album, ''Taxi To The Terminal Zone'', but this was regarded as disappointing and McMaster left. The band recorded its first

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

in April 1974, after which Garvey left and bassist Micky Groome joined. Despite recording a second Peel Session in March 1975, RCA dropped the band, so they were reduced to issuing an EP, ''Jumpin'' on the French label Skydog. Tim Roper left so former Brinsley Schwarz members Brinsley Schwarz and Billy Rankin played on the final tour, with the final gig being at the

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

in London on 1 July 1975. In 1978, RCA Victor released the compilation album ''Don't Mind Rockin' Tonite'', featuring six songs from the band's debut LP, three from ''Taxi to the Terminal Zone'' (unavailable in the US at the time), and a few non-album singles. Reviewing the compilation in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981),

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

wrote: "The music is pure rock and roll, maybe too pure, combining the Rumour's spirited intensity and

the Motors The Motors were a British garage rock Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock band formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andrew McMaster (songwriter), Andy McMaster together with guitarist Rob Hendry (who was repla ...

' cheerful manipulation at a more primitive stage. Fans of the Tyla Gang will dig it."

Later careers

Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster formed

The Motors The Motors were a British garage rock Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock band formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andrew McMaster (songwriter), Andy McMaster together with guitarist Rob Hendry (who was repla ...

, with Rob Hendry (later replaced by

Bram Tchaikovsky Peter Bramall (born 10 November 1950 in Lincolnshire, England), better known by his stage name Bram Tchaikovsky, is a British vocalist and guitarist. He first came to prominence as a member of UK punk/ pub rock band The Motors, whom he joined ...

) and drummer Ricky Slaughter. Sean Tyla formed " The Tyla Gang", which would later include Ken Whaley, who had joined

after Help Yourself broke up. The Tyla Gang featured Canadian Bruce Irvinere and the former Winkies rhythm section of Brian Turrington on bass and Mike Desmarais on drums. They released two albums, ''Yachtless'' and ''Moonproof'' on the US-based, Beserkley label before the label's UK operation went bankrupt in 1978 and the band disbanded. Tyla embarked on a solo career and released three albums, ''Just Popped Out'', ''Redneck In Babylon'' and ''Rhythm Of The Swing'', the first of which produced Tyla's first Top ten single, "Breakfast In Marin", in Germany in 1980. Tyla and Micky Groome along with drummer, Paul Simmons then joined Man's Deke Leonard to form "The Force", until Tyla decided to retire from the music business completely, due to ill health. Groome stayed with Leonard to reform "Deke Leonard's Iceberg". Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont joined Brinsley's former keyboard player Bob Andrews to support Graham Parker as Graham Parker & the Rumour, as well as appearing without Parker, as "The Rumour". Belmont later played in Carlene Carter's CC Riders and Nick Lowe's Cowboy Outfit. Roper, the original drummer, moved to

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, where he became a well-known figure in local bands. He died in February 2003 from alcohol-related symptoms, following a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. The first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''Ducks Deluxe'', achieved moderate commercial success after the band broke up, because the members had gone on to greater fame in Graham Parker & the Rumour, The Tyla Gang and The Motors.

Reunion

The band reformed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their original formation. This was at the 100 Club in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 9 October 2007. The line-up was Martin Belmont, Sean Tyla, Micky Groome and Billy Rankin. A further gig took place on 9 November at The Musician in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. On 26 January 2008, they played Centre Culturel de Paul Baillart, Massy, near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. On 20 September 2008, they played the PopXiria Festival in Carballo, near

A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...

in Spain, headlining the final night of the event. In 2009, Ducks Deluxe toured Sweden from 29 March to 13 April. The band consisted of Sean Tyla,

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

; Martin Belmont, guitar and vocals; Kevin Foster (of Hank Wangford & the Lost Cowboys and Los Pisteleros fame)

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

; and Jim Russell, (ex Stretch, Wild Angels, and

The Inmates The Inmates are a United Kingdom, British Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock band, which formed after the split of The Flying Tigers in 1977. In 1982, they had a medium-sized international hit record, hit with a cover version, cover of The Stan ...

) on

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s.Hawkhead Records
retrieved 21 April 2009 They released their first new material, a mini CD ''Box Of Shorts'' on 18 May 2009, comprising six new studio tracks, produced by Paul 'Bassman' Riley. A new full album, ''Side Tracks And Smokers'', was released in June 2010 with artwork by famous

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

designer Tobbe Stuhre, and tracks including some recently found and remastered raw mixes of tracks from the early albums, and also some brand new Ducks Deluxe recordings. It was followed in 2011 by a lo-fi live recording, ''Riviera Shuffle'' on Jungle Records which was only available through mail order. The band completed a 40th Anniversary Tour in early 2012, featuring Brinsley Schwarz back in the line-up after a 37-year absence. Later that year the group recorded a live album in London, ''Rockin' at the Moon'', which was released in 2013.

Members

*Sean Tyla - Vocals, guitar *Martin Belmont - Guitar, vocals *Brinsley Schwarz - Guitar, vocals *Kevin Foster - Bass guitar, vocals *Jim Russell - Drums Previous members: *Ken Whaley - Bass, vocals *Nick Garvey - Guitars, Bass, vocals *Tim Roper - Drums * Andy McMaster - Keyboards, vocals *Micky Groome - Bass, vocals *Billy Rankin - Drums *Brinsley Schwarz - Guitar, vocals, saxophone

Discography

Singles

*"Coast To Coast" / "Bring Back That Packard Car" (1973)

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

2438 *"Please, Please, Please" / "Please, Please, Please" (1974) RCA DJH0-0297 *"Fireball" / "Saratoga Suzie" (1974) RCA LPBO 5019 *"Love's Melody" / "Two Time Twister" (1974) RCA 2477 *"

I Fought The Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' li ...

" / "Cherry Pie" (1975) RCA 2531

EP

*''Jumpin EP (1975) Skydog EP-005

Albums

*''Ducks Deluxe'' LP (1974) RCA LPLI 5008: 8-track cassette (1974) RCA LPSI 5008 *''Taxi To The Terminal Zone'' LP (1975) RCA SF 8402 *''Don't Mind Rockin' Tonite'' (Compilation & Bonus tracks) (1978) - RCA NL 71153 *''Last Night Of A Pub Rock Band'' LP (Holland) (1979) Dynamite - BMLP 001 (bootleg) *''Last Performance Dynamite'' - TAKE DYR 3505 (UK bootleg of ''Last Night Of A Pub Rock Band'') *''All Too Much'' - Teichiku TECP-25358 *''Ducks Deluxe'' / ''Taxi To The Terminal Zone'' CD (1992) BMG/Demon/MAU MAU CD 610 and BGO BGOCD539 *''Bonesteak Á La Carte'' - Ten Dollar TDR 065 (bootleg) *''The John Peel Sessions'' - Hux Records HUX086 (3

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

Sessions from 1973, 1974 and 1975) *''All Too Much'' / ''Blow You Out'' - Jungle (combines a Ducks Deluxe and a Tyla Gang album) *''Live at the 100 Club - 9 October 2007'' (bootleg) *''Christmas At The Patti'' (only one Ducks Deluxe track) LP (1973) United Artists: CD (1997) Point PNTVP110CD: CD Re-mix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2018 *''Box Of Shorts'' Mini CD (released on 18 May 2009) *''Side Tracks And Smokers'' (released on 5 April 2010) *''Riviera Shuffle'' (released on 7 May 2011) *''Rockin' At the Moon'' (2013) Mystic Records MYS CD 214

References

External links

Official siteMySpace
*

AllMusic Biography AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

br>Alright are you ready .. ready for some rock n roll?
An independent article on the history of Ducks Deluxe {{Authority control 1972 establishments in England 1975 disestablishments in England English protopunk groups English pub rock musical groups Musical groups established in 1972 Musical groups disestablished in 1975