FUZZY DUCK

Fuzzy Duck came to my attention almost 15 years ago when heard them on a progressive rock radio, good old times. The main points of interests were the overall sound and I absolutely loved the pulsating busy bass guitar. All instruments are powerful though, with Hammond bringing a slightly progressive/psychedelic twist, rhythm section (bass/drums) evoking different atmospheres, some old-fashioned hard-rock/rock singing and great guitar. How could such virtually unknown band create quite a mature album with balanced compositions and instrumental sections? That's because these lads had enough experience from their past acting in different bands. The first two tracks have even a small epicness in them - they have enough length for guitar/bass to stretch out. "Mrs Prouts" is my personal favourite with drumming/bass inspired by the Canterbury bands. Later tracks may be more pop-oriented or, on the other hand, have a harded edge - maybe Uriah Heep sounding - "More than I am". "In our time" is the most emotional piece with a bit of melancholy and excellent progressive hard-rock moments a la Atomic Rooster.

The album's mix and songs feel really cozy and always image early autumn with colourful leafs. The bonus tracks are non-essential but show a more operatic vocals and straightforward direction. Great for fans of the 70's progressive hard rock, less essential for pure prog-rock fans.

I discussed, one evening, what Heavy Metal was (or, rather, what a Metalhead would have listened to) in the early 70's with a person who was in the middle of his musical journey at the time. In addition to the usual names he mentioned me the Fuzzy Duck. I got the CD as soon as I could. I have to admit that I was struggling to see them as a full Progressive Rock band. "We are the usual", I thought. "Another band halfway between Progressive and Hard Rock. So it's Heavy Metal, for 1970/1971," I convinced myself. The strange thing was that the CD included 4 bonus tracks not with the classic lineup (Paul Francis, Mick Hawksworth, Roy Sharland, Graham White) but with Garth Watt-Roy who wrote three of the four bonus tracks. Among them "Double Time Woman" that I already knew (but I didn't know was a Fuzzy Duck song) which is 100% Hard Rock / Proto Heavy Metal.

The album is easy to review. Except for "Mrs. Prout" (which is very jazzy) the rest is a Heavy Rock with Progressive arrangements and very fast rhythms (for the time and the musical genre). Having said that, it should be immediately noted that Fuzzy Duck prefer to write Rock songs with a lot of guitar and organ, intricate parts of bass and very linear drums (despite being very technical) and vocal parts that enter the head immediately. In this sense they are closer to Heavy Metal than progressive. However, they cannot, today, be included among Heavy Metal bands. At least ... 99% of Metalheads take you crazy if you propose it as a Heavy Metal band. As in the case of Wishbine Ash or Uriah Heep (to stay in Great Britain) it seems obvious to me that placing Fuzzy Duck is not easy. In my opinion, they are doing well in both musical worlds. Another problem with Fuzzy Duck is that they only produced this album and two singles before it broke up. So we cannot know in which direction they would have evolved. The songs, then, are all written and arranged very well, so much so that citing one song or another as an example of the style and sound of Fuzzy Duck is very difficult, without doing wrong to another song. I can, however, say that they seem to me more successful (but, I repeat, they are all extraordinary songs): "Just Look Around You", "More Than I Am", "In Our Time" and, but it's a bonus track on the CD (and only came out as a single) "Double Time Woman".

"Fuzzy Duck" still sounds fresh and engaging today, a sign that, in 1971, it must have been truly a masterpiece. The musicians show that they have a really above average technique and the production is nothing short of perfect, not just for 1971. The idea of preferring the exaltation of power, instead of technique, is really a good choice, because it enhances both musicians and songs. Ultimately ... "Fuzzy Duck" is a really good album, the birth of a truly extraordinary band. A masterpiece to be rediscovered, both for Proghead and Metalhead.

With a bizarre and humorous bandname that sounds like a warm and cosy family pub, the comically-titled FUZZY DUCK were a shortlived, London-based, Hard-Rock band with just one self-titled album to their name. A Fuzzy Duck is a very rare bird indeed and it's a rare album too because there were only 500 pressings made of the original 1971 LP album with its very silly cover. The CD reissue added four bonus tracks to the original eight songs on the album. So, what can we expect from this bizarrely-named band with the even more bizarre album cover? Well, there's the ever-present sound of a powerful Hammond organ combined with wild and fuzzy guitar riffs, and when you reach the final track on the album, you might even hear the rare sound of a Fuzzy Duck too!

The album opens with the energetic rocker, "Time Will Be Your Doctor", a song that was also covered by Tucky Buzzard. This song is your prescription for a good healthy dose of booming and bombastic solid British rock. The dynamic keyboard player and wild fuzzy guitarist are really in their element with this powerful percussive piece. It's upbeat, it's up-tempo, and it's uplifting, and it's just what you need to keep the doctor away. The curiously titled "Mrs Prout" is another stentorian blast from the past that sounds like it's on anabolic steroids. It's a song with a powerful throbbing rhythm with all the explosive energy of a stick of dynamite, so light the blue touch paper and stand well back because this song is a blast. The unrelenting pace continues with "Just Look Around You". There's no time for a breather as this is another thunderous foot-stomping forte that barrels along at full velocity. This is sonorous supersonic British Rock that's as solid as a block of granite. We're nearly halfway through the album now with "Afternoon Out", another full-force fortissimo with a pulsating rhythm going full speed ahead and building up into a dramatic crescendo of sound for the powerful finale. I doubt if many people have actually witnessed the powerful drummer on this album in action, but judging from his frenetic non-stop energy displayed here, he must be as lively and animated as Animal from The Muppet Show.

Side Two opens with "More Than I Am", an uplifting and upbeat song that's positively overflowing with optimism as these lyrics reveal:- "I try to be more than I am, I'm doing all I can, And I'm more happy than, The greater could be man." ..... It's another lively, high-powered song, driven by the unstoppable power of the Hammond organ. There's no let-up in the incredible pace of this album with "Country Boy", a rammin' slammin' rocker with all the power of a hydraulic ram, so stand well clear because this is music with a ballsy take-no-prisoners attitude. There's no let-up either for the timeless "In Our Time", a window-rattling, wild guitar and keyboard jamboree. This is rollicking rock & roll as it's meant to be, so play it LOUD! The album closes with the short playful piece "A Word from Big D", in which we get to hear the quack of the Fuzzy Duck!

This powerful album is as solid as a proverbial rock with an unrelenting pace from beginning to end. It's an album with timeless appeal, featuring a glorious combination of the powerful Hammond organ sound and psychedelic fuzzy guitar riffs. The "Fuzzy Duck" album is not particularly proggy - it's just a good old-fashioned slice of Classic British Rock.

What a strange name for a band and an even more ridiculous album cover for the one and only album of FUZZY DUCK which happens to be derived from a linguistic spoonerism of "Duzz 'E F-ck! FUZZY DUCK was a rare bird indeed. It flew in with the flock of hard and heavy rockers with a progressive leaning in 1970 London, released their sole eponymous album in 1971 and then flew off never to be heard from again. The history of this band seems to be as FUZZY as the DUCK they are named after. The band consisted of Paul Francis (drums, percussion who played in Tucky Buzzard), Mick Hawksworth (bass, vocals, acoustic 12-string, cello who also played in Andromeda and Five Day Week Straw People), Roy Sharland (organ, piano who played in Crazy World Of Arthur Brown) and Grahame White (guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar). On this album there is also some guitar and vocal help from Garth Watt Roy.

Upon first listen this album doesn't stand out remarkably amongst the other progressive leaning heavy rock of the early 70s but it does present some instantly catchy groovy riffs that beckon repeated listens. I personally got hooked upon first listen. I have heard of this album for a long time but the album cover kinda turned me off. It actually reminds me of a cartoon called "The Hair Bear Bunch" from the same era. Not exactly the image that conjures up some seriously delicious hard rockin' prog for me, however this album is very consistent from beginning to end and the four bonus tracks that are included on the later remastered versions are not so bad in their own right. The thing that makes this an excellent album for me is the outstanding tight musicianship on board. Although i wouldn't consider this the most original album of the day, it is just so pleasant to listen to. The band is rhythmically tight and heavily groovy and filled with energetic time sigs that are drenched in Hammand organ. Whereas many a band of this type sound good musically, it is the vocalist that usually keeps it from being totally pleasurable. No such problem for me here.

FUZZY DUCK has all the magical ingredients to take the already developed organ laden heavy rock of the early 70s and makes it all sound perfectly executed. They somehow manage to take the Captain Beyond meets Atomic Rooster and early Uriah Heep sound to unique DUCK ponds not overly far from Deep Purple territory. Catchy enough to garner instant satisfaction but proggy enough to keep the more engaged listener happy as well. This album is very good from the strong heavy prog opener "Time Will Be Your Doctor" to the excellent closer "A Word From Big D" that manages to create duck quackery with musical instruments! Don't let the silly album cover put you off with this one. This is some infectious early 70s progressive proto-metal going on here. Quack on heavy proggers!

Obscure band from the early seventies, that only released a single, sefl titled, LP and promply disappeared. Fromed by seasoned and experienced musicians (who came form equally obscure bands of the 60´s), they managed to produce quite a good album in their short lifespan. It is ok that they had nothing original or groundbreaking on them. In fact, their sound is a lot like several other groups of the time like Atomic Rooster, Traffic, Paladin, Cactus and the like. So, expect lots of Hammond organ runs, fine bass and drums, blues influenced guitar lines and soul tinged vocals.

It´s easy to understand why they were not very notice at the time: there were simply too many artists sounding just the same at that specific period. Some had to be left out due to poor manangement, bad luck or some other reason. And Fuzzy Duck was one of them. Which is a bit of a shame, since their sole LP was very good, with no fillers and some excellent perfomances. If you like the style, you should check this out. I enjoyed it a lot. But I should also warn to anyone that there is very little prog on here, if any. Fuzzy Duck is a songs based band that differs very little from all other many, many heavy rock bands of that era.

Conclusion: good CD. Nothing exceptional, but still very well done, with strong songwriting and played by skilled musicians.In a heavy rock site Fuzzy Duck would surely deserve at least four stars. But on a prog site like PA a 3 star rating is adequate

Fuzzy Duck was and still is an obscure band from early '70 from British progressive rock movement. Releasing only one album selftitled in 1971 they disbanded soon after , I guess a year after and gone into oblivion untill Repertoire records trace the album and issued on CD in 1993 first issue on CD btw. This is heavy prog and a quite good one, I like it, energic passages, nice organ and a great vocalist, so a worthy purchase. While for some listners this album is a standard one and tipycal for that period being in same category with Atomic Rooster, Indian Summer or even hints of Uriah Heep are present, mostly on organ parts, Fuzzy Duck manage to come with a good album for that period, maybe today is noting special but I think back then proved some potential that turned to be a metheoric career of almost 2 years. The highlits for me is for sure Mrs Mrs Prouts, Time wil be your doctor or Afternoon out, nice heavy bass, good organ parts, good voice coming from Graham White. So a pleasent album to me, nothing is spectacular here but is enjoyble most of thetime.3 stars easy. The Repertoire re issue has 4 bonus tracks that in my opinion are totaly forgetable, not bad but are far from what is on the album.

After Andromeda disbanded Mick Hawksword (bass guitar) formed this Fuzzy Duck, with the idea to perform a music in Rock side of Prog Rock. And the final result is not perfect as Prog Rock (of course of big level) or Heavy Rock (present in big manner) but sure "Fuzzy Duck" is an album of Classic Rock with great Prog arrangements, great guitars and Hammond organ. This music in 1971 was clearly good as Heavy Prog Rock, also if not totally personal. I do not have a preffered track in this album, because all the songs are similar for power and magic. The only different songs are "Mrs. Prout" a great Jazz Rock song and "A Word From Big D", a short last song of the album featuring the so called 'ducking vocals' from keyboardplayer Roy (Daze) Sharland, very funny to hear (but not memorable, for me). The additional tracks included in Repertoire version are all Classic Rock.

Sure a good band, this Fuzzy Duck, another one shot band. But only for Die hard Heavy Prog and Classic prog fans

Made up of former members past-and-present from the likes of early psych-and-prog bands Five Day Week Straw People, Andromeda, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and The Greatest Show On Earth, North London's Fuzzy Duck came and when in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a single, self-titled, Cream-and-Deep Purple-inspired slice of heavy-style prog-rock that to this day remains one of the most valuable and sought after vinyl releases of the last fifty years. According to legend, only 500 copies of 'Fuzzy Duck' were actually pressed, and the album was lost in the midst of rock 'n' roll time until German label Repertoire Records reissued the record in a special edition mini vinyl-replica sleeve in the late 1990's, thus re- invigorating interest in this most obscure of records. Indeed, the fact that it was Repertoire and not some other independent specialist label that re-released 'Fuzzy Duck' is a good sign; Repertoire have a history of unearthing great 'lost' albums from the past, and have in recent years rescued the long-ignored reputations and discography's of some truly unique progressive rock and psychedelic rock bands whose careers, for whatever reason, failed to ignite. Bands such as Jade Warrior, Black Widow, Leaf Hound and May Blitz have all seen their music remastered and re-released to critical and commercial acclaim, building Repertoire an impressive catalogue of beautifully-packaged and wonderfully obscure albums that should delight the legions of prog fans who admire the likes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Soft Machine and Hawkwind. 'Fuzzy Duck', which was released in 1970, had been long forgotten by the music world. However, now, in the 21st century, the album is being rightly re-evaluated and is now hailed as a prime example of classic British proto-prog, complete with heavy trimmings. Each song bristles with a funky, organ-driven gusto that lends the occasionally-ersatz material genuine power. It is by no means the most complex of releases, but their is a vibrant energy that is evident in almost every rock-solid song. Imagine Deep Purple jamming with The Who and Yes' organist extraordinaire Tony Kaye and you have the uniquely powerful sounds of Fuzzy Duck. Fascinating in the extreme, this is the sound of truly obscure British rock. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010

The members of Fuzzy Duck were certainly not novices by the time they banded together and released their only studio album. Bassist Mick Hawksworth had spent the latter sixties with future Atomic Rooster alumnus John Du Cann in the hard-core psych band The Five Day Week Straw People, with both of them later moving on to the semi-legendary psych band Andromeda where they were joined by Fuzzy vocalist/guitarist the late Grahame White. Drummer Paul Francis had played with both The End and Tucky Buzzard. And Roy Sharland had been a member of the pre-Uriah Heep lineup known as Spice. So from that curriculum vitae you would expect a sound that included psych and blues guitar, heavy Hammond organ riffs, and above all very well-structured rhythms. Plus this was recorded in 1970 so throw in poor production, muddy bass notes and unremarkable male vocals straining outside their natural limits.

Well I’m happy to report that the band does not disappoint, as the previous paragraph describes Fuzzy Duck to a ‘T’. Presumably named after the old drinking game of the same name, Fuzzy Duck were a brief flash in the pan that apparently served as little more than a vehicle for the various professionals in it to move on to other things. The band doesn’t seem to have stayed together for more than a year or two, but they clearly had enough in the form of individual reputation and connections to land a record deal on the fledgling but up-and-coming MAM Records label.

But keep in mind that blues-based psych rock with heavy bass, lots of Hammond and strained male vocals were standard fare in 1970, so I’m not sure this really qualifies as progressive music unless we’re assuming just about everything from Canned Heat to Blind Faith qualifies as prog rock. Probably not.

That’s not to say this is a throwaway album though, because there’s some pretty good music on it. It’s just not substantively different from early Uriah Heep, Steppenwolf, Grand Funk, Jody Grind, Wishbone Ash or any of dozens of bands like them. As long as you are okay with that, this is a pretty decent album.

The album kicks off with a heavy bass, lively Hammond rocker titled “Time Will Be Your Doctor”. This is pure hard rock but well played (“Country Boy” later on the album falls into this category as well). And while “Mrs. Prout” is quite similar there is a move toward more psych-leaning guitar and drawn-out keyboards ala Ray Manzarek. After this comes “Just Look around You”, which borders on being a heavy folk tune but is backed with the heavy organ and bass emphasis again.

But then back comes the psych, this time quite heavy and extended thanks to White’s guitar and vocals on “Afternoon Out” and “More Than I Am”. These both sound a bit improvisational and hearken back to the late sixties, showing without a doubt the recent influences of several band members.

The CD reissue (unfortunately not remastered though) includes a handful of singles recorded after White left the band and was briefly replaced by Garth Watt-Roy (Living Daylights, Greatest Show on Earth, East of Eden). The production on these is a bit better, and a couple (“Double Time Woman” and “One More Hour”) were released as singles, presumably with the other two bonus tracks occupying their backsides. These are much lighter on organ, virtually devoid of bass and include horns. The sound is decidedly more AOR than the original album, and I suppose these were only included because the CD version had a lot more whitespace than the original forty minute vinyl version had.

No matter, this is a decent album that is representative of the early seventies heavy rock sound. It’s not too deep in the prog department though, but almost qualifies as proto-prog based on the various musicians’ backgrounds and it’s timing at the very end of the late sixties blues/psych musical era. Three stars and recommended as an interesting curio and as a nostalgic piece, but not as serious prog music.

peace

wellwell...nice album. I'd liked the first tones i've heard it. but then more I listen to it, more dull it becomes. Album is rocking and grooving nicely but somehow I feel there is something missing. all the band members are doing fine job what comes to playing, but still... I don't know. Fuzzy remainds me lot of Uriah Heep and Deep Purple somehow... exspecially Uriah Heep. Organ player gets special bonus star from me. There are so little in here what I don't like, but on the other hand there are not too much that I celebrate in here either. Overall sound is still nice 70 's