Every now and then, I stumble across a song that makes me wonder how I missed it for so many years. This awesome song by Ducks Deluxe was one of those. It has everything I like about pub rock. Enough energy to make it sound like the band is playing ten feet away. The first time I heard it, I knew it wouldn’t be the last.
Ducks Deluxe formed in England in the early 1970s and became one of the pioneers of the pub rock movement. While progressive rock bands were hot and glam rock was dominating the charts, Ducks Deluxe took a different path. They played straightforward rock and roll mixed with country, rhythm and blues, and a little rockabilly. The band never became a household name, but they helped build the foundation for a scene that would later produce artists like Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Graham Parker, and many others. Several members even went on to successful careers after the group broke up, proving just how much talent was packed into one band. Some band members joined Graham Parker’s band, The Rumour.
This song captures everything that made Ducks Deluxe special. The rhythm never lets up, the guitars have plenty of bite, and the whole band sounds like they’re having a great time. There isn’t a lot of studio polish here, and that’s part of the charm. Pub rock was about songs and musicianship, not gimmicks. Listening to it now, it’s easy to imagine hearing it in a crowded London pub with people packed shoulder to shoulder, enjoying every minute of it. This song was released in 1974 on their self-titled debut album.
What I like most about this is its honesty. It doesn’t try to be bigger than it needs to be. It’s simply a great rock and roll song played with confidence and heart. That’s something I’ve been discovering more and more as I dig into the pub rock scene. They left behind some outstanding music. Ducks Deluxe is another reminder that sometimes the best songs are the ones you have to find for yourself.
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Way cool! 😎
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Very nice. I listened to the studio version, and I can’t see where what they were singing matched the lyrics.
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I think we talked about this band way back. The album has a bunch of great tunes.
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Thanks for the opportunity to go back and listen to this again. Love me that pub rock
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She is a great commenter! Wonderful taste!
If anyone else is reading this… I’m at a church revival so I won’t be commenting much until later!
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Reviving great music and stories, that’s our Max!!!!!
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LOL…
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well it’s interesting. Definitely lo-fi and it puts me in mind both of Rolling Stones from that era and early British punk rock. A sort of bridge between the styles maybe? I second ‘MY’s comment though, I was listening and I couldn’t keep track at points with the lyrics printed. Which is OK, just saying maybe the ‘official’ lyrics are wrong
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Thanks to the posts yesterday, I spent a number of hours in a You Tube rabbit hole. They try to include lyrics in the videos, added on at the bottom like sub scrips. They are so bad it is hilarious.
Lyrics are meant to be sung not read. We all know that.
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Yea they were wong… I couldn’t find any that matched…I ended up erasing them.
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The non live version reminds me of Springsteen.
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It does a little I agree.
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Yes! That returning swinging hook, very Bruce.
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They have a great jangly guitar sound in this song.
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Never had heard of Ducks Deluxe before. To begin with, what a cool band name. More importantly, “Fireball” is a great straight guitar-driven rock song!
In a funny way, I could see Lou Reed sing that track! Just picture the music together with Reed’s cool voice. They would do very well together! It’s got a bit of a “Sweet Jane” vibe.
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yes…I should have mentioned Lou Reed…it does have that sound… they were a fun band to listen to…all of this pub-rock stuff is good old fashion rock and roll.
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So much good stuff out there that didn’t get picked up by someone big in the record plugging biz.
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I know…this was really good stuff. Now I see why people talk about pub rock like they do.
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Pub Rock- music to raise an arm to- and chug along to too?
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Music is always good for that!
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Id never heard of them, but super interesting as a piece of history. They sound good too, charismatic singer and good riff. It’s weird they weren’t bigger. They sound a little like Dire Straits, also from that scene.
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I never knew some of these guys made up The Rumour either…that is a good comparison on sound.
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Good write-up on a band new to me. If I’m being honest, the beat throughout it became wearisome to me and I had to stop listening. Other than that they have a lot going for them.
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Hard driving rock. I dig it. Love the name. I wonder if it’s a spin on Be Bop Deluxe?…or vice versa?
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Yes, I’m a big mouth. No, I don’t know everything although I may sound like it.
BeBopDeluxe and Ducks Deluxe were playing together around the same time, but that’s about all. Bill Nelson took one side of the street, donning the eccentricies of fashion in the music business. Imagine, a rock band that played in business suits? Ducks Deluxe rejected the whole thing in the name of some of what makes Pub Rock more memorable than glamorous. And their music is pointedly different.
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I never thought of that.. I just looked it up…one guy actually played in both…Nick Garvey but it said they had nothing to do with each other.
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Max, I thought of Lou Reed as well while I was listening to this. Interesting backstory.
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