Duck Stab!

***Duck Stab!*** is a 7" EP by The Residents, released on Ralph Records on February 1st 1978. It features a selection of "shorter, more fun tunes" recorded by the group during breaks in production of their ambitious *Eskimo* project.

The group's most successful release up to that point, the seven songs on *Duck Stab!* were later remixed and re-released (in a different running order) as the first half of the album *Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen*, which was released the following November. It has become one of the group's most popular albums.

## History

### Recording

In April 1976, The Residents began working on their ambitious genre-bending "musical documentary," *Eskimo*. As promising as it seemed, the album soon caused problems for the group; over a year into production, it was apparent it would not meet its scheduled release.

Since the group had been so devoted to perfecting *Eskimo*, there was a lack of new material for Ralph Records to release, and Homer Flynn of The Cryptic Corporation suggested that the group take a break from the *Eskimo* sessions and record something to fill the void. He knew The Residents had been recording instrumental sketches on the side, and suggested they spend some time developing that.

The group began developing the musical sketches in October 1977, adding lyrics to the instrumentals from a box of ideas kept by the group. Philip "Snakefinger" Lithman was also involved in the sessions, and performed violin on "Laughing Song", backing vocals on "Constantinople", and guitar on "Blue Rosebuds"*.* He also co-wrote the song "Sinister Exaggerator", in a rare co-writing credit for The Residents.

"Constantinople", "Laughing Song" and "Blue Rosebuds" were all completed in October, and the project was finished in November. It was compiled into an EP, and was intended to be the first half of a pair released in 1978.

### Artwork

The iconic cover of the EP features a black, white, and red silkscreen print by Homer Flynn of Pore No Graphics, derived from a 1972 photo by photographer (and later film director) Graeme Whifler.

The photo originated from Residents, Uninc.'s second official photo session, shot at their Sycamore Street studio with "a bunch of weird costumes and stuff around". The Residents conducted the session like "a band jamming", resulting in thirty-four photos.

Flynn selected one of these photos, featuring a group member holding a knife to a prop duck as the new EP's cover art. The response of one Resident upon seeing the finished illustration - "yeah, Duck Stab!" - gave the EP its title.

### Release

*Duck Stab!* was released on February 1st 1978, and Ralph Records' press releases promoted the EP as the "most accessible Residents record, period." However, Ralph soon became disillusioned with the EP due to its sound quality.

The initial pressings, in particular, featured noticeably bad sound, and were replaced by a second pressing within a month. The second pressing was also of "mediocre" sound quality, as The Residents had recorded too much material to fit onto a 7" disc.

According to *The Cryptic Guide to The Residents* (published 1986), the *Duck Stab!* EP did *not* sell well and was challenging to market for the label, although press releases from 2008 refer to *Duck Stab!* as an "instant smash."

*Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen*, an album combining the EP with a planned follow-up EP, was released on November 30th 1978. For the album, the running order of the tracks as they appeared on the original EP was re-arranged.

Since the release of the album, the *Duck Stab!* EP has never been reissued in its original configuration. It was issued semi-separately from *Buster & Glen* on CD by Euro Ralph in 1995, in a two-disc package featuring each side of the LP on separate 3" mini CDs.

## Track listing

*All tracks composed by The Residents unless otherwise noted.*

**Side A (7:48)**

1. Laughing Song (2:14)
2. Blue Rosebuds (3:11)
3. Constantinople (2:23)

**Side B (8:18)**

1. The Booker Tease (1:09)
2. Sinister Exaggerator (Residents/Snakefinger) (3:27)
3. Bach Is Dead (1:12)
4. Elvis And His Boss (2:30)

## Credits

* All songs Pale Pachyderm Publishing (BMI)
* All songs Copyright 1977, The Cryptic Corp.
* Cover art Pore No Graphics
* Cover photo G. Whifler
* Produced by The Residents
* Thanks to Snakefinger for his shiney whiz!
* Ralph Records, 444 Grove Street, San Francisco, Ca. 94102

## See also

* *Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen*
* *Duck Stab!* (film)
* Graeme Whifler
* Snakefinger
* "The Spot"
* *Eskimo*

## External links and references

* *Duck Stab!* EP at Discogs

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Duck Stab set for April 28 release", Big Brother, The Residents' Official News Blog, February 19th 2008
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Homer Flynn, Cacophony Podcast - Obscure Music for Obscure People, Episode 1 - "Homer Flynn on The Residents and Duck Stab!", January 13th 2022
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Buy Or Die Catalogue (February 1979)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Cryptic Guide to The Residents
5. ↑ The W.E.I.R.D. Complete Discography & Recording History
6. ↑ "I think most of it already existed, at least in terms of backing tracks... once again, they worked on *Eskimo* for a long time, but *Eskimo* was very challenging and very demanding. So they would take a break from it and just do something else that seemed more like fun. But once again, these were just kind of instrumental backing tracks. And so when Ralph Records approached them to create this, well, they already had the backing tracks, all they had to do was write some lyrics, and once again, a lot of the time they had lyrics around. You know, somebody would be inspired and write some stuff down, and they had a box they would throw lyrics into. So ultimately, they had to write lyrics or match lyrics up, and then they had to do some solos, and get Snakefinger in to do solos... So once they decided to do it, it came together quite quickly." - Homer Flynn, Cacophony Podcast - Obscure Music for Obscure People, Episode 1 - "Homer Flynn on The Residents and Duck Stab!", January 13th 2022
7. ↑ Nibbles liner notes
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Portfolio Info", *Evidence of Residents Volume 1*, 2004
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The photo session that Graeme did was one of the earliest - maybe the earliest photo session The Residents ever did. They were in their studio, they had a bunch of weird costumes and stuff around, so Graeme came in, they just started, almost like a band jamming or something... that was one of the pictures that came out of it." - Homer Flynn, Cacophony Podcast - Obscure Music for Obscure People, Episode 1 - "Homer Flynn on The Residents and Duck Stab!", January 13th 2022
10. ↑ Homer Flynn, Cacophony Podcast - Obscure Music for Obscure People, Episode 1 - "Homer Flynn on The Residents and Duck Stab!", January 13th 2022
11. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/release/2910195-The-Residents-Duck-Stab
12. ↑ The W.E.I.R.D. Complete Discography & Recording History
13. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/release/293628-The-Residents-Duck-Stab

**Side A:**
"Laughing Song" · "Blue Rosebuds" · "Constantinople"
**Side B:**
"The Booker Tease" · "Sinister Exaggerator · "Bach Is Dead" · "Elvis And His Boss"
**Personnel**
The Residents · Snakefinger
**Related works**
*Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen* · *Duck Stab!* film · *D\*ck S\*ab - 35th Anniversary* · Dog Stab! · *Duck Stab Alive!* · *Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen Notebook*
**Related articles**
Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Grove St. studio · Pore No Graphics · Graeme Whifler

**Side A:** ****Duck Stab!****
"Constantinople" · "Sinister Exaggerator" · "The Booker Tease" · "Blue Rosebuds" · "Laughing Song" · "Bach Is Dead" · "Elvis And His Boss"
**Side B:** **Buster & Glen**
"Lizard Lady" · "Semolina" · "Birthday Boy" · "Weight-Lifting Lulu" · "Krafty Cheese" · "Hello Skinny" · "The Electrocutioner"
**Personnel**
The Residents · Snakefinger · Ruby
**Related works**
***Duck Stab!*** EP · "Soulful Sax" · "Ow Boutthat" · "When Johnny Comes Marching" · "Unlisted" · "Santa Dog '78" · "Guylum Bardot '78" · *Duck Stab!* film · "Hello Skinny" video · *D\*ck S\*ab - 35th Anniversary* · Dog Stab! · *Duck Stab! Alive!* · *Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen Notebook* · "Duck Kosmische"
**Related articles**
Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Grove St. studio · Pore No Graphics · Graeme Whifler · Bridgit Terris · The Rick & Ruby Show · "Satisfaction" · *Not Available* · *Eskimo*‏‏‎