Fuzzy Duck had a decent pedigree, with members from The Five Day Week Straw People (heavy psych), Spice (pre-Uriah Heep) and Tucky Buzzard (produced by Bill Wyman). Their eponymous debut delivers proto-prog in Hammond-shaped spades and, in places, kicks like a mule. The blues/prog soundclash Time Will Be Your Doctor jumps out of the speakers, the angular bass riff and double-time bass drum counter-balancing the twin excesses of the lead and Hammond. Waddling away into psych territory, Mrs Prout labours the Hammond somewhat, but Afternoon Out and More Than I Am both add a welcome improvisational tone, with Mick Hawksworth’s fine bass work to the fore. This is prog with a small “p” and the album as a whole knits psych, folk and blues into a fine, fuzzy garment.
Highly collectable on wax as a result of only 500 original copies being pressed, this record’s reputation precedes it – and it’s mostly worthy of the hype. Add to that the fact that this new remaster comes with all four tracks from their two singles and features a booklet that restores all the original artwork and you’ve got a package well worth dabbling with.
