ELTON DUCK

I’m very, very excited to have all you pop geeks grab this song from ELTON DUCK?

Never heard of ’em?  That is probably the case for most Pop Pioneers — but for a brief time in the late 70s, they were *the* power pop band that all the major labels were trying to sign.  They ended up with a deal, recorded the album and…then, it was shelved.

And lost. (bass player Micki Steele went on to join The Bangles…)

I had read about Elton Duck during this time. Greg Shaw from Bomp was a fan and wrote about them and they were mentioned in Rock Scene magazine a few times. I was excited by what I read and then…waited.  And waited.

Nothing.

Around 2000, I was talking with Robbie Rist(Wonderboy, Martin Luther Lennon, The Mockers, The Andersons, The Masticators nad more) and we were talking about how special the Los Angeles scene of late 70s was and he mentioned the band in passing. I, naturally, jumped on that and spewed “Man, that was a band I was hoping to hear someday. I know they recorded an album but they were dropped before it came out.”  Robbie: “I have some of songs on tape, want a copy?” (we still traded tapes not CDs back then..)

Bruce: “Duh.”

It was kind of a much-duped copy, muddled by time and bad transfers but, man, it was good enough.

Now, in 2012, the injustice of the great lost album from Elton Duck has been rectified.  The band did a Kickstarter campaign back in March and it was funded in May.  The album is now out and available for all of us to enjoy.  (Plus, the funds from the project go to a very good cause – see below)  I strongly recommend you pick up a copy from the information below but courtesy of the band, here’s a classic power pop ballad for everyone to enjoy from the project.

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DOWNLOAD – Elton Duck “Runaways” – HERE

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Want to hear more? If you live in the contiguous U.S., you can get a copy of the ELTON CD as a thank you gift for making a minimum donation of $20 to the Mike Condello Music Scholarship Fund (www.foundation4education.org). This fund benefits college-bound students from Mike’s alma mater, North High School in Phoenix. Donations made in multiples of $20 (e.g. $40, $60) will receive multiple thank you CDs.

CLICK HERE to view the original Kickstarter information and video

The core of Elton Duck was formed in Los Angeles by Mike McFadden and Mike Condello, who’d become friends while playing in bands in the Phoenix area. After high school, McFadden had moved from Arizona to San Francisco along with his pals in the Beans, who subsequently renamed themselves the Tubes.

McFadden headed down to L.A. in 1976 with the intention of forming a band, , starting by reconnecting with Condello. Former Horsefeathers drummer Andy Robinson was in search of a gig and headed to the infamous Masque to audition.

Robinson recalled in a 2005 interview, “When (the Mikes) sang together, it was sort of like the Everly Brothers, soulful and supercharged with energy. The songs were full of hooks; some of them were funny, real dark humor.”

Andy said he knew a bass player—Micki Steele. After Micki’s tryout, Elton Duck played all over Los Angeles, mostly gigs at Doug Weston’s Troubadour, Madame Wong’s and Club 88 where they were practically the house band.

They had a devoted following and in early 1980, Arista head Clive Davis offered them money to cut a set of proper demos. The resulting recording was enough to convince Clive to sign them…a few weeks later…he was shelving the album.

The band continued to play live for several months, but eventually, the disappointment took its toll and the Ducks just drifted apart. This album is a treasure, not just living up to long-held expectations but blowing past them.

–  Abridged from liner notes by Bud Scoppa

NOW after 30-plus years, the Music Gods have given us permission to release The Greatest Album Never Heard. Funding for this project will be used to press a limited run of CDs to satisfy fans and create a lasting tribute to the late, great Mike Condello (1946-1995). Proceeds will be donated to the Phoenix Union Foundation for Education. The tracks and graphics and ready to go, but we need your support to pay for replication and packaging. Won’t you please help?

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