Duck Stab started life in February, 1978, as a seven-song EP. It featured songs sung clearly, with understandable (if nonsensical) lyrics -- a first for The Residents. The EP was a runaway success, selling out the first pressing very quickly. The band had to press more, which for them was very unusual.

Unfortunately, the sound quality of the EP was poor because The Residents had tried to squeeze sixteen minutes of music onto the record. The band decided to re-release the songs in an album in order to improve the sound. They took a similar, unreleased EP called Buster & Glen and made it into side two of the new album. Duck Stab / Buster & Glen was released the following November, and was later renamed as simply Duck Stab.

The album was as big a success. It was also a critical success thanks to the accessibility of the music and the clever, Lewis Carroll-flavoured lyrics (not to mention Snakefinger's amazing guitar work).