Jan Dukes de Grey - Mice and Rats In The Loft vinyl lp (due to size and weight, this price for the USA only. Outside of the USA, the price will be adjusted as needed)
SKU
05-TDP 54020LP
The second, final and definitely much more whacked album of the two by this (acid) folk/progressive trio who released this to complete indifference on Transatlantic in 1971. Derek Noy wrote the material, sang lead and played guitar, trumpet, trombone and 'zelda chord', Denis Conlan played drums and Michael Bairstow played flute, clarinets and saxophones. There were also some excellent and at times really odd orchestrations. Three long tracks here. Wonderful to see this reissued legitimately and rather nicely too; this is a real good one, albeit a completely weird release; if this sounds of interest to you, don't miss this this time, or you might have to wait another 33 years for it to come around again...
"...totally uncommercial "folk" albums by a Yorkshire act. That doesn't mean they use any traditional songs...all tracks are composed and sung by Noy, with inventive but not always coherent accompaniment on wind instruments by Bairstow...this album has its share of completely uncommon, yet strangely innocent melodies, put forward in a strongly self-willed way. The second album continues in the same vein, yet sounds completely different. Instead of concise songs, we get long suited, still folky efforts but heavily spiced with dissonance and wild improvisations. None of the restraint is left, though the few arrangements are very well executed. In spite of some overlong solos, this is highly interesting music made by minds that seem to be on the verge of disintegrating. Not for everyone's tastes, probably, but recommended nonetheless."-Tapestry of Delights
"Jan Dukes De Grey was a strange progressive folk-rock outfit who were one of the last acts of their kind signed to England's Decca Records-not to the Deram imprint, which had started out as a progressive label before getting sidetracked and muddled, but on the Decca Nova line, a short-lived true progressive rock label. The group started out as a duo of Michael Bairstow and Derek Noy, multi-instrumentalists who stood midway between Tyrannosaurus Rex (the pre-T.Rex Marc Bolan acoustic outfit) and Jethro Tull, doing all original material by Noy, very short all-acoustic songs, some with strange lyrics and highlighted by odd, dissonant flute passages. Their debut album, Sorcerers, was filled with interesting and sometimes memorable melodies, but its sound was so spare, almost minimalist, that there was no hope of getting serious airplay or sales. For their second album, Mice And Rats In The Loft, recorded for Transatlantic in 1971, Jan Dukes de Grey became a trio with the addition of drummer Dennis Conlan and also assumed a more progressive approach to their work. The album had three extended tracks, all highlighted by flashier playing, but their continued low-wattage approach to progressive music made Jan Dukes de Grey less than competitive against the likes of the Strawbs and other ex-folk outfits. Mice And Rats In The Loft wasn't much more successful than Sorcerers, and Jan Dukes de Grey disappeared during the early 1970's."-Bruce Eder/All Music Guide
- LabelTrading Places
- UPC5060672880206