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White Knuckle Ride

Artist Duke Jupiter
Title White Knuckle Ride
Release Date Saturday, July 24, 2021
Genre Rock > Rock > Hard Rock
Copyright © Morocco Records
Country GERMANY

Promotion Text

This record rocks. Duke Jupiter is so underrated. What a great group!

Duke Jupiter's 6th album (1984) was the first album on Morocco Records (Motown's short-lived attempt to develop a rock and roll label). This album got back to the Classy Rock/R&B format and had great FM radio success, two songs on MTV, and an appearance on the Solid Gold TV show.

Synthetic drums and keyboards epitomized the '80s and neutered hard rock. Hard-touring party band Duke Jupiter were one of the many casualties. White Knuckle Ride remains the quartet's biggest seller, though the platter didn't even crack the Billboard 100 (number 122). The best bet is just to settle in and mellow out to the polarization of shimmering keys set against Allman-roasted roughshod vocals, and then bask in the inconsistency. But sometimes the songwriting doesn't help the situation either. Opener "She's So Hot" kicks out the classic "fire" and "desire" cliché couplet right off the bat. "Rescue Me" (not a remake) is a decent disposable duet/duel among Duke's vox men (and the leadoff single), but "Top of the Bay" cools things down so much that the dull thud of "Backfire" seems forced (the talk box almost saves it). Radio cruiser "Little Lady" remains a pleasure, and actually lives up to the album title; "Me and Michelle" cuts through. Closer "Little Black Book" contains some chest-thumping working-class pop under the trite trappings of the period. White Knuckle Ride can grow on you, but never got the chance. Duke Jupiter appeared on MTV and Solid Gold, yet the Rochester boys could not break from the pack and called it quits after the next record. Fortunately, the melodic rock elite still cherish the memory of Duke Jupiter.

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