10 Obscure And Rare Hard Rock & Metal Albums
4. Marmaduke Duke - The Magnificent Duke (2005)
The oddball high-concept side project of Simon Neil from Biffy Clyde (recording under the pseudonym ‘The Atmosphere’) and JP Reid from Sucioperro (presented as ‘The Dragon’) is apparently intended to focus on a triptych of albums, beginning with 2005’s The Magnificent Duke, continuing with 2009’s Duke Pandemonium, and concluding at some point with the The Death Of The Duke.
Work on this material, and any ensuing live shows, has of course been limited by Neil and Reid’s commitments with their main bands, and that final album has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The second record, Duke Pandemonium, a more straightforward selection of ten bizarre electro-synth party tunes, was a surprise hit a dozen years ago, reaching number 14 in the UK album charts.
However, that first record, The Magnificent Duke, is the definition of an obscure side project, having only received a limited release of 4000 copies and following a wilfully obtuse concept where each of the 18 tracks fell into one of three subcategories: Explodes (the heavy section), Implodes (the acoustic section) and Corrodes (the instrumental section).
It’s an immense undertaking, incredibly varied, and for sheer ambition and scale compares very favourably with Nine Inch Nails’ epic 1999 double album The Fragile, although The Magnificent Duke is odder and less eager to please. Still, if you can get hold of a copy it comes highly recommended.