Mickey Jupp • Up Snakes Down Ladders (The Boot Legacy: Volume 1) CD
Up Snakes, Down Ladders is the first volume of The Boot Legacy, bringing together sixteen superb home recordings from one of Britain's great Rock 'n' Roll songwriters. Mickey Jupp wrote, played and produced the recordings himself at his home in Boot, Cumbria, creating an intimate collection that moves effortlessly between British Rock 'n' Roll, Pub Rock, Blues, Country and piano-driven Rockin' music.
Jupp has spent decades writing and recording music away from the spotlight, amassing an extraordinary catalogue of songs in the process. These recordings were eventually remastered and made available to a wider audience, revealing an artist who never stopped writing, playing and exploring the roots of the music he loved. Up Snakes, Down Ladders is therefore much more than an archival curiosity: it is a fascinating snapshot of Mickey Jupp's continuing creativity.
The album opens in suitably lively fashion with the piano-driven I'd Love To Boogie, before moving through the laid-back title track, the country swing of Why Don't You Don't, the bluesy Man In The Mirror and the infectious Get Hot. Elsewhere, Loving The Wrong Girl, Learning To Swim, Lonely Boy and The Blues Ain't What They Used To Be showcase Jupp's knack for combining sharp songwriting with rootsy, unpretentious Rock 'n' Roll.
Mickey Jupp's importance to British Rock music stretches back to the early days of the Pub Rock movement, and his songwriting has long been admired by musicians and fans who appreciate honest, characterful Rock 'n' Roll. For followers of British Rock 'n' Roll, Pub Rock, Blues Rock and piano-led roots music, Up Snakes, Down Ladders offers sixteen fascinating recordings from an artist whose musical imagination never went into retirement.
