Music Review: Fruupp - All Four Albums Remastered

Honesty time please. Who remembers Northern Ireland's symphonic progressive rock band Fruupp? Well, the chances are that, if you do, you have some scratchy old vinyl gathering dust in your attic. Amazingly their four albums have never been released separately on the CD format, uUntil now that is.

Esoteric Recordings have done it again. They have managed to unearth these albums, lovingly re-master them, and enhance the original artwork. In doing this they ensure that Fruupp are not confined to the dustbins of our fading memories. They are all due out on March 31, 2009.

They will come complete with extensive, amusing, and informative album notes from the band’s manager Paul Charles. These CDs are must haves for those that do remember Fruupp, the band with a name no-one could spell, or pronounce.

This was a band who emerged at the time when prog rock was fast developing with all its symphonic pomp and glory. Paul Charles’ notes tell us that after forming in Belfast in 1971 Fruupp set out to conquer England. They chose to do so in a £450 Ford Transit van, the money for which they had earned supporting fellow countryman Rory Gallagher.

Within no time they were busy on the UK circuit and appeared with the likes of Genesis with Peter Gabriel, early versions of Supertramp, Queen, Electric Light Orchestra, Focus, and Welsh band Man. The notes also explain why they paid particular interest whenever Hawkwind took to the stage. These were the days of Stacia after all.

All four of Fruupp’s albums are being released separately or alternatively as a set by Esoteric. We start with their first Future Legends. The album was destined to be beset by last minute problems. Unfortunately one of it's centre pieces, “On A Clear Day” included a excerpt from Gustav Holst’s Planet Suite.

After the album had pressed one hundred copies, a granddaughter of the long dead composer raised an objection and they quickly had to find a replacement track. A hastily written “Graveyard Epistle” appeared in its place.  How she heard about Fruupp isn’t revealed.

Article Author: Jeff Perkins

Jeff is a writer who lives in France. He writes CD/DVD box sets, music reviews and has had a book published about David Byron of Uriah Heep. He is 'busy' exploring the music of Europe with his wife Debbie and dog Dylan. It's Dylan that does the writing of course. …

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