Fruupp — Wise As Wisdom:The Dawn Albums 1973- 1975

The quirkily named Fruupp where a four-piece prog band from Belfast- and during the mid-1970’s the band gained somewhat of a cult student following- due to tour supports with the likes of Genesis, Queen, and King Crimson. As well as releasing four albums on the Pye Records cult prog label Dawn- which are presented here in a box set. And while their output was clear influenced & infused by big/ known prog acts-  the band managed to put there own original/distinctive enough touches here & there like more jazzy, classical & world touches- all making this collection an enjoyable ride for those progressive rock fans who are looking to dig deeper into the slightly lesser-known areas of the genre.

This four-disc CD set appears on Cherry Reds prog label Esoteric Recordings- offering up the set in a glossy & colorful box. Each of the discs come in their own mini gatefold- with the bands 1973’s debut Future Legends coming in a mini gatefold, and the other three albums come in a single card sleeve. The set also features an A4 sized mini-poster/ inlay- that just features album track listings, and band picture- which is a little disappointing, as it would have been nice to get a more substantial inlay booklet- with new write-ups, interview, etc- but I guess with these more niche bands labels have to tread more carefully.
 
The band was started in 1971 Belfast by guitarist Vincent McCusker- for the initial line up he was joined by bass guitars and lead vocalist Peter Farrelly, and Keyboardist & oboist Stephen Houston, and drummer/ percussionist  Martin Foye- all four who were classically trained. The band only existed for five years between 1971 and 1975, with seeming the onset of punk/ New wave in the late 1970’s been used as the main reason for their finishing.
 
The bands debut album was Future Legends- this appeared in late 1973, and it offered up nine tracks. And as debut go it’s fairly eventful, and varied- though clearly the band are trying to find their own sound/ identity as the tracks are often a hodgepodge of  neo-classical prog, bounding & gritty rock prog, with touches jazz, world music & pub rock- as at times the lead singer sounds like spit for Paul Weller- which is kind of bizarre. As one would expect with a prog release most of the tracks are fairly lengthy- so we have runtimes between five and nearing eight minutes. As I said early, it’s certainly a fairly varied offering- with many of the songs moving between slow, mid & more rapid paces, as well as active genre blend- but as with most debuts, it does lack it’s own identity somewhat. A few worthy mentions are the albums first proper track "Decision"- with its shift between jaunting & bobbing 70’s rock piano/ bass, intricate & ornate jazz-meets- classic piano, and rising-to-moody early King Grimson like classical influenced rock-out. The urgent-yet- grandly spiralling "Song For A Thought"- this opens with a bounding & propulsive blend of organ, guitar, and bass. Before slowing for felt swooning male vocals over a blend of cleaning & felt guitar, moody throbbing ‘n’ tap bass- with a felt obe solo appearing towards the end. Or there’s the bright 'n' weaving organ meets marching guitar of bonus track “On A Clear”- with the lead singers almost jazzy voice, and a nicely scorching guitar solo later on.
 
The band's follow-up album was 1974’s Seven Secrets- this featured another seven songs, and the track length had started increase as did the complexity of the band's song. We start off the album with "Faced With Shekinah"- which begins in a rather grand classic influenced rock manner, before moving towards punching & chiming rock- that darts between pub rock/ proto punk & meaty Yes like moments- all topped off with the even more Paul Weller like lead vocals. The album's centerpiece/ longest track is the just over nine minutes of "Garden Lady"- with it swirling 'n' rising organ & guitar work, that features dips into ornate piano motives & dreamy guitar edges. Or the wonderful jaunting & buoyant classical tinged vibes of "Elizabeth"- as we get waltz strings & guitars blended with tinkling piano, and slight more wavering ELP vocalizing. As a whole, the album certainly highlights both the bands reach, attempts at becoming more grand & classical influenced, and there’s some memorable songcraft too.
 
The band's third album was late 1974’s The Prince Of Heaven Eyes- and this ten-track album is really the pinnacle of the band's output, as they effortless blend together their epic classic elements, with more rising & melodic prog, and elements of grand 70’s pop/ rock & technical show-ness. The ten-track & forty-eight-minute album flows, darts & shifts with an often bright & buoyant vibe- that hints at more psychedelic pop-rock- yet it still keeps it’s prog groundings. As with all the great prog albums this works best as an album- played from begin-to-end, making track picking at little difficult but a few of my favorite moments come in the form of the epic "Knowing You"- which over it’s just shy of eleven-minute runtime moves from bonding piano and vocals balladeering opening. Onto it’s building & marching rock waltz moments, down to wavering & felt horn waving strutting prog riff with great grooving organ embossment. Or the grand classic piano-laced Yes-like bright & propulsive riff craft swoon and nod of "Seaward Sunset". Through-out the album is full of both epic prog-rock riffing, and more grand-to-tuneful piano/ organ embellishment- it really is the band's masterwork.
 
The bands fourth & final album was 1975’s Modern Masquerades- by this point there where down one of there original members, as Keyboardist & oboist Stephen Houston has left to become a clergyman. This seven-track album was produced by Ian Macdonald- who of course was one of the founding members of King Crimson- he also plays sax on the record. And sadly much of the previous magic, and distinctive edges have once again been ironed out for a decidedly bland mid 70’s prog album- with elements of rather dull instrumental fusion, smooth jazz touches, mawkish pop-rock 70’s songcraft, and often rather wondering songcraft. It seems when Houston left the spirit & passion of the band departed too- and they carried on with the name to just see if they could milk the last prog’s dying popularity. At times the more rising & hopeful pop prog-rock elements are pleasant enough, and clearly, the band plays everything well enough- as an album it just often feels contrived, flat, and frankly very bland.
 
 
 
So in finishing it’s great to see Esoteric Recordings uncovering & releasing lesser-known prog-rock bands of the genre golden period the 1970s. And while not all of what is on offer in the this boxset top draw prog- Fruupp clearly endeavored,  at least on their first three albums to try & be worthy, at times relatively distinctive contributors to the prog genre- with 1974’s The Prince Of Heaven’s Eyes been their high watermark, and the previous two albums have their moments of greatness.