17032014 - Fruupp "Future Legends"

There once was a band called Fruupp. And just knowing that makes the world a slightly better place. These guys existed during the first half of the seventies, and progressive rock is what they delivered unto the world. This particular album was their debut, and released in that most wondrous of years, 1973! After an intro of lush violins, there is found a bounty of neck breaking guitar riffs to please those who love their rock hard, but constantly interspersed with contrasting soft and gentle vocal harmonies and melody lines. Apparently these Northern Irelanders supported both Queen and Genesis during their lifetime, and by the sound of it they would have fit both bills perfectly. There are some really inspired moments here, such as the straight forward blues sections midway through "Lord of the Incubus", and it's easy to imagine that fans of bands like Uriah Heep or Deep Purple would also find plenty to love within these songs. Especially the vocals, courtesy of Vince McCusker, have a David Byronesque quality to them. Their name might not have been the most streamlined of monickers, and apparently was constantly spelled wrong by more or less everybody, but probably seemed like a good idea at the time. And this album is pure greatness!