FUTURE LEGENDS

First things first. This unique progressive rock band known as FRUUPP that formed in 1971 in Belfast, Northern Ireland is pronounced like it rhymes with "cup," "sup" or "pup" and contrary to claims that the band was named after a ghost as posted in an early bio, the name was in reality taken from letters remaining on a Letraset page with an extra U and P added just because it's proggier that way! Thus the name is nonsensical and has proved to be a source of confusion throughout the band's legendary status as one of prog's hardest working bands that played hundreds of gigs alongside the greats such as Genesis, Queen and King Crimson, released four albums on the Dawn label and created an innovative mix of Celtic folk and progressive rock mixed with an interesting mix of classical, blues, jazz and a highly creative imagination. Sadly, FRUUPP has been rendered to near obscurity despite a very original mix of highly melodic eclecticism, particularly on this debut album FUTURE LEGENDS.

After a trip to London to test the musical waters and then back to Belfast where he formed FRUUPP, many band lineups were assembled by founder and guitarist Vincent McCusker before the group finally settled down as a collective of classically trained musicians that consisted of McCusker, Peter Farrelly (bass, guitar, lead vocals), Martin Foye (drums) and Stephen Houston (keyboards, oboe) before releasing their debut album FUTURE LEGENDS which came out in October 1973 just as the progressive rock scene was in its peak years. While not in sync with the ballroom dancing that was all the rage in Northern Ireland during the early 70s, FRUUPP nevertheless found a loyal following in the rest of the UK with the incessant touring that amounted to up to 230 shows in a year! Yet somehow despite it all, FRUUPP has gone down as legendary myth only known to hardcore proggers who dig beneath the surface. FUTURE LEGENDS is however one of the great albums of the era despite not appearing at the top of the prog history charts.

Starting out with a string section makes you wonder if you've been slipped a classical record as no prog rock is present and to be honest, the opening title track seems like a stray dog running around in the midst of a pack of tigers as it seemingly has no relationship to the sounds that follow. While not too overly different from the heavier side of Genesis, "Decision" opens with a symphonic proggier-than-thou attitudinal bombast with McCusker cranking out the aggressive guitar parts while the rest of the band dishes out an equal delivery of pure cacophonous time signature angularity before the track changes at the drop of a hat to a vocal jazz standard sound that continues to leap from style to style but maintains the overall melodic flow, a trait that FRUUP mastered superbly. McCusker provides one of many exemplary guitar solos matching the neoclassical prowess of Ritchie Blackmore and this is only the first track!

Masters of dynamics, tempos, timbres and the art of morphing from extremely lush pastoral symphonic melodies to dark, ethereal and manic outbursts of instrumental gymnastics carries the album through the seven of nine tracks that exist in the rock paradigm. FRUUP consistently delivers a never-ending mix of guitar riff oriented passages that drift along with McCusker's guitar work as the showcase but Farrelly's lead vocals give the album its own distinct personality unlike any other of the era. "Graveyard Epistle" and "Lord Of The Incubus" continue the soaring melodies that divert into Deep Purple-esque hard rock, symphonic operatic classical and Yes like freneticism. "Song For A Thought" is perhaps the strongest track on board as well as the longest as it tackles neoclassical scales, Irish jig jitteriness, hard rock organ stabs and pummeling percussion and guitar bliss. It also has some extra string arrangements conducted by Michael Rennie. The track also sums up the album's accomplishments with all the elements juxtaposed into an interesting sprawling Celtic folk drive with all the prog elements completely unleashed.

The album ends with a second title track except this one is a vocal choir in folk form instead of a classical piece but just as brief and totally unrelated to the the songs in between. A strange effect that didn't exactly work for me in the beginning but somehow conveys a true sense of the unexpected which is exactly what the majority of FUTURE LEGENDS presents. In many ways, FRUUPP's debut reminds me a lot of the romantic symphonic prog of the Italian greats like PFM, Banco and Le Orme with its over-the-top melodramatic sensuality that also dives deep into the wellsprings of true prog with hardened time signature runs, aggressive bombast and careful attention to the compositional constructs. However the Irish influences and well adapted English lyrics keep this in its own little section of the prog universe. While the band didn't quite replicate another brilliant album of this magnitude, at least they delivered the goods on this phenomenally brilliant debut.