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Prog-jester View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: FRUUPP
    Posted: May 18 2006 at 14:46
   Extremely underrated band!!!But they're good!!!They're not even in Top 100 of Symphonic Prog!!!Why?
    

Edited by Prog-jester - May 18 2006 at 14:51
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2006 at 14:50
I think this is more a case of unknown rather than underrated. Althuogh I have heard some dismissive attitude towards them.
Way to go, Prog-Jester, with coming up with your lists of reltively unknown bands.

I only have Modern Masquerades and Seven secrets. What did you hear from them?

For those who want to know about them, here is their page here on PA:
http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_BAND.asp?band_id=140



Edited by avestin - May 18 2006 at 14:52
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2006 at 14:55
I have a 2-CD compilation with all of their albums but with some tracks missing A friend of mine have these tracks uploaded from somewhere

My fav is Modern Masquerades - it has wonderful opening tracks like Masquerading with Dawn and Mystery Night.Beautiful music,greatly arranged and played...why are the producers always blind??
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2006 at 14:57
Originally posted by Prog-jester Prog-jester wrote:

   Extremely underrated band!!!But they're good!!!They're not even in Top 100 of Symphonic Prog!!!Why?
    


Maybe there are more than 100 good symphonic prog albums?Big smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2006 at 14:58
I have a CD compilation including a previously unreleased track - see my review, it's a great compilation, varied and elaborated songs, very interesting keyboardwork and pleasant vocals!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2006 at 15:16
One of the best, most underrated acts of mid 70s prog for me. I've heard them referred to as Genesis clones so often, but even myself who loves the Genesis albums and have done for about 10 years don't really see why that is. To me, Fruupp don't sound much like Genesis at all- they are arguably closer to Gentle Giant though slightly less complex. My favourite album of theirs is 'Prince Of Heaven's Eyes', with arguably the greatest song they composed, 'It's All Up Now'. I have the 2cd set 'It's All Up Now', which seems to have almost every track from their 4 albums. All are solid 3-4 star albums, probably more 4 than 3.Thumbs Up
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2006 at 22:21
Its a fine and great folkish symphonic band.. i have Seven Secrets, i think it is a great albuum...
about Top 100 ... we will always disagree, maybe one of our fav albums will never reach top 100, but for us it deserves to..
it`s only relative

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2006 at 21:38
  TO PROG-JESTER:
  I posted a similar thread a few months back for exactly the same reasons . I started with 'MODERN MASQUERADES' not long after its release and it's one of my favourite albums, despite its low-key melodic feel. 'Gormenghast' and 'Sheba's song' are absolutely two of my most favourite songs. It's hard to imagine prog enthusiasts not enjoying these, except perhaps for those who like their prog heavy.
 
 I have gone back to their earlier releases and although I enjoy them, MM remains my favourite. It seems among FRUUPP fans there is some division as to whether they were a better band prior to Steve Houstons departure. As you might have guessed, in many ways i feel that the sound and feel of the band improved with John Masons influence. His Fender Rhodes (?) solo in 'Sheba's Song' I think provides a good illustration. Then again I always enjoy a jazz inluence in my prog which I think Mason provided. He is also underrated imo and it remains a major disappointment that they broke up when they did.
Looking still the same after all these years...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 23 2006 at 12:21
    I wonder why people find GENESIS similarities in FRUUPP's music...for me they sound closer to CAMEL - very intelligent and warm music without theatrical aspect or overfilling emotions...Also I found some related stuff to ...GENTLE GIANT!Correct me if I wrong,ha-ha
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 23 2006 at 21:29
  I've never really heard a similarity to GENESIS musically. Much of FRUUPP'S earlier stuff is much more 'raw' than G  was. I guess with their melodies, there are some similarities to CAMEL and even GG in their melower moods. I've occasionally noticed some SUPERTRAMPesque keyboard vamps , but in the main I've always thought they had quite a distinctive sound. I suppose they show a sense of humour and theatre in some of their lighter moments that some could liken to songs like 'Robbery, Assault and Battery' or even 'Battle of Epping Forest' but that'd be about it for me.
Looking still the same after all these years...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2006 at 09:29
Excellent band that deserves far more attention than they receive.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2006 at 11:45
Fruup is a very good band, but I think their music is a bit light... just a bit too sweet. Maybe this is why they are underrated
But I also agree with AVESTIN that they are mostly "unknown" rather than "underrated". Maybe it's because they came out at the same time as many other great bands who overshadowed them.
Talking about "underrated", I would immediately name "The Enid". Comparing what they actually achieved musically with their popularity, I believe "this world is totally fugazi"!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2006 at 12:00
Originally posted by Prog-jester Prog-jester wrote:

    I wonder why people find GENESIS similarities in FRUUPP's music...for me they sound closer to CAMEL - very intelligent and warm music without theatrical aspect or overfilling emotions...Also I found some related stuff to ...GENTLE GIANT!Correct me if I wrong,ha-ha
 
I think you have your answer in your statement.
 
These guys were completely derivative and do not have much of a personality
 
Read all of your posts in this thread << you spend your time finding them analogies, similarities and influences
 
that is already 3/4 of the problem  >> simply too derivative
 
All I kept is a one cdr compilation from all four cds and I still find myself relatively annoyed at how bland these guys were
 
 
 
funny this thread should come about a week after I re-wrote my review, thoughWink
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 29 2006 at 02:10
  TO SEAN TRANE:
 
  I'm interested to know in what way you find them derivative.They released 4 albums between 73 and 76 culminating in 'Modern Masquerades' which was quite different to 'Prince of.....', which in turn was quite different to the earlier 2. So, this co-incided with the 'Selling England....', 'Wind and Wuthering' era in Genesis terms and the 'In a Glasshouse' era in GG terms. In my view they were developing in tandem with such bands and I fail to see how they can be described in this context as derivative . I'd be interested in examples or to hear more of your arguments to support this.
 
  Also I've read lots of positives about Vincent McCusker's playing and style, with which i agree , Steve Houston was certainly highly regarded as both a player and writer and Farrelly was quite an accomplished bass player and an acceptable vocalist. John Mason only added to the band's musicianship in my view. Ian McDonald was also prepared to collaborate with the band to a considerable extent on MM which, again ,imo, is not consistent with them being a bunch of dervative , personality lacklustres. I believe they were likely to achieve much more had it not been for their untimely demise, but this ,of course, is speculative--not derivative.
 
  Needless to say they make my top 100.
 
 
Looking still the same after all these years...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 29 2006 at 07:27
Well I cannot say that I heard that much GG influences in Fruupp to say it was an obvious influences (even in Modern Masquarade, which I grant you is rather higher level than the previouis three albums)
 
Fruupp as I state in my reviews IS derivative. I still make a difference between a group under influencesz anda copycat/clone as Druid was to Yes
 
Although you are right to state that Fruupp was in "parallel" time wrap to Yes and Genesis, it must be noted that they started much later than those two groups (and endede much earlier too).
 
McCusker is the main songwriter (over 80% of the tracks were composed by him) and as a guitarist in a prog band, this is generally not excellent news (as opposed to the possibilities of composing intricate songs on a KB), but Vincent holds his own. Too bad he is not more helped by Houston (whom I find greatly underused his wind instruments capacities) and the other on the last album (he actually gives a different sound to the band)
 
 
 
But running a contemporary career does not mena you are not greatly influenced by  contemporary groups >> look at Druid with Yes and Starcastle with Yes and Kansas


Edited by Sean Trane - May 29 2006 at 07:28
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 29 2006 at 22:47
  TO SEAN TRANE:
   It's certainly true to say that contemporaneity with the great bands of the era doesn't mean that your not influenced by them in your sound, songwriting, instruments employed in the band etc.. With FRUUPP, I have trouble hearing similarities with other bands of that time. Certainly their sound is derived from the sounds of the prog movement of the 70s, but I would have thought that was true of most prog bands of that era. I guess this all sounds pretty esoteric, but I'm struggling to understand it. I'll check out some of the reviews if they are still posted and see if that helps.
Looking still the same after all these years...
mrgd
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