Long sought after by collectors of all things progressive and psychedelic,
Fruupp's four studio records (
Future Legends,
Prince of Heaven's Eyes,
Seven Secrets,
Modern Masquerades) were marvels of expertly crafted art rock banality, falling somewhere between the theatrics and tonal complexities of
King Crimson and the soft rock noodling of
Caravan. To their credit, they never succumbed to writing singles like
Genesis or
Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- they had a full-time oboe player. Rather, their focus was on the dynamic of the song, and their live shows won over more fans than their actual recordings. Castle's remastered, 27-track retrospective covers all four of the Irish quartet's records between 1973 and 1975 and includes extensive liner notes.
It's All Up Now: Anthology may break little ground, but fans of the Canterbury Scene or just progressive rock in general will find
Fruupp's spacy jams and British folk-inspired melodies and lyrics a welcome addition to their collections.
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James Christopher Monger, Rovi