"Maid In Ireland: The Best Of Fruupp" by FRUUPP – Nine Tracks - Eight featured on Four Albums and One Stand-Alone UK 45-Single - All Originally on Dawn Records between 1973 and 1975 (August 2020 UK Esoteric Recordings CD Compilation – Card Digipak – Ben Wiseman Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Heaven's Eyes..."

Northern Ireland's wonderfully titled FRUUPP (they took their name from a mistyped Letraset sheet) put out four albums between 1973 and 1975, all of them on England's Dawn Records - home of many such hairy-men Prog Rock acts hitting the UK in those creative years. 

Esoteric Recordings of the UK (part of Cherry Red) have been heavily involved in reissuing their entire catalogue (in conjunction with the band) - their brand of Celtic-influenced Storytelling Folk-Prog-Rock put out as four CD Remasters in February 2009 – two of them with Bonus Tracks. 

And last year in August 2019 - they lumped all four together in one neat and handy Clamshell Box Set called "Wise As Wisdom: The Dawn Albums 1973-1975" with Mini LP Repro Art Card Sleeves (see reviews for all five). 

"Maid In Ireland" is a 2020 CD Best Of culled from all four LPs with a rare stand-alone 45-single track throw in at the end. Here are the wise as wisdom details...

UK released 24 July 2020 - "Maid In Ireland: The Best Of" by FRUUPP on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2728 (Barcode 5013929472884) is a 9-Track CD compilation using the 2009 Remasters and plays out as follows (57:44 minutes):

1. Janet Planet 
2. Decision 
3. Three Spires 
4. Sheba's Song 
5. White Eyes 
6. Wise As Wisdom 
7. Knowing You 
8. Graveyard Epistle 
9. Prince Of Heaven 

Tracks 1 and 4 from their fourth and final UK album "Modern Masquerades", February 1975 in the UK on Dawn Records DNLS 3070 - produced by and featuring Ian McDonald ex Giles, Giles & Fripp and King Crimson 

Tracks 2 and 8 taken from their debut album "Future Legends", October 1973 on Dawn Records DNLS 3053

Tracks 3, 5 and 6 from their second UK studio album "Seven Secrets", April 1974 on Dawn Records DNLS 3058 

Track 7 from their third UK studio album "The Prince Of Heaven's Eyes", November 1974 on Dawn Records DNLH 2

Track 9 was a stand-alone non-album UK 45-single not on "The Prince Of Heaven's Eyes" LP, released October 1974 on Dawn DNS 1087, A-side

The gatefold card digipak houses a colourful 20-page booklet with new liner notes from one-time Manager and Collaborator with the Ulster band - PAUL CHARLES. There are photos of the four album sleeves with their love Peter Farrelly artwork, a few photos of the boys in questionable period clothing, witty remembrances of gigs, tours, song-writing and loyal supporters (they backed up some big names of the day, Supertramp, Man, ELO and the Peter Gabriel line-up of Genesis at their peak). 

The Remasters are the 2009 BEN WISEMAN transfers and are full of life, beans and details. LP highlights like "Knowing You" and deep album cuts like "Decision" and "Wise As Wisdom" are clever choices and I like the way it ends on that lovely single - a short but sweet moment to finish the compilation as its a song all four band-members had a hand in writing. 

FRUUPP have always been an acquired taste, sometimes brilliant, sometimes a bit fay and twee but always touching. It could have been longer for sure, but this is an unusual compilation and so nicely put together. Recommended...