FRUMPY 2

4.5 stars. This review goes out to my friend Tom Ozric who took the news of Hugh Hopper's death pretty hard.Tom's a bass player himself and has conversed with Hugh in the past and is obviously a big fan. Keep your chin up buddy ! Most hail this album as FRUMPY's best, the guitar and organ along with Inga's vocals make this one amazing album.This record consists of only four songs.Inga has such a charismatic voice and apparently she had an unbelieveable stage presence. She says herself that she was the first woman to wear leather pants and play electric guitar on stage. I should note that according to the "Gepr" site she won the award for Germany's biggest talent from this newspaper called "FAZ". And FRUMPY was voted Rock band of the year by "Music Express".

"Good Winds" sounds so good early on with those great sounding guitar leads and organ runs as the drums beat away. Vocals and a dreamy FLOYD-like soundscape take over quickly. When the vocals stop the guitar becomes the focus before 3 1/2 minutes, then it calms right down to almost silence. It's building slowly with some nice bass and organ. Vocal melodies join in. Incredible sound ! The guitar starts to light it up 8 minutes in then that dreamy section from earlier returns. Nice. "How The Gypsy Was Born" was apparently their signature song. Organ dominates early. Vocals a minute in. This riff comes and goes. Love the guitar before 3 1/2 minutes. Outstanding ! The tempo picks up after 5 minutes as the guitar and organ lead the way. Vocals return too.Another killer track.

"Take Care Of Illusion" has this intense intro with vocals. It settles before a minute then kicks back in. The vocals are passionate. She's amazing. It settles again as contrasts continue. I like the way it builds with vocals 4 minutes in, then the guitar rips it up. Check out the guitar / vocal interplay around 6 1/2 minutes. "Duty" opens with what sounds like mellotron as reserved vocals join in. A full sound arrives before a minute.The guitar is lighting it up. Some ripping organ follows as drums pound away. The tempo picks up after 3 minutes and then they simply jam until the vocals return before 11 minutes.

This is very close to a 5 star album for me and I highly recommended it.