Hear/Audire
LIFE WITHOUT PAIN - Inofficial Frumpy Page
The four musicians who formed Frumpy were all members of Irishman O'Brian-Docker's folkband The City Preachers, which he founded in Hamburg in 1965. The City Preachers played an excellent blend of american and british folk music and had, sometimes, over a dozen people on stage.
Discontent with singer Dagmar Krause, drummer Carsten Bohn left the City Preachers in November 1969 and took singer Inga Rumpf, french keyboarder Jean-Jaques Kravetz and guitarist Karl-Heinz Schott with him to form Frumpy. In spring of 1970, Frumpy started a successful tour of France. The same year, they went on a 50 concert tour with Spooky Tooth, and played with Yes, Humble Pie and Renaissance.
In autumn of 1970, Frumpy released the first album "All will be changed" which contained only own material with the exception of a Richie Havens cover.
The following year guitarist Rainer Baumann joined Frumpy and played on the bands second LP "Frumpy 2", which was rapped in a round plastic bag.
In Germany, the album was well received and proved that rock music from Germany could live up to international standard.
Inga Rumpf: "Our music combines jazz, soul and eastern elements, with the keyboards as the most important instrument."
Frumpy topped the MUSIC EXPRESS poll as the most popular German rock group of the year and the newspaper FAZ assist singer Inga Rumpf to be the "country's biggest individual talent", but a tour of England with Mott The Hoople failed to attrack popularity in Britain.
Musical differences with keyboarder Kravetz caused him to leave Frumpy, in spring 1972, to record a solo LP with Inga Rumpf singing one song. But he returned for the recording seesions of Frumpy's third LP "By the way".
But Frumpy disbanded after a farewell concert on June 26, 1972. The German music press published an obituary notice: "After three LPs, two singles and countless gigs at home and abroad Germany's favourite group child Frumpy has ceased to exist at the age of almost three years, in August 1972."
Inga Rumpf, Jean-Jaques Kravetz and Karl-Heinz Schott formed Atlantis. The year 1990 saw a Frumpy reunion and a new LP "Now!".
Taken from Rock Musik Lexikon - Christian Graf/Uli Markquardt - Taurus Press Hamburg.
Discography
All will be changed / 1970
Life without pain; Rosalie part 1;Otium; Rosalie part 2; Indian rope man; Morning; Floating part 1; Baroque; Floating part 2; Roadriding; Time makes wise.
Frumpy 2 / 1971
Good winds; How the gipsy was born; Take care of illusion; Duty.
By the way / 1972
Goin' to the country; By the way; Singing songs; I'm afraid, big moon; Release; Keep on going.
Live / 1972
Keep on going; Singing songs; Backwater blues; Duty; To my mother; Release; Take care of illusion; Duty, Floating
In and Out of Studios (Boxset/Compilation) / 1973
I'm Afraid, Big Moon; Life Without Pain; Keep On Going; Indian Rope Man; Morning; Singing Songs; Backwater Blues; Take Care of Illusion
Attention (Boxset/Compilation) / 1975
How the Gipsy Was Born; Morning; Life Without Pain; Rosalie, Part I; Otium; Rosalie, Part II; Indian Rope Man;
Now! / 1990
What it is; When i fall in love; Good good feeling; We can sing a song; One world; Come on!; Pirate style; Come Together!; Now and forever; All wee need is music; Living in a madhouse; Love train; Now the gypsy is born
News / 1991
What it is; When I fall in love; Good good feeling; We can sing a song; Now and forever; Come together*; Pirate style; Come on!; Living in a madhouse; One world**
Live - Ninetyfive / 1995
Loverman; Get together; Amazone dreams; In and out of studios; How the gypsy was born; When I fall in love; Everyday song; Come on; Friends; Dreams come true; Backwater blues
Best Of Frumpy (Boxset/Compilation) / 1997
Life without pain; Indian rope man; Morning; Duty; How the gipsy was born; I'm afraid big moon; Singing songs; Take care of illusion; Keep on going