FLOWER POWER

"Flowerpower"'s subtitle --"A Journey To The Hidden Corners Of Your Mind"-- is no idle boast: this 2-disc, 141-minute- long album is a towering, challenging, dazzlingly creative set in the grandest progressive rock tradition. The hour- long(!), 18-part album-opener "Garden Of Dreams" sets the tone, blending diverse early-'70s influences from Genesis to Renaissance to Frank Zappa and beyond; it is a brilliant, often psychedelic, always awesome artistic accomplishment, featuring sections like the gently swaying Pink Floydian balladry of "All You Can Save" and the fiery, hyperkinetic bursts of "Mr. Hope Goes To Wall Street." And the Flower Kings' artistry and diversity never wanes: other "Flowerpower" highlights include the deep, melodically engaging, and relatively accessible rock of "Stupid Girl," the moody, Joe Satriani-esque "Astral Dog," and the energetic, multi-textured mini-epic "Psychedelic Postcard." "Flowerpower" makes no concessions or apologies, and it is a major statement, well worth hearing for any prog fan.