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The T 
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 Topic: The Flower King/ Spock's Beard
Posted: November 15 2007 at 14:47 |
 Zitro wrote:
The Flower Kings overrated? they couldn't even fill up a small theater when I saw them in 2006 at Tampa |
I was there... (next time let's meet and greet each other, fellow progger)... and yes, the small theater was not full.. less than 300 people...
But they filled the room with music....the best concert I've ever seen was the most intimate, pure.... music for music's sake..... art.
They are essential. The Beard too, but not AS essential.
TFK are the prog-flag-carriers of this generation... the ones that keep the old flame alive.... the Yes flame, the Giant flame... whether you like it or not
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Jared
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Joined: May 06 2005
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Posted: November 15 2007 at 13:21 |
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personally, I have never found The Flower Kings to be in the slightest bit essential....
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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The Doctor
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Posted: November 15 2007 at 13:17 |
I say both are essential to any prog fan. TFK's essential albums are: Stardust We Are, Space Revolver, and Paradox Hotel.
Spock's Beards' essential albums are: Beware of Darkness, Day for Night and V.
Edited by The Doctor - November 15 2007 at 13:17
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I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?
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ProgBagel
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Joined: May 13 2007
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Points: 2819
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Posted: November 15 2007 at 13:11 |
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I find them both essential...but I like TFK more currently.
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Zitro
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Posted: June 15 2007 at 18:36 |
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The Flower Kings overrated? they couldn't even fill up a small theater when I saw them in 2006 at Tampa
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darksideof
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Joined: February 22 2007
Location: Newark N.J.
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Posted: June 15 2007 at 17:55 |
rain dance wrote:
The only thing overrated is this thread and half the bands at the bottom of the originators name! |
can you elaborate on that I didn't get it ? 
Edited by darksideof - June 15 2007 at 17:55
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http://darksideofcollages.blogspot.com/
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Darksideof-Collages/
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raindance
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 18:24 |
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The only thing overated is this thread and half the bands at the bottom of the originators name!
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salmacis
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 14:42 |
BiGi wrote:
salmacis wrote:
Yeah I certainly felt the AOR quotient went up after Neal left (possibly most of all on 'Octane' but that's my fave of those albums, anyway) but imho, there was always an AOR influence on SB's work. Some say there is on TFK's work but I don't really hear that, to be honest... |
All on a Sunday is definitely more AOR than The Bottom Line...in the same way that June is more AOR than Skeletons at the feast...
(not that they are bad songs...) |
But that's hardly a 'like for like' comparison, is it? Putting two of the proggier post-Morse songs against two AOR Morse-era ones. As I said, that AOR influence was always there. But, I don't really hear much on 'Octane' that is prog at all save the opening 'Ballet Of The Impact' track and that instrumental 'NWC'- I'm not blinded by the fact there is a big epic on there. But this doesn't make it bad, of course- 'Octane' remains my favourite of those albums, regardless- it's the most consistent of the three, imho. 'Feel Euphoria' is the most prog but is disjointed, imho, whilst the eponymous one falls between the two stools and is patchy. imho.
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mr_johnny_lee
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 14:08 |
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I like both bands and I wouldn't have thought either were overrated at all.
Edited by mr_johnny_lee - June 14 2007 at 14:09
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Jon
Sheffield, England (currently residing in Tokyo, Japan)
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BiGi
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 11:07 |
salmacis wrote:
Yeah I certainly felt the AOR quotient went up after Neal left (possibly most of all on 'Octane' but that's my fave of those albums, anyway) but imho, there was always an AOR influence on SB's work. Some say there is on TFK's work but I don't really hear that, to be honest... |
All on a Sunday is definitely more AOR than The Bottom Line...in the same way that June is more AOR than Skeletons at the feast... (not that they are bad songs...)
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A flower? 
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salmacis
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:41 |
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Yeah I certainly felt the AOR quotient went up after Neal left (possibly most of all on 'Octane' but that's my fave of those albums, anyway) but imho, there was always an AOR influence on SB's work. Some say there is on TFK's work but I don't really hear that, to be honest...
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Dean
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:38 |
MikeEnRegalia wrote:
^ Even Octane isn't Simple Rock ... but of course I understand your point. |
The phrase "simple rock" isn't mine, I copied from the original Poll-Questions (which darksideof has changed since I posted  ) to show that I needed to be able to vote twice to answer the original question (which he has also changed ).
I don't think that they are "simple rock", but I don't think that Octane is progressive either it is more like AOR. 
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What?
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salmacis
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:28 |
^Yeah, I'd say that too. It feels terribly churlish me saying this but I think Roine is too prolific, period!  However, lots of people seem to like everything he's done.
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lmollea
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:25 |
salmacis wrote:
^Well, in fairness, I do still have the post-Neal albums and do play them- they are good but (for me) not quite as good as the earlier ones.
'Unfold The Future' I struggle with, to be honest. I would never say it was their worst album (that's 'The Rainmaker' for me- a rather weak affair to my ears) but I'm surprised it is regarded as their best here. I am loathe to use the word 'overrated', but I'll just say I don't really grasp it. As a single disc album, it would have been great, as a double, less so, imho. I feel some songs are there as padding (not a problem I have with 'Stardust...' or even 'Paradox Hotel'). |
salmacis, you got the point. TFK tend to release TOO MANY double albums...
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Semm che, semm che settą giņ in del bar / a cercą l'universo nel bucčer del Cynar
cosmonauti al tavolino cun la sigareta in błca / che vemm a cambią el mund apena finissum la sambuca
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lmollea
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:23 |
salmacis wrote:
This thread is a classic example of someone using the word 'overrated' as a substitute for 'I don't like them', which is obviously what is really meant here, imho...
Anyway, I do prefer Spock's Beard overall. I really love 'The Kindness Of Strangers'- one of my fave prog albums of the 90s- and in truth, I don't think they have recorded a bad album yet. However, I don't like the albums since Neal Morse left as much- there are too many straight ahead rockers ('Is This Love', ''Sometimes They Stay...', 'As Long As We Ride'). But even on those, their way with a good melody is intact.
Flower Kings are less consistent, imho. My favourites though are 'Stardust We Are' and 'Space Revolver' which I think were only a hair's breadth away from me giving them 5 stars. I struggle with some of their output ('Unfold The Future', 'The Rainmaker' and 'Adam And Eve', specifically) due to the 'noodling' which imho is there to pad out songs. But overrated? Not a bit of it, imho- there are still many fine albums in their catalogue. |
I quote here also what you say. I like Spock's Beard more than TFK. For me TFK are worth until The Rainmaker, after that album they tend to repeat themselves and fill their works with too much anonymous tracks. Spock's Beard lost something after Neal Morse left, but I still find Octane and Spock's Beard worthy albums (less valuable than the works with Neal Morse), but nonetheless superior to the latest TFK works (Unfold The Future, for example, from which I don't remember a single note).
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Semm che, semm che settą giņ in del bar / a cercą l'universo nel bucčer del Cynar
cosmonauti al tavolino cun la sigareta in błca / che vemm a cambią el mund apena finissum la sambuca
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Snow Dog
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:14 |
prog4evr wrote:
The T wrote:
chessman wrote:
Spock's Beard are actually very good. I have one album, 'The Kindness Of Strangers' which I find enjoyable, if a little predictable, and I've heard various tracks off other albums. I prefer their earlier work overall.
However, TFK are the masters! My second favourite band of all time, (just behind Genesis) and yes, I was a prog fan in the seventies. TFK have taken up the prog banner and carried it higher than ever before. Strong on melody, composition, musicianship, I love this band. Yes, their albums are very long, but I am one who enjoys pretty much all of it. I have yet to hear a bad album, or even a bad track from them, although I have, of course, got my favourites.
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They say the third time is the charm! Hear, hear for SB and TFK! |
Is a fourth time over egging the pudding? 
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salmacis
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:10 |
^Well, in fairness, I do still have the post-Neal albums and do play them- they are good but (for me) not quite as good as the earlier ones.
'Unfold The Future' I struggle with, to be honest. I would never say it was their worst album (that's 'The Rainmaker' for me- a rather weak affair to my ears) but I'm surprised it is regarded as their best here. I am loathe to use the word 'overrated', but I'll just say I don't really grasp it. As a single disc album, it would have been great, as a double, less so, imho. I feel some songs are there as padding (not a problem I have with 'Stardust...' or even 'Paradox Hotel').
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BiGi
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:06 |
salmacis wrote:
This thread is a classic example of someone using the word 'overrated' as a substitute for 'I don't like them', which is obviously what is really meant here, imho...
Anyway, I do prefer Spock's Beard overall. I really love 'The Kindness Of Strangers'- one of my fave prog albums of the 90s- and in truth, I don't think they have recorded a bad album yet. However, I don't like the albums since Neal Morse left as much- there are too many straight ahead rockers ('Is This Love', ''Sometimes They Stay...', 'As Long As We Ride'). But even on those, their way with a good melody is intact.
Flower Kings are less consistent, imho. My favourites though are 'Stardust We Are' and 'Space Revolver' which I think were only a hair's breadth away from me giving them 5 stars. I struggle with some of their output ('Unfold The Future', 'The Rainmaker' and 'Adam And Eve', specifically) due to the 'noodling' which imho is there to pad out songs. But overrated? Not a bit of it, imho- there are still many fine albums in their catalogue. |
Apart from not liking the post-Neal Morse albums, I agree word by word with you. As a matter of fact I really can't understand how can it be that Unfold the future is ranking #1 among TFK's albums, according to Progarchives collaborators! To me it is one of their most anonymous outputs ever! Adam & Eve was promising, but unfortunately they have returned to diluted works with Paradox Hotel (which is anyway far better than UTF, IMHO)
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A flower?
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salmacis
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 05:01 |
This thread is a classic example of someone using the word 'overrated' as a substitute for 'I don't like them', which is obviously what is really meant here, imho...
Anyway, I do prefer Spock's Beard overall. I really love 'The Kindness Of Strangers'- one of my fave prog albums of the 90s- and in truth, I don't think they have recorded a bad album yet. However, I don't like the albums since Neal Morse left as much- there are too many straight ahead rockers ('Is This Love', ''Sometimes They Stay...', 'As Long As We Ride'). But even on those, their way with a good melody is intact.
Flower Kings are less consistent, imho. My favourites though are 'Stardust We Are' and 'Space Revolver' which I think were only a hair's breadth away from me giving them 5 stars. I struggle with some of their output ('Unfold The Future', 'The Rainmaker' and 'Adam And Eve', specifically) due to the 'noodling' which imho is there to pad out songs. But overrated? Not a bit of it, imho- there are still many fine albums in their catalogue.
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MikeEnRegalia
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Posted: June 14 2007 at 04:55 |
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^ Even Octane isn't Simple Rock ... but of course I understand your point.
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The Flower King/ Spock's Beard
