Flower Kings Appreciation Thread

I think it's about time to re-juvinate this thread

For the first time ever I'm listening to all the Flower Kings albums in chronological order starting with (of course) "Back In The World Of Adventures".

I thought it would be fun, for each of the albums, to imagine that TFK existed in the 70s and that they were restricted to the length of an LP for each album (50 minutes max).

So from this album, this would be my dream LP:

Side 1
1) Back in the World of Adventures (13:37)
2) Theme for a Hero (8:27)

Side 2
1) Atomic Prince / Kaleidoscope (6:02)
2) Big Puzzle (13:25)

Right there is an LP every bit as enjoyable (to me) as any classic LP by Yes, Floyd, Rush, Genesis, etc, etc. And yet there are other fantastic tracks on the CD such as "Go West Judas"

What would your LP from BitWoA be? Please stick to each album in turn as I go through them so that we don't get ahead of ourselves

Coming soon.........."Retropolis"

Merry Mid Winter Everybody! Peace on the third planet of the solar system and goodwill to all hominids !

Having discovered The Flower Kings through Transatlantic, I've recently been getting familiar with some of their songs. I love how in some of their songs they use a real church organ. 'Church of Your Heart' is a wonderful song. My other favourites so far are 'Stardust We Are' and the complete 'Garden of Dreams', which I consider to be one hour-long piece. A great band!

Happy New Year to all!  I've given up on top 10 lists and best of the year type things, as I usually miss most of the new albums for a given year, only to pick them up a year or two later!  Plus, it's too hard for me to sort out what is "the best".  Actually been listening to Dramarama repeatedly lately.......this one is really a grower for sure.  Front loaded with symphonic prog, then finishing off with more mellow, melodic fare for the second half.  Much better than I had thought after the first 3 or 4 plays, and really only started opening up after 6 or 7 plays.

In any case, we have some things to look forward to this year:  2007 "official bootleg" DVD w/Pat Mastellotto on drums (SoNE tour), Roine symphonic piece (as in, symphony orchestra music), possible 2nd 3rd World Electric album, possible TFK album (I know, Roine's been suggesting that since last new years, but maybe this will be the year they return!).

Anyway, cheers and hope this year is a good one for all.

WOWSER - Electric Garden Prog Festival - in the north west of England - 20/21st May - 31 squid for both days !

M27Barney wrote: WOWSER - Electric Garden Prog Festival - in the north west of England - 20/21st May - 31 squid for both days ! prog is on the way back in britain! WOOOOO..............

 

i listened to Space Revolver and Stardust We Are disc 1 the other night. No lights on, just the computer. It was fantastic; the most fun listening to TFK i think ive ever had.

I still havent listened to disc 2 of SWA, is it as good as disc 1? (ive heard the title track is classic)

the only other album im totally familiar with is The Sum Of No Evil, which i love. However, it doesnt seem as adventurous as their other albums, though very consistent.

anyone know the next best album to check out?

natewait wrote: darkshade wrote: i listened to Space Revolver and Stardust We Are disc 1 the other night. No lights on, just the computer. It was fantastic; the most fun listening to TFK i think ive ever had. I still havent listened to disc 2 of SWA, is it as good as disc 1? (ive heard the title track is classic) the only other album im totally familiar with is The Sum Of No Evil, which i love. However, it doesnt seem as adventurous as their other albums, though very consistent. anyone know the next best album to check out? The Sum Of No Evil is my favorite of theirs, I'm glad you love it! Disc 2 of Stardust We Are, in my opinion, is better than disc 1, mainly because it has the epic title track. As for what you should check out next, I would probably recommend "Flower Power," especially disc 1 because has the Garden of Dreams which is an hour long piece that takes up (most of) the first disc. It is awesome and really showcases all the great things about The Flower Kings. Another direction you can go, if you are feeling adventurous, is "Unfold The Future" but it is more experimental and jazzy. It does feature one of my favorite songs of theirs, though, called "The Truth Will Set You Free." A fantastic 30 minute epic. All of their albums are great. I'm excited for you (and a little jealous) that you get to discover them

i mean, i first heard of them back in 2005, and liked a couple of the downloadable songs on this site. but i could never sit through an album. I also could not get into Transatlantic, Neal Morse, Spock's Beard etc. Partly because i was also discovering 70s prog at the time, so it seemed more exciting for me. I also listened too much to what a lot of members back then were saying on these forums. Stuff like "it sounds too much like Yes and Genesis" or "it's not original enough" or "it's retro, not progressive" etc. My mindset was not ready for these bands i guess

over time i learned to feel what i enjoy, and not listen to other people's comments. Early 2009 i listened to The Sum of No Evil, and have gradually been checking out all the bands i just mentioned before, and enjoying it. It's overwhelming though, which is why it's takes me a while (TFK have a lot of music, as does SB, NM, TA, and any other offshoot of TA or solo output)

but thanks

darkshade wrote: i listened to Space Revolver and Stardust We Are disc 1 the other night. No lights on, just the computer. It was fantastic; the most fun listening to TFK i think ive ever had. I still havent listened to disc 2 of SWA, is it as good as disc 1? (ive heard the title track is classic) the only other album im totally familiar with is The Sum Of No Evil, which i love. However, it doesnt seem as adventurous as their other albums, though very consistent. anyone know the next best album to check out?

 

^NOOO! Their first album is The Flower King by Roine Stolt! Haha, that's one hell of a great album, much better than anything from the 90s Flower Kings IMO.