When did you discover Roine Stolt/ The Flower Kings ?

[Crystal Plumage]

Years ago I read a thread somewhere (I think it was theTFK site) with a similar question. It was a fun read, so I thought let's do it here :)

My first encounter with Roine Stolt was through the New Grove Project. I bought their album because of Par Lindh's involvement.. I already knew Stolt's name but didn't really pay attention to it.
When I heard him play for the first time I was sold! That guitar was brilliant! Bought Stardust We Are (then the most recent) and quickly became hooked.
Later I even discovered I had heard him play before. On Gothic Impressions, Par Lind's debut :)

So, when did you find out about The Flower Kings/ Roine Stolt?

[JKL2000]

I found out about RS and FK right after the second RS/FK CD came out. It was at Progfest '95 I believe, anHeavenguy from Record Heaven was selling it. I already had one early Kaipa CD.

BtW, I like New Grove Project too.

[SteveSly]

I think it was when I found out they were playing at ProgDay 1998. I picked up "Stardust We Are" (which remains my favorite album by them) and went from there.

Steve Sly

[Rumblefishtwist]

In 2000.... My buddy Frank (Monte,Cheech. Or whatever the hell he calls himself here on PE)
He played I Am The Sun for me off of Space Revolver and I've been a fan ever since.....

[Scott Bails]

I knew nothing about Mr. Stolt until Transatlantic.

My brother was a Dream Theater fan and turned me on to them. I then read about Portnoy's enthusiasm for Spock's Beard, and I quickly became a fan of theirs, too. Then, shortly after that, Portnoy, Morse, and Trewavas (from Marillion, whom I had loved for a while) formed a supergroup with this Swedish guy I'd never heard of.

Discovering new artists is fun. :D

[markwoll]

I had heard of them, not heard any of their music.
They came to a local club called Jaxx in NoVa after Nearfest 2003.
I got a ticket and went.
There were probably 20-25 people in the audience ( if that many)
I and a couple of friends sat on barstools right in front of the stage, pretty much eye level with the band.
They did the whole show as if to a concert hall.
It must have been disappointing to them, but it did not show.
Needless to say, I was blown away.
One of THE most powerful music experiences of my life.
I bought all of their cd's that night and have been a fan since.
The only regret I have is waiting so long to see/hear them.
Looking forward to Rosfest 2013..

mark

[moecurlythanu]

Not sure of the date, but it was between the release of Stardust and FlowerPower. I also attended the first fan con in the Chicago area. Unfortunately, I pretty much got off the bus after The Rainmaker.

[Joe F.]

1994 at Progfest. I picked up the second Kaipa album and Stolt's The Flower King release. I prefered the Kaipa.

[willfoden]

in progression magazine number 25, the sampler Cd with that issue. The song was "In the Eyes of the World". Nice but nothing earth shattering. Very derivative. I grew up in the 1970s and knew the music then. so the "new" prog bands tend to be copies of what went before. It tends to be well done but derivative.

[Progatron]

I discovered The Flower Kings via the Progfest CDs (around the same time as Arena, Spocks Beard and a couple of others of that 'new wave of prog' movement that happened in the early-mid 90s). It was a really amazing time to be a prog fan, having weathered my high school years (1987-1991) as a prog fanatic when it was at its all time lowest popularity. I was thrilled that these bands were all emerging.

[Poisoned Youth]

So, when did you find out about The Flower Kings/ Roine Stolt?

Back after Retropolis was released. I'd heard some songs from Retropolis and World of Adventures, but didn't hear my first album until Stardust We Are was released.

[Jerjo]

I think about 2000 or so. I was just returning to prog and they were one of the first bands I found out about after Porcupine Tree. My first CD was Meet the Flower Kings and while it was a bit derivative I was blown away by the fact that someone was making this kind of music again passion and intelligence.

[Vic2012]

Must've been about 12-13 years ago for me. I'd read about them on different forums. I found a forum called www.prog.net and traded with one member. I got cassette copy of Retropolis and really liked it. I still don't have the CD of that album and the cassette is long gone. The first FK CD I bought was Space Revolver. After that I bought (don't remember the chronological order): Back In The World Of Adventures, The Rainmaker, Adam & Eve, and I downloaded The Flower King, and Unfold The Future.

I love Roine's guitar playing and I like his singing. I wish he'd do all the lead singing.

[Crystal Plumage]

I wish he'd do all the lead singing.
Yeah, I'd prefer it if he would sing on the Agents of Mercy albums.

[Garden Dreamer]

Year 2000, just got on the internet and was discovering that prog music had revived in the 90's! TFK was recommended so I took a chance on Flower Power and never looked back!!

[The Fantastic Progo Rican]

I believe it was around 1999 when I first joined the original Progressive Ears at Yahoo Groups, never heard of them before and they were a hot topic back in the day, my then girlfriend got my Alive On Planet Earth for my birthday the year it came out...

[ChrisXymphonia]

Must have been shortly after his Flower King album. Played that one obsessively for a long long time as well as the first 2 Flower Kings albums. And I can boast about the fact that I have helped out with organising a festival here in Almelo that hosted the first ever Dutch gig of The Flower Kings (which at that point included Hasse Bruniussion on percussion, I believe the only time he has been with TFK here in Holland) and their fellow countrymen Ritual.

[Crystal Plumage]

Yeah! I read the interview in one of the first iO Pages. After that interview I started checking out Ritual. No FK yet, but they already piqued my interest at that time :)

[Smörgåsbord]

2001, at a music festival in my hometown. Became a fan a year later when Unfold The Future was released.

[Rarebird]

At a prog festival in Utrecht. I don't know what other artists performed there. I should be able to find out, but I'm to lazy. At least I remember Minimum Vital playing there as well. I was at an interview with them.

[mozo-pg]

I used to buy my CDs at a store in Hull, Quebec devoted to progressive rock, called, The Musical Box where they organized their CDs by country and had listening stations and helpful and knowledgeable staff. Of course, with these elements the store had to eventually close down!! I discovered all of kinds of bands, including the Flower Kings, Italian, Sweedish (Anglagard), and so on. This was around 1997.

[JKL2000]

I used to buy my CDs at a store in Hull, Quebec devoted to progressive rock, called, The Musical Box where they organized their CDs by country and had listening stations and helpful and knowledgeable staff.

Mozo? Mozo, wake up! You were dreaming.

[dgtlman]

Around 2000 or so when Flower Power came out.

[CybrKhatru]

2000, I think.

Bought their live album on a whim since it had a cover of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

Was a bit underwhelmed by the cover, but really liked many of the other songs on the album.

[yogibear]

it was a compilation called scanning the greenhouse. very nice cross section of their stuff from like their first 3 or 4 releases. first album would be "stardust we are" since i worked from the 98 release -greenhouse ,and liked the tunes from stardust better.

[Canvas]

After hearing Spock's Beard for the first time, I saw that buyers who purchased Beard albums were buying CD's from The Flower Kings....so I bought "Flower Power" and was very glad I did.....

[jglfan]

2003, at nearfest. I had had no idea that the prog scene even existed prior to that. I guess it was early 80's when I dropped out of the new music scene. I had started my family, as my friends had also, and the music on the radio was losing me rapidly. I think the last album I bought was the Bowie one with China Girl on it. Then it was bands like The Shoes and Saga and it wasn't long before I abandoned radio and started just listening to cassettes in mmy car! I was into my work and family and living in the past music wise. A trip to London and finding Camel's Rajaz in a store there ( I was amazed Camel still existed, they were one of my very favs) led me to joining the Camel newsletter, and got me to start looking at the internet. It was actually the Camel newsletter that informed me of Nearfest, perhaps around March of 2003. That 2003 Nearfest was the best one (imo). I loved the Flower Kings and went to see the a few days later again in NYC. I started going backwards in their discography from Unfold the Future and loved it (yes, even Rainmaker). Going forward however, not as much. I'll take this moment to thank Rob and Chad, over the years I saw some incredible bands. What an awakening, I was into new (at least to me) music again. It sure has cost me a lot of money!

[3LockBox]

Back in '02. Via recommendations (on another music board) I bought Stolt's solo The Flower King. I liked it well enough, then went forwards in the catalog, buying Space Revolver and Meet The Flower Kings. Along with the strong musicianship, came some rather spotty lyricism replete with flimsy grasp of western euphemisms, shaky attempts at metaphors, overt hippy utopian sentiments, and somewhat new agey musical accoutrements.

That's not to say I don't like some of their stuff. I've dabbled in some of the other, earlier albums, but find I prefer the live versions of their stronger material. I wound up getting Alive On Planet Earth as well and called it good. I heard parts of Paradox Hotel on Delicious Agony and liked what I heard, so I bought it. One of my fave albums of the last decade. They pretty much ditched everything I didn't appreciate about them before. Love that album. I went back and picked up Adam & Eve and liked it. Then came Sum Of No Evil - everything that grated on me before had returned. Traded it. I've heard parts of the new one - I think I'm pretty much done. Still love PH and A&E though. Still play the live discs. I think I still have Space Revolver (had it up for trade).

[mozo-pg]

Mozo? Mozo, wake up! You were dreaming.

Well, it was a decent dream! I don't want to wake up.

[Rufus]

Bought Roine's The Flowerking album before The Flowerking`s existed¡ Bought it on a whim cos i just liked the cover & was filed under prog on a stall. Been a fan ever since !

[Trane]

Can't say I "discovered" them.... more line "uncovered" them under a pile of rubbish...

This was around the Retropolis album.'s release which I quite liked on the album, the rest was: meeeehhh!!!... but I saw them live (a few buddies incensing on how great the band is/was enticed me into seeing them) a few weeks later and they couldn't even play it in full on stage...


OK, I'm outta here ;)

[Chip]

Heard about The Flower Kings on a music forum which I can't remember the name of now back in 1997-98 when I first got on the internet. It was not a prog music forum but a general one with some people raving about bands like Porcupine Tree, Par Lindh Project and Flower Kings who I had never heard of at that time, and was unaware of this "3rd wave" resurgence in prog, as I had pretty much drifted away from any 'new prog' in the mid 80s. Got into PT first, then went to a concert which featured Par Lindh Project in 1999 and started getting their albums and with the Swedish connection, the Flower Kings cds, Stardust being the first. When Alive on Planet Earth came out around 2000 I think, I really became a diehard fan and got the rest of the albums up to that point. Saw them in the early 2000s after Flower Power came out in a small club in Chicago and then blown away by them at Nearfest 2003, and their followup show nearby where they jammed more, and have seen them several times since. Space Revolver also cemented my love for the band. Hard to keep up with their prolific output sometimes.

[Progatron]

went to a concert which featured Par Lindh Project in 1999 and started getting their albums and with the Swedish connection, the Flower Kings cds, Stardust being the first.

Nice to see a nod to PLP. He is, of course, well known enough in prog circles but rarely gets mentioned in recent years. His last album, Time Mirror, is largely unknown (or at least barely discussed)! Part of the reason for that could be that he only sells it via his site. I really like it but there is one moment with a horribly flat vocal that really mars it for me.

[anesthetize2112]

Great idea for a thread! I discovered them this Summer while at my job. I was an IT Computer Operator so, as you can imagine, I had plenty of time to explore Spotify on my phone. Put on their Tour Kaputt album and loved "I am the Sun" and "There is More to This World". The initial urge to listen to TFK was after watching The Whirlwind on youtube and getting into Roine's playing. I play guitar myself, and I was immediately inspired. He was like a mix of Howe and Hackett plus a ton of originality.

The first album I got was Roine's The Flower King, and it snowballed from there. I pre-ordered Banks of Eden because it happened to be coming out in a couple weeks after I discovered them. That's the album that got me hooked in as a fan, and I still think it's one of their best.

[mellotron storm]

It was the first time i ever went on the internet to search out music(Fates Warning) which led me to Dream Theater, Spock's beard and The Flower Kings. It was around 2004 i think. Anyway i just remember being so intrigued by everything people were saying about SB and the Flower Kings and just trying to imagine what they sounded like. Seems like such a long time ago. I can't remember the first cd i got from them and i find them hit and miss. I like the earlier stuff mostly. Great players too.

[ThomasKDye]

I heard that three of the four musicians from Transatlantic were from bands I liked... but who was this fourth guy? He plays pretty good! Oh, he's from a group called "The Flower Kings?" Hmmm... "Space Revolver"... I'll check it out!

To this day, it's the only TFK album I really enjoy apart from half of "Paradox Hotel", and I have five others.

[Adrian]

Some time in the late '90s. I went to a record and CD collector's show and got talking to a guy about progressive rock -- and he asked me if I'd ever heard of a group called The Flower Kings. He put on the Stardust We Are CD and handed me a set of earphones, and I was sold. I think I discovered Spock's Beard and Anglagard at that same show. It was the first time I realized there was a resurgence in prog going on.

[progholio]

BtW, I like New Grove Project too.

that was the album that introduced me to Roine back in 1999 which then steered me towards TFK.
i find Space Revolver to be the band at their peak (I Am the Sun, Rublefish Twist & The Chickenfarmer Song are 'the shit'), everything before that is great as well, but the New Grove Project is my go-to when i'm in the mood for some Sweedish retro-prog with some burning guitar & keyboard solos.

[Plasmatopia]

I think I first heard of the Flower Kings on the Spock's Beard Yahoo mailing list not long after Snow was released in 2002. Unfold The Future had also been released around that time. Went to see my first TFK show in the summer of 2003 and was completely floored. "...couldn't even play it in full on stage." ??? Not sure what that means, but when I saw them it was nothing but epic after epic and I couldn't believe they sounded as close to the album as they did in a live setting.

Since then I've followed all the offshoots, solo albums, etc.

[philsunset]

September 15, 2001. Some people I knew opened for them at JJ Kelly's in Chicago.

[AndreProgrunner]

I first knew the band from a genesis tribute cd... They played at Wetlands in September of 1998, that was when I first saw them..I like the song church of your heart.

[gryphs also]

I joined PE early 2000s and asked for recommendations. Meet The Flower Kings has just come out and the band was the most recommended by people here. Still listen to them occasionally but I find I enjoy things a bit more angular nowadays.

[LighthouseKeeper]

I was late to the prog resurgence, busy building a career and raising the kids and my wife can't get into prog at all. It was in 2003, I had got Snow by Spock's Beard and really liked it so I pre-ordered Feel Euphoria which I didn't care for much but I listened to the Inside Out sampler. I have purchased several of the releases featured on that sampler but the first was Unfold the Future. When the CD came I listened to The Truth Will Set You Free and liked it so much I hit repeat and listened to it again before listening to the rest of the album. Haven't been that in to their last several releases, I guess since Adam & Eve.

[Yanks2014]

I'm pretty sure I read an interview with them in Progression in late 1996. I then saw Retropolis at a record show, bought it off of Bob Wolf. I was lucky, a fan of the band was at his table, and I asked what they were like. THANK GOD the guy was a fan, or I might not have bought the disc. Hearing their music for the first time It was love at first spin, became an instant FK fan. I own everything at this point, and while not every album is a masterpiece, each one has some very strong music, even "Adam and Eve", which I find to be their weakest. I think it was a bit of a dry spell for Mr. Stolt. Short lived of course, the man is so prolific, and endless source of melodic ideas. Retro, sure, but still quite original in my view. My favorites by them are 3 albums, "Unfold the Future" (their masterwork), "Stardust We Are" and "Retropolis". "Flower Power" and "Space Revolver" come real close to those. I remember being lukewarm to "Paradox Hotel", but that seems to get better with each spin. I really like "Sum of No Evil", but to be honest I was kind of burning out on FK at the time it came out. I gave it maybe 4 spins. And the new one sounds like vintage FK, but I need to listen to it more. The melodies though, they are as strong as ever, and the sounds so colorful. I may not care for some of the hippy-dippy lyrics, but its those colorful sounds and gorgeous melodies that keep bringing me back to them.

As to Stolt's other work, his "Hydrophonia" album is brilliant instrumental work, lovely album. I was thinking I'd be turned off to the lyrical bent of "Wall Street Voodoo", so I've never picked it up. I do have all three Agents of Mercy discs, and I think they are all really good. I do like that the music is far more aggressive on the 2nd and 3rd albums by them. And I also like that the music has it's own identity. It's not just the vocals, it is different than FK music. I'd be able tell the difference in a drop the needle test for certain. Stolt is far more versatile than given credit for. As for Transatlantic, I like them, even love a couple songs, but I guess I'm not so in love with their music as other fans are. Still seems like a side project, though I guess it should since that was the original intent.

[zombywoof]

Back in the day, I used to be a huge Dream Theater fan and I bought "The Whirlwind" to hear Portnoy do a real, full blown prog epic. Looking back, I hadn't heard much other prog yet, so I'm not into Whirlwind like I used to be. Still, it introduced me to Roine's guitarwork, after I set out to familiarize myself with the rest of the bands with members featured in Transatlantic. My first Flower Kings was Back in the World of Adventures and later Paradox Hotel. I never ventured further.

[Rufus]

Yanks ..
You should get Roine's The Flowerking . His best work outside of the Flowerking s IMO ¡

[gregory]

I have discovered FK in the mid-90s. And this dicovery never turned to something big...:meh

[Yanks2014]

Yanks ..
You should get Roine's The Flowerking . His best work outside of the Flowerking s IMO ¡

Oh, just forgot to mention that one, I do have it and think it's really great. However I think of that more as a Flower Kings album, and not a solo work. It laid down the blueprint for the Flower Kings, and had much of the same lineup as "Back in the World...". Come on, it's got the title track for the entire band, which I've seen them perform live. I have to think of it as a FK album.

Another album that sounds a lot like a FK album is Tomas Bodin's first, "An Ordinary Night in My Ordinary Life", I highly recommend it.

[Yanks2014]

Did anyone in this thread attend either of the two "Flower Kings Day" events in NJ? They were very well attended, and we got two sets worth of FK music, including some surprising song choices. I wrote a review a while back for one of them, but can't find it. I sure wish NJ Proghouse could host another one of these. Would be great at either the Forum Theater where these were held, or the Crossroads in New Bruswick. Even if not, at least I get to see them at Rosfest.

[ItalProgRules]

I kept hearing about this "new" Prog band called The Flower Kings. This was at a stage where I was just getting back into Prog and replacing all my old 70s classics on CD, wasn't getting into anything "new" at all at the time, having had one bad experience with that: Spock's Beard (lucky me chose SNOW as my intro to THAT band...bad, bad choice on my part.)

So one day I was at the now-defunct Media Play and saw one FK album in stock. Again my luck failed me, as the disc on offer was "Adam & Eve."

But while I never did really get into SB, aside from the V album, I did eventually get into TFK.

[paythesnuka]

I then saw Retropolis at a record show, bought it off of Bob Wolf. I was lucky, a fan of the band was at his table, and I asked what they were like. THANK GOD the guy was a fan, or I might not have bought the disc.

I think I might have been that guy. I know I got into TFK around that time and also through Bob Wolf at one of the NYC record shows. I, too, attended the Wetlands show that Andreprogrunner was at (I think we were the first two on line that night and stood in the front row together). I think the show was put on by someone involved with promoting Genesis, because TFK was billed as doing a "Genesis tribute" that night, and the first 50 or so people through the door that night were given a promo CD of tracks that appeared on the first Genesis box set (I still have that CD somewhere). The Genesis tribute that night consisted of just two Genesis songs, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Your Own Special Way, which were sung as Roine was reading the lyrics off a lyric sheet from the respective LPs. Tomas Bodin was not there (I forget the name of the fill-in keyboardist). Michael Stolt was on bass and Jaime Salazar was on drums.

Seen them many, many times since, including the TFK Days in New Jersey.

[Chris Kemp]

I bought V by Spock's Beard, which I think was the first album I bought in the 90's prog renaissance. I have no idea why I bought it. Maybe a suggestion off of Amazon? I had found the Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock (that was the true beginning of my rediscovery of prog) through the Gentle Giant site...maybe it was something on there. Anyway, Amazon recommended The Flower Kings and Glass Hammer after my Spock's Beard purchase. I loved V so much I bought the first Transatlantic album when it came out. "My New World" was such an awesome song...in fact to this day I never get tired of listening to it...and Roine was a major writer on it so I decided to check out the Flower Kings, so I bought "Space Revolver". I thought it was pretty good, especially "I am the Sun parts I and II" but I have to say, my enthusiasm declined with subsequent purchases. I thought "The Rainmaker" was really bad..."Last Minute on Earth"...ug...that song about the ugly little girl...terrible!...but I figured that I picked the wrong album. So everyone was raving about "Stardust We Are" and I bought that. Disappointed again...I couldn't believe the lack of song craft and the fact that there was so much music on it that didn't grab me at all. Lot of non-melodic noodling and, yeah, the lyrics started to bug me. So that was it for me. Too much of not such a good thing.

[spacefreak]

I discovered Roine Stolt through the first two KAIPA albums in the early 80s. My first encounter with the FLOWER KINGS was in 1997 with the "Stardust We Are" album. I was deceived with its neoprog sound and looked no more...

[sonic]

KAIPA were great. My first question when I heard the Flower Kings was, "WTF happened???"

[ThomasKDye]

I bought "Space Revolver". I thought it was pretty good, especially "I am the Sun parts I and II" but I have to say, my enthusiasm declined with subsequent purchases. I thought "The Rainmaker" was really bad..."Last Minute on Earth"...ug...that song about the ugly little girl...terrible!...but I figured that I picked the wrong album. So everyone was raving about "Stardust We Are" and I bought that. Disappointed again...I couldn't believe the lack of song craft and the fact that there was so much music on it that didn't grab me at all. Lot of non-melodic noodling and, yeah, the lyrics started to bug me.

Pretty much my experience, too, though I kept trying. "Back in the World of Adventures" has an awesome title song and little else, and the second CD of "Paradox Hotel" is very sweet. ("End on a High Note" from the first CD is good, too.) Apart from that, the other albums did nothing for me.

[Crystal Plumage]

KAIPA were great. My first question when I heard the Flower Kings was, "WTF happened???"
Have you heard 80s KAIPA post-Stolt? "WTF happened??"

[Yanks2014]

but I have to say, my enthusiasm declined with subsequent purchases. I thought "The Rainmaker" was really bad..."Last Minute on Earth"...ug...that song about the ugly little girl...terrible!...but I figured that I picked the wrong album. So everyone was raving about "Stardust We Are" and I bought that. Disappointed again...I couldn't believe the lack of song craft and the fact that there was so much music on it that didn't grab me at all. Lot of non-melodic noodling and, yeah, the lyrics started to bug me. So that was it for me. Too much of not such a good thing.

You were disappointed by "Stardust We Are", even the epic title track? I'm kind of wondering how you could like any of Space Revolver if you don't like that. The lack of songcraft? The album is brimming with gorgeous melodies and the ideas just flow through both discs. This album immediately grabbed me, and I think it really defines the FK sound. Just wondering, have you heard any of "Unfold the Future"? For me it's their crowning achievement, hardly a weak moment on it, amazing considering it is also a double disc set.

Rainmaker is indeed a weaker effort by them, but I totally enjoy "Last Minute on Earth". The ugly girl song is "Elaine, and thankfully it is short. I do like the jazzy ending though. I think with Rainmaker, they simplified things a bit, and the end result is a FK album that is less lush and symphonic. They didn't play to their strengths.

[Plasmatopia]

Between the mid-70s and mid-90s....LOTS happened.

[sonic]

Have you heard 80s KAIPA post-Stolt? "WTF happened??"


Nope. Sounds like I don't want to know either. :lol

[Progmatic]

For me FK are typically "first impression" type of band, kind of like pop performers. They sound good for a week or so and then they grow boring on you really quick ...after first couple of albums I bought I made decision not to bother with them

[Orcopian]

I got the flower king album (which I think was a Roine solo album) from Malcolm Parker at GFT mail order. Pre Internet I picked up so much music from him and his recommendations - I also spent loads of money!

I've bought everything the flower kings have released since then. I've seen them several times live and I'd have to say my favourite shows were with zoltan on drums. I took my wife to one show and unfortunately they opened with the truth will set you free, after 30 minutes that killed any further interest In Prog music!

[Yanks2014]

Nope. Sounds like I don't want to know either. :lol

What's wrong with modern Kaipa? I really enjoy their albums. I only have "Solo" from the 70's, was not crazy about it. I understand it does not represent their sound back then so well.

[Yanks2014]

For me FK are typically "first impression" type of band, kind of like pop performers. They sound good for a week or so and then they grow boring on you really quick ...after first couple of albums I bought I made decision not to bother with them

I don't understand that really. If I like something initially, it means there is something about it that really works for me. I never grow bored with something that left a strong first impression, it's just never happened to me.

[Camelogue]

Shortly after Columbus was in Hispanola.

[Plasmatopia]

That's when you grew bored, or that's when you discovered Roine? :)

[Iszil]

I came across "I am the sun" in the radio about 6 years ago and I loved it.

[wilcox660]

Put on their Tour Kaputt album and loved "I am the Sun" and "There is More to This World".
I only just got the DVD of this today! Even though it is region 0 it wouldn't play on my blu-ray player, yet it played just fine on the X-Box. What an awesome show!! :)

[aith01]

I only just got the DVD of this today! Even though it is region 0 it wouldn't play on my blu-ray player, yet it played just fine on the X-Box. What an awesome show!! :)

Nice! :up

I still need to get this one. Their Instant Delivery DVD was killer. :)

[JKL2000]

I only just got the DVD of this today! Even though it is region 0 it wouldn't play on my blu-ray player, yet it played just fine on the X-Box. What an awesome show!! :)

When was this DVD released? I thought there was only a CD release, but now can't remember if there was always a DVD and I forgot, or if the DVD is recent. Yeah, the CD is quite good.

BTW, not sure if I already answered upthread, but I first got into TFK back at one of the ProgFests in LA - the girlfriend of the guy from the label was talking up the first album which is all that was out at the time. She was pretty and Swedish, so I was convinced the music would be good :) Can't remember if I already knew Kaipa at the time - I think I did.

[Skullhead]

It sounded like the 90's prog bands were listening to prog and using prog as their template. The original prog bands were NOT listening to prog. They were listening to classical, jazz, eastern music, bluegrass etc, and blending those elements and influences into their music with the traditional rock instrumentation of the time.
That's why there was much for diversity. Now prog bands are copying prog bands so much of it sounds redundant and often conceptually unoriginal.

Roine obviously spent a lot of time learning Steve Howe licks, while Steve Howe was learning Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Jim Hall licks. Big difference.
Same thing with the great prog drummers. They were listening to Krupa, Buddy Ricn etc, while the modern prog drummers are listening to Bruford, Collins etc, and the newer prog bands are listening to Portnoy etc. So it's actually getting watered down, because the great jazz drummers still to this day had the best technique. SO much has been lost.

Then the same thing for the keyboard palate etc.

[Plasmatopia]

The DVD was also released in 2011.

[Plasmatopia]

It sounded like the 90's prog bands were listening to prog and using prog as their template. The original prog bands were NOT listening to prog. They were listening to classical, jazz, eastern music, bluegrass etc, and blending those elements and influences into their music with the traditional rock instrumentation of the time.
That's why there was much for diversity. Now prog bands are copying prog bands so much of it sounds redundant and often conceptually unoriginal.

Roine obviously spent a lot of time learning Steve Howe licks, while Steve Howe was learning Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Jim Hall licks. Big difference.
Same thing with the great prog drummers. They were listening to Krupa, Buddy Ricn etc, while the modern prog drummers are listening to Bruford, Collins etc, and the newer prog bands are listening to Portnoy etc. So it's actually getting watered down, because the great jazz drummers still to this day had the best technique. SO much has been lost.

Then the same thing for the keyboard palate etc.


Watered down is one view. Continued refinements is another. Not everything the first wave guys did was gold, not everything the 3rd wave guys did is dreck. From my viewpoint, those that heard the first wave proggers when they were 13 years old can't see them objectively and also (particularly if they were hearing those first wave bands way back when they were actually releasing albums in real time) have had many years to become jaded and nostalgic. I won't name names, but there are a few of the Big 5 (or whatever) that are either really spotty and/or leave me cold. At this point, lots of third wave bands seem pretty spotty as well, but...good music is good music no matter when it was made. To dismiss it because it has a different set of influences? That just seems unnecessarily restrictive.

[SRS]

When was this DVD released? I thought there was only a CD release, but now can't remember if there was always a DVD and I forgot, or if the DVD is recent. Yeah, the CD is quite good.

There was always a DVD release at the same time. But it was only a PAL format. I ordered it at the time from Brian who very nicely included NTSC formatted discs he had converted himself. I watched this recently and it is very good. Pat Mastelotto fit very well with them and brought real power and changes to many of the songs.

[aith01]

Roine obviously spent a lot of time learning Steve Howe licks, while Steve Howe was learning Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Jim Hall licks. Big difference.
Same thing with the great prog drummers. They were listening to Krupa, Buddy Ricn etc, while the modern prog drummers are listening to Bruford, Collins etc, and the newer prog bands are listening to Portnoy etc. So it's actually getting watered down [...]


Watered down is one view. [...]

Skullhead's view is what I would call reductionist or overly-simplistic. Roine Stolt first started playing guitar in the 70s, while he was a contemporary of the other big "prog" acts. The assertion that he "spent a lot of time learning Steve Howe licks" is an uneducated assumption, nothing more. Roine has discussed in interviews which guitarists had influenced him in his youth, like Jimi Hendrix for example.



[...] good music is good music no matter when it was made. To dismiss it because it has a different set of influences? That just seems unnecessarily restrictive.

Exactly. :up

Treating the classic jazz era (and those musicians) as the be-all-end-all of what constitutes good original music is doing a huge disservice to the equally skilled musicians operating in the decades since then.

[jarmsuh]

I discovered Roine with his first album "The Flower Kings" and said to myself: "wow this is the new Yes!"

[FKYES]

I discovered Roine Stolt and The Flower Kings around 2000 as I was discovering modern prog. It all started with the discovery of Spocks Beard from a YES messsge board. That led to to Transatlantic and eventually The Flower Kings are Stardust We are. I was sold at that point and I have considered them my favorite modern band since.

Stolt's talent overwhelmed me and I loved all of the projects. This led to my involvement with Delicious agony and the show, The Garden of Dreams, which started in May 2003. Since then I have met and interviewed many Roine many times, and the same is true with the other members. I was fortunate to become quite friendly with several of the members which led to me and my partner appearing on Tomas Bodin's solo album.

It has been an amazing ride and it all really started with the discovery of the Kings and the genius of Roine Stolt.

[Digital_Man]

Not really sure to be totally honest. I remember seeing the album(cd) "the flower king" in one of the prog catalogs back in the 90's(I think synphonic but not 100 percent sure). It was described as something like "possibly the best revival album of all time"or maybe "best comeback album." Then later in the decade when I first got on RMP(the old progressive rock newsgroup) I had seen them mentioned on there. By that time they were the Flower Kings. I'm not sure if I had seen them mentioned somewhere before that. Not sure what was the first album I bought by them either. It was maybe "space revolver" or "stardust we are." To this day they still aren't as well known as they should be imo. There's tons of Genesis and Yes fans who would like them if they only knew about them. I suppose most if not all of the real prog fans know about them at this point even if they don't really care for them. I consider myself a pretty big fan though and I think I've seen them four times.

[JJ88]

I guess circa 2005-ish. Used to have several of their albums but the sameness bothered me so I only kept a few. Funnily enough the one I liked the most in the long run was one I struggled with in places- Unfold The Future.

They are very accomplished musicians indeed, but there's a sprawl about their songwriting sometimes IMHO.

[Digital_Man]

^ I know what you mean. It's almost as if they often used "tales from topographic oceans" as a template for much of their work and as a result I sometimes get the feeling that they think "longer is better." However, as much as that seems to apply to the Flower Kings it seems to apply even more to Transatlantic. :)

[smcfee]

On the radio in 1997, heard "I'm just a clown in the eyes of the world" from SWA.

[Plasmatopia]

Skullhead's view is what I would call reductionist or overly-simplistic. Roine Stolt first started playing guitar in the 70s, while he was a contemporary of the other big "prog" acts. The assertion that he "spent a lot of time learning Steve Howe licks" is an uneducated assumption, nothing more. Roine has discussed in interviews which guitarists had influenced him in his youth, like Jimi Hendrix for example.




Exactly. :up

Treating the classic jazz era (and those musicians) as the be-all-end-all of what constitutes good original music is doing a huge disservice to the equally skilled musicians operating in the decades since then.

Roine has played a few licks that seem like obvious nods to Steve Howe technique and style-wise so I think he may have spent some amount of time picking up a couple things but I wouldn't consider it the core of his style. I can't relate to the idea that it's okay to be influenced by certain artists from a certain period of time, but becoming a synthesis of other musicians from a later period of time is somehow invalid and without merit? Why?

[Yodelgoat]

Still looking to get into the FK - I have tried a couple times and not been impressed, but they keep coming up, sooner or later I will be able to conclude whether I am a fan or not.

[mozo-pg]

Still looking to get into the FK - I have tried a couple times and not been impressed, but they keep coming up, sooner or later I will be able to conclude whether I am a fan or not.

The have such a vast catalog that varies in quality so you need to listen to the right release - Alive on Planet Earth is a good place to start for a live album. You may not ultimately like the band but it might be finding the right release. I'm sure others have recommendations.

[yamishogun]

^ I know what you mean. It's almost as if they often used "tales from topographic oceans" as a template for much of their work and as a result I sometimes get the feeling that they think "longer is better." However, as much as that seems to apply to the Flower Kings it seems to apply even more to Transatlantic. :)

...which is why I don't bother with either band. "Longer is better" is so tedious.

[Yodelgoat]

Longer is always better (when it comes to music, and love)

[aith01]

...which is why I don't bother with either band. "Longer is better" is so tedious.

Unlike Transatlantic, TFK actually have written their fair share of short songs.

[dpt3]

Roine has played a few licks that seem like obvious nods to Steve Howe technique and style-wise so I think he may have spent some amount of time picking up a couple things but I wouldn't consider it the core of his style.

Overall I don't think his guitar-playing sounds much like Howe at all. There's definitely a heavy Yes-influence in his overall approach to composition and the "feel" of much of FK music, but I find him a pretty distinctive voice on the guitar.

[Steve983]

Been a fan since about 1994, but there are a lot of patchy albums. By that I mean there are often tracks I don't like and sadly their last album was a complete write off.
My faves: Space Revolver, The Rainmaker & Unfold The Future.

[JJ88]

^ I know what you mean. It's almost as if they often used "tales from topographic oceans" as a template for much of their work and as a result I sometimes get the feeling that they think "longer is better." However, as much as that seems to apply to the Flower Kings it seems to apply even more to Transatlantic. :)

Indeed. It's 'prog = long epics' and I got fed up of that after getting (too many) of their albums. Haven't bought anything new by any of these guys for about 10 years.

[Poisoned Youth]

Skullhead's view is what I would call reductionist or overly-simplistic.

That's being kind. He's literally a broken record. You'd have to go back to the Omega Monkey days to find someone who goes to such great lengths to say the same thing over and over.

[Roth-Handle Studios]

I discovered them at Progfest 1995 (?) when they came out on stage in tie dyes, sunglasses and and announced with a shrill dramatic falsetto "We are the Flower Kings".

// Mattias

[Crystal Plumage]

Overall I don't think his guitar-playing sounds much like Howe at all. There's definitely a heavy Yes-influence in his overall approach to composition and the "feel" of much of FK music, but I find him a pretty distinctive voice on the guitar.
He's very Howe-like on the The New Grove Project album. There's even a nod to Close to the Edge at the very end.

[Crystal Plumage]

Pops, forgot the link :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUzhFt9YU-U

[SRS]

He's very Howe-like on the The New Grove Project album. There's even a nod to Close to the Edge at the very end.

and now here I had thought I knew all of the various TFK/Stolt side projects but this is a new one for me - never even heard about it. Thanks!!!! ordered!

[Rufus]

I first heard Roine's 'The Flowerking' album before he formed The Flowerking's and followed them religiously and loved everything up until Space Revolver.

[Progatron]

He's very Howe-like on the The New Grove Project album. There's even a nod to Close to the Edge at the very end.


and now here I had thought I knew all of the various TFK/Stolt side projects but this is a new one for me - never even heard about it. Thanks!!!! ordered!

Found that CD at Freeson Rock in Montreal some years ago, along with a used copy of this FK release, signed by Roine:

https://www.discogs.com/The-Flower-Kings-%C3%89dition-Limit%C3%A9e-Qu%C3%A9bec-1998/release/2672601

[Plasmatopia]

Overall I don't think his guitar-playing sounds much like Howe at all. There's definitely a heavy Yes-influence in his overall approach to composition and the "feel" of much of FK music, but I find him a pretty distinctive voice on the guitar.

Definitely a Yes influence (and others) in the compositions.

[mozo-pg]

I discovered the band at a progressive rock music store (now closed) in Quebec - called the Musical Box - mid-to-late 90s.

[lak611]

I haven't. I don't own anything Stolt did other than Invention of Knowledge with Jon Anderson.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

[Scrotum Scissor]

From the release of Stolt's The Flower King solo release. Most connoisseurs of Scandinavian progressive rock were well aware of Stolt from his days in Kaipa, although I really only dug their debut.

TFK were the main attraction at the Record Heaven prog fest at Berns Salonger in Stockholm in late summer '96, for what I believe was their third or fourth gig. I didn't like them at all, and I remember being actively disappointed that Hasse Bruniusson was in the band - mostly serving role as purported "showman". I always cherished his playing with Samla Mammas Manna.

I still bought four of their releases through the years, thinking I'd at least see if there'd ever appear anything remotely resembling a sense of development. In the end I gave up on them altogether, but I've kept the World of Adventures CD. To which I never listen, I must say.

Tried my hand at other Stolt projects as well to no avail, but hey - you can't win or dig 'em all.

[adap2it]

[QUOTE=Scrotum Scissor;657112]From the release of Stolt's The Flower King solo release. Most connoisseurs of Scandinavian progressive rock were well aware of Stolt from his days in Kaipa, although I really only dug their debut.

I heard The Flower King first too, but not heard of Kaipa at that time...

TFK were the main attraction at the Record Heaven prog fest at Berns Salonger in Stockholm in late summer '96, for what I believe was their third or fourth gig. I didn't like them at all, and I remember being actively disappointed that Hasse Bruniusson was in the band - mostly serving role as purported "showman". I always cherished his playing with Samla Mammas Manna.

Hasse was my first taste of amazing Swedish drumming, and then along came Morgan...

I still bought four of their releases through the years, thinking I'd at least see if there'd ever appear anything remotely resembling a sense of development. In the end I gave up on them altogether, but I've kept the World of Adventures CD. To which I never listen, I must say.

I really enjoyed World of Adventures and subsequently Stardust, but that was it for me. I saw them at Progday in '98, just to catch Hasse, but he was no longer with them. I was really disappointed...I couldn't handle the very lengthy compositions after that, especially at live shows. I found the infinite endings too much to take.

[Rufus]

Would be interested to hear people's opinions on his three solo albums up to The Flowerking?
Fantasia (1979)
Behind The Walls (1985)
The Lonely Heartbeat (1989)

The three 'Agents of Mercy' albums are better and more cohesive than anything post 'Space Revolver' IMO

[smcfee]

I discovered them at Progfest 1995 (?) when they came out on stage in tie dyes, sunglasses and and announced with a shrill dramatic falsetto "We are the Flower Kings".

Literally laughed out loud at this.

[aith01]

From the release of Stolt's The Flower King solo release. Most connoisseurs of Scandinavian progressive rock were well aware of Stolt from his days in Kaipa, although I really only dug their debut.

TFK were the main attraction at the Record Heaven prog fest at Berns Salonger in Stockholm in late summer '96, for what I believe was their third or fourth gig. I didn't like them at all, and I remember being actively disappointed that Hasse Bruniusson was in the band - mostly serving role as purported "showman". I always cherished his playing with Samla Mammas Manna.

I still bought four of their releases through the years, thinking I'd at least see if there'd ever appear anything remotely resembling a sense of development. In the end I gave up on them altogether, but I've kept the World of Adventures CD. To which I never listen, I must say.

Tried my hand at other Stolt projects as well to no avail, but hey - you can't win or dig 'em all.

Really interesting perspective. In all sincerity, I enjoy reading your comments on music man, even when we aren't in agreement.

Me personally, I love TFK and Roine Stolt. But I'll be first to admit it's not "progressive" music even in the slightest. I think of TFK as "symphonic rock", with a touch of jazz-fusion sprinkled in for good measure. It's a type of music we've heard before, sure, but the degree of sophistication is (to me) rarely paralleled nowadays. The band is tight, professional, and not above having some fun along the way. The only time I got to see them in concert (at the 3RP fest in Pittsburgh, PA, circa 2008), they were consummate professionals on-stage, and very friendly/accommodating afterward -- even letting me get my photo taken with them, get autographs from them, and putting up with me trying to pronounce their names correctly (Hasse Froberg in particular) with my atrocious American accent. ;)

Truly, they seemed like great guys and I was glad to have seen them. Being a keyboardist myself, I was in awe of Tomas Bodin and was a bit dumbfounded when I actually got to talk to him. For me he's right up there with Tony Banks, Lyle Mays, and my other piano/kbd heroes. He even seemed to know where Alabama was, when I told him that's where I had traveled from to see them.

So while I know that TFK probably aren't your proverbial cup of tea for the most part, I would suggest giving their album Unfold The Future a spin sometime if you haven't already. I think it was their most ambitious, and coincidentally their most jazzy and diverse collection of songs ever. Though on Banks of Eden and especially Desolation Rose they started mixing things up a bit, IMO. But there's still that unmistakable Roine Stolt thumbprint. ;)

But above all else, thank you for your reasoned perspective/critique. I appreciate it.

[Poisoned Youth]

Would be interested to hear people's opinions on his three solo albums up to The Flowerking?
Fantasia (1979)
Behind The Walls (1985)
The Lonely Heartbeat (1989)

For completists only. In a word? Bad.

[Poisoned Youth]

and now here I had thought I knew all of the various TFK/Stolt side projects but this is a new one for me - never even heard about it. Thanks!!!! ordered!

Interesting. It was one of the firsts, if not the first of the side project albums (Hydrophonia aside). It was also, frankly, one of the first times I heard something TFK related and said "pass". Maybe I'll give it a spin after all these years, but I preferred everything else Stolt was doing around this period.

[Poisoned Youth]

Tried my hand at other Stolt projects as well to no avail, but hey - you can't win or dig 'em all.

Ain't that the truth. I can't think of really anything TFK or Stolt related to recommend you knowing your tastes except to say that I would stick to the early albums and Stolt's Hydrophonia. Beyond that, Space Revolver tended to be a title that was (moderately) appreciated by avant-leaning friends at the time. And Unfold The Future tended to piss off many of the TFK core for being too "jazzy" and having "pointless" tracks.

I have been a fan for 20 years, but tend to prefer the earlier albums, which had more "groove" for lack of a better word. I also preferred Stolt's singing and whenever they got more aggressive. I have never been a big fan of Hasse's vocals nor the songs that get into the Yes lyrics and crescendos territory.

[Kai]

I got Back in the World of Adventures in 1998 after reading rave reviews of the group. I also had Kaipa's first two albums and liked them a lot. Upon listening to the album, I was... underwhelmed. Nothing wrong with the kind of symphonic rock that should have been right up my alley, but it didn't really connect with me more than momentarily. Over the next two years, I did get Retropolis and Stardust We Are (plus Stolt's Hydrophonia and Bodin's An Ordinary Night in my Ordinary Life). Stardust I found the most satisfying, and all had their moments, but after that I felt I had no need to own any more of their music. I've tried some of their later albums over the years (e.g. Unfold the Future), but none of them has changed by view. Not bad, just redundant.

Funnily, exactly the same happened with their U.S. counterpart Spock's Beard. I got three albums, thought some of the material was really good, but I could never work up the evangelical fervour they seemed to generate (nor the aversion that followed it). But then again, I was somewhat ambivalent about many of the other lauded names of 90s prog, like Deus ex Machina, Echolyn, Porcupine Tree and Änlagård.

[Plasmatopia]

Tried my hand at other Stolt projects as well to no avail, but hey - you can't win or dig 'em all.

Of course not. There's no point in forcing something that isn't going to happen. The only thing I am wondering if you have heard or might like is 3rd World Electric. It's in the vein of Weather Report.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FscfDdoBgjo

[JKL2000]

Dave said:

"I found the infinite endings too much to take"

Infinite Endings would be a great title for one of their albums! LOL.

[miamiscot]

I stumbled across World Of Adventures around 1997 and it did nothing for me. A few years later I decided to take another chance on The Flower Kings with Space Revolver and I've been hooked ever since.

I love all TFK's records now and am of the opinion that they have gotten better over time. The early stuff was great but a bit flimsy whereas the later material (especially the last three) have been right in my wheelhouse.

If a song is really, really good do you really want it to end?

[adap2it]

Dave said:

"I found the infinite endings too much to take"

Infinite Endings would be a great title for one of their albums! LOL.

Yes indeed Jed! I actually prefer Tomas Bodin's stuff, especially Swedish family

[aith01]

Yes indeed Jed! I actually prefer Tomas Bodin's stuff, especially Swedish family

Kept meaning to pick up Swedish Family but never got around to it. The conceptual "backstory" was quite amusing! :)

[adap2it]

Kept meaning to pick up Swedish Family but never got around to it. The conceptual "backstory" was quite amusing! :)

I was talking to Tomas at 3RP, and he explained the story behind Swedish Family. I thought it was a really good concept, in a Spinal Tap way.

[SRS]

I was talking to Tomas at 3RP, and he explained the story behind Swedish Family. I thought it was a really good concept, in a Spinal Tap way.

Tomas' website teased a follow up album: ”Swedish Family II- The Lost Tapes” that was going to be Tomas again with Roine and Hasse Bruniusson but alas it never happened.

[infandous]

I discovered them sometime in 1999, not sure of exactly where I first saw the name, but probably on a prog message board of some sort. I went to their web site, read some reviews, then ordered Retropolis and Stardust We Are without having heard a note. I was convinced based on the reviews, the album covers, and the epic track lengths (which gets a bit exaggerated by some here......they have far more songs under 10 minutes than they do over 10 minutes) that I would love their music. I was, thankfully, correct, since the albums were imports and cost me a pretty penny (I think it was $50 for the two, including shipping). That was also my first of countless orders from Greg Walker's Synphoinc. It only took the first track of Retropolis (the title track) to convince me that I would love this band. I quickly bought all the ones I didn't have, and have bought all their albums on release ever since. They were the first post-70's band I truly fell in love with.

There is no question they are "retro" in their approach and that certainly on the first half dozen albums they were channeling Yes and Genesis heavily (along with a few others like King Crimson). Personally, I share Guy's view that they refined the approach of the 70's bands in a very positive and creative way. They took various musical styles and combined them in interesting ways. The difference between that and what the 70's guys did is they had that 70's stuff to draw from as well.

Ever since Sum of no Evil (which I think was the best thing they did since Unfold), I've not been thrilled with their output, but at least they are trying different things and not just rehashing their old formula (which I happened to love.....and they certainly are no where near as formulaic as a Neal Morse or IQ, for example). So the last two albums aren't my favorites and just barely edge out my previous least favorite, Adam & Eve. That said, they were my favorite band for more than 10 years and I still consider them in the top 10 of my all time favorites. Certainly the best of the "3rd wave" (or whatever you want to call it) bands. They just hit all the right buttons for me. I was totally aware they were pastiching 70's prog, but I didn't care because they did it so well. Good music is good music, I say.

As to the mentions of The New Grove Project, that has to be my least favorite thing I've heard Stolt involved in. The music is okay for the most part, but the vocals are terrible and mostly unlistanable, and Stolt and Par Lindh are criminally under utilized. I have to say, I'm kind of surprised it's getting praise here (well, no I'm really not, since quite often things I don't care for get praised here ;) ). To each his own I guess.

Anyway, I have everything I could find that the members of the band have been involved with though nothing really comes close to the FK material, IMO (including Stolt's Hydrophonia and Bodin's, admittedly quite good, solo stuff..........his I AM album is probably my most favorite FK related album).

[yesstiles]

I Bodin's, admittedly quite good, solo stuff..........his I AM album is probably my most favorite FK related album).

I would pay top dollar to hear that album with Roine's voice & lyrics replacing Bodin's. Great stuff regardless.