"just a little effort"
I can only imagine (considering how much is going on musically, not to mention the cat-herding involved in dealing with someone like JA) it was already a herculean effort.
"just a little effort"
I can only imagine (considering how much is going on musically, not to mention the cat-herding involved in dealing with someone like JA) it was already a herculean effort.
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Originally Posted by Plasmatopia
I know, right? My thoughts exactly.
When The Invention of Knowledge came out, I was too busy...with something...to listen to the whole thing. Shocking, I know, but I just had my first full listen to it and...I think it's a very good album! Lots of great buildup and climaxes, and I like the recurring themes, even though I still don't know what "the Tremalon days" means! Anyone know?
In fact, I hadn't noticed some of the great talent on the album: Lalle Larsson, Brislin, etc. All in all, I now think it's a pretty "major" release. The lyrics may be a bit more stream-of-consciousness, even for Anderson, but don't make any more or less sense than those of ABWH, IMO.
Anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised, and this helped me fill up what I hope is the last day before The Absolute Universe finds its way to me!
I still like The Invention Of Knowledge and hope that Anderson and Stolt make another one someday (hopefully sooner than later...).
My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/
I revisit this one from time to time and think it stands up well, perhaps it is a little too wordy in parts, but certainly Roine complemented Jon’s vision and produced something of value. Honestly the music inside of this guy is quite incredible, I have never kept pace with his Flower Kings work, but it seems like double album after double album, year after year. There was a vinyl version of the Invention of knowledge in my local HMV for a long time, but I passed up buying it and regret that now, the packaging was superb.
Perhaps your rousing review will encourage me to listen to it again...it has been a while...it just seemed so disjointed and the lyrics really put me off.
I’ll try again!!
I agree. There is a significant level of detail on this whole work that rewards further listening, and I appreciate Roine's solid contributions as well. I thought the beginning and the ending of this record were both very strong, but it sagged pretty heavily and for a bit too long in the middle. As for the lyrics... they're rather typical later-period Jon Anderson New Age stuff. At this point, all one can say about that is "It is what it is." There's a follow-up to this one that's been in the works for some time now. Regardless, I hope that sees daylight soon!
I’m not sure I was aiming for rousing review! I do like it well enough but agree with Bruce that it is a little too long and repetitive in places. I am just amazed how much music Roine has put out in his career. I do not have a great deal of it, I always found the early TFK too bombastic for my tastes, but some of the later period I like a lot, and if I want OTT prog, there’s always his work in Transatlantic to scratch that itch. I hope he and Jon get the second album completed too.
Can anyone say how the Agents of Mercy albums have held up for them, if you've listened to any of them recently-ish? Although I bought the CDs, I wasn't too into them, and really can't recall any of them now, but I didn't devote very much time to any of them either. Maybe I'm in a better place to check them out again now.
Actually, they're all on Spotify, so I just put on the first one, The Fading Ghosts of Twilight. If anyone would like, join me in a mini-project of listening to all three albums and we can discuss them here. It's all coming back to me now...
Last edited by JKL2000; 02-10-2021 at 01:55 AM.
I still revisit the first one a few times a year The Fading Ghosts of Twilight I love this one and think it has some of Roine's best writing. It's a different feel from TFK and quite beautiful. "Jesus On the Barricades" is a really special one. I haven't listened to #2 and #3 as recently so should do the same as you and check them out again. It might be a good break for me to avoid falling too deep into The Absolute Universe.
Regarding A/S and A/S2 I have to think the second one will eventually see release. Roine already put in a lot of work 3 years ago to do a remix of the first album for a special re-release "I'm mixing alternative takes, 24/96kHz and 5.1 surround mixes of the Anderson/Stolt album for a LTD edition big art book of this album . It sounds insanely good at 24/96 and the mixes are cleaned up and with way less compression - so dynamics are staggering. A must have for all Jon & all HiFi fans" I would think IO would want to release this but are sitting on it in order to do it closer to the release of the second one to build anticipation toward it.
Whether the delay is coming from Roine's side or Jon's side is impossible to sayBut as long as the end result is worth it
Yeah, I'm very intrigued by the possibility of a new limited edition release of IoK. And last I heard they were about halfway through making a second album? Hopefully work is underway as we speak.
I like all the Agents of Mercy albums, but I think the first one is the best and most unique of the three. I like that it is more subdued and seems like, to my ears, has more sonic "space" than the next two which were slightly harder edged or bombastic or whatever.
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^ There is this from Stolt from last month:
"a couple of weeks ago [...] I started digging into the files [for A/S 2] again [...] Maybe I should just compile the best of the songs that we’ve done up to this point, because there’s probably seven or eight songs that I think are really strong. And one or two of the songs he wrote together with his son. So I think there’s great material already. And then I was just thinking that maybe if I take this symphonic piece and let him sing whatever he wants to sing on it, that makes an album!
"[...] I haven’t spoken to Jon in a couple of weeks or a month or something like that. So, I have no idea where he’s at with that, but I’m thinking that maybe I just send it over to see. [...] It’s strange time for all of us. It’s about a couple of different things, we have other projects, but it’s also about survival. So we need to find ways to get the money in. Transatlantic for me is a good way of that, and The Flower Kings [...] sometimes I have to give priority, you know, and which I kind of regret sometimes, but it’s reality. [...] Sometimes I’m too much of a dreamer. So I just think about all these projects with other people that I want to do and it just goes on and on and on. Sometimes you spend a lot of time on projects that don’t generate a lot of money."
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
That is my remembrance as well. With 2 and 3 it developed more into a band effort while the first one was really born out of an acoustic project Stolt wanted to do that grew and grew as he asked Nad to sing on more and more of the songs.
I'm puzzled by that quote, wouldn't A/S be on par with TA and sell more than TFK? Maybe he is referring to the expense he would have to put up for the actual recording of it. Or is he talking from Jon's perspective that it is better for him to re-release some of his older albums than work on this?
I was somewhat puzzled by that too. My guess is that, no, A/S probably doesn't sell on a par with TA, although I imagine it sells better than The Sea Within.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
My favorite Agents of Mercy album was the second one, Dramarama. Yeah, it was more of a band effort, but it was great. Nad even brought one or two songs that had either been left over from Unifaun or a possible follow up to Unifaun. "Roger the Tailor" and "Meet Johnnie Walker" are my favorites.
Fading Ghosts of Twilight is great too of course. The third one was good, but I listen to it the least of them all. It was a harder, rockier album than the other two and I kinda missed the sound they had on the previous records.
"Cinnamon Tree" is one of Nad's. That's a wonderful song.
How could I forget about "Cinnamon Tree"? That is a wonderful song, I agree.
For a long time Dramarama was my favorite of the three as well and I got a lot of mileage out of that one. But somehow Fading had flown a bit under my radar and when I came back to it I appreciated it much more than I had initially.
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Oh yeah, likewise. For me, Fading is just a smidgeon behind Dramarama; they're still really close. I really came around to it about a year or so after it came out, and it's still one of my fave Roine-related CDs.
I love the Agents of Mercy albums. They all have their strengths and I play them still pretty frequently. I would say I prefer them over most FK albums and most earlier TA albums too. Perhaps my perception is changing a bit as I quite like the abridged Absolute Universe and quite enjoy the most recent FK album but the AoM albums really shine. I love the live Fading Ghosts material as well from the gig they did with Karmakanic in LA. The first AoM is still my favorite but I listen to Dramarama and the third album frequently too. Probably more than any other modern progressive rock records over the past decade. I'd love a fourth album from Agents of Mercy but that doesn't appear likely.
Would love to hear some more music with Walle Wahlgren on the drum kit!
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Stolt has remixed and remastered the album for this 2023 LP edition
https://burningshed.com/anderson-sto...e-double-vinyl
Has he stripped off 65% of the lyrics?
Sorry, I couldn’t resist the light-hearted, no harm meant, obvious reply.
Oh brother… The originals still exist man. Get over it already.
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