The Flower Kings – 2016 recap and look ahead to 2017

[miamiscot]

Well, Roine did say no Flower King for at least the next 5 years in that interview posted earlier in the thread, so I'd say it's doubtful

I will be interested to see though what the new "super group" actually is....

Very much looking forward to Anderson/Stolt 2 though.

Also, I'm not really all that thrilled with the latest Neal Morse band album. I'm not exactly sure why, but it just seems even more samey than previous ones. I realize that seems like a ridiculous statement, considering the diversity of style on the album, but I've heard every style on that album from Neal many times before. That said, the musicianship is outstanding, flawless performances all around of what sounds like fairly challenging music. I don't dislike it, I just don't seem to be connecting with it very well. Maybe I'm finally tired of the Neal Morse style? We'll see.

It took me a few listens to really catch on to the greatness of The Similitude Of A Dream. For a guy that everyone says never changes his sound it's funny how every Neal Morse record sounds completely different to me.

And I, for one, love how Neal and Mike work together. They are perfect together. The cheese of NM and the bombast of MP. Love it all.

That said, I could really use a new record from The Flower Kings right about now.

[infandous]

I'd actually like to see Neal work with a different drummer. A lot of the "samey-ness" I experienced with his new album has a lot to do with the drumming, I think.

Neal is an immense talent, but sometimes I get Morse-fatigue if I take his stuff in large doses.

Yeah, you may be right about that. Portnoy's "prog" playing has become pretty predictable, as good as it is.

[infandous]

It took me a few listens to really catch on to the greatness of The Similitude Of A Dream. For a guy that everyone says never changes his sound it's funny how every Neal Morse record sounds completely different to me.

And I, for one, love how Neal and Mike work together. They are perfect together. The cheese of NM and the bombast of MP. Love it all.

That said, I could really use a new record from The Flower Kings right about now.

Well, I've listened to it a dozen times now. Still not doing much for me. As to all his records sounding completely different? You must be joking? If you are not, then all I can say is lucky you. Of course, I've actually enjoyed his "patented prog formula" for many years and didn't really want him to go off and do something completely different. It's just for some reason this particular album just isn't clicking for me..........and it certainly isn't because it's different (in some ways it is, but more in the layout than the actual music........more shorter connected tunes instead of different tunes with a giant epic or two......of course, that makes it very similar to both Testimony albums in layout....).

[Rufus]

It took me a few listens to really catch on to the greatness of The Similitude Of A Dream. For a guy that everyone says never changes his sound it's funny how every Neal Morse record sounds completely different to me.

And I, for one, love how Neal and Mike work together. They are perfect together. The cheese of NM and the bombast of MP. Love it all.

That said, I could really use a new record from The Flower Kings right about now.

^^^THIS! His previous album The Grand Experiment sounded like nothing previous & The Similtude of a Dream is so eclectic.

DITTO with a new FK album but Roine needs to up his game and change things around a bit like Neal.

[aith01]

DITTO with a new FK album but Roine needs to up his game and change things around a bit like Neal.

I would say Roine has already changed things around a bit with Banks of Eden and Desolation Rose. I heard things on those records that were new for TFK, and some fans were put-off by that too.

Quite liked them myself though.

[yesstiles]

I would say Roine has already changed things around a bit with Banks of Eden and Desolation Rose. I heard things on those records that were new for TFK, and some fans were put-off by that too.

Quite liked them myself though.

Yes, kudos to Stolt for taking chances with the last 2 FK records. However, those are the two worst Flower Kings records imo. Did not like the new sound.

[Rufus]

I would say Roine has already changed things around a bit with Banks of Eden and Desolation Rose. I heard things on those records that were new for TFK, and some fans were put-off by that too.

Quite liked them myself though.

I only think he upped his game with Transatlantic & Agents of Mercy and that's coming from a big FK fan.

[Plasmatopia]

Shame on a progger for trying to progress...lol...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aith01]

Yes, kudos to Stolt for taking chances with the last 2 FK records. However, those are the two worst Flower Kings records imo. Did not like the new sound.

To each his own of course. Personally, I felt that Desolation Rose was one of their absolute best.

[miamiscot]

To each his own of course. Personally, I felt that Desolation Rose was one of their absolute best.

I thought both Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose were fabulous. Light years from Flower Power or Retropolis. Progress!!! Isn't that what it's all about?

[aith01]

I thought both Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose were fabulous. Light years from Flower Power or Retropolis. Progress!!! Isn't that what it's all about?

Same here! I still have a lot of fondness for those early TFK records, but they evolved and I'm glad they did.

[miamiscot]

Same here! I still have a lot of fondness for those early TFK records, but they evolved and I'm glad they did.

Same here. Stardust We Are is probably my favorite but I love all 12 albums. A lot.

[ScottAM]

Since there's some talk of Transatlantic in this post, if anyone here doesn't know...3/4th's of TA reunited on CTTE for a most incredible set to celebrate Portnoy's birthday. It was simply amazing! Pete was in great form, despite not playing that many notes in years. Ted Leonard sat in for Roine's parts and did a surprisingly good job, with Bill Hubauer (from NMB) providing backup keys and guitar and vocals as needed. It was sublime! Daniel made a cameo during Into the Blue to sing his part, wow.

Portnoy officially said that Roine couldn't make it "due to touring with Kaipa" but it sounds pretty evident that he has little interest in returning to TA anytime soon, or ever. The other guys are plenty busy as well, so I wouldn't expect any new TA for quite a while (unless Pete and the guys really got inspired by this show and want to continue sooner) and even then Roine may get replaced if he chooses not to rejoin.

I'm not surprised to hear Roine's statement about no new FK for a long time, when I talked to him last May he was pretty tired of his regular bands and wanted to try new creative ideas, so I'm glad a new supergroup is in the works and Anderson/Stolt II.

[aith01]

I'm perhaps most excited about another Anderson/Stolt record. Invention of Knowledge has really grown on me a lot over the last several months.

[Mikhael]

I'm perhaps most excited about another Anderson/Stolt record. Invention of Knowledge has really grown on me a lot over the last several months.

i can't say that. The shine wore off rather quickly for me. I was hoping for a little more Stolt on the record; not so much his guitar playing, but taking the music on a journey, which it did not do very well for me. Hopefully the next recording is more equitable and adventurous.

[SRS]

Since there's some talk of Transatlantic in this post, if anyone here doesn't know...3/4th's of TA reunited on CTTE for a most incredible set to celebrate Portnoy's birthday. It was simply amazing! Pete was in great form, despite not playing that many notes in years. Ted Leonard sat in for Roine's parts and did a surprisingly good job, with Bill Hubauer (from NMB) providing backup keys and guitar and vocals as needed. It was sublime! Daniel made a cameo during Into the Blue to sing his part, wow.

Portnoy officially said that Roine couldn't make it "due to touring with Kaipa" but it sounds pretty evident that he has little interest in returning to TA anytime soon, or ever. The other guys are plenty busy as well, so I wouldn't expect any new TA for quite a while (unless Pete and the guys really got inspired by this show and want to continue sooner) and even then Roine may get replaced if he chooses not to rejoin.

I'm not surprised to hear Roine's statement about no new FK for a long time, when I talked to him last May he was pretty tired of his regular bands and wanted to try new creative ideas, so I'm glad a new supergroup is in the works and Anderson/Stolt II.

Cool - thanks I was wondering what the Transatlantic performance on CTTE was going to be like. Awesome that Daniel performed again with them as well. I wouldn't read too much into Roine not being there and the future of TA. I think Transatlantic did a festival gig before without Pete due to scheduling conflicts. And Stolt really is on tour with Kaipa and has been for the last month. I've always got the impression that Roine was up for Transatlantic at any time but it was Neal and Mike's schedules that were the biggest hurdle. Flying Colors seems to be next on their schedules, plus Daniel is touring with PoS, so that pushes any Transatlantic reunion off even further. But I think it is OK if they take a break - plenty of good stuff coming from Stolt- I am also super excited about the new supergroup he has teased and of course Anderson/Stolt II

[infandous]

Shame on a progger for trying to progress...lol...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

See that's just it.........I don't feel much in the way of "progress" from the last two FK albums. Banks seems like pretty standard FK stuff, just stripped down with all the more eclectic and interesting bits removed (and all the "eyebrows", as Zappa called it, removed as well). DR is a bit more interesting to me, but still seem to be lacking in much of what made them great in the past. That said, it IS different and for that I give Roine kudos for trying.

As to the latest Neal Morse, I just don't hear anything new or different, which is usually fine and what I expect from him.....but it's just not doing it for me like previous albums. Still enjoyable though.

[infandous]

Same here. Stardust We Are is probably my favorite but I love all 12 albums. A lot.

Yeah, I should probably point out that I like all of their albums to varying degrees. There is not one that I don't enjoy. It's just that I have my favorites and my lesser favorites. I guess when you are as invested in a group as I have been with the FK's (going on 20 years now!!!), you tend to analyze the albums under a microscope more. At the end of the day though, I can pull out any of their albums and really enjoy the listening experience. Again, just some more than others

[aith01]

Yeah, I should probably point out that I like all of their albums to varying degrees. There is not one that I don't enjoy. It's just that I have my favorites and my lesser favorites. I guess when you are as invested in a group as I have been with the FK's (going on 20 years now!!!), you tend to analyze the albums under a microscope more. At the end of the day though, I can pull out any of their albums and really enjoy the listening experience. Again, just some more than others

Likewise.

[miamiscot]

I love Invention Of Knowledge. It keeps revealing itself over time in the best sort of way. Yeah, Roine keeps in the background but DAMN - there's a lot in the background to explore.

Cannot wait for Anderson/Stolt II. More excited about this than a new YES or ARW record.

The Flower Kings are my third favorite band (after YES and Genesis, obviously.) I rate their output as follows:

Back In The World Of Adventures 8/10
Retropolis 8/10
Stardust We Are 9.5/10
Flower Power 9/10
Space Revolver 9.5/10
Rainmaker 7.5/10
Unfold The Future 8/10
Adam & Eve 8/10
Paradox Hotel 7.5/10
The Sum Of No Evil 9.5/10
Banks Of Eden 9/10
Desolation Rose 9/10

So yeah. I love 'em all - to varying degrees.

[stevea]

So you don't rate "The Flower King", or you don't consider it a TFK album?

[Plasmatopia]

See that's just it.........I don't feel much in the way of "progress" from the last two FK albums. Banks seems like pretty standard FK stuff, just stripped down with all the more eclectic and interesting bits removed (and all the "eyebrows", as Zappa called it, removed as well). DR is a bit more interesting to me, but still seem to be lacking in much of what made them great in the past. That said, it IS different and for that I give Roine kudos for trying.

As to the latest Neal Morse, I just don't hear anything new or different, which is usually fine and what I expect from him.....but it's just not doing it for me like previous albums. Still enjoyable though.

I don't consider either of the last two TFK albums to be pushing boundaries really. DR might have been pushing their personal boundaries in some sense, since it was approached totally differently from past projects. My comment was only in reference to a comment that struck me funny.

[infandous]

I don't consider either of the last two TFK albums to be pushing boundaries really. DR might have been pushing their personal boundaries in some sense, since it was approached totally differently from past projects. My comment was only in reference to a comment that struck me funny.

Yeah, I figured that. Actually, what I find kind of strange about DR is that they claimed it was a different approach, but more than half the tracks still list just Roine as the writer. So 3 or 4 tunes appear to be band compositions, with the rest being Roine (and one by Jonas, if I'm remembering correctly). So even that different approach didn't really shape the album as much as they made it sound.

[Plasmatopia]

Yeah, I figured that. Actually, what I find kind of strange about DR is that they claimed it was a different approach, but more than half the tracks still list just Roine as the writer. So 3 or 4 tunes appear to be band compositions, with the rest being Roine (and one by Jonas, if I'm remembering correctly). So even that different approach didn't really shape the album as much as they made it sound.

I guess it depends on what really happened in the studio. Even if one person was listed as the composer, was that just the overall idea and the others added their specific parts on the spot....so in a sense they may have contributed more than the credit might suggest?

[infandous]

I guess it depends on what really happened in the studio. Even if one person was listed as the composer, was that just the overall idea and the others added their specific parts on the spot....so in a sense they may have contributed more than the credit might suggest?

I suppose that's possible, though you'd think Roine would still give credit where credit was due. I suspect that on all the albums he doesn't tell the players exactly what to play, so in that sense the members have probably always contributed to the finished product. Of course, if that is the case here, then there is still the question of what was different? It IS a bit different than previous albums, looser and not as tightly composed sounding, so I guess there's that. Anyway, I just thought it was odd that Roine said they were going into the studio with nothing written and were going to do it all collaboratively, then when you look at the writing credits, more than half the album still only lists Roine as the sole composer.