i completely agree with Space Revolver, i also like that it a single disc, top quality start to finish.Originally Posted by battema
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest The New Grove Project - Fool's Journey, a very quirky prog disc that wears it's influences on it's sleeve but has some of Roine's most blistering guitar work and fantastic keyboardist Par Lindh.
Two pages in and you already have tons of recommendations. But I have to add my picks for my favorite band!
For a Yes specialist like yourself I think The Flower Kings are really a perfect band for you to sink your teeth into. I certainly hope you like more of what you hear. You of course have the main core band (Flower Kings) but also a myriad of solo and side projects along the way. And now unfortunately even a little of the Yes type interpersonal drama. They are a great band to collect and the quality of material has remained consistently very very high!
I'll try to narrow it to a total of 5 or 6 recommendations across projects.
The Flower Kings:
Stardust We Are (1997)
Space Revolver (2000)
I started with SwA and it remains my favorite to this day. One of those albums that was so impactful I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard it.
SR is pretty easily accessible and also a very good pick. So one double and one single for a good introduction.
Kaipa (classic):
Inget Nytt Under Solen (1976)
I was almost tempted to go with the 2016 reunion album Dårskapens Monotoni but think it best to start with the original ones
Kaipa (modern):
Keyholder (2003)
The preceding one Notes from the Past (2002) is also very good (maybe better?) but Stolt was not as involved on it as he is on Keyholder
Agents of Mercy:
The Fading Ghosts Of Twilight (2009)
The Tangent:
The Music That Died Alone (2003)
Karmakanic:
Entering the Spectra (2002)
This might be a little hard to find now but I have to recommend it for the title track with Roine singing - probably the best TFK song that isn't technically TFK. Who's the Boss in the Factory (2008) is also a great choice and easier to find.
I own all of The Flower Kings albums and it is a tough call as to which one is the best. "Stardust We Are" is where I discovered them and I still think the 25 minute title track is the best individual song that they ever did, but this is a double album that contains some filler for sure. As others have mentioned, many of the band's albums are doubles and they all contain some level of filler. "Space Revolver" is a good one. I like "Paradox Hotel" a lot too. Another one that I have not seen anyone mention, but I happen to like is "Rainmaker". The album is mostly shorter songs, and is somewhat different from their other albums, but I have always liked it. If you are looking for more of an overview they have a couple of good compilations out there as well as several very good live albums.
For Kapia, the only album I own is "Keyholder" which is a good one.
While on the subject of Karmakanic, I feel compelled to mention Wheel of Life. Some really, really nice music on that one IMO.
Perhaps not the best place to start, but it's the first time I heard Roine play. Fool's Journey by New Grove Project:
And I really love what he's doing with Kaipa Da Kapo now. Hans Lundin's "other Kaipa", apart from a killer rhythm section, doesn't do anything for me since Roine left.
HuGo"Very, very nice," said a man in the crowd,
When the golden voice appeared.
She was gold alright, but then so is rust.
"Such a shame about the beard."
Roine's LH technique is pretty sick - he always gets an amazing tone with a beautiful vibrato, not even mentioning what he actually plays. Its the Gilmour-school of guitar playing, but I think he has his own thing going on, and has for long time.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Very nice description. Totally agreed, my man.
Word.
Word.
Word.
Roine's tone seemed to get better over the years. I like some of his earlier tones with TFK, but I found TFK during Roine's Parker years and I have a soft spot for that sound. That said, I think he stepped things up to another level when he started using the thin line Tele and the JET guitars. The main reason I like Transatlantic's last live album is Roine's guitar playing and tone. He brought that same tone to Banks of Eden and those tunes have some of my favorite Roine solos.
<sig out of order>
Can't believe I've been calling myself a die hard Roine fan over the years, knowing nothing about The New Grove Project....!!! Fantastic album! thanks so much for getting that one on to my radar!
Me too!
New Grove Project sounds pretty cool. Anyone got any idea how to get this album? It seems that it's not going to be easy to find.
As for the initial question, a lot of people are mentioning Space Revolver and while that is easily a top-tier FK album, I think Retropolis is a little more accessible for a first time listener. Songs like There Is More To This World, Silent Sorrow, and The Road Back Home have more immediate hooks to latch onto and really capture the essence of that early FK pre-jazz influenced sound. But honestly, any of their single albums are great places to start, and honestly, Stardust We Are hooked me even with its gargantuan length so if you're already a Stolt fan, then you may want to jump into this one. The title track is probably the single best FK song.
As for Kaipa, I think Solo is easily the best of their 70's output, and Keyholder is essential for their reformation output. I'm also a huge fan of the Stolt-less Vittjar but you may want to check out the Stolt ones first since his influence is all over them.
It should be very easy to come by on Discogs. I've had that CD for many years now, but I don't play it often. I should revisit it.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Do you have the Fantasia album? It's a bit in the old Kaipa vein. Typically Swedish. I even have some live performance (Tonkraft) somewhere on CDr, but that would take ages to find I'm afraid.
HuGo"Very, very nice," said a man in the crowd,
When the golden voice appeared.
She was gold alright, but then so is rust.
"Such a shame about the beard."
Accessible in what sense? I'm new to Flower Kings, but then I thought Trout Mask Replica was run-of-the-mill when I first heard it after years of listening to Biota, Henry Cow etc.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
I agree. Very tuneful album with great musicianship. The title track is extremely catchy.
As for the modern Kaipa: Listening to Aleena Gibson's voice is like having someone scrape the bottom of a frying pan with a fork two inches from my ear.
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
I don't think any TFK will "challenge" you in any way, as in its too difficult to grasp what's going on. Any dissonance or challenging harmonies or bits are nothing you cannot handle. I think if there is a stumbling block, it may be the length/form of some of the longer pieces, but then again if you can appreciate Tales or any number of longer symphonies, then no problem whatsoever. If I have to criticize the band, its Hasse's melodramatic vocals and vocal timbre, along with some cheesy lyrics, but that's just me. There are many fine moments in their music, some very uplifting parts even rivaling anything by Yes for that matter. I don't really listen to this band anymore (I still have never heard the last two studio albums in their entirety), but they were important in my life in the late 1990's/early 2000's and I made a lot of good friends on the old Flower Kings Yahoo Group. I have sort of moved on from what this group has to offer me musically, but please don't take that in a condescending way. Having said all of that, they are worth listening to as they are outstanding musicians, and Roine is a true talent and has (had?) a special thing gong on in terms of composing and playing, as well as studio production.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
PS - I always thought that this tune kick some major ARSE.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
That one I do own, yes. Not live but the studio album. Very enjoyable, of course quite tacky in some ways at well
My absolute fave Flower Kings albums are Space Revolver and The Rainmaker with Unfold The Future also being very good. The others have kind of faded into the background for me.
Oh yeah - one of their finest!
I have to say that I really liked Rainmaker a great deal. It has a kind of rawness to it and the tour was fantastic. For whatever reason, it seems to be down on most lists but I urge you to give it a listen.
The older I get, the better I was.
I think you raise an important point. Sometimes we all move on from a particular act/musician/style, but that can be about our own journey rather than a failing of the music/ian.
It's very easy when not enjoying as much the latest album from a once-loved band to conclude that the band have failed when sometimes it's just that our tastes have changed.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
I agree, I have loved that tune right from the first time I heard it, one of my fav FK tunes. The first fast part always kind of reminds me of Los Endos, and I like the contrasting symphonic mellow coda to close it out.
As I posted earlier I am also a fan of "Rainmaker", but if you look on sites like "Rate Your Music" the album comes in dead last which I have always found strange. Many Flower Kings fans (including myself) complain that many of their albums are too long and have a significant amount of filler. "Rainmaker" is one of the few albums where they did prune things down and for me it contains no filler. True, most of the songs are short in comparison to the FK epics, but for me it has always worked as one of their better overall albums.
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