This is the album where my patience with them ran out. I am a big fan of their early catalog and stayed with them up through this release before finally realizing they were not headed in the direction I thought they would.
Love the artwork though. Reminds me of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
8f9ea871f7ce3944d5ce8a0541cf3613.jpg
Duncan's going to make a Horns Emoticon!!!
What turmoil would that be? Just curious... as much of a fan as I am of TFK, and as much as I've listened to their music, I actually know very little of their band history. I know there was some problem between one of the drummers and Tomas Bodin, if I recall correctly, but I don't even know much about that.Originally Posted by Plasmatopia
I listened to The Rainmaker recently and it was a lot better than I remembered. There are a few tunes in the middle of the album that bring it down a couple of notches but the good material is very strong. I must say, it's nice to see so much love for Paradox Hotel, I thought it was viewed less favourably overall.
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.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
I really don't recall the details, but I think there was a bit of a falling out between Roine and Tomas? Not really sure why. Someone else may remember the details.
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I found a review that I wrote back in 2007:
"I honestly don't know how these guys come up with the amount of material they put out. "Paradox" is yet another double CD of new music that clocks in at over 2 hours. Some lineup changes take place on this one. Daniel Gildenlow is gone and Hasse Bruniusson only appears here and there. The band also has a new drummer in Marcus Liliequist, who has a very different style from previous drummer Zoltan Csorsz. "Paradox Hotel" is somewhat of a concept album revolving around the planet earth and it's residents as guests in the "Paradox Hotel". Each song is about a different resident of the "hotel" (although a few of the tracks don't really seem to fit this formula). For the most part the songs are shorter (i.e. short for the Flower Kings), as there are no really long epics on this one. I have criticized some of The Flower Kings earlier double albums for not editing down the filler enough, but on this one they really pull off 2 hours of solid material. I actually think this may be one of, if not the best album of their career. What really stands out for me on this one is the songwriting. It is really solid throughout with hooks that won't leave your head. The band, as always, is in top form musically covering a lot of musical ground over the course of the two discs. Highlights include "Monsters And Men" that starts out the album. "Hit Me With A Hit", a song about the pressure to write a hit song. It starts out with the line, "If you really wanted to, you could write a hit. You could cut the corners, and you could make things fit." This is certainly appropriate for the Flower Kings. "Bavarian Skies" is probably the most unusual song on the album. The song is told from the perspective of a Nazi that has been living in exile for 50 years (or is it Adolf Hitler himself?), lamenting the days when Germany was the terror of the world. Some may find this song disturbing or possibly even offensive, but I think it is very clever and certainly unique. "End On A High Note" closes out disc one. It is a feel good number with an absolutely infectious chorus. It sounds a bit like Yes, but is at the same time distinctly Flower Kings. Disc two starts out with "More Giant Steps" which is another Stolt mini masterpiece. "Life Will Kill You' from Hasse Froberg, is a more pop oriented song, that is simple yet effective and a great little tune. The title track is another great one with it's chorus of "It's a living hell, at Paradox Hotel" that kind of sums up all of the residents in one mini smorgasbord. Everything else on the album is solid as well. There is not much more I can say about this one, but if you are at all a fan of The Flower Kings, this one is essential, and probably their best album since "Stardust We Are"."
It's not really a bad album but it doesn't excite me much either. I'd say it's near the bottom of their catalog. There are a few good melodies on here but it's a total waste for this to be a double. They should have taken the best ideas and made it a single imo. It's as if they felt obligated to put out another double or something. It seems that after this they learned their lesson and released their extra material as a bonus disc and not part of the official package.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
One of their very best albums! So much diversity, I love this one.
Stand-outs are: "Monsters and Men," "End On A High Note," Minor Giant Steps," "Mommy Leave the Light On," "What If God Is Alone," and "Blue Planet."
"Monsters and Men" starts out with a whimper but ends with a bang.
The thing is, they are essentially releasing a double album that way too, IMO. I mean, I don't know of very many people who just buy the 1-disc version if there is a 2-disc version available. Maybe some do. But by releasing all the music anyway, it's not that different, at least to me.
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.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Much better than "Numbers" imo. It just doesn't have a recognizable hook, but it's a wonderful journey of a song, sort of like "Love Supreme."
I think the only clunkers on this album are the tunes that try to rock out too much with Hasse belting it. Everything else is just lovely.
I like quite a bit of this album but, like practically every FK album, not all of it.
This abum has a lot more 'hit' then 'miss' for me.
Much like its predecessor, PH starts with one of TFK's very best tracks and then quickly devolves into mediocrity...
Nothing wrong here (except the God-awful Bavarian Skies) but, besides Hit Me With A Hit, not a lot to get excited about either.
Near the bottom for me.
The Prog Corner
I liked at first but have now sold my copy, a couple of good tracks but never need to hear this one again I'm afraid.
I still really like Monsters & Men, End On A High Note, Minor Giant Steps, Pioneers of Aviation, the title track, and quite a few others. It's one of their more diverse collections, IMO.
While this album doesn't rank terribly high for me, I like most of it a lot. I find Monsters and Men to be incredibly dull and plodding, much like Love Supreme from the previous album. Other than that though, I think it's all quite good to excellent. I even like Bavarian Skies, though it's not one of the best tunes on the album. Hit Me With a Hit, Unorthodox Dancing Lesson, Pioneers of Aviation, End On A High Note, Jealousy, Touch My Heaven.......so many good tracks!
I've always liked "Bavarian Skies." Probably because I'm fascinated by WWII. And it seems also to emit so much strange pathos.
Love the double live "Instant DeLIVEry" that was recorded in the Netherlands on 19/04/06 when touring for PH.
'The smell of strange colours are heard everywhere'- Threshold
Favorite by TFK or favorite by anybody?
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Wow, I find it amazing how opinions differ and of course, that‘s part of what makes it all exciting, but sometimes I just wish everyone could hear what I hear when I put love supreme on...probably my secretly favorite flower kings tune
I love paradox hotel, especially because it really sticks out in the fk discography as more diverse sounding, more tracks that get to the point straight away and, for the first time, truly a whole lot of input by the other members. The epic (m&m) though has to be my favorite, next to pioneers, hit me etc. That church organ lick in unison with guitar!!!!
Somehow hauntingly beautiful, no? Always enjoyed that tune as well...
I'm in your hearing camp, Zappyesque. Though I wouldn't site Love Supreme as my favourite in TFK's canon, I do enjoy it very much, particularly the build up towards the end of the piece. For my listening, I find much to enjoy on Adam and Eve.Wow, I find it amazing how opinions differ and of course, that‘s part of what makes it all exciting, but sometimes I just wish everyone could hear what I hear when I put love supreme on...probably my secretly favorite flower kings tune
Well said, and I share your sentiments.
Another fan of Bavarian Skies. I'll have to dig this cd out and have a listen to see how apt your description of the song is.
Well, I think getting Adam & Eve right when it was released might have had something to do with it. After the heady Unfold and associated live shows, I just felt it was a huge step down musically. Over the years I've come to enjoy a lot of that album, but Love Supreme just doesn't move me very much, same with Monsters and Men. Believe me, I also wish I could hear what you hear on those tracksWow, I find it amazing how opinions differ and of course, that‘s part of what makes it all exciting, but sometimes I just wish everyone could hear what I hear when I put love supreme on...probably my secretly favorite flower kings tune
I love paradox hotel, especially because it really sticks out in the fk discography as more diverse sounding, more tracks that get to the point straight away and, for the first time, truly a whole lot of input by the other members. The epic (m&m) though has to be my favorite, next to pioneers, hit me etc. That church organ lick in unison with guitar!!!!
That said, I agree with you about Paradox Hotel, I love the diversity of material (even if the epic is disappointing to me still). It was actually a relief to me coming out after Adam & Eve. Generally, I prefer the early FK's stuff, up through Unfold (and even that one was a bit disappointing to me when I first heard it...........it took almost a whole year for it to click for me!). There is just something magical to me about those first 6 albums (including The Flower King album in that) that I don't feel was ever repeated by TFK's. Still, I enjoy everything that came after to varying degrees, so there's really nothing I can say I hate or never listen to anymore by them.
As a total aside i just ordered Fifty Freakin' Years of the Fabulous Freak Brothers because of this post, didn't know Gilbert Shelton was still active which is very cool!
Regarding Paradox Hotel this was the last release i bought by TFK's, since Space Revolver they were losing me more with each release. I've found it very difficult to listen to an entire release without hitting the skip button which is something i don't normally do so i gave up. It's been years, maybe i should give it another shot.
The guitar solo for "Touch My Heaven" SERIOUSLY NEEDS MORE LOVE.
"Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)
Been in the mood for this stuff lately after spending a long time transcribing my interview with Roine for an upcoming article (he's a talker.) Listened to Paradox Hotel (yep, both discs) and Adam & Eve today, and The Sum Of No Evil yesterday. I might be entering a 'phase', and that means I'll likely start looking at that Kingdom Of Colours II box soon and wondering if I should buy it for the bonus discs (I do have about half of that material officially released already.)
These are the three albums I've probably listened to the least. I'm very familiar with the initial run of albums and the most recent two, but that "later middle period" was never a favourite of mine (they've recorded over 18 hours of music over their dozen albums, there's only so much of it I can take in on a regular basis, especially when I have my favourites already!) I was surprised at how good it is, coming back to it this time around. Particularly The Sum Of No Evil, which I had always considered my least favourite. It's very strong! I'm keeping it off the shelf for another spin next week. I recognized quite a few moments on the other albums as well, that I had forgotten about.
While loosely on the subject, I never did get the third Hasse Froberg/Musical Companion album. Any good?
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.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
the best one of you ask me! best production, great songs and clear production values. Not as anthemic as the previous two Imo
Those albums are probably my favorite period of Flower Kings music! Although my two favorite songs are "Garden of Dreams" and "Stardust We Are."
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