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опять же под девизом - наша песня хороша....
и в связи тем, что у Предатора рип был:
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thanks to my friends
Именно после прослушивания этой группы я воспрял духом, будучи уверенным в том, что лучшие годы прогрессива остались в звездных 70-х. Идеи монстров иссякли, музыка стала более коммерческой – наглядным примером того является нынешний Genesis. Если не брать во внимание то, что было сделано музыкантами в 60-70х годах прошлого века, то современное их творчество будет поп-музыкой высочайшего уровня. Но это если только не оглянуться назад – иначе ощущается гигантский разрыв между тем и этим.
Швеция сыграла критическую роль в возрождении прогрессивного рока в 1990-ых, но среди мрачного звука коллективов, на которые решающее воздействие оказал King Crimson (подобно Anekdoten и Anglagard), а также позитивные Yes, Flower King чувствовали себя почти не на своем месте. Все же, FK стали рок – группой прогрессивного направления 1990-ых с наибольшим количеством почитателей, самыми большими продажами, и самой широкой мировой известностью.
..... Следом за коротким перерывом вышел Retropolis (май 1996), альбом, пронизанный духом 70-х. Этот альбом помог стать Цветочным Королям известными в Японии, Южной и Северной Америке.... myprogressive.ru/art_tfk.htm
What more could you ask for?, November 28, 2001
Reviewer: Bill Murphy, Media Maven (Kentwood, MI United States)
I stumbled on The Flower Kings via Transatlantic, the side project for FK guitarist Roine Stolt, Dream Theater drummer extraordinaire Mike Portnoy, Spock's Beard frontman Neal Morse and Marillion bassist Pete Trewavas.
I'm sure glad I did, too. This music is superb.
Progressive rock -- even well-played "neo-prog" -- is head and shoulders above other music these days. The level of musicianship is vastly superior to today's run-of-the-mill New Rock/Alt Rock/Metal bands. The music is deeper, more intricate and bears repeated listenings. (Try that with Rob Zombie, Bush or Incubus.)
On Retropolis, The Flower Kings show uncommon musical talent, with songs running the gamut from delicate and atmospheric ("Rhythm Of the Sea") to purely bombastic and fun (the title track, "Retropolis") to completely captivating ("The Judas Kiss" -- which I can listen to on Repeat all day long -- or "Flora Majora").
The vocal style reminds me of John Wetton circa King Crimson's Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black or Red era.
The keyboards are reminiscent of '70s era Yes, ELP or Genesis. Roine Stolt's guitar playing often sounds like Steve Howe of Yes (check out "There Is More To This World," if you doubt me) with just as much virtuosity. (The whole song has a Yes-like feel to it, circa Tormato or even one of their more recent releases -- The Ladder, perhaps. It even features raspy bass playing, a tenor vocalist who sounds like Jon Anderson, and an optimistic lyric -- all of which smacks of Yes.)
The Flower Kings' Retropolis is precisely the music I most enjoy listening to. It's upbeat, intricate, mostly instrumental, showy and fun. It's perfect for the office, where I do most of my listening. In fact (and I know I'll get tar-and-feathered for even thinking this), in many ways I prefer it to Yes, a band I adore. The musical landscape is more diverse and the musicianship is, if anything, even more flamboyant and creative.
If you're looking for music well-played, with hints of Yes, Genesis, ELP and Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings will fit the bill nicely. In fact, I couldn't ask for anything more from this album.
I highly recommend Retropolis.
A fun but possibly (un)helpful review, July 9, 2002
Reviewer: Jeff Hodges (Denton, TX United States)
Usually the album that introduces you to a new group will always tend to be your favorite by that group. This is totally logical! If you buy another album or two on the basis of one, it would stand to reason that you probably really like the original one you listened to. No other album is that album, and they never seen to quite stand up. I was introduced to the Flower Kings through "Flower Power", but I really think that "Retropolis" would be the one I would suggest if you were to purchase the definitive album by the Flower Kings. On "Retropolis" we see the clearest and most consistent picture of the influences that drove and continue to drive Roine and the Flower Kings even into the 21st century.
Just for fun, let's use our imagination for a second. Imagine a band that had, as its creative core, Keith Emerson, Frank Zappa, John Wetton, and Steve Howe collaborating on a serious and respectful level. Of course, the big stretch here is Frank. I mean, I can't imagine that Frank Zappa would be able to stay in the same room as Keith Emerson at all in real life, much less actually collaborate with him in a serious fashion. Or, even more comical, Frank Zappa trading fours with Steve Howe. For the sake of argument let's assume he was doing a satirical project on progressive rock.
Then let's visualize a "Union"-style touring supergroup (to accommodate the differences in production quality between the mid-`70's and now, of course) made up of whatever musician whose style would best suit any given part of Retropolis. By the end of the album, the band is quite large and almost comical:
First of all, Frank and Steve would ask Steve Hackett to play some atmospheres and rhythm work, and Steve Howe would convince Frank that Chris Squire could totally hang. Frank agrees, but only if he gets rid of the Rickenbacker.
Keith would ask Tony Banks be his tech, and Tony ends up playing on stage with him before the tour is on its third date. Tony would, of course, suggest that Phil Collins play drums. Frank begrudgingly agrees, but only after arguing for awhile in favor of Chester Thompson.
Ironically, Jaime Muir simultaneously calls John Wetton in desperate need of a gig, and John suggests to Frank that Jaime play percussion. Frank asks him how his vibes chops are, and Jaime stares blankly. Frank rolls his eyes and says "whatever".
And last, but not least, there would be a big church organ in the darkness above the stage that Rick Wakeman would come out and play every now and then. Rick is so excited about the gig that he calls up David Bowie on that "big favor he never mentioned in 1969" and asks him to steal some of Jon's leads, to which David happily agrees.
So, by the time you are done, you have Hackett, Howe, and Zappa trading fours on guitar. Keith and Tony are hidden behind a wall of keyboard equipment, while Bowie and Anderson are on a podium in the back singing backups for Wetton. Wakeman plays his two minute organ part and returns to his six pack in back. Phil is searching for eye contact with Muir while Chris is trying to hold the whole thing together.
The lowdown: Can you see why I think this album is entertaining? Retropolis allows me to fulfill the "what if" of this seemingly ridiculous cooperation. By my understanding, Retropolis is based largely on material that Roine wrote in the `70's while still playing with Kaipa. If Retropolis were released between 1973 and 1976, it would most likely be a classic and influential, and that is its strength. It does not pretend to be anything besides what it is: a misty-eyed tribute to a musical climate that has long since changed
