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Что-то ни одного коммента, а между тем, скачивают многие.
Потрясная группа, ни на что не похожая, мелодичная, супер, короче.
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http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=FLOWER|KINGS&uid=SUB030412080413&sql=11:ug8e4j473waq~T1
Biography by Franзois Couture
Sweden played a crucial part in the progressive rock revival of the 1990s, but amid dark-sounding King Crimson-influenced bands like Anekdoten and Anglagard, the positive-thinking Yes-enlightened act the Flower Kings felt almost out of place. Yet, the Flower Kings became, along with the American Spocks Beard, the 1990s prog rock band with the largest fan base, the biggest sales, and the widest international appeal.
The Flower Kings came to life in August 1994, but retrospectively, their first album came out before their inception. That year, guitarist/singer/composer Roine Stolt, who enjoyed relative European fame in the 1970s as a member of the Swedish progressive rock band Kaipa, brought together ex-Jonas Hellborg drummer Jaime Salazar and ex-Samla Mammas Manna percussionist Hasse Bruniusson to record a solo album, The Flower King. Stolt's music was graced by a Jon Anderson-like aura and combined complex structures with catchy heartfelt melodies and the prog fans welcomed the album with open arms. Roine brought in brother Michael Stolt (bass, vocals) and longtime friend Tomas Bodin (keyboards) to perform the material live and thus the Flower Kings were born and The Flower King, the album, is now usually perceived as the band's first.
Back in the World of Adventures was released in November 1995 on the bands own label, Foxtrot Music, and contained the stage favorite "Big Puzzle," while the Flower Kings started to tour in Europe. It was shortly followed by Retropolis (May 1996), the band's most '70s-influenced album to date, which yielded "The Judas Kiss" and "There Is More to This World," still arguably one of their best anthems. Retropolis helped the Flower Kings reach Japan, South America, and North America (especially Quebec).
1997 saw the release of the mammoth two-CD set Stardust We Are, which included "In the Eyes of the World," "Church of Your Heart," and the 25-minute epic "Stardust We Are." With four albums (including one double CD) released in less than four years, music critics around the world started to wonder how Roine Stolt managed to write this fast. Obvious filler material on Stardust We Are had people thinking the band should have been a bit more selective and make it a one-CD affair. Still, the fan base was growing as were the sales. A compilation album, Scanning the Greenhouse (containing a fantastic rendition of Genesis' "The Cinema Show") was released to prepare Americans for the bands first U.S. tour and a limited edition CD containing live improvisations and unreleased tracks was issued by Ipso Facto for the Quebec market, while Roine Stolt released his critically acclaimed solo album Hydrophonia. All in a years work.
Another two-CD set, Flower Power, saw the light of day in early 1999. Even more ambitious, it contained the 60-minute suite "Garden of Dreams" and the quirky "Psychedelic Postcard" which paid tribute to one of Stolt's main (although rarely detected) influences: Frank Zappa. Flower Power was the bands first album to be released in the U.S. by Inside Out Music America which acquired rights to the bands complete catalog for domestic distribution. The Flower Kings' first live album, Alive on Planet Earth, was released in 2000 while Roine Stolt was touring with the supergroup Transatlantic (with Pete Trewavas of Marillion, Neal Morse of Spocks Beard, and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater). A new studio album, titled Space Revelator, followed with bassist Jonas Reingold replacing Michael Stolt.
Styles
Prog-Rock/ Art Rock
Neo-Prog
Alternative Pop/ Rock |
| CODE | Review by Franзois Couture
The Flower Kings must be the most stable, consistent progressive rock outfit of the 1990s. A year after the release of Space Revolver, they released The Rainmaker, featuring the usual lineup (although the liner notes announce it is Jaime Salazar's last recording with the group) and Don Azzaro at the mixing desk. In general, this album remains very close to the Flower Kings sound and could be traded with any of their previous efforts. There is one difference: it sounds just a bit closer to metal. Is the fact that it rocks harder a sign that the Inside Out Music America roaster is beginning to rub off on Roine Stolt's writing? The album opener "Last Minute on Earth" could even scare a few fans or lure newcomers into believing a conversion has occurred. But this impression fades away quickly upon listening to "World Without a Heart," a typical FK ballad. As usual, the music gets wider and more symphonic on longer numbers like "Road to Sanctuary" or "City of Angels" but these lack the majesty of earlier opuses. "Elaine" and "Thru the Walls," on the other hand, will delight fans and introduce a jazzier element. The Rainmaker is not as gripping or rewarding as Flower Power or Retropolis. It misses a strong anthem and sounds as if the musicians were going through the motions. All the ingredients are there, except maybe the passion we are used to. |
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