Author Topic: Flower Kings Official Thread  (Read 230924 times)

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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1155 on: November 18, 2018, 09:41:50 AM »
Roine all but said that Monsters and Men wasn't played live because Marcus Liliequist, the drummer on Paradox Hotel, hated it.  Even though I like it a lot, I am glad it wasn't played because, given its length, it probably would have been at the expense of 3-4 other songs from PH.

Humanizzimo isn't a TFK song, but I do like it a lot. 

I have never hidden the fact that Hasse's voice is very hit or miss for me, and I think him doing most of the lead vocals on The Truth is one of the hangups I have with it.  Heck, look at a song like Tower One; I love the middle section where Roine sings, but the first and last third of the song I am really iffy on cause Hasse's voice is rather grating at times. 

Offline DTA

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1156 on: November 18, 2018, 10:22:44 AM »
I did not know that about Marcus. I always kind of felt that he was sort of a "hired gun" for that period and it's surprising that Roine would've accommodated his likes/dislikes to the extent that he'd leave a big opening-song epic unplayed. Not that I minded as I'd literally rather have any other PH song in the set besides that one, but pretty cool of Roine otherwise. Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. Same as Hydrophonia, aka the lost Flower Kings instrumental album (and one of Roine's strongest albums IMO).

Agreed on Hasse. I like when he's used for bridges and other smaller parts (middle of There Is More To This World, SWA Pt. 3, Church Of Your Heart) but when he dominates the vocal parts, I tend to like the song less. He really took a lot of the lead from UTF onward and it got even weirder when Daniel was added to the mix. I'm sure that has something to do with my liking them better during the earlier years when it was almost entirely Roine and/or instrumental.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1157 on: November 18, 2018, 10:34:03 AM »
I did not know that about Marcus. I always kind of felt that he was sort of a "hired gun" for that period and it's surprising that Roine would've accommodated his likes/dislikes to the extent that he'd leave a big opening-song epic unplayed.

Marcus apparently was very critical of it during the recording process, and I think it made Roine question how good it really was, rather than accommodating his dislike when it came to writing the set list for the tour. That is the impression I got (going from memory, as it has been years since I read Roine's comments).

  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

Agreed on Hasse. I like when he's used for bridges and other smaller parts (middle of There Is More To This World, SWA Pt. 3, Church Of Your Heart) but when he dominates the vocal parts, I tend to like the song less. He really took a lot of the lead from UTF onward and it got even weirder when Daniel was added to the mix. I'm sure that has something to do with my liking them better during the earlier years when it was almost entirely Roine and/or instrumental.

For sure.  I've always said, I doubt it's a coincidence that my three least favorite TFK albums are the ones where Hasse sings the most lead - The Rainmaker, The Sum of No Evil and Desolation Rose.

Offline SwedishGoose

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1158 on: November 19, 2018, 11:36:22 AM »
Got my signed copy of Manifesto today... on my first listen and I like it.... love some of it and some will possibly take a little time to grow.

Offline Kyo

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1159 on: November 20, 2018, 04:05:35 AM »
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".
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Offline DTA

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1160 on: November 20, 2018, 03:56:12 PM »
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".

Yeah. I'm almost positive Roine did a lot of the keyboards and bass on everything from The Flower King through Flower Power. If you listen to Hydrophonia, the same sounds and styles as the stuff on FK albums are all present. I feel like once Jonas joined around Space Revolver, then it became an actual full-fledged band.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1161 on: November 20, 2018, 06:57:14 PM »
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".

I would be, since I doubt there are many full band songs on a Flower Kings album where Roine plays almost everything. 


Yeah. I'm almost positive Roine did a lot of the keyboards and bass on everything from The Flower King through Flower Power. If you listen to Hydrophonia, the same sounds and styles as the stuff on FK albums are all present. I feel like once Jonas joined around Space Revolver, then it became an actual full-fledged band.

Considering there is no reason to think, why would say that?  Saying that does a complete disservice to Tomas Bodin, whose input and style has been a major part of TFK's sound since the beginning. 

And of course Hydrophonia had the same sounds and styles...Roine was the main writer again!  But the playing of the other Kings is what makes the songs on the TFK records Flower Kings songs, not just Roine songs.

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1162 on: November 23, 2018, 08:06:16 AM »
Got my signed copy of Manifesto today... on my first listen and I like it.... love some of it and some will possibly take a little time to grow.

I just listened to it. It sounds like a TFK album which is a good thing to be honest
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1163 on: November 23, 2018, 03:45:10 PM »
Most of the 90-second samples on iTunes sounded good, but one featured some harmonies where you could clearly hear the singer Roine used on those Agents of Mercy albums, and I actively dislike that guy's voice, so it scared me off from buying it for now.

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1164 on: November 23, 2018, 05:10:31 PM »
Most of the 90-second samples on iTunes sounded good, but one featured some harmonies where you could clearly hear the singer Roine used on those Agents of Mercy albums, and I actively dislike that guy's voice, so it scared me off from buying it for now.

 :lol I guess Nad Sylvan does take some getting used to. At least, according to this, Nad only appears on one track, and it's one of the shorter ones.

I've listened to most of the album in the last day or so, and I'm more impressed with it than I was with Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within. It's definitely got a full-on TFK vibe, but I do miss the presence of Tomas Bodin. However, the combination of Jonas, Hasse, and Roine definitely feels like home in terms of sounding like TFK, even though Jonas only appears on 3 songs and Hasse on 4. In that respect, it's still VERY much a Roine Stolt solo album, just with a new moniker, and is more like the long-awaited sequel to Stolt's solo album The Flower King.

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Offline DTA

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1165 on: November 24, 2018, 06:51:55 AM »
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".

I would be, since I doubt there are many full band songs on a Flower Kings album where Roine plays almost everything. 


Yeah. I'm almost positive Roine did a lot of the keyboards and bass on everything from The Flower King through Flower Power. If you listen to Hydrophonia, the same sounds and styles as the stuff on FK albums are all present. I feel like once Jonas joined around Space Revolver, then it became an actual full-fledged band.

Considering there is no reason to think, why would say that?  Saying that does a complete disservice to Tomas Bodin, whose input and style has been a major part of TFK's sound since the beginning. 

And of course Hydrophonia had the same sounds and styles...Roine was the main writer again!  But the playing of the other Kings is what makes the songs on the TFK records Flower Kings songs, not just Roine songs.

You're definitely right about Tomas. I just listened to Manifesto and all's I could think of was "it needs more keyboards and stronger melodies!" I think I finally figured out what's different about Roine's more recent projects. The guitar has become the main instrument and the keyboards seem to sit in the back of the mix whereas earlier FK material had the keys in a much more prominent role. Dream Theater sort of did the same thing once Kevin Moore left.

One listen through Manifesto and I found it underwhelming. Next To A Hurricane, The Alchemist, and Baby Angels stood out on first listen but nothing stuck with me from the other songs. I played Hydrophonia right after and Shipbuilding, Little Cottage By The Sea, and Wreck Of The HMS Nemesis just blew away anything on Manifesto with how full-of-life and dynamic they sounded. Roine's new production style just sounds flat and without dynamics and I think that's harming the overall vibe of the music he's trying to capture. I'm going to keep listening and hope some other stuff jumps out. High Road needs some more attention.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1166 on: November 24, 2018, 07:41:41 AM »


 :lol I guess Nad Sylvan does take some getting used to. 

There is no getting used to a singer with that atrocious of a voice. :lol :lol

You're definitely right about Tomas. I just listened to Manifesto and all's I could think of was "it needs more keyboards and stronger melodies!" I think I finally figured out what's different about Roine's more recent projects. The guitar has become the main instrument and the keyboards seem to sit in the back of the mix whereas earlier FK material had the keys in a much more prominent role. Dream Theater sort of did the same thing once Kevin Moore left.

One listen through Manifesto and I found it underwhelming. Next To A Hurricane, The Alchemist, and Baby Angels stood out on first listen but nothing stuck with me from the other songs. I played Hydrophonia right after and Shipbuilding, Little Cottage By The Sea, and Wreck Of The HMS Nemesis just blew away anything on Manifesto with how full-of-life and dynamic they sounded. Roine's new production style just sounds flat and without dynamics and I think that's harming the overall vibe of the music he's trying to capture. I'm going to keep listening and hope some other stuff jumps out. High Road needs some more attention.

I noticed that when I listened to the samples; the sound was very muddy and seemed to lack any personality.  I listened to both Lost America and High Road (both are on YT) and neither did a lot for me, and the mixing/production sure didn't help the cause. :(

Offline RoeDent

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1167 on: November 24, 2018, 10:42:08 AM »
Not surprised by the underwhelming reaction. If you didn't like Anderson/Stolt or The Sea Within, it's pretty obvious that he's now past his prime, and it'll take something truly spectacular to restore his reputation. And I wasn't impressed by the Nad Sylvan Courting the Widow album. I'm tempted to get rid of it. I have little desire to listen to it again.

My question is...when should Roine have stopped? TFK lost all their momentum after The Sum of No Evil, and that band is now dead.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1168 on: November 24, 2018, 01:42:53 PM »
They took a break after The Sum..., but came back years later with Banks of Eden, which was pretty damn great.  Desolation Rose was odd in that most of the best songs were from the bonus disc, while the main disc was very choppy. 

That said, I am not one to tell any musician when they should stop making music. 

Offline Fritzinger

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1169 on: November 25, 2018, 04:26:10 AM »
They took a break after The Sum..., but came back years later with Banks of Eden, which was pretty damn great.  Desolation Rose was odd in that most of the best songs were from the bonus disc, while the main disc was very choppy. 

That said, I am not one to tell any musician when they should stop making music.

Absolutely this. I never understand when fans "tell" musicians to stop making music.
I've heard the same about Dream Theater (after 8vm, or Greatest Hit), Yes, Spock's Beard.
If you don't like their stuff anymore, don't buy it. But don't tell an artist that his work is so bad that the world would have been better off without it. I find that highly disrespectful.
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Offline gzarruk

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1170 on: November 25, 2018, 05:27:10 AM »
They took a break after The Sum..., but came back years later with Banks of Eden, which was pretty damn great.  Desolation Rose was odd in that most of the best songs were from the bonus disc, while the main disc was very choppy. 

That said, I am not one to tell any musician when they should stop making music.

Absolutely this. I never understand when fans "tell" musicians to stop making music.
I've heard the same about Dream Theater (after 8vm, or Greatest Hit), Yes, Spock's Beard.
If you don't like their stuff anymore, don't buy it. But don't tell an artist that his work is so bad that the world would have been better off without it. I find that highly disrespectful.

Completely agree. They’re basically telling them “just retire, you’re done”. That’s not a very nice thing to say/hear.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline RoeDent

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1171 on: January 14, 2019, 04:51:52 AM »
Picked up A Kingdom of Colours II today. Looking forward to delving into the second half of The Flower Kings' career.

Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel (2cd)
The Sum of No Evil
Banks of Eden
Desolation Rose

Plus three bonus discs with loads of extra tracks.

Offline DTA

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1172 on: January 14, 2019, 05:49:53 AM »
Picked up A Kingdom of Colours II today. Looking forward to delving into the second half of The Flower Kings' career.

Adam & E
Paradox Hotel (2cd)
The Sum of No Evil
Banks of Eden
Desolation Rose

Plus three bonus discs with loads of extra tracks.

I wanted to pick this up solely for that disc of bonus tracks from earlier in their career which contains a bunch of songs that I've somehow never managed to hear, but I just can't justify the spending on a bunch of stuff I already own. Wish I could find a digital version where I could just buy a single disc.

Adam & Eve actually grew on me very recently when I started listening to it at work for a week straight. I never liked it much but now I rank it much higher. The epics are excellent and a lot of the other songs are kind of atypical and adventurous. Timelines and Vampire's View especially. Not a fan of Gildenlow's added involvement, but he works in VV.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1173 on: January 14, 2019, 08:46:14 AM »
I like most of A&E, largely due to the experimental nature; there is quite a bit of stuff on there that sounds unlike anything else they ever did.  Starlight Man is still one of the biggest teases in TFK history.  Such cool verses with a neat vibe...and then that chorus is so weak and limp.

Offline RoeDent

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1174 on: January 14, 2019, 09:35:19 AM »
I've actually had the "TFK discography" thread from a few years ago bookmarked for some time now, to read bits on each album as I've listened to them. It's quite helpful, especially comments picking out thematic reprises etc.

I started off with Banks of Eden earlier. Very impressive. I really liked Numbers and For Those About to Drown. At 53 minutes, it's their shortest studio album, so it was a good place to start. I'm thinking of tackling the huge Paradox Hotel album this evening. 137 minutes of music.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1175 on: January 14, 2019, 10:59:49 AM »
I loved Banks of Eden when it came out and it has aged well.  The bonus disc songs are all really good as well.

My love for Paradox Hotel has not waned a bit in the nearly-13 years since its release.  Consistent greatness on both discs. 

Offline Zydar

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1176 on: January 14, 2019, 11:46:47 AM »
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks to KevShmev for your Top 50 list earlier in this thread. It's helped me a lot to introduce me to their stuff last month.

Right now I'm listening to the title track to Paradox Hotel. That section beginning at 3:00 is just awesome, for instance.
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Offline RoeDent

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1177 on: January 14, 2019, 12:00:02 PM »
Right now I'm listening to the title track to Paradox Hotel. That section beginning at 3:00 is just awesome, for instance.

Ooh! I shall look forward to that. I'm midway through disc 1 of the same album right now. Bavarian Skies....umm, I have questions. Anyway, so far the standout have been Monsters & Men and Pioneers of Aviation.

Offline Zydar

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1178 on: January 14, 2019, 12:02:51 PM »
Right now I'm listening to the title track to Paradox Hotel. That section beginning at 3:00 is just awesome, for instance.

Ooh! I shall look forward to that. I'm midway through disc 1 of the same album right now. Bavarian Skies....umm, I have questions. Anyway, so far the standout have been Monsters & Men and Pioneers of Aviation.

End On A High Note is brilliant as well. THAT OUTRO.
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Offline RoeDent

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1179 on: January 14, 2019, 01:44:35 PM »
On the title track now. I can totally imagine this being on one of the Nick d'Virgilio-led Spock's Beard albums. It's got the sort of Feel Euphoria/Octane vibe to it. Great song!
« Last Edit: January 14, 2019, 02:26:36 PM by RoeDent »

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1180 on: January 14, 2019, 02:20:19 PM »
I like the song Paradox Hotel, but it is probably my least favorite song from the album along with the Unorthodox instrumental. 


Just wanted to chime in and say thanks to KevShmev for your Top 50 list earlier in this thread. It's helped me a lot to introduce me to their stuff last month.


Glad to help, as always. :)

I haven't looked at my top 50 in a while, but I suspect it would be very different now.  It was done before the last two albums, and I am sure Banks of Eden would get at least one song on there (Numbers) and maybe a few others.  Nothing from Desolation Rose would make it.

Offline RoeDent

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1181 on: January 14, 2019, 02:27:07 PM »

I'm listening to a few tracks off the 3 bonus discs now. Unfortunately the booklet doesn't really go into much detail about the tracks, so apart from a few I have no idea what album sessions they come from. I know that The River, Turn the Stone and Regal Divers are from The Sum of No Evil, and all the tracks on Bonus Disc 3 are taken from the last two albums' bonus discs. But apart from that I'm stuck.

Kite, Buffalo Man, Last Exit, Brazilian Woman, Dexter Frank Jr., Agent Supreme, Space Traveller (currently on this and loving it),

Petit Heritage, A Good Heart, The Crown and The Cross, King of Grief, She Carved Me A Wooden Heart, Space Revolver (I assume this one's obvious), Jupiter Backwards.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1182 on: January 14, 2019, 02:40:15 PM »
I can't recall off the top of my head where most of those came from (sessions-wise), but I am sure Marc will chime in and break it down for ya. :P

Last Exit, I do know, is an extension of A King's Prayer from Space Revolver. 

Offline DTA

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1183 on: January 14, 2019, 03:16:58 PM »
On the title track now. I can totally imagine this being on one of the Nick d'Virgilio-led Spock's Beard albums. It's got the sort of Feel Euphoria/Octane vibe to it. Great song!

There's a part in Skeletons At The Feast around 2:40 that sounds like it could be off a 90's FK album. I definitely feel like these two influenced each other a bit back then.

Kite and Buffalo Man are from Retropolis.

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1184 on: January 14, 2019, 03:53:36 PM »
I can't recall off the top of my head where most of those came from (sessions-wise), but I am sure Marc will chime in and break it down for ya. :P

Last Exit, I do know, is an extension of A King's Prayer from Space Revolver. 

 :lol How did you know?! :tup


I'm listening to a few tracks off the 3 bonus discs now. Unfortunately the booklet doesn't really go into much detail about the tracks, so apart from a few I have no idea what album sessions they come from. I know that The River, Turn the Stone and Regal Divers are from The Sum of No Evil, and all the tracks on Bonus Disc 3 are taken from the last two albums' bonus discs. But apart from that I'm stuck.

Kite, Buffalo Man, Last Exit, Brazilian Woman, Dexter Frank Jr., Agent Supreme, Space Traveller (currently on this and loving it),

Petit Heritage, A Good Heart, The Crown and The Cross, King of Grief, She Carved Me A Wooden Heart, Space Revolver (I assume this one's obvious), Jupiter Backwards.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Let's see...
-"Kite" and "Buffalo Man" were written and/or recorded around the sessions for Retropolis, and you can hear some of the themes used on Retropolis in "Kite".
-"Last Exit", as Kev said, is an instrumental extension of "A King's Prayer" from Space Revolver, which is pretty fantastic in its own right.
-"A Good Heart" is another bonus track from the bonus disc of Space Revolver.
-"Dexter Frank Jr.", "Brazillian Woman", "The Crown And The Cross", and "King Of Grief" are all songs written and performed by Roine Stolt (originally released on the 2005 TFK Fan Club disc)
-"Agent Supreme" was a bonus track on the bonus disc for The Rainmaker
-"Petit Heritage" and "Space Traveller" were originally released on the 2004 TFK Fan Club disc, the former composed by Michael Stolt, the latter by Roine Stolt
-And finally, the last three tracks, "She Carved Me A Wooden Heart", "Jupiter Backwards" and "Space Revolver" were all originally released as a free 3-track EP made available to Japan concerts in 1999, though I've never been sure if they came from the Flower Power sessions or the (slightly more obvious) Space Revolver sessions (though the track "Space Revolver" could have been an outtake from that album, it could be that Roine re-used the title of the song as an album title for their follow-up to Flower Power).

Even with ALL of those bonus tracks (not including the ones from their last 3 albums), they STILL left out a LOT of others, including but NOT limited to:
-"Regal Dinners", "Papercup Angels", "Butterfly Queen", and "End Of A Century" from Flower Power (all written by Tomas Bodin)
-"The Meadow", "Dream On Dreamer" (Alternate Vocal Take by Tomas), and "Venus Flytrap" from Space Revolver (the latter two by Tomas Bodin)
-"Excerpt From Valkyrian", "Mr. Hope Goes To Salzburg", "Violent Brat", "The Woman With No Shadow", and "One Whole Half" (written by Jonas Reingold, later released on the debut album by Karmakanic), all from The Rainmaker (with the first three written by Tomas Bodin, the third having later been released on his 2nd solo album Pinup Guru, reworked as the first part of the song "What's Going On").
-"Little Deceiver", an outtake from the Rainmaker sessions but wasn't released until the 2007 compilation The Road Back Home
-And just about every track released in the Fan Club 2000 disc, which features a lot of songs and a couple of covers, including "Across The Universe" and the classic "Cinema Show".

Going back through all of these, it is interesting to see that Roine did not include all of those Bodin-penned tracks from their first several albums. Makes me wonder if that was done on purpose to spite Tomas, if it was just that he didn't feel they needed to be included, or if Tomas didn't want him to use that music? Who knows...

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Offline RoeDent

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1185 on: January 15, 2019, 01:32:01 AM »
While this thread has some life to it...one of the weirder samples I learnt about a few days ago. For some bizarre reason (and I'm not complaining at all about it), they used a sample from a badly-acted commercial on Silent Inferno: "I've fallen, and I can't get up".

It's like how just before the music starts on Different People, you can hear very faintly that famous "I know you're gonna dig this" sample that basically every house/dance record of the 80s and early 90s deployed.

Offline Fritzinger

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1186 on: January 15, 2019, 02:52:39 AM »
Silent Inferno is my favourite Flower Kings song of all time, and I noticed that sample too, but I never knew (or thought about) where it came from!

By the way, am I the only one who really likes The Sum Of No Evil?
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Offline DTA

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1187 on: January 15, 2019, 06:25:14 AM »
Silent Inferno is my favourite Flower Kings song of all time, and I noticed that sample too, but I never knew (or thought about) where it came from!

By the way, am I the only one who really likes The Sum Of No Evil?

TSONE suffers from unnecessary bloating, especially in the opening track which is easily their worst first track imo (followed right by the similarly bloated Monsters & Men). Right off the bat, I'm bored to tears. Then immediately after this bloated track comes a gigantic 25 minute epic.  It's fatiguing and a rearranged tracklisting with some editing might make it easier to get through. I really enjoy the next 3 tracks, with the fake title track being my favorite on the album, but then Life In Motion feels unnecessarily long too which makes the ending drag.

With edited opening/closing tracks, a stronger short song included, and the epic moved around, I think I'd like it more but it's an album I never desire to listen to whereas I'm pretty satisfied with nearly every other album they've done.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1188 on: January 15, 2019, 08:18:11 AM »
It doesn't help either that Hasse Froberg is the primary lead vocalist on that album (which never helps the cause).  But yeah, most of the songs feel bloated and tedious.  It's a shame, too, since the album sounds pretty awesome (from a mixing and sonic standpoint). 

Offline Zydar

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Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
« Reply #1189 on: January 15, 2019, 08:25:00 AM »
I've only heard 3 albums so far (The Road Back Home, Space Revolver, and Paradox Hotel) but I'lll post my 10 favourite tracks so far.

Ghost Of The Red Cloud (probably my very favourite)
I Am The Sun (favourite epic)
World Without A Heart
Paradox Hotel
End On A High Note
Chickenfarmer Song
The Flower King
Different People
Cosmic Lover
Stupid Girl

I lean more towards the more catchy uptempo stuff, since that's my background in music.
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