Flower Kings Official Thread

[RoeDent]

I don't get the hate for Froberg in here. His scream at the end of the Desolation Rose album is an almighty cry to the heavens above!!! One of the all-time classic album endings.

[KevShmev]

I don't get the hate for Froberg in here. His scream at the end of the Desolation Rose album is an almighty cry to the heavens above!!! One of the all-time classic album endings.

If an almighty cry to the heavens means your scream was so awful that your voice cracked badly and had to be buried in effects to try the hide the fact that you couldn't pull it off naturally, then I agree.

[HOF]

I’ve always thought Haase was a nice compliment to Roine as a singer, and I’ve always thought the had a good voice. But these days he’s definitely lost a lot of range and power, and I’m not sure he has much more range than Roine now.

[HOF]

I am really really enjoying By Royal Decree. It sounds like classic TFK in places, but also sounds like the best of Islands with better overall production. I’m not sure I can really wrap my head around many of the individual tracks yet, but I am enjoying just sort of letting it play and wash over me without thinking too much about it. Just sounds really great.

One track that absolutely does stick out to me though is Evolution. That sounds like it could have been on one of Roine’s early solo albums.

[KevShmev]

I’ve always thought Haase was a nice compliment to Roine as a singer, and I’ve always thought the had a good voice. But these days he’s definitely lost a lot of range and power, and I’m not sure he has much more range than Roine now.

Generally, he is, and he has plenty of nice moments throughout their history, especially from the Space Revolver through Paradox Hotel era, but, for me, his vocal moments can be very hit or miss, and far too often on their last four studio albums (Desolation Rose through Royal Decree), they miss.

[The Letter M]

From Inside Out:

Prog icons The Flower Kings are pleased to announce that their back catalogue will be reissued by InsideOutMusic over the course of 2022 & 2023 in brand new remastered CD editions, and in some cases for the first time ever on vinyl. The first two releases to see the light of day will be ‘Back In The World Of Adventures’ and ‘Retropolis’ which will both be released on the 27th May 2022 as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD + LP-booklet & as Digital Album. Both records have been remastered & partially remixed, with updated artwork and liner notes from Roine Stolt.

Pre-order now here:
https://TheFlowerKings.lnk.to/BackInTheWorldOfAdventures-2022Remaster

https://TheFlowerKings.lnk.to/Retropolis-2022Remaster

Roine comments: “I’ve been living life in the fast lane for a long time as far as releases with The Flower Kings and all my other bands and projects - but it’s been both a real joy and a sobering experience re-visiting the early Flower Kings years and early albums.

I remember once again what I set out to do in the mid 90’s - Symphonic progressive rock with a clear melodic and sometimes ’folky’ vibe - a Swedish tone - colored by all things progressive and influenced by my teenage years listening habits. Hearing Focus, Frank Zappa, Yes, Tomita, Gentle Giant and Weather Report etc. back then, opened up a world of possibilities.

Remixing some of these songs, for the reissues, took me back and made it even more fun to start work on and include a big chunk of this in our live set. We are now truly heading back to the world of musical adventures.”

The next two releases will be ‘Flower Power’ & ‘Stardust We Are’ which will arrive on the 24th June 2022, with pre-orders starting on the 6th May.

I'm hesitant to get these after Roine chopped up stuff from the Kingdom Of Colours boxsets several years ago. I'll wait until reviews are in to decide if I want to order these.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Even though the way he axed Devil's Playground on the Unfold the Future was pretty gross, I will likely get these two in vinyl simply because I love the covers, especially the Retropolis one, and collecting favorites with cool covers on vinyl has become a new habit of mine in the last few years.

[The Letter M]

Burning Shed has the tracktimes posted on their preorder pages.

1. World of Adventures  2022 Remaster  00:13:33
2. Atomic Prince  2022 Remaster  00:07:44
3. Go West Judas  2022 Remaster  00:07:42
4. Train To Nowhere  2022 Remaster  00:04:01
5. Oblivion Road  2022 Remaster  00:03:33
6. Theme For A Hero  2022 Remaster  00:08:28
7. Temple Of The Snakes  2022 Remaster  00:01:23
8. My Cosmic Lover  2022 Remaster  00:06:51
9. The Wonder Wheel  2022 Remaster  00:04:04
10. Big Puzzle  2022 Remaster  00:13:34

1. Rhythm of Life  2022 Remaster  00:00:32
2. Retropolis  2022 Remaster  00:11:10
3. Rhythm of the Sea  2022 Remaster  00:06:12
4. There Is More To This World  2022 Remaster  00:10:15
5. Romancing The City  2022 Remaster  00:00:57
6. The Melting Pot  2022 Remaster  00:05:45
7. Silent Sorrow  2022 Remaster  00:07:42
8. The Judas Kiss  2022 Remaster  00:07:43
9. Retropolis By Night  2022 Remaster  00:03:18
10. Flora Majora  2022 Remaster  00:06:50
11. The Road Back Home  2022 Remaster  00:08:55

On the debut, every track is shorter except the closer, and on Retropolis, some tracks are a bit longer than the original.

I may get the CDs considering the expanded artwork and photos, plus being in digipaks. I feel sorry for anyone who hunted down the Kingdom Of Colours boxes at secondary market prices as these are all going to be, hopefully, improved sonically compared.to all prior releases.

-Marc.

[425]

Really excited for these releases. I got into the band just after Kingdom of Colors vanished from the world, so I just don't have much of their back catalog at all. In fact, Back in the World of Adventures is the only pre-Banks of Eden album I own—I might rebuy it, though, to have a complete collection of these remasters. Looking forward to really exploring this discography this year and next.

[Zydar]

It will be especially interesting to hear what he did with my favourite TFK song ever, World Of Adventures.

[Orbert]

Artists have the right of course to do whatever they choose with their creations, but I'm not a fan of continuing to tweak the work once it's been published.  If/when I buy the latest remastered version of an album, I want to hear the album I've known for years, just cleaned up and sounding awesome.  I don't want to hear it cleaned up, but also changed a little bit here and there.  In a way, I find this disrespectful of the original work and also the fans.  Again, it's theirs to do what they want with it, but they have to know that a lot of people would rather they left the re-editing part out of the process.

Zappa did the same thing, and we know Roine is a big Zappa fan.  Zappa saw the re-release of albums on CDs as the opportunity to tweak things.

[Nel]

I bought the two Kingdom of Colours box sets b/c I figured it was the fastest way to get all the band's stuff and had no idea that song had been chop-shopped until I read about it here.

[425]

If I could easily choose, I suppose I'd rather go for the original versions. But since most of those are out of print and hard to find, I'm content to accept Roine's "special editions."

[RoeDent]

I don't get the hate for Froberg in here. His scream at the end of the Desolation Rose album is an almighty cry to the heavens above!!! One of the all-time classic album endings.

If an almighty cry to the heavens means your scream was so awful that your voice cracked badly and had to be buried in effects to try the hide the fact that you couldn't pull it off naturally, then I agree.

It just adds to the intensity of the moment.

[axeman90210]

So if Retropolis is the only FK album I own, what should I get next?

[RoeDent]

Tbh the 90s albums are much of a muchness. 90s TFK peaks with Stardust We Are, an essential in any modern prog collection.

[KevShmev]

So if Retropolis is the only FK album I own, what should I get next?

The double albums can be a mountain to climb, but if you feel daring, try Flower Power, Paradox Hotel or Stardust We Are.

If you want one of the most easily digestible single albums, try Space Revolver or Back in the World of Adventures.

Ignore The Rainmaker and Desolation Rose early on like they've got a scorching case of gonorrhea.

[KevShmev]

Artists have the right of course to do whatever they choose with their creations, but I'm not a fan of continuing to tweak the work once it's been published.  If/when I buy the latest remastered version of an album, I want to hear the album I've known for years, just cleaned up and sounding awesome.  I don't want to hear it cleaned up, but also changed a little bit here and there.  In a way, I find this disrespectful of the original work and also the fans.  Again, it's theirs to do what they want with it, but they have to know that a lot of people would rather they left the re-editing part out of the process.

Zappa did the same thing, and we know Roine is a big Zappa fan.  Zappa saw the re-release of albums on CDs as the opportunity to tweak things.

I pretty much agree with everything here.  Yes, artists absolutely have the right to change or tweak their art if they are re-releasing it, but as the customers, the ones buying the art, we absolutely have the right to express our dissatisfaction if we are not pleased with certain changes or tweaks.

Looking over the track lengths Marc posted, it looks most of them are pretty close to what they were on the original albums. A few are off by 10-20 seconds, but most are maybe just 5-10 seconds, and those could be a case of changing a time stamp of when one song ends and the next begins (like when songs run together with a cross fade) or tightening up an ending, like songs that fade out and there are few seconds of nothing at the end of the track to create a space or break before the start of the next song.  So, I think it is safe to assume that there will be nothing significant changed like what we saw with Devil's Playground.

[Fritzinger]

When I think about Devil's Playground, I start developing a stomach ulcer. What the hell was he thinking?

[425]

I've been very much into TFK recently, so while waiting for the remasters to come, I've been exploring the remaining albums 2012-present that I hadn't heard.

Today I listened to By Royal Decree for the first time. Really positive first impression—I felt that it had a very "lush" sound, and might end up being my favorite of the current era.

Meanwhile, I've actually really gotten into Desolation Rose, which I know has a really mixed reception (maybe more so than any of their albums?). I really like the use of recurring themes, especially because the main one is really good ("In silent graveyards, they look for saviors"). And I think there's a lot of good songwriting here—Tower ONE, White Tuxedos and Dark Fascist Skies stand out.

Hopefully I'll have time to give significant attention to the ones from the recent set that I haven't listened to all that much—the new one, and Waiting for Miracles—within the next month. And then I'll try to give updates as I explore the back catalog through the reissues, from the perspective of someone who mainly knows the newer ones.

[Trav86]

I’m actually trying to make a real effort to get into this band. I’ve been a fan of Roine’s work with Transatlantic since their inception. But I’ve always struggled with TFK every time I tried. Wish me luck!

[425]

A piece of advice from a fellow newbie: Start with some of the shorter albums. Some of the most beloved albums are so long that it's really difficult to take them in.

[RoeDent]

But more like Space Revolver than the actual shortest albums Banks of Eden or Desolation Rose.

Or...how about don't worry about full albums and just listen to Stardust We Are the song. That'll be your way into it because really the best introduction to TFK is Stardust We Are the album and there's no two ways around it. You'll have to get round to the long albums eventually so you might as well dive straight in and get it over with cos that's 100% where the best music is.

[HOF]

Stardust We Are is great but it is a lot to take in. For a long time I would only listen to the best bits, but there was a lot of great stuff I was missing. It took me something like 12 years to explore the band beyond Stardust We Are and The Rainmaker. It was actually Roine’s The Flower King album that first got me really interested in exploring the rest of the catalog, and then Retropolis was the first proper TFK album to really click for me. After that I was able to really appreciate all of Stardust We Are for the first time.

I still think I’d recommend starting with Retropolis.

[darkshade]

I think Space Revolver or Back In the World of Adventures are good albums to start with. Listening to the title track for Stardust We Are ain't a bad idea either.

Still haven't checked out the new album. I will some day, but my musical interests aren't in the prog rock zone right now.

[DTA]

Been digging hard into By Royal Decree for the past few weeks and I like it quite a bit. I think it's probably the strongest thing Roine has been a part of in awhile and is the best of the reformed-lineup albums by far. Some parts feel like 90's-era Flower Kings which I always appreciate. Funeral Pyres, The Soldier, and Letters are probably my favorite songs on here but I like everything quite a bit.

[The Letter M]

Pre-orders for the remaster re-releases of Stardust We Are and Flower Power have recently gone up - both are 3LP vinyl and 2CD.

Looking at the track list for SWA, they've finally separated the hidden track from the end of "Compassion", which was 8:40, but is now 4:46, followed by "Hidden Dust" at 3:27. Otherwise, track lengths are generally the same, only off by 1-5 seconds shorter/longer.

As for FP, track lengths for "Stupid Girl", "Psychedelic Postcard", and "Hudson River Siren Call" are all lengthened a bit, and the CD lumps "Garden Of Dreams" as one track on Disc 1 of the CD (at least according to the tracklist on Burning Shed).

-Marc.

[Fritzinger]

Pre-orders for the remaster re-releases of Stardust We Are and Flower Power have recently gone up - both are 3LP vinyl and 2CD.

Looking at the track list for SWA, they've finally separated the hidden track from the end of "Compassion", which was 8:40, but is now 4:46, followed by "Hidden Dust" at 3:27. Otherwise, track lengths are generally the same, only off by 1-5 seconds shorter/longer.

As for FP, track lengths for "Stupid Girl", "Psychedelic Postcard", and "Hudson River Siren Call" are all lengthened a bit, and the CD lumps "Garden Of Dreams" as one track on Disc 1 of the CD (at least according to the tracklist on Burning Shed).

-Marc.

I'm not a big fan of their first two albums (then again, I don't know them that well), but I do like FP and SWA, so I think I will get these two releases eventually. In the moment, money is a little tight though, so I hope that colored vinyls will still be available in a month or so 

[RoeDent]

Psychedelic Postcard has the wrong length listed on the original album, a length that is re-listed on the Burning Shed listing. The song is actually 8:42 so unless it genuinely is extended by a full minute somehow that will be incorrect.

Also it looks like they split the vinyl sides the way I imagined they would. Sides A and B each have 7 sections of Garden of Dreams, then Side C has the last four sections and the three following tracks from CD1. And I notice the vinyl omits HRSC98, but it has the short track End of a Century between DN&B and Stupid Girl. Unfortunate, as the PP>HRSC98>MP triptych is one of my favourite three-track runs on the album.

[KevShmev]

I didn't think the next two would be up and ready so fast, but I have the first four all pre-ordered now on vinyl.  What the hell, why not?

[Fritzinger]

I just hope Roine doesn't have another "great" idea of editing out 6 minutes of one of their best songs again.

Edit, I actually hope he re-releases Unfold The Future too, with the full version of Devil's Playground. I have that 3 red LP version that came out a couple of years back and I would buy it again in a heartbeat if the complete TDP would be included.

[ProfessorPeart]

I'm fine with my Kingdom boxes. Thankfully, I already owned Unfold The Future so I essentially ignored the version that was in the boxset. It was one of two albums that I actually owned. I have no interest in double-dipping already. Happy with my sets.

[Fritzinger]

I'm fine with my Kingdom boxes. Thankfully, I already owned Unfold The Future so I essentially ignored the version that was in the boxset. It was one of two albums that I actually owned. I have no interest in double-dipping already. Happy with my sets.

Well, it's the only available vinyl version, so there's no possibility of listening to the full version of the song on vinyl.

[KevShmev]

Back in the World of Adventures and Retropolis vinyl have arrived!! 

[KevShmev]

Stardust We Are and Flower Power vinyl arrived a few weeks ago!! 

I still need to bust out all of the CDs with the remasters of the first four and give them a listen.