1. "Garden of Dreams" (Flower Power)
Could number 1 be anything but “Garden of Dreams?” I think not. It is a shame that this band is not more popular, as this song deserves to be frequently be mentioned in the same breath as other prog classics like “Close to the Edge,” “Supper’s Ready,” “Thick as a Brick,” “2112” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” but such is life. Fans of the band know what an incredible achievement this entire 18-part, nearly one hour long, song is.
The opening symphonic prog leanings of “Dawn” immediately led you know that you are in for something special, and the opening vocal section in “Simple Song” is very catchy, and immediately sucks the listener in.
Up next is arguably the highlight of the entire song: “Business Vamp.” I adore Tomas Bodin’s keyboard sounds during the first half of the song, all of which is instrumental. It gives off a vibe like you are watching a movie set in futuristic times. And when the vocal melodies kick in, it is like heaven. The chorus to “Business Vamp” is quite possibly my favorite chorus in the entire TFK cannon.
“All You Can Save” is also one of the best parts of the entire song, and the solo by Roine that closes it is top-notch. The next two songs, both instrumentals, are dynamite, and both feature those futuristic-sounding keyboards first referred to back on “Business Vamp.” The mellowness of both “Did I Tell You” and the title section of the song are both very nice amongst the rocking numbers that bookend them.
“Don’t Let the Devil In” is a straight-forward rocker, yet it still has tons of that quirkiness and fun that is so prevalent in the band’s sound. Quirkiness abounds, too, in “Love Is the Word,” leading into “There’s No Such Night,” with features some spectacular harp samples, along with tremendously melodic vocals, which are spine-chilling in their delivery and timing, amongst the music which makes you feel like you are floating on the clouds.
Many find the next three parts to be not as essential as the rest, but I think “The Mean Machine,” “Dungeon of the Deep” and “Indian Summer” all adds ton of character to the overall package, and is 10 plus minutes of laid back, trippy goodness that lets you swim in the ecstasy of the overall song before they bring it all home with the final four parts.
The three instrumentals “Sunny Lane,” “Gardens Revisited” and “Shadowland” all provide a tremendous build-up to final climax, finally heard in “The Final Deal.” The final part of the song features some of the finest vocals to ever come out of Roine Stolt’s mouth; the line, “We fight for freedom, sunlight, and all-time bright,” is easily one of my five favorite single vocal lines ever. And the choir harmonies in the background help give the final movement an even more grandiose feel that it would have already had without it. We, the listeners, are left exhausted at this point, wondering if what we really just heard was written and performed by humans, as the song gently ends with a fadeout replete with warm keyboards, many different voices, and some perfectly placed guitar and percussion fills.
This is, simply put, not only the perfect Flower Kings song, but one of the most perfect pieces of music ever written by man. I know I laid the hyperbole on pretty thick here at times, but I think that speaks volumes about how much I adore this entire song. It is musical perfection.