Flower Kings albums countdown thread! (Countdown underway)

[Mladen]

The Sum of no evil was the first album by The Flower Kings I heard. I wasn't blown away by it immediately, but over the years, I grew to enjoy the warmth of it. It's a very positive record with only ocassional bits of heaviness. It's pretty cool.

The debut is fine, but I'm not too keen on it.

Desolation rose is the way to do it. It's short. There is one well crafted semi-epic by their standards (unlike Numbers) and numerous really short songs with memorable melodies (unlike the rest of Banks of Eden). If they decide to do another album like this, I'd love to hear it. And yeah, it ended up at number eight overall, so that's what happens when you let an average fan that hasn't heard all albums vote. 

[HOF]

Have not yet heard The Sum of No Evil or Desolation Rose so those were unranked.

Back In The World of Adventures is an excellent debut, although for me it blurs together a bit with The Flower King (the real TFK debut IMO) and is outshined by Retropolis. I had it at 7 overall. It took me a long time to track down a physical copy of this one, and I don’t think I’ve listened to it as much as I should have by now. But the title track stands out as a favorite. I know there are other spots I really like, but titles for TFK songs often elude me.

[425]

I haven't heard The Sum of No Evil, but the other two are probably the TFK albums I know best.

Back in the World of Adventures was the first one I heard from them, and the only one I owned for a long time (mainly because most of the others were out of print for many years). I like it a lot, though I don't love everything about it. The bookends are quite good, and there are some songs I think quite highly of in the middle, along with some others I could do without. Theme for a Hero is one of the very good ones. And Train to Nowhere might still be my favorite TFK song—it has a really powerful and distinctive emotional quality to it that is enhanced by Roine's voice.

Kev, please don't hate me, but... Desolation Rose is my favorite TFK album so far. It just feels so cohesive as an album, and there are a lot of pieces that I really like. I'm a big of recurring motifs in general, and I like the ones here a lot. The "in silent graveyards they look for saviors" melody is fantastic, and I'm glad it sort of draws the whole album together. Favorite songs on this are obviously Tower One and Silent Graveyards, but I also like White Tuxedos (even considering the fact that the idea of a Vietnam protest song written in 2013 makes me roll my eyes; that's how good it is musically) and Dark Fascist Skies.

I'd have Desolation Rose at #1 and BitWoA at #4. I'll add a running list like others have:

1. Desolation Rose
2.
3. Banks of Eden
4. Back in the World of Adventures
5. Islands
6.
7. Waiting for Miracles
8. By Royal Decree

UR: Adam and Eve, The Rainmaker, The Sum of No Evil

[Zydar]

Great to see some more love for Desolation Rose

[KevShmev]

I will concede that the middle section of Tower One is pretty stellar. Had the entire song been that good, that could have been an all-timer for them, but the beginning and ending sections are pretty blah.  I don't think it helps that Froberg's voice sounds completely fried on much of the album; he sounds super hoarse and/or raspy more often than not, and not in a good way.

[The Letter M]

01   ?
02   ?
03   ?
04   ?
05   The Sum Of No Evil
06   ?
07   Back In The World Of Adventures
08   ?
09   Adam & Eve
10   The Rainmaker
11   By Royal Decree
12   Desolation Rose
13   Islands
14   Banks Of Eden
15   Waiting For Miracles

I had TSONE pretty high, making it into my Top 5. When it came out, it was an absolute hit with me. I love the side-length epic, and the shorter epics are pretty solid as well. The short songs are a bit hit or miss, and even the "bonus tracks" are pretty decent, but as an overall album, I really enjoyed it, and it's probably my favorite album since Paradox Hotel.

Their debut is pretty good, and it landed in the middle of the pack for me. Like others have said, it's a bit bright and cheerful and sometimes I have to be in the mood for it. The song writing is pretty strong for a band's debut, but I'm sure they had plenty of time to work on it. As good as it is, I don't find myself reaching for it any more often than any of the other albums I placed 6th-10th.

And as for DR, I definitely like it the most out of their last five albums. There's quite a bit of good material on here, and of their last several releases, it's probably the one I go to more often. And in retrospect, it's also, sadly, their last album with Tomas Bodin, but we didn't know at the time.

Looks like of the remaining six, I have four in my top four, so that's looking good. I wonder if my top four are the same top four as the master countdown list!

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Next three:

06 Unfold the Future

Total Points: 42
Ranks: 6, 6, 10, 2, 2, NR, 8, 2, 10

I gave this a bunch of recent spins, no small task given how long this whole record is, and came away reminded of how great it truly is.  Disc 1 is good, but Disc 2 is where most of the true greatness lies on this record.  I ranked this 6th.


05 Retropolis

Total Points: 45
Ranks: 4, 10, 4, 5, 8, 4, 7, 0, 1
Number 1 ranked by: HOF

I feel this is the band's best single disc studio album, by just a hair over one still to come.  A flawless record, with an incredible song. Everything sounds so warm and lush, and the songwriting is top notch.  This very much feels like classic prog.


04 Flower Power

Total Points: 49
Ranks: 1, 3, 2, 6, 6, NR, 5, NR, 5
Number 1 ranked by: KevShmev

This and another album are usually my 1a and 1b, and the day I did the ranking, this was more on the brain, so it got the number 1 nod from me.  The Garden of Dreams suite is still the greatest piece of music they've ever done, and the rest of the album is pretty damn great as well.  Bonus points as well for one of the best album covers ever. 

[Zydar]

Unfold The Future - My #8. A solid album, but not many standout tracks here for me. Solitary Shell and Vox Humana are favourites though.

Retropolis - My #7. A fine album indeed, but too many instrumentals for my taste (like the debut). There Is More To This World and Rhythm Of The Sea are great.

Flower Power - My #5. Garden Of Dreams is a great epic of course. I'm also a fan of Magic Pie, Stupid Girl, and Painter.

10. Islands
09. Adam & Eve
08. Unfold The Future
07. Retropolis
06. Desolation Rose
05. Flower Power
04. Back In The World Of Adventures
03.
02.
01.

[RoeDent]

1.
2.
3. Flower Power
4.
5. Adam & Eve
6. Unfold the Future
7. The Rainmaker
8. Back in the World of Adventures
9. Waiting for Miracles
10. Retropolis
--------------
11. Islands
12. Banks of Eden
13. The Sum of No Evil
14. Desolation Rose
15. By Royal Decree

Unfold the Future - Fantastic album kinda ruined in my book by the inexplicable decision to shave SIX WHOLE DAMN MINUTES off of Devil's Playground on the 2017 remaster (the version on the Kingdom of Colours I box). The fact they restored it to its full glory on the recent remaster is a positive step but it also serves to highlight the utter mess of the whole situation and how revisionist history just doesn't work in the vast majority of cases. The section cut out is a development of the introductory strings passage thus rendering that introduction more significant in the compositional and structural process of the song. Favourite tracks: The Truth Will Set You Free, Silent Inferno, Fast Lane

Retropolis - There Is More To This World is one of the defining TFK tracks, introducing to us the vitally important voice of Hasse Fröberg for the first time in the discography. Favourite tracks: There Is More To This World, Silent Sorrow, The Road Back Home

Flower Power - Oh wow! Just incredible! The 60-minute epic Garden of Dreams is one of the best things ever produced in progressive rock history. Unlike most superlong epics, this one feels like a single-flowing work, with three lengthy instrumental oceans, a descent into the darkness in movements 12-13, followed by a slow but steady rise towards the conclusion starting in movement 14. Favourite tracks: Garden of Dreams (all of it), Hudson River Sirens Call 1998, Painter

[Mladen]

I really like Retropolis. There are several songs that didn't stick in my mind that much, but as a whole, it's a nice listen. The Judas kiss is my favorite track.

I'm looking forward to checking out the remaining two.

[KevShmev]

I am not even much of a Gildenlow fan, but Fast Lane is absolutely incredible.  That is one of the most fun songs they've ever done.  All of Disc 2 is pretty much rad as hell, but the back to back of Fast Lane and Grand Old World is  .

[The Letter M]

01   ?
02   Unfold The Future
03   ?
04   ?
05   The Sum Of No Evil
06   Flower Power
07   Back In The World Of Adventures
08   Retropolis
09   Adam & Eve
10   The Rainmaker
11   By Royal Decree
12   Desolation Rose
13   Islands
14   Banks Of Eden
15   Waiting For Miracles

Retropolis landed in 8th, just behind BITWOA, but honestly, those two are so close for me they might as well have been 7a and 7b, but both are good.

Flower Power just barely made it into my Top 5. I never really got into it as much as the ones that DID make it into my Top 5, and I felt like it was a bit of a step back after SWA, though that's just me. I can see how/why folks would rate it very highly.

And UTF was my second favorite album. This one is nearly perfect, and that's not because it's their longest album ever, though the opening epic is one of my all-time favorites of ANY band.

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

Not participating in this, but Garden of Dreams is one of my favorite things by anyone ever.

[425]

Of these, I've only heard Retropolis. I think it's solid, but I haven't connected with it as well as some of their other albums, including BitWoA. I agree that There Is More to This World is a standout. It's #6 on my list.

I own Flower Power, and it's definitely my next big TFK undertaking. I've mainly held off due to being intimidated by the almost two and a half hour runtime, but reading the comments on it here today makes me excited to get into it. Maybe I'll listen in the next day or two and share a first impression.

[HOF]

Unfold The Future was 10 for me, and if I knew more albums it might have been lower. There are some songs I like, but I struggle to get through it all and just haven’t connected with it much. Also it features DG.

Flower Power is wonderful and ranked number 5 for me. Garden of Dreams is tremendous even if there are a few spots I find less interesting. The main theme almost always gets me choked up. The album would rank higher if not for the second disc being one I don’t always get through. It should be two separate albums probably. Stupid Girl is great (if bizarrely mixed), and there are some other tracks I really like. But it’s kind of hard to go on to disc 2 after the magic of disc 1.

Retropolis as noted was my number 1. It’s such a cohesive album, and I love how the instrumental pieces kind of connect the album. This is one of Roine’s strongest guitar and vocal performances as well. There Is More To This World is probably my favorite TFK song, but The Road Back Home is a close second. Flora Majora is also wonderful, and I love how it reintroduced the “open up your eyes” theme from Roine’s The Flower King album. That solo is just perfection. The one misstep for me is The Judas Kiss (never really like when Roine writes these rocky tunes about Judas and the devil).

[KevShmev]

Top 3:

02 (t) Paradox Hotel

Total Points: 57
Ranks: 2, 4, NR, 4, 3, 5, 1, 6, 6
Number 1 ranked by: Zydar

This is always my 1a or 1b, and Flower Power got the slight nod the day I finalized my list, so this came in 2nd for me.  Amazing album, just loaded with great song after great song.  I like Monsters and Men quite a bit, but it's not quite the god-tier epic that songs like I Am the Sun and Devil's Playground are. Had it been, this might have been my all-time favorite album. As it is, it is still pretty amazing from start to finish, and many of my favorite songs by the band are on this record.


02 (t) Space Revolver

Total Points: 57
Ranks: 5, 1, 3, 3, 4, NR, 3, NR, 3
Number 1 ranked by: BRGM

I ranked this 5th, as I feel this is their second strongest single album just after Retropolis.  I think the Garden of Dreams suite is the best thing they've ever done, but I Am the Sun, when taking the two songs as a whole, is not far behind.  And the rest of the album is really good, with some major highlights along the way like Monster Within and Underdog.


01 Stardust We Are

Total Points: 78
Ranks: 3, 2, 1, 3, 1, 6, 2, 1, 2
Number 1 ranked by: DTA, The Letter M, Qrusher14242

I ranked this 3rd, but I get why three people had it number 1 and why it finished 1st pretty comfortably.  Both discs are tremendous, the flow is immaculate, and it's great combination of epic material, instrumental music, short interludes and catchy tunes.  This has a little bit of everything.

[Mladen]

I'm not familiar with Space revolver, but I do enjoy the remaining two. Both could have been trimmed down to one disc, though, especially Stardust we are. Just take the first five songs from disc one and the last five or six songs from disc two and there you go.  Paradox hotel is a bit more difficult to trim down as it is a concept album, but it also drags a bit, some of the songs don't really do it for me. However, I love Blue planet and Lucy had a dream.

That was a quick but fun countdown, Kev, thanks for doing it. 

[Zydar]

Paradox Hotel - My #1 TFK album. Although any of the remaining three could have taken that spot on another day. This album has two of my very favourite TFK songs ever in Hit Me With A Hit and End On A High Note. The title track is great too.

Space Revolver - My #3. This was my first TFK album on my journey, so it gets some nostalgia points. But a couple of highlights too - I Am The Sun and Chicken Farmer Song.

Stardust We Are - My #2. Plenty of favourites here: In The Eyes Of The World, Different People, Ghost Of The Red Cloud, and the title track ("See how we shiiiine").


As always - thanks Kev for running this 

[HOF]

Paradox Hotel was number 6 for me, and I only first heard it about 3 weeks ago when I needed a 10th album for this countdown. Had no idea it was beloved, had never really seen it talked about I don’t think.  But I was engrossed the first time I started on it, and it really is almost non stop goodness for two straight discs. Perhaps over time it would have risen even higher in my ranks.

Space Revolver was my number 3. This is a nice, cohesive TFK album with the two halves of the epic bookending the album. Listened to it again yesterday and there is some weakness from Dream on Dreamer through Monster Within (second half of Rumble Fish Twist is great though, and some of the instrumental parts of Monster Within as well). But from Chicken Farmer onward it’s pretty immaculate. I do think Underdog is one of those shrill TFK moments (that song is really high!), but I do like it. My CD copy has always skipped for the last minute or so of I Am The Sun Pt 2, which is a major bummer! It ripped fine to my computer though.

Stardust We Are was number 2. This was the second TFK album I owned, and while I really liked certain parts of it, it took me over a decade to really love the whole thing. Once I finally gave it a good, undivided full listen it opened up to me. It’s a magical album with so many great moments. And the title track is probably their greatest epic (not counting Garden of Dreams as one song). I wanted to shout out to Different People (also a weird mix), which I just really love and always have. Also The Man Who Walked With Kings is such a gorgeous instrumental. Up there with Flora Majora for my favorite TFK instrumental.

Thanks for running this one, Kev. A shame more people don’t love this band, but still had fun chatting about their discography, and it got me to dig into Paradox Hotel. 

[425]

Stardust We Are is the only one of these I know. It would have been number 2 on my list. It's the TFK album I've gotten into most recently, and it could end up passing DR in the future, but as HOF's post suggests, I think it takes time to get into the whole thing because it's so huge. But even now, while I don't think I'm even close to having a sense of it all, I can clearly recognize the excellence of it. In particular, the title track is probably already my favorite TFK song.

So this would have been my list:
1. Desolation Rose
2. Stardust We Are
3. Banks of Eden
4. Back in the World of Adventures
5. Islands
6. Retropolis
7. Waiting for Miracles
8. By Royal Decree

To get to 10, I would have put Flower Power at #9 since at least I own that one, and used RNG to select the last one. That seems kind of weird and unhelpful, which is why I decided not to submit a list.


By the way, as just a casual, outside observer, I agree with this observation about Paradox Hotel:

Had no idea it was beloved, had never really seen it talked about I don’t think.

I guess my general sense was that everyone's favorites were the first seven minus The Rainmaker. In fact, if you'd asked me last week to name every TFK album, I think Paradox Hotel would have been the one I'd be most likely to forget. So this is interesting and makes me more excited to get to that one.

Thanks for running this, Kev. I enjoyed following it and reading everyone's thoughts about the albums. It's made me more excited to continue my gradual process of getting into their discography.

[hefdaddy42]

That's probably pretty close to what my top 3 would have been.

[HOF]

Here was my full top 10 for the record:

10. Unfold The Future
9. By Royal Decree
8. Islands
7. Back in the World of Adventures
6. Paradox Hotel
5. Flower Power
4. The Rainmaker
3. Space Revolver
2. Stardust We Are
1. Retropolis

I will say I listened to both The Rainmakee and Space Revolver back to back yesterday, and I think the Rainmaker is right up there with it. Space Revolver probably gets the nod because of Chicken Farmer Song really. I love that one so much.

[RoeDent]

1. Space Revolver
2. Stardust We Are
3. Flower Power
4. Paradox Hotel
5. Adam & Eve
6. Unfold the Future
7. The Rainmaker
8. Back in the World of Adventures
9. Waiting for Miracles
10. Retropolis
--------------
11. Islands
12. Banks of Eden
13. The Sum of No Evil
14. Desolation Rose
15. By Royal Decree

Paradox Hotel - I love this album! Monsters & Men is one of my favourite epics, especially the closing instrumental section. And Pioneers of Aviation is without question my favourite TFK instrumental. Favourite tracks: Monsters & Men, Pioneers of Aviation, Man of the World

Space Revolver - I ranked this #1. The main thing that tops it ahead of SWA is the more manageable length. It's honestly remarkable that *less than a year* after the absolutely enormous Flower Power we got another 70-odd minutes of music that's just as good quality. Different take on the Prog Epic with the album-bookending I Am the Sun. And my favourite of Roine's guitar solos at the end of A King's Prayer. Favourite tracks: I Am the Sun, Underdog, A King's Prayer

Stardust We Are - Not remotely surprised this is the forum's choice. One of the all-time classics of progressive rock. Favourite tracks: Just This Once, The Man Who Walked With Kings, Stardust We Are

Thank you KevShmev for running this countdown! It's got me listening to The Flower Kings again after a little while. Roll on September when we're expecting to get new music!

[The Letter M]

01   Stardust We Are
02   Unfold The Future
03   Paradox Hotel
04   Space Revolver
05   The Sum Of No Evil
06   Flower Power
07   Back In The World Of Adventures
08   Retropolis
09   Adam & Eve
10   The Rainmaker
11   By Royal Decree
12   Desolation Rose
13   Islands
14   Banks Of Eden
15   Waiting For Miracles

Space Revolver landed in 4th for me, which is pretty accurate before I did the rank sorter. I think it's always been a top five TFK album for me, especially among so many other lengthier albums, but this one just really hit differently after FP, with some strong concise songs and the bookending epic that is one of their best.

Paradox Hotel was an album that took me years to warm up to, but when it all finally clicked, it kept a seat in my top three, and unless their next album or two blow me away, I doubt PH will ever be unseated from the top three. The album gets stronger as it goes along, IMO, with some AMAZING songs closing out the second disc.

And then there's Stardust We Are, one of the band's first albums I ever listened to it, and it really stood the test of time with me. There are some great tracks on here, like the title tracks of course, but also a few "eh, they're not bad", but as a WHOLE, the album has stupendous flow and feel from top to bottom. It was the build-up their first two albums had to the making of this masterpiece. I think I've loved SWA so much that it has overshadowed FP for me, which is why that album was 6th in my ranking, but having the band's first five studio albums in my Top Eight means they had a STRONG start in the earliest part of the career, and a kind of magic and power that they've not really reached since (with a couple exceptions like TSONE, PH, and UTF for me). Everything else has been "okay to good" since then and that's fine too. They don't need to WOW me anymore, just make some good, relaxing and interesting TFK material.

Thanks again for running this Kev, even if it didn't pan out the way many of us wanted, I'm glad you took the time to tally the results from the few of us that submitted a list.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

As much as I like the song Stardust We Are, I feel it is a 2nd tier epic, not a top tier one.  Really good song, but when I think of my all-time sidelong epics, it doesn't come close to being a favorite, and when looking at those by just the Flower Kings, I think Devil's Playground wipes the mat with it, and if we can cheat and count the I Am the Sun tracks as one, ala In the Presence of Enemies, that dismantles Stardust We Are as well.  I feel like I probably would consider SWA their best album if I thought the epic was super awesome.  Not that I don't think it is really good or that it drags the album down, but I just don't feel it is one of their best songs anymore.