Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Flower Kings, The
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 1997
Running time: 130:14
Rating: 4/5
Swedish guitar virtuoso and occasional vocalist Roine Stolt surely never expected his backing band to grow first into a successful project and then into a proper, full-blown group. Under the name The Flower Kings, they became one of the most important representatives of the so-called third wave of progressive rock in the mid-nineties. Thanks to their bright arrangements and the positive vibes running through their lyrics, The Flower Kings became known as the ‘happy campers’ of the modern prog scene, and most people like to compare them to the legendary Yes, given the many sonic and lyrical parallels, although you can pick up influences from other prog rock greats in their music too. By the time their third album, »Stardust We Are«, came out, the band had Stolt, keyboardist Tomas Bodin and vocalist Hasse Froberg joined by Roine’s brother Michael on bass and drummer Jaime Salazar, while percussionist Hasse Bruniusson and saxophonist Ulf Wallander pitched in as guest musicians.
»Stardust We Are« was the first double album in The Flower Kings’ history, and it kicked off a long-running trend of double albums (every second album from the ‘Flower Kings’ was a double). These double-disc The Flower Kings projects usually had to run over two hours, which had both good and bad consequences. Alongside some outstanding compositions, the standout being the twenty-five-minute title track, a masterpiece and one of their very best achievements overall, the album also has a heap of pieces, mostly shorter ones, that serve mainly to stretch out the running time of this double album.
Take the opening, ten-plus-minute »In The Eyes Of TheWorld«, which at times sounds like a close encounter between Deep Purple (the opening passage on Hammond organ), Yes (the vocal harmonies) and Genesis (the symphonic arrangements). It’s followed by the less-than-two-minute still-life filler »A Room With a View«. Technically, as expected, everything is played at the highest level, since the band members rank among the elite of the Scandinavian prog rock scene, where Stolt, who’s been around since the seventies, can safely be granted legendary status. Bodin had already studied the approach of his main idols Rick Wakeman (Yes) and Tony Banks (Genesis) down to the finest detail, which is why his arrangements are key to making »Stardust We Are« one of the better achievements of symphonic progressive rock from the last decade of the previous century. The Flower Kings swear by melodic arrangements and lovely choruses, but they also love to ‘complicate’ things with extensive instrumental sections and complex improvisations, where you can detect King Crimson and Gentle Giant influences too, which is why listening to their music usually takes considerable focus and concentration.
»A Room With a View« opens with an annoying intro full of crazed effects, but things quickly calm down and the typical The Flower Kings positivity takes over, with gorgeous symphonic arrangements and playful tempo shifts. Chief Stolt and his colleague Froberg, a hard rocker by vocal style and by soul, trade off effectively on lead vocals. »The Church Of Your Heart«, crowned with a gorgeous multi-part chorus, is another thoroughly characteristic track, where the ‘flowery’ positivity of Stolt, the ‘eternal hippie’, hangs over the atmosphere the whole time. Plenty of people call him a Scandinavian Jon Anderson (Yes) because of his lyrics and philosophy. Bodin’s short solo spot, where he conjures up a sacred mood on the organ, is an interesting touch too. »Poor Mr. Rain’s Ordinary Guitar« is a lovely acoustic instrumental with a pastoral touch, even if stylistically it doesn’t fit all that well with the album’s dominant, slightly ‘hyperactive’ atmosphere.
The instrumental »The Man Who Walked Witth Kings«, which in approach recalls the Genesis »Wind And Wuthering« era, has a lovely acoustic intro with a baroque arrangement, while Stolt more than obviously takes his cue here from the guitar approach of one of his main idols, Steve Hackett. Stylistic variety is the last thing you could accuse this album of lacking, and it’s one of the strengths where the ‘Flower Kings’ impress most, even if not all the stylistic contrasts are equally convincing. The twelve-minute experiment »Circus Brimstone« is one of the few somewhat darker moments on the album, with considerable King Crimson influences. Pretty much every The Flower Kings album usually had at least one or two uncharacteristic, darker compositions. After the filler »Crying Clown« comes the compact yet successful »Compassion«, packed with epic and subtle passages that will make the heart of any lover of quality symphonic prog skip a beat.
The second disc serves up even more stylistic variety. After the organ instrumental »Pipes Of Peace«, which contains the central »Stardust We Are« motif, comes the melancholic »The End Of Innocence«, which features an exceptionally subtle guitar solo in its closing section and ranks among the better »Stardust We Are« moments. The ‘Yes-like’ »The Merrygoround« is once again a more representative The Flower Kings ‘merry-go-round’, where the band practically bursts with positive energy and layered vocals and high notes mostly dominate. One of the most interesting experiments on the album is undoubtedly the hippie-psychedelic »Don Of The Universe«, and anyone unfamiliar with the makeup and philosophy of Stolt and his crew would quickly assume the guys were enjoying certain intoxicating substances while dreaming it up and recording it. The atmosphere in the instrumental intro is a bit reminiscent of early-seventies Pink Floyd, while the electric sitar will remind many of late Beatles.
»Different People« is a varied stew of symphonic prog, pop, hard rock and funk elements that keeps up a bouncy melody and a cheeky atmosphere throughout. After a carnival-style intro, »Kingdom Of Lies« moves into a more fiery section where Froberg’s hard rock vocal approach really gets to shine. »If 28« is a short filler with a gallant piano solo. »Ghost Of The Red Cloud«, which at times gets very close to pop rock, has a cheerful chorus, playful effects and an almost reggae rhythm. »Hotel Nirvana« is a short, uninteresting acoustic guitar improvisation that you forget the moment it ends. The best piece on the album is the already mentioned epic title-track masterpiece, which usually can’t be missing from any The Flower Kings gig and stands on par with the epic classics from the golden age of progressive rock. Despite its extraordinary complexity, a string of clever tempo shifts and rhythmic changes, its greatest asset is a fantastic, soaring chorus, one of the most striking and unforgettable in their history. With this closing masterpiece, the band makes up somewhat for all the needless filler.
The Flower Kings proved with »Stardust We Are« that dreaming up double albums is no sweat for them. All that music can be a double-edged sword, though: alongside the brilliant moments there are a few utterly forgettable ones too, mostly the shorter pieces, where technical perfection alone isn’t enough to hold the listener’s attention from start to finish of this sprawling, ambitious studio project. The Flower Kings would keep up this trend on their later double albums, which, besides the treats, also contained some quickly forgotten ballast, or fillers to pad out the running time. That’s exactly what bothered their critics most, so when The Flower Kings later forged more extensive albums, which have become rarer over the years, they started making sure there were as few forgettable moments as possible.
Lineup
Roine Stolt – guitar, lead vocals, keyboards
Tomas Bodin – keyboards
Hasse Froberg – lead and backing vocals
Michael Stolt – bass guitar
Jaime Salazar – drums
Hasse Bruniusson – percussion
Ulf Wallander – saxophone
Production
Don Azzari
Track list
CD 1: (54:34)
1. In The Eyes Of The World (10:38)
2. A Room With A View (1:26)
3. Just This Once (7:53)
4. Church Of Your Heart (9:10)
5. Poor Mr. Rain’s Ordinary Guitar (2:43)
6. The Man Who Walked With Kings (4:59)
7. Circus Brimstone (12:03)
8. Crying Clown (0:57)
9. Compassion (4:45)
CD 2: (71:41)
1. Pipes Of Peace (1:19)
2. The End Of Innocence (8:28)
3. The Merrygoround (8:17)
4. Don Of The Universe (7:02)
5. A Day At The Mall (0:45)
6. Different People (6:19)
7. Kingdom Of Lies (5:48)
8. If 28 (2:15)
9. Ghost Of The Red Cloud (4:37)
10. Hotel Nirvana (1:49)
11. Stardust We Are (25:02)
