KINGSTON WALL

After Ståhl jumped ship and a short stint with Timo Joutsimäki, the band would finally find resolution with drummer Sami Kuoppamäki who would play on all three of the band's album before the unfortunate suicide of Petri Walli abruptly ended the band. While supposedly named after a mental hospital in England, KINGSTON WALL started playing live in 1988 and became an immediate hit with its acid rock intensity that mixed its 60s heavy psych nostalgia with a hard rock intensity and a modern psychedelic infusion of trippy sound effects delivered by the guitar. After an extensive touring schedule and a relentless pursuit to find an album label, the band eventually recorded its first self-titled release (later known as KINGSTON WALL I) on its own Trinity label but soon found a new home on the Zero label.

The heaviest and most raw of the band's three albums, this debut featured heavy hitting tracks with energetic guitar riffing, Hendrix inspired soloing and even offered a feisty punkish version of "Fire" that displayed Walli's over-the-top vocal wallop that fits more into the camp of Midwest Emo than it does anything in the world of psychedelic rock. KINGSTON WALL sort of straddled that line between the psychedelic revival scene in the heavier arenas of acid rock but also offered a taste of early indie rock in its DIY garage rock nonchalantness of delivering tight yet raw tracks that eschewed any keyboards or other sampled effects. All the trippy effects are performed on the guitar. The band also added an exotic flair with Middle Eastern musical scales and the Egyptian horn used most prominently on tracks like "And I Hear You Call" and Mushrooms." And with "Tanya" actually slows things down to deliver something that could qualify as Pink Floyd influenced.

While considered a progressive rock band, KINGSTON WALL's debut doesn't feel as such for the most part as it mostly comes off as an above average garage band with lots of youthful pent up angst oozing from its feisty guitar, bass and drum combo assault but the album shifts gears on the closing "Mushrooms" which is basically a suite of eight movements although they are separated into individual tracks and finally delivers what many would call progressive rock. With all lyrics sung in English, KINGSTON WALL's cult appeal isn't surprising as the band's hard driving instrumental approach that mixed Hendrix and Zeppelin along with Floydian space rock moments coupled with the themes of mysticism and concepts from Eastern religions is a rather unique approach considering this band started in the 80s and recorded all its albums in the early 1990s. This last multi-suite track displays all these attributes coming together at the band's finest.

This was really the only hard rockin' album from KINGSTON WALL as the second album simply titled "II" incorporated Walli's newfound interest in tech music and rave electronica and therefore dropped the heavier acid rock abrasiveness for a smoother psychedelic space rock sound. This is an album i can understand the appeal but it's not one that has won me over to a great degree. For some reason heavy psych and acid rock outside the context of the late 60s and early 70s just doesn't resonate with me as it seems more like a period sound than one that can be revived decades later. Likewise Walli's vocal brashness is a bit of a hard pill to swallow but not a total deal breaker especially in the less vocal oriented moments. The album does evoke a unique take on psychedelic rock where it takes on a punkish approach of how the music is delivered. Not a bad album but i wish there were more psychedelic touches that anchored it more in that arena.

3.5 rounded down

With My Mind - Has the highest quality lyrical content on the album. Opens with a fantastic, slow riff before launching into some very psychedelic verses and slightly poignant choruses. Pete creates quite a catchy riff in the second half of his solo. Perfect song for an opener.

Used To Feel Before - The energy picks up in track 2. An short upbeat rocker with catchy chord progressions that almost disguise themselves as riffs. Walli cries about his love gone wrong in the verses but becomes a lot happier in the much catchier choruses. This song *was* my favourite on the album after the first few listens, so it's probably the most accessible number. The second half of the instrumental section has Pete really going for it on the wah pedal.

I'm Not The One - This song really is the first introduction to Pete's excellent guitar solo writing skills and the album's psychedelia. The lyrics are minimal and shouted, sandwiched between blocks of the song's main riff. Then, once the riff has been played enough times, Walli's solo begins only 1/3rd of the way through the runtime. The first section of it remains faithful to the groove they had in the first part of the song, but once they slow down at 2:10 it turns into one of this album's best moments. Indesipherable chatter occurs in the background while Pete plays a little trippy melody, and then they launch into an interstellar riff section lasting only 15 seconds.

Fire - Not much to say for this cover, but the reggae breakdown that introduces the 3rd verse is very well arranged. Jylli said in an interview that he hated this song. Walli's solos feel more like noodling on a couple of notes rather than well written melodies.

Waste Of Time - Another piece with some nice lyrics, in the same vein as With My Mind. It's not amazing; the choruses drag on a bit and are quite slow. Also, once the verses and first two choruses are over, the bulk of the 2 and a half minute instrumental section is awful. It's just alternating between whispers of "it's just a waste of time" and some unimaginitive wah-ing on the guitar. The drumming is intense though. I guess this is the "immaturity" that many other reviews say is too frequent on the album. The very loud ending is great though, and works as a segue to the infinetely better track 6.

Nepal - My top song on the album. Opens with a key change, signalling a departure from WOT's dragginess. The first minute and a half is a noisy psychedelic jam, almost like a warm up for the musicians. The song's main riff is beautiful. The lyrics are few and don't really make any sense, but I enjoy that. The guitar-made bird noises Walli dubbed over the song give it an even more interesting texture. Walli's solos last upwards of 3 minutes. His first one introduces the Eastern themes he picked up on trips to India, and they are incredibly well written and make use of effect pedals excellently rather than just stepping on it on every note. After a good amount of listens, they become catchy and singable. Solo duties are passed over to Jylli during a break, which Walli starts quietly riffing over. Some chatter similar to that in I'm Not The One begins, which gives me goosebumps, preceding the intense second half of the guitar solo, which is just as well put together as the first. The song crashes down into another chorus and then ends with yet another new riff. Nepal is a phenomenal composition. According to Bassist Jylli in an interview, the band had already finished this song in 1989, three years before its release. This may be why it's so good as they had so much time to make improvements to it. The song title is probably an attempt to be like Led Zeppelin (with their song Kashmir, which is geographically close to Nepal).

And I Hear You Call - This one adds to the eastern themes and psychedelia; the lyrics tell a story of someone who presumably experiences auditory hallucinations after taking psychedelics. This is another favourite and is very danceable especially during the chorus. It's interesting how they don't go back into it after the solo. There's a very tight breakdown at 3:24.

Tanya - A instrumental for Pete's girlfriend at the time. It's pretty, but I don't listen to it unless I'm listening to the whole album.

Now, that's about 40 minutes! Now would be a nice time to end the album since there won't be any space left on the record. Nuh uh. This is the 90s and CDs have been invented, so such barriers are things of the past.

Mushrooms - A monster phenomenal suite of 8 extremely trippy pieces. I love spacing out to this one. Prelude - is exactly what the title says. Interestingly, I was watching a KW concert on youtube from a few years before 1992 and found out this song used to have lyrics that went like "Mushrooms! It makes you feel good!". They were very cringy and I'm glad they didn't keep using them. On My Own - is the only one that is a full song. I really like the way the pleasant riffs are written around the chords, which are really interesting. Also, during the verses, the song is in C# major, while Walli sings in the minor of the key. Something makes me wonder how they knew it would work. The instrumental that follows the second chorus is unique in that the drums slowly increase in volume so by the end its really quite intense but when it begins it's rather ambient. The live version on Real Live Thing introduces more phrases to the solo parts, and vastly overhauls the other instrumental section afterwards. Oh, also, the drum fill that introduces the final chorus is weirdly catchy for something that isn't even a melody. The Weep - Very strange vocals. There's a guy who sounds like he's mumbling in a huge hall through a loudspeaker and Walli weeps melodically over it. It's nice. Mushrooms - A song about drugs. I love the "da da ba ba" parts; they are very catchy and the bassline creates a really neat countermelody. The guitar solo at the end is insane! Especially the short riff at 2:25. Almost works as its own song. Circumstances - I [%*!#]in love this one. Walli repeats some groovy riffs while a backing track full of screaming and shouting plays in the foreground, with some hilarious lines that take close listening to decipher (for example, "WHAT does it all MEAN?", some vomiting noises and what sounds like a shopkeeper shouting anger while pursuing a thief!). The wind instrument in the second half makes it incredibly trippy. (This song is my alarm clock). Captain Relief - The first 45 seconds is my favourite moment on the Mushrooms suite. A very groovy chord progression opens it after a minute of bonkersness from the previous track and the funny instrument from Circumstances hangs around for a bit too. The solo is like a reprise of one of the ones on I'm Not The One. The second half slows down, and honestly I think it should've been separated in the middle (conceived as a different section). It's fun and trippy. More Mushrooms - A funny sketch between two gasping stoners. I love how Walli, who is the band's lead singer, admits to not being able to sing. Then it's an explosive reprise of Mushrooms. The Answer - A deceptively simple melody. Wish it had a proper ending instead of just fading out. But it's a good way to end the suite. 4.5 - Waste of Time sadly brings it down from being a perfect album for me.

An album that perhaps should not work. Does mid-90's psych-prog really get anyone out of their seat? Coupled with the fact that it's partly influenced by psytrance? There were a few artists kicking around doing this sort of thing in the 90s, but not many that I can say do it as convincingly as Kingston Wall. And it's all because they write good songs first, before they go and drop acid and jam out the instrumental passages. If this was half the length and all the weird psych bits were removed, it would be a passable alt-rock album with strong melodies, good performances and memorable hooks. The psych doesn't necessarily detract from that - it's more the fact that all piled together there's 70+ minutes of stuff here. But when it's good, it's some of the best that 90's prog got to.

6.8 (5th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

1. "With My Mind" (4:39) nice wall of sound but the vocals feel lacking in authentic enthusiasm. Even some impressive lead guitar wah-pedal soloing can't really make up for the dullness of the rest of the song. (8.25/10)

2. "Used to Feel Before" (4:02) very bluesy, HENDRIX-like foundation for a rockin' song. Perhaps this is the song that planted the "the reincarnation of Jimi Hendrix" seed in my brain--(though not the chorus). Definitely a late 60s blues-rock vibe going on here--Zeppelin or maybe even a little Black Sabbath; no, definitely Hendrix. (8.5/10)

3. "I'm Not the One" (3:43) another Hendrix-like tune with a BEASTIE BOYS-style choral vocal delivery. The guitar playing is smokin' hot but nothing really new or innovative--until the third minute when echo-guitar is accompanied by background crowd chatter noises. I wonder if Omar Rodriguez-Lopez ever heard Petri or the Wall's music before they formed The Mars Volta. (8.5/10)

4. "Fire" (2:58) an actual Hendrix cover! Petri does not (yet) have the vocal capacity to pull off a Hendrix song but in the guitar department he is making it his own! (8.5/10)

5. "Waste of Time" (6:26) again, the blues-rock bands of the 60s immediately come to mind--those bands who were exploring the loud, proto-"metal" sounds and styles at that time. Even the melodies feel and sound like that old era (Bowie, Spirit). The wild fourth and fifth minutes display the first exposition of the Wall's all-out, no-holds-barred excellence! This is rock excellent--the future of Kingston Wall! The band is playing so tight--as one! (8.75/10)

6. "Nepal" (8:37) a long intro of wah-pedal electric guitar soloing and crashing cymbals open the first 90 seconds of this before a structured song is actually established--one that is much more sedate and smooth that the opening would seem to indicate. Cool bird sounds coming from a second track of Petri's guitar. Again, the band feels pretty tight, pretty jazzed up--as if the album's first four songs were just warmups and now they're really fully engaged, fully entrained--though not quite as tight as the second half of that previous song. Petri is in the zone--going off into the cosmos--until surprisingly relinquishing the lead to the bass player. I love the psychedelia shouts and cryptic phrases in the background--and then he steps to the fore again--this time urging the bass and drum players to flash and shine at the same time. A little THIN LIZZY-like multi-instrumental regurgitation of the main melody before everybody crashes to the finish. (17.5/20)

7. "And I Hear You Call" (4:55) a decent song with an odd almost Caribbean feel to the rhythm tracks, yet the melodies feel almost Greek, while Petri's guitar showmanship pushes over the edge into new territories. (8.5/10)

8. "Tanya (3:51) slow-picked echoed and distorted electric guitar notes open this. Bass notes, drum hits, and background reverbed scream/wails join in. A very bluesy, JEFF BECK-like song--an instrumental with a BEATLES-like melody line--that seems to sing a tale of woe and tribulation. (8.25/10)

- "Mushrooms" (21:09) (34.5/40): 9. I - Prelude (1:18) - intentionally strummed guitar chords and cymbal play support Petri's wailing-echoed guitar play. (4.25/5) 10. II - On My Own (6:50) - steady rumba beat over which Petri sings in a URIAH HEEP-like melody about wasting time. Great chorus. Great song that could have been even better with better background vocals and more "in the pocket" drumming. I like the bass player exploring his own trajectory while Petri solos in the fourth minute. Then there is an odd shift into a space-dreamy sequence of effects and musical waves rising and falling (which feels as if it should have been designated with its own sub-title), but then we return to the "I wanna be" chorus for the final minute. (13.25/15) 11. III - The Weep (2:01) - gentle guitar and cymbal play over which two very odd vocal tracks compete for dominance: one that is wailing, almost crying, the other that is like an indecipherable squawk coming from a PA system voice. Interesting dichotomy. (8.25/5) 12. IV - Mushrooms (3:04) - a return to the Beastie Boys form of singing over staccato syncopated music eventually smooths and flattens out for the poppy chorus. There is absolutely no pop, no fluff, in Petri's ensuing guitar solo, though: this is all rock at it's Alvin Lee/Ronnie Montrose kickin' tops. (9/10) 13. V - Circumstances (2:18) - similar rhythm as the previous section with pseudo-Islamic chant-wailing over the top--accompanied by wild sax play (that sounds like it came from Vietnam or Mecca). Protends of Koenji Hyakkei? (4.5/5) 14. VI - Captain Relief (2:15) back to Western rock--Petri let's loose and he is on fire! Even when the band quiets down, Petri's solo is psychedelic majesty! (4.5/5) 15. VII - More Mushrooms (2:07) a conversation between two druggies gives way to the Beastie Boys theme and choral vocals of the previous "Mushrooms" section. Here Petri plays a bottleneck/slide for the lead, until ? (4.25/5) 16. VIII - The Answer (1:16) an awesome sonic landscape to finish with. (4.5/5)

Total Time: 60:20

Plenty of flashes of the rise to virtuosic levels of instrument mastery are on display here--but they aren't quite there yet--even Petri has some growing to do (unbelievably). But the power and walls of sound are there--definitely there. An excellent album of late-60s sounding psychedelic blues rock.

B/four stars; an very good addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you like A) Hendrix, B) hard driving psychedelic rock, and/or C) later Petri Walli/Kingston Wall albums.

1. "We Cannot Move" (4:39) let the Indian influences begin! (8.5/10)

2. "Istwan" (4:02) acoustic guitar picking with droning strings leads into a kind of BEATLES/BEACH BOYS C&W song style. Interesting! (8.5/10)

3. "Could It Be So?" (5:52) back to psychedelia: guitar drenched heavily in reverb leads of and solos from the get go. This is HENDRIX/Frank MARINO heaven! And the band does very well to keep up with Petri. (Maybe they've finally awakened.) And he's singing about reincarnation! A top three song for me. (9/10)

4. "And It's All Happening" (6:07) slowed down, spacious blues-rock instrumental. Pure Hendrix or maybe Gilmour amped up by ten. Masterful and emotional. (8.75/10)

5. "Love Tonight" (6:40) though the electric guitar is bleeding over from the previous song, strumming acoustic guitars, Indian-sounding percussion, and either bowed electric guitar or violin establish a TRAFFIC or Alvin Lee-like song structure before Petri begins singing and then turning full on LED ZEPPELIN. Amazingly piercing electric guitar playing during the solo section. And then he's holding back--turns to strumming for his lead work! Absolutely amazing! (8.5/10)

6. "Two Of a Kind" (6:23) returning to the Arabian deserts with acoustic guitar strumming, joined by odd synth-sounding bass before Petri starts singing and the rest of the band joins in. During the first instrumental section, Petri's solo is full-on HENDRIX. It's as if he's channeling the master! Drums get a chance to show off (nice job Sami!) before second verse of singing starts. Another blazing, faster-than-light guitar solo follows. Wow! (8.5/10)

7. "I Feel Love" (6:39) Yes! THE "I Feel Love"! Done Euro-Petri-style! It almost works! (8.25/10)

8. "Shine On Me" (7:05) introduced with a heavy, bluesy picked electric guitar chord progression accompanied by soloing saxophone, Petri's almost-whispered voice delivers the first verse as the band's rhythm track kicks in, before the first guitar solo. Sax does a great job of dancing around Petri's vocals--and the bass and drums intensify nicely after the second verse, encouraging Petri to amp it up for his second guitar solo. Unfortunately, it's rather blues-rock solo by the numbers--the sax is actually outshining the guitar! The music tones down significantly after the third verse, paving the way for a much more sensitive, bluesy GILMOUR-like solo. (13.25/15)

9. "You" (10:11) the opening feels like something from an AL DiMEOLA album. The Latin flavor soon diminishes (@1:15) as electrified guitar sound amplifies. Petri's vocalise and Jukka's bass play are strongly entrained. Then everything backs way down for a spacious, more RY COODER-like acoustic guitar section before electric guitar reenters in a dramatic fashion. Soft, spacious in the fifth minute as Petri finally starts to sing--in a soft, relaxed, Robert Plant-like way. Amped up drums in the sixth minute signal a shift in dynamics: bass and guitar take off, with Petri's wah-ed lead taking us through some Pete Townsend moves before settling on a more staccato approach. Around 7:40 it begins to sound as if there are multiple guitar tracks contributing. New Spanish chord structure at 8:00 leads to another round of Petri alternating between vocalise and lead guitar. Then, at 9:00, we switch back to the soft, spacious motif for Petri to finish the singing off. (17.5/20)

10. "Palékastro" (4:54) a fast paced instrumental rocker to finish off the album unfortunately showcases the discrepancy in skill level between Petri Walli and both of his band mates. (8.25/10)

Total Time: 76:36

B/four stars; an excellent step forward for this guitar god--the possible reincarnation of Master Jimi.

While not necessarily a themed or concept album based band, in essence, their third album 'Tri-Logy' did evolve into a concept album. One could go as far to say that there was a lot of deliberation put into the track order and feel on all 3 of their first albums.

Petri Walli had become more centered around mysticism and Scandinavian folk law, as well as far-eastern, and Hindu influences. When visiting India he had become friends with Ior Bock, a Finnish actor, mythologist and eccentric. It was this relationship that had some affect on the third album Tri-Logy and the concept related to it. The details of this relationship actually makes for a very good read and does for sure give some insight into some thoughts, perhaps, of Petri Walli.

It is a right of passage for some of the great musicians to either stay with us in this life or move to the next before their natural time. It is as though they know some secret or have witnessed the beginning of the universe, and wish to hurry and process the finalities of this life's formalities.

Petri Walli was one of those greats, and of course, like millions of undiscovered musicians, not well known in most popular musical spheres. Nevertheless, he is to many, a John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Marc Bolan, Janis Joplin, to name a few.

I am of course an avid fan, but also i feel the need to express certain things when it comes to releasing the 'Best of" kind of albums.

There has been 2 releases from Sony label. This one in 2011, The Essential Kingston Wall, and a in 2014 one called "The Goods'. Both the The Essential Kingston Wall and The Goods have the same tracks in the same order. The difference is that the first was more expensive and the art work was more subdued.

The thing with making a best of kind of compilation, it does miss the mark, and does leave out many songs that gave another the album it's purpose. It takes the poetry out of the atmosphere.

I started to write about each song as it appears on this album, but I felt that it took away from the 'feel' of each of the 3 albums they were taken from. Each song does feel out of context on it's own. It is like wearing different shoes, or mismatched clothing. I am certain there is no order these songs could have been listed that would feel like you are really getting into the nitty gritty of what Kingston Wall was about.

Yes, they are all great songs. The best of Some of the songs from a great band.

Would this album make someone who had no knowledge of KW go out and listen to the first 3 full albums?

I am not sure if it would. It feels like a homogenized/abridged 'Best of Pink Floyd' albums, which incidentally, I feel pretty much the same way about.

In short, the best way to understand Kingston Wall is to listen to their 3 albums, and in track order.

The Essential Kingston Wall is really for collectors, or perhaps those who wish to take some of the songs on this album and add them to a play list.

I would rate it an Excellent Addition, however the album 'The Essential Kingston Wall' is not necessarily Essential.

Side One (A continuous suite of songs)" 1. "Another Piece Of Cake" (3:48) amazing guitar and great drumming over a kind of standard song. (9/10) 2. "Welcome to the Mirrorland" (3:46) really an intro to "I'm the King, I'm the Sun", the song opens with a cymbal crash before didgeridoo, jews harp, bagpipes, hand percussion, and far background guitar soloing establish the HENDRIX-like before Petri's voice conspiratorially whispers his lyric to us. By the second half drums, synths, and strumming acoustic guitars have moved forward, forcing Petri to speak more openly, insistently. The song then bleeds directly in the next song. (8.75/10) 3. "I'm the King, I'm the Sun" (4:56) feels very PINK FAIRIES-like with vocals and synths. (8.667/10) 4. "The Key: Will" (1:07) coming out of the "King/Sun", the music reverts to digderidoo and jew's harp as Petri sings his final message in a low monotone. More of an interlude. 5. "Take You to Sweet Harmony" (3:24) opens with spacious spaceyness (coming from the didgeridoo and jew's harp of the previous three songs) like a PINK FLOYD song, but then with the mystical almost-spoken vocal it turns kind of Reggae ? except the guitar. Wow! Can Petri wail! I don't really like the song, but the guitar pyrotechnics are undeniable and so worth listening to! (8.75/10) 6. "Get Rid of Your Fears" (2:56) another song that bleeds over from its predecessor, the blues space wah-guitar solos Hendrix-style over a relatively slow, deep, semi-Reggae rhythm foundation. A bit CAN-like, the odd deep vocal that is spoken ominously over the second minute turns whispery-singing over the final guitar chord strums. I really like the drum/percussion work on this one. (8.667/10) 7. "When Something Old Dies" (1:21) the breakout rocker from the previous song. (4.25/5) 8. "Alt - land - is" (5:12) becomes a vehicle for a fast drive on a country road while Petri autodidacts a continuous story as if he's stream-of-consciousness talking. The drumming, bass playing, and synth work is quite active, quite propelling. In the fourth minute Petri finally breaks out of his conspiratorial whisper and sings Robert Plant-like as his guitar work becomes more filling and active. (8.75/10)

9. "Party Goes On" (4:25) another song that reminds me of PINK FAIRIES. Nice shift at 0:45. Petri's support crew is truly top notch--and so tight! (8.667/10)

10. "Stüldjt Håjt" (8:59) very cool psych rock. I hear nods to The Who, Led Zep, AC/DC, even some jazz fusion (in the bass). Petri's vocal performance is very entertaining--as is his searing lead guitar work and the crazed free-jazz bass and drum work. At the four minute mark we fall into another five-chord PINK FAIRIES motif while Petri "narrates" a newscast before falling back into his Hitler-esque repetition of the "Stüldjt håjt" march mantra. The message must be quite powerful as the music and performances all seem to be set to 11. The song's decay over the final 70 seconds is quite entertaining and ingenious--almost as if the world is exploding. (18/20)

11. "For All Mankind" (6:17) drone and didgeridoo open this one as amazing lead guitar riffing and Animal-like drumming slowly fade in as if coming from the Underworld or somewhere equally nefarious. (How else could a guitarist be this good, this dynamic, this confident?) Add to this a great vocal with amazing lyrics and you get my favorite song on the album and my favorite Kingston Wall song of all-time (this despite it being rumored to have been Petri's suicide note to the world). (10/10)

12. "Time" (7:07) slow Petri down and he could definitely be the reincarnation of one Jimi Hendrix. Jaw-dropping guitar play on this bluesy Band of Gypsies-like song. (13.25/15)

13. "The Real Thing" (18:02) (34/35) = 9.71

Total Time: 71:38

The Kingston Wall experience is all about hearing, trying to make sense of, the astonishing and mesmerizing guitar play of Petri Walli. Though he committed suicide shortly after the release of this album and the Petri-ordained breakup of the band, Petri is among the greatest guitarists I've ever had the privilege of hearing. Another reason that I am so grateful for the Internet/WorldWideWeb and the music database of ProgArchives: otherwise, I would have never heard of this band or this extraordinary artist.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of powerful, dextrous, well-composed and well-executed psych rock. What a finale to this short-lived, high-powered band! What a tragic loss!

It has all the right ingredients, from a wonderful opening track, 'With My Mind', to a wild and groovy 2nd track 'Used to Feel Before'.

The 3rd track 'I'm Not the One' is a classic rock riff which leads in to a great cover of Hendrix's 'Fire'.

The 5th track takes us up an emotional notch and we begin to see the inner workings of KW and Petri Walli, again, loud, and epic. A lot more to this song than meets the ear, as most of the songs on this album.

The 6th track Nepal leads us through a bazarre and into something special and deep and flowing and almost heart breaking.

The 7th track 'And I Hear You Call' remains on the same eastern theme with a complex turn-around and intricate drumming sequences.

The 8th track 'Tanya' explores the mind and soul and a small reprieve until we get to the 9th track "Prelude' which moves into one of the best songs on the album, 'On My Own'.

'On My Own' is the last regular track on the album, as if saying well ok you got the point now we're gonna do what we want for the remainder of the album.

The 11th track 'The Weep' is the end of the prelude portion and into the most psycadelic portions of the album followed by the aptly names "Mushrooms'.

The 13th track 'Circumstances' is fun track and has a nice grove going.

The 14th track "Captain Relief' continues the whacked out and the crazy, with superb use of the Wah and control of the flow and movement of the feel of the song.

Track 15 'More Mushrooms' is a a a flashback to the 12th track "Mushrooms.

The last track 'The Answer' sums up what is an exciting journey of an album and a wild experience.

What is so good about this album is that it gets better the more you listen to it. If you get a chance to drive for an hour on a long journey, turn up the volume, give up your preconceptions and enjoy the ride.

I highly recommend this album and for being a first album is extremely accomplished and well produced.

Disc 1 - if you pop it in the DVD player and just press INTRO when the menu system appears, it starts out very well with a live version of 'With My Mind' playing in the inset as you also get to read about the early days and early evolution of the band. This version of With My Mind is one of the best they played and really captures the bands very essence. At this point i was extremely excited for what the rest of disc 1 held in store.

I then went back to main menu, and pressed PLAY ALL. It started a little on the messy side, and if i have been new to Kingston Wall i would have been a little put off at this point as basically, they just split the play list of the band up into sections of live performances year by year and it felt like a little bit confusing.

After a couple of songs I eagerly ejected disc 1 and put in disc 2 and boy, was i glad i did !! (but i will come back to disc 1 in a moment ;-)

Disc 2 seemed to me like the obvious place to start IMO for a any newcomer or indeed longtime KW fan. I pressed the first item on the dvd menu - 'Petri Walli in Memoriam' and was immediately engaged by the way it was presented and edited. It gave me a sense of getting to know Petri and the band through footage from the band live and studio versions of songs. I even felt my eyes welling up when a segment played one of their best known songs, ISTWAN.

I then went back to the menu and watched some of the interview sections, which were very nice and made me feel closer to the band members.

I then watched the Freakout Club sections of KW and pre-KW- Basically what the band really were about, just playing music, and not caring what others thought. They were all musical technicians but had flaws, which made them special.

I then finished up the the EXTRAS section and felt in the mood to go back to disc 1.

Now i was prepared for disc 1 mentally, and watched the entire disc in one sitting. It was excellent and i thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Overall, Kingtime is very well presented and a nice glossy feel to the presentation. The DVDs are well made and labels look as good as anything out there. It came with pull out insert/booklet and they threw in a few small KW mementos in the package.

The 2 DVDs are extensive and time consuming and that makes for a good re-visit from time to time wherein i always seem to find something new or enlightening.

5 stars from me, even though the flow of the content could have been reorganized - but the actual content was amazing. A fun DVD to watch all in all.