BACK IN THE WORLD OF ADVENTURES

Fantastic 2nd album by the guys, (the 1st was actually Ronnie's 1st solo album) marred only by Stolt's fixation on Fripp and Howe. Firstly, the arrangements are top notch. There's nary a stolen melody, (which hampers the following album) or much rambling, (which pads alot of their newer discs). Here you'll find some top notch symphonic prog with tons of King Crimson noodling, especially the last two songs. "World Of Adventure" and "My Cosmic Lover" have some killer riffs and themes. It's only Stolt's occasional mispronounciation of some words that make you want to cringe, but for the most part he does a credible job. Bodin has some nice keyboard runs here and there, but he's not given enough to do, yet. It's the track, "Theme For A Hero" an instrumental, that Bodin and the band play that typical bright, airy, uptempo Flower King's song we all know and love. It's my absolute favorite instrumental track by the band ever. Phenomenal melodies and chords that stay with you for days on end. Heaven! For the most part, this album is just the tip of the iceberg for the band. After a step back literally, ('Retropolis') they soar into the stratosphere hitting on all cylinders with a sputter here and there. This album is their launching pad! A jet fueled 4 star effort and a must have starting point if you want to know what they are all about.