FLOWER POWER

This is the album where TFK began to win their fame of releasing everything they wrote, without any kind of selection or quality control. Disc one is a very good album by The Flower Kings, but disc two seems to be released by The Filler Kings instead. And it's a pity. Garden Of Dreams, the huge multipart suite contained in the first CD is really worth the price of the album. It contains so many different moods, rythms and melodies that you can never get bored of it. This is not a single song developed to the maximum, but a nice medley of individual ideas flowing naturally as one amazing epic track. Plus you have at the end Astral Dogs, which is only an improvisation with good guitar jamming, not really necessary for the album, but not bad. Why not making an album containing only this first CD? Instead of it, TFK offer us a second CD. My favourite track off it is Psychedelic Postcard, which starts with a nice melody sung by Stolt's distorted voice with a nice late 60's feeling, until the song becomes a sort of Yes tune with the typical vocal harmonies and Howe-like guitars. I also like Deaf Numb & Blind, with good synths, interesting time signature at times, and even a sort of arabic melody But also you can find two attemps to made commercial/AOR songs (Stupid Girl and Magic Pie, the last lasting 8 boring minutes), along with other average songs with extense jamming, and several instrumentals being the only good one the nice churg-organ driven Power of Kindness. Summary: First CD 4 stars, maybe 4'5. Second CD 2 stars. FInal veredict: 3 stars.