MEET THE FLOWER KINGS @ LIVE RECORDING 2003

Being an American, I must admit my dearth of knowledge of all the great European prog out there. This is definitely one of the greatest prog bands I have encountered. The ethereal guitar playing of Stolt and equally ethereal keyboards of Bodin make this a prog classic in the greatest tradition of Howe and Hackett on guitar and Banks and Emerson on keyboards. I have listened to 'The Truth will Set you Free' a dozen or more times and I still wonder 'where does the time go?' This is one 30+ minute song that I can listen to over and over again for hours. 'Garden of Dreams 1 & 2' is also very nice, another epic masterpiece where time is no object. 'Silent inferno' is a great tune in the rock-ballad-jazz prog formula with many different time signatures to accent the style changes. I have never really been into the cacophony of sounds, John Cage style, which is what 'Circus Brimstone' reminds me of - a la early King Crimson and early Walter Carlos ('Clockwork Orange' soundtrack). Otherwise, I find myself listening to the rest of the 140+ minutes with awe and wonder. Unbelievable to me that this is a live album - their tight musicianship makes this sound like a studio album (which I hope is a compliment). Whether you like the Flower Kings studio albums or not, this live CD set (and/or DVD) is a 'must-have' in anyone's collection.