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infandous View Drop Down
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I quite like all the Agents albums, though the the last is the best by far, followed by the second, then first (which has taken a long time to appreciate......and I'd still only call it a solid 3 star album).  HFMC, I've stated my views on previously.......don't like it one bit.  Oh sure, it's well performed and recorded, and the compositions are not badly written or anything.  I just can't take Froberg's lead singing for an entire album (though for some reason on FK material I think he nearly always sounds fantastic.......not so on HFMC, to my ears at least).

Jonas has played with a ridiculous number of prog bands.  Kaipa is a pretty good side project (well, it's the main project for composer and keys player Lundin), but I find they have gotten quite repetitive and spotty since Keyholder (which itself is only really about half a great album).

Oddly, my favorite FK side projects have been Tomas' I AM and You Are albums (the latter being officially a band project, Eggs and Dogs).  Even Roine's Hydrophonia seems pretty inconsequential to me and I never listen to it (though Wall Street Voodoo is a fantastic album, though not a note of prog on it).
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infandous View Drop Down
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Originally posted by M27Barney M27Barney wrote:

Originally posted by Roland113 Roland113 wrote:

Originally posted by M27Barney M27Barney wrote:

Originally posted by zumacraig zumacraig wrote:

Barn,

great story.  unfortunately if you try to talk these folks out of their ideology, they just get more galvanized.  case in point, the neal morse thread.  (how dare you say anything about Neal's beliefs.  God saved his child man!) But, God let's 25% of kids in America go to bed hungry?  oh well.  i'm glad i can dig the music:)
well I managed to get a progressive theme in there at the end...Tongue
I may well pack posting on here as RichardH has patently told me to f**k off.....
TTFN.....

Noooo, don't go.

Besides, you don't exactly strike me as the sort that would actually F off just cause someone told you to.
Aye, I'll stick around , you're not really alive if your presence doesn't get up somebody's nose Cool
Unless I get banned for "stating the beeding obvious".....Sleepy



I'm with the atheists on this one !  Though, strictly speaking I'm not an atheist, I do not subscribe to any religion and consider them all a menace to civilized society.  I consider them anti-reality, and I'm nothing if not a realist Wink

 
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"He's not the Messiah...He's just a naughty  boy......." makes me laugh every time......Mind you I got home from work , turned on the telly and it's full of men with beards kicking it off - Egypt this time - Bit like a United V Liverpool game in the 70's or 80's (minus the skinheads/docs and scarves round the wrists....).....all tribal based combat....the scourge of man...
I'll have to listen to the two earlier AOM - they might grow on me....
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infandous View Drop Down
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Originally posted by M27Barney M27Barney wrote:

"He's not the Messiah...He's just a naughty  boy......." makes me laugh every time......Mind you I got home from work , turned on the telly and it's full of men with beards kicking it off - Egypt this time - Bit like a United V Liverpool game in the 70's or 80's (minus the skinheads/docs and scarves round the wrists....).....all tribal based combat....the scourge of man...
I'll have to listen to the two earlier AOM - they might grow on me....


I think you have to kind of put aside the fact that Roine is such a prog guru when you listen to those first two AOM albums.  Particularly the first album was never really meant to be a prog album at all, and sort of morphed into one once he and Nad started throwing ideas around.  It's pretty mellow on the whole, almost prog "muzak" (as I've described it before).  The second one is the full band taking shape, and has a bit more bite to it, but still retains some of the mellowness of the first album.  The third, of course, is where the band is cemented and has touring under their belt, and comes off as pretty much a full blown prog album (if still pretty striped down compared to TFK).

Anyway, I don't consider them a "great" band or albums, per say, but certainly "very good" applies overall.
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zumacraig View Drop Down
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Originally posted by infandous infandous wrote:

I quite like all the Agents albums, though the the last is the best by far, followed by the second, then first (which has taken a long time to appreciate......and I'd still only call it a solid 3 star album).  HFMC, I've stated my views on previously.......don't like it one bit.  Oh sure, it's well performed and recorded, and the compositions are not badly written or anything.  I just can't take Froberg's lead singing for an entire album (though for some reason on FK material I think he nearly always sounds fantastic.......not so on HFMC, to my ears at least).

Jonas has played with a ridiculous number of prog bands.  Kaipa is a pretty good side project (well, it's the main project for composer and keys player Lundin), but I find they have gotten quite repetitive and spotty since Keyholder (which itself is only really about half a great album).

Oddly, my favorite FK side projects have been Tomas' I AM and You Are albums (the latter being officially a band project, Eggs and Dogs).  Even Roine's Hydrophonia seems pretty inconsequential to me and I never listen to it (though Wall Street Voodoo is a fantastic album, though not a note of prog on it).

with you all the way here.  i have the first kaipa and really see no need to get any more.  I've heard all the AoM albums, but never gave them much time.  i'll get Blackforest as it seems to be the best.  it's really dense music in a lyrical sense.  i like the sound of it, but it doesn't blow me a way.  we'll see. 

hfmc is catchy and has some good riffs, but the lyrics are kind of clunky.  my favorite side project album right now is bodin's first, ordinary day/life.  it's so memorable and seems to come out of that uber creative time the band had in the mid to late 90s.  

of course, the ultimate side project is Transatlantic ;-)
Stardust we are.
-Roine Stolt
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M27Barney View Drop Down
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I have one Kaipa - In the wake of evolution - I quite liked it when I listened to it recently....I must get more I feel...
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Originally posted by M27Barney M27Barney wrote:

I have one Kaipa - In the wake of evolution - I quite liked it when I listened to it recently....I must get more I feel...
 
And there's a new one out soon too Tongue, called Wittjar. Big tip Rob, get Keyholder.  That is Kaipa's best by a country mile.
 
The diversity of this thread is what has kept it going 200odd pages.  A couple of days away from the thread and what have I missed.  Grand kick-offs (on the Neal Morse thread I know, but tremors over here) but at least now we've returned to Monty Python a little stability is restored Approve.
 
Incidentally I agree with Gus totally about I Am and You Are.  They are fantastic albums.
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Originally posted by zumacraig zumacraig wrote:

 
 my favorite side project album right now is bodin's first, ordinary day/life.  it's so memorable and seems to come out of that uber creative time the band had in the mid to late 90s.  

 
 
This is very interesting Zuma.  Tomas's debut is the only album of his I'm missing.  I like his others, especially I Am, Pinup Guru and You Are.  This makes me want to step up my efforts to get this one.
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infandous View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Roj M30 Roj M30 wrote:

Originally posted by zumacraig zumacraig wrote:

 
 my favorite side project album right now is bodin's first, ordinary day/life.  it's so memorable and seems to come out of that uber creative time the band had in the mid to late 90s.  

 
 
This is very interesting Zuma.  Tomas's debut is the only album of his I'm missing.  I like his others, especially I Am, Pinup Guru and You Are.  This makes me want to step up my efforts to get this one.



My only issue with the first Tomas album is that it is basically a lightweight Flower Kings instrumental album (with a bit more weirdness at times).  The fact that it is so similar to their regular albums, but not nearly as good, just makes me wonder what the point was?  Of course, it also shows that Tomas has a lot more impact on the music than you might think based on writing credits of FK albums, but still, it just seems less like a solo album and more like an extension of the band albums.  But not as good.  Did I mention, it's not as good?  Smile

Of course, that is just my opinion, but I've had the album since 2000, and it really has just never grown on me despite listening to it dozens of times.  It's easily my least favorite of his, though still well worth checking out for the serious fan.  It's certainly not bad by any stretch, and the first track features pretty much the whole band at that time.  Roine plays guitar on the whole thing as well, so that's a plus too.
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infandous View Drop Down
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Went back and looked at my 2008 reviews of Ordinary Night.  Pretty much fits with what I said above:


Tomas Bodin - An Ordinary Night In My Ordinary Life CD (album) cover

AN ORDINARY NIGHT IN MY ORDINARY LIFE

Tomas Bodin

 

Symphonic Prog

3.09 | 38 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

infandous
3 stars Not much in the way of reviews for this one it seems (or ratings either). I had kind of shelved this one a few years ago after I had bought it in the early days of my Flower Kings obsession. I listened at least half a dozen times, probably more, but just felt it was sort of a Flower Kings lite type of affair. After all, most of the band helps him here, along with a couple of other guests. I pulled it out more recently, and I must say, it has a value and interest beyond the Flower Kings stuff.

Still, there is no doubt that the first track (well, the first real song anyway, after the spacey and very short into of Spacebike) sounds like nothing if not a Flower Kings song. Albeit, a song from the earlier days of the Flower Kings (which is the period in which this album was recorded and released). I imagine the presence of both Stolt brothers was a factor here. Though for Roine fans, it should be noted he plays on the entire album, also contributing bass guitar on two songs. Salazar, the then Flower Kings drummer, plays on all tracks as well.

After the opening two tracks, things become much more distinctively Bodin (whatever that is). A generally mellow and atmospheric approach holds sway for the bulk of the album, more of a focus on sound than composition if you will. This is not a detriment, however, and helps to set this album off from his work in the Flower Kings. Nonetheless, Speed Wizard and Land Of The Pumpkins display more driving prog with some fine soloing by Stolt and Bodin. The Mr. Hope installment, probably the first one for those of us familiar with the future installments on the fan club releases, is something of a psychedelic free for all........even featuring the repeated phrase number 10, in honor of the Beatles well known number 9 from Revolution number 9 on the White Album. Not really a highlight, but not terribly annoying (at least to me). The epic Three Stories, featuring a section for each of Tomas' 3 children, is pretty much on par with the rest of the albums pieces, though features more diversity within itself than other tracks on the album.

This is probably his least interesting solo album, and the one that has the most in common with his main band. But for all that, it is quite a pleasant listen. I think the real drawback is that none of the songs really strike me as highlights, but none are particularly bad either. I think this is pretty much the definition of a 3 star album. If you're not a fan of the Flower Kings, you can probably consider it 2 stars. For just about everyone else, it is definitely good, but non-essential.

infandous | 3/5 |

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Originally posted by Roj M30 Roj M30 wrote:

Originally posted by zumacraig zumacraig wrote:

 
 my favorite side project album right now is bodin's first, ordinary day/life.  it's so memorable and seems to come out of that uber creative time the band had in the mid to late 90s.  

 
 
This is very interesting Zuma.  Tomas's debut is the only album of his I'm missing.  I like his others, especially I Am, Pinup Guru and You Are.  This makes me want to step up my efforts to get this one.
I have one is it I am - and I hated the singer - sounded like he was going to blubber every time he sang a line - put me right off I can tell you - Any way - talking of Keyboardist solo albums -
Lalo Huber (Nexus) - Lost in Kali Yuga - absolutely fantastic sort of Keith Emerson with Jarre type sequenced synth and some awesome ambient passages as well.....
and the epic in three parts (title track is AWESOME).....26 mins as well...
TTFN,
Oh eight days away from the flokis in Yorkshire.... 
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Originally posted by infandous infandous wrote:

Originally posted by Roj M30 Roj M30 wrote:

Originally posted by zumacraig zumacraig wrote:

 
 my favorite side project album right now is bodin's first, ordinary day/life.  it's so memorable and seems to come out of that uber creative time the band had in the mid to late 90s.  

 
 
This is very interesting Zuma.  Tomas's debut is the only album of his I'm missing.  I like his others, especially I Am, Pinup Guru and You Are.  This makes me want to step up my efforts to get this one.



My only issue with the first Tomas album is that it is basically a lightweight Flower Kings instrumental album (with a bit more weirdness at times).  The fact that it is so similar to their regular albums, but not nearly as good, just makes me wonder what the point was?  Of course, it also shows that Tomas has a lot more impact on the music than you might think based on writing credits of FK albums, but still, it just seems less like a solo album and more like an extension of the band albums.  But not as good.  Did I mention, it's not as good?  Smile

Of course, that is just my opinion, but I've had the album since 2000, and it really has just never grown on me despite listening to it dozens of times.  It's easily my least favorite of his, though still well worth checking out for the serious fan.  It's certainly not bad by any stretch, and the first track features pretty much the whole band at that time.  Roine plays guitar on the whole thing as well, so that's a plus too.

i think that's why i like tomas's first one.  it sounds like a bunch of stuff that didn't make the albums in that era.  I AM is good, my favorite being I.
Stardust we are.
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Great crew - love their live performances. No B.S., 3-4 part vocal harmonies. Solid musicianship.

Contrast with Rush live in the last 6 years. Ugh
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Welcome to the thread Wink

Originally posted by bensommer bensommer wrote:

Great crew - love their live performances. No B.S., 3-4 part vocal harmonies. Solid musicianship.
Oh yes!!


Quote Contrast with Rush live in the last 6 years. Ugh
Err....ok!

Smile
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Here's the whole concert live from Switzerland a few days ago Wink


Thumbs Up


Edited by Nov - September 15 2012 at 09:50
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Hey Rob (Barney) . . . 

I was listening to "I am the Sun" this morning and something hit me.  There's the bit in the middle that you refer to as 'the daft part'.  All this time I thought that you didn't like it just because of the weirdness and the 'Heart in San Francisco' bit.  It just hit me today . . . it's the sax, isn't it?
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Originally posted by Nov Nov wrote:


Here's the whole concert live from Switzerland a few days ago Wink


Thumbs Up
 
The setlists from the tour look, frankly amazing Big smile.
 
Nov, if you're going to the Leamington Spa gig on saturday we should meet and have a beer.
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Originally posted by Roj M30 Roj M30 wrote:

Originally posted by Nov Nov wrote:


Here's the whole concert live from Switzerland a few days ago Wink


Thumbs Up
 
The setlists from the tour look, frankly amazing Big smile.
 
Nov, if you're going to the Leamington Spa gig on saturday we should meet and have a beer.

i'm so jealous!!

can you imagine seeing TFK in a mid-sized arena?  that would be amazing.
Stardust we are.
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infandous View Drop Down
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I saw them in a 2,000 seat theater that had great sound, is that close enough?  Big smile

Arenas often have terrible sound, as the one in my town is proof of.  I had a chance to see Yes there, who I've never seen live, and I passed it up because I knew the "acoustics" of the arena would ruin the experience for me (as it had with a couple other bands I saw there).

As much as I'd love to see the FK's have more success, I'd much rather see them in smaller venues with good sound than some big, echoing arena setting where the volume is deafening.
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Originally posted by Roj M30 Roj M30 wrote:

The setlists from the tour look, frankly amazing Big smile.
Indeed.

 
Quote Nov, if you're going to the Leamington Spa gig on saturday we should meet and have a beer.
I will indeed be at the Leamington gig - and the London one Wink

I'll be wearing an Unfold The Future tour t-shirt and will be with a bunch of friends from a Genesis forum that I frequent (http://genesisgts.conforums.com/).  There is another amazingly long Flower Kings thread (350 pages) over there as well. Here it is: http://genesisgts.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=obands&action=display&num=1172705095

To help you recognise us, one of the bunch is a Welsh girl with amazing frizzy blond hair Wink

Alternatively, pm me your mobile number Wink

Where will you be travelling from?




Edited by Nov - September 17 2012 at 17:05
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