Flower Kings Appreciation Thread

rushfan4 wrote:   The lists in the bottom of my postings are me recording what I listen to on Last.FM.  I scrobble the plays from my iPod to iTunes and from there they get recorded on Last.FM.  Most of my music listening from the past 5 years has been recorded there.

My girlfriend is pretty open to new music, though she tends to like stuff that sticks in the mind, and is focused on "love" themes (ugh).  Which has meant I've had to hear a lot of 80's stuff I had hoped to never hear again.  She is, however, a huge Pink Floyd fan so it's not all bad (she listens mostly to "classic rock" stuff, so mostly very tolerable for my tastes).

However, she has taken lately to randomly picking a CD or 2 from my collection.  This has led to me hearing stuff again that I haven't heard in ages, or only listened to a couple of times after buying.  This has been most enjoyable (especially since it means no 80's pop or hair metal is playing ).

Anyway, I realized that there is almost nothing in my collection that I don't like to some degree or other.  Of course, my collection is small compared to many of you........only about 500 CD's (I have one CD rack that holds 450 normal size CD's.........but I have a fair amount of doubles and odd size boxes in there as well.........then I have several stacks of at least 10 CD's each around the stereo).

Anyway, it's been a nice change to have her pull out stuff I haven't listened to in quite a while, but is still quite good.  Last night it was early Steve Hackett (Please Don't Touch), the night before was Eloy (Dawn and Ocean).


Edited by infandous - September 19 2012 at 08:52

Roland113 wrote: rushfan4 wrote:   The lists in the bottom of my postings are me recording what I listen to on Last.FM.  I scrobble the plays from my iPod to iTunes and from there they get recorded on Last.FM.  Most of my music listening from the past 5 years has been recorded there.  Hey Scott, Did you have to change your link a while back?  My lists stopped showing up at one point, I assumed that the site went down but now that I'm noticing yours and making the jump that my assumption was in fact . . . wrong.

It seems to me that we did have to do an update on Progfreak a while back.  I think that they had changed their code or something, and so we needed to update the link on Progfreak in order to make the signature work.

i've all but given up 'working' to listen to CDs.  if something doesn't catch my attention with a sound bite or two, i'm moving on.  also, if the first 3 tunes on a CD aren't good, then I move on.  there's so much stuff out there.  as far as the classic bands go, i've tried to be a completist, but everytime i listen to a subpar album of theirs i just want to head back to my favorites.  example, listened to floyd division bell yesterday.  good album, but if i'm gonna listen to floyd i'm gonna put on wish you were here or animals.

infocat wrote: I have maybe 1200 CDs.  I can only offhand think of one album that I've listened to only twice and may never try again, which is Dune by "HUMI" (Hugh Hopper and Yumi Hara Cawkwell).  Dreadful (not to mention very disappointing!)  Though I shouldn't kid myself, as I probably will try it again some day! I've definitely had cases of quite disliking an album at first and coming to appreciate it later, so I'm not sure at what point I would really write off an album. I don't really have a problem with neglecting any CDs, as of about 2 1/2 years ago I started listening to them at work, so I have more trouble figuring out what to listen to that I haven't listened to "recently". I just noticed this is a Flower Kings appreciation thread I'm writing this in.  My apologies; but they started it!

1200? isn''t that just the output of Frank Zappa?

M27Barney wrote: Hmmm - recently I put all my CD's into their new - made by me CD mega-collection set of shelves from floor to ceiling - in my office - so I have them in Alphabetical band order - top left A to bottom right - Z & CD's by numerous artistes.....I haven't put them all into year order within bands (only my faves like the FK's) - and I have Cards with the bands names interspersed for easy location......I also have lots of gaps to fill in as my collection will grow..... I applaud your dedication on attempting to listen to them in alphabetical order...but when I am choosing a CD to play (once the newbies have been spun - I invariably think - i'm feeling like I need to hear a bit of prog metal - so I choose a CD.....I will usaully play my current faves until I realise that I am over playing them....then they become past faves. As for Yes - I got into them a lot later than Genesis....who were my first love saw them at earls court in 1977 courtesy of a spare ticket my brother had.....I was played GFTO in 1977 and I didn't like it - but by the time I had left school - Yes were suddenly turning me on more than Genesis......Now it's the Flokis who are my favourite but they have a lot more competition than genesis did in 1977......As for Floyd - the fact that so many non-proggers like them definately removes them the pantheon of greatness - as roj will testify I have always regarded DSOTM as a pop release - coz where id the Epic length / virtuosity and Extended instrumental breaks that a truly prog CD must have....I know this will get right up some peoples nose who have Floyd up there as rarified prog gods - nah not on MY watch....

I love Pink Floyd, and have for many years.  However, I never considered them "prog".  Always thought of them as classic rock, and would say I still do for the most part.  They were indeed "progressive", in that they seemed to grow and develop with each album.  The song structures became tighter and stronger, the lyrics more meaningful and relevant, the playing more skilled and refined.  Mind you, I much prefer the early stuff (pre-Dark Side) to the later stuff (Dark Side and after), but it's all quite good  to my ears.  They certainly were innovators in the use of the studio and synths and recording technology, no question about that.

I would call them one of the greatest bands of all time, true legends.  I honestly find their massive popularity a bit odd really, since their music can be so strange and their lyrics so stark and depressing.  But I agree with you that I wouldn't call Dark Side Of The Moon a Progressive Rock masterpiece.  I would call it a musical masterpiece though.


Edited by infandous - September 20 2012 at 11:22

PINK FLOYD:

Based on my feelings about Banks Of Eden, I was starting to worry that I might be getting tired of TFK's.  It happened to me with Yes, ELP, Rush, and a few other bands I used to love and call my favorite, so I was thinking it was possible it could happen with the Kings.

So I pulled out The Sum Of No Evil last night, since I hadn't spun it in at least a year.  Holy crap what a great album!  I like it so much more than Banks.  I don't know if it is because of Zoltan, or Brunnusion (can never remember how to spell his name),  or maybe the sax player.  Maybe it's the dense melodies and huge number of changes of mood, tempo, time signature, and dynamics.  Maybe it's Roine's killer guitar solos over more interesting progressions.  Maybe it's the much more jazzy approach taken in many of the instrumental breaks (Jonas KILLS on that album, absolutely KILLS).  I guess it just contains so much more of what I love about the band than Banks does.  In any case, I was quite glad that I obviously haven't gotten sick of this band, just got sick of the new album rather quicker than I would have thought possible.  Much like my experience with Adam & Eve when it first came out (liked it at first, then got tired of it quickly as it became less enjoyable with each play).

Of course, this doesn't mean I don't like the album.  I suspect that much like Adam & Eve, I will come to appreciate it more over the next few years (I like it better than Adam & Eve right now as it is).  So once again, don't think I'm suggesting that Banks is a bad album, because it's not.  However when I get around to reviewing it, it will get a solid 3 stars from me (the lowest I can bring myself to rate a FK studio album).

Anyway, just thought I'd share this ,as I know pretty much everyone here loves Banks.  I also know a lot of you are not crazy about TSoNE.  I guess the drawbacks of TSoNE are that it doesn't breath much, and is quite a lot to take in on one listen.  They cast off the shorter songs on that one, and I could see that being a negative for some people.  Not for me, but for some people.  I just think the playing on it completely blows away Banks, even if the songwriting isn't as smooth and flowing as on Banks (which again is a plus for me, but I'm sure not for most fans).  There is just no replacement for Zoltan, IMO.  Best drummer for TFK, bar none.

Again, just happy that it isn't the band themselves I got tired of.  Whew! 

Infandous, I support the love for The Sum Of No Evil. It's my #3 behind Unfold the Future and Space Revolver. I think the album is amazing in how much it's like the early TFK albums as far as the heavy symphonic prog, mixed with the more jazzy and modern sound like on UTF and Adam & Eve. in my opinion, it's THE album to put on in the middle of the day with the sun shining.

Priot to me seeing them on Sunday Night - Looking forward to it - and thats an UNDERSTATEMENT....I listened to the bonus disc first - excellent Hor Deuvres - and then for the main event - Disc 1 -  Numbers is quite simply up there with I am the Sun, Garden of Dreams, Stardust we are and Monsters and Men - The FIVE epics to end all epics - I want no arguments - no if's of buts - this is THE CANON laid down in the sight of all Flokis old and young = the FIVE books of the Flower Kings Bible - The Pentateuch - if you like (and thats another old prog link).