Flower Kings, The - The Road Back Home

Year of Release: 2007
Label: InsideOut
Catalog Number: IOMCD 276
Format: CD
Total Time: 00:01:53

If there's one thing that doesn't go hand in hand with progressive rock then surely it has to be a greatest hits compilation. After all one of the major trademarks of prog rock is the epics, the extremely long tracks filled with improvisation and technical bravado. On top of that a lot of albums within the genre are concept albums, which makes it even more difficult to lift one or two songs from their original album. Nevertheless a compilation album might be the right product in order to introduce the band to a new audience, people who might not have a single prog track in their collection. In order to create something that is acceptable for both a new public as well as its loyal fanbase, The Flower Kings have come up with a selection of shorter tracks which have all been re-mixed and/or slightly reworked. They've added a wonderful cover version of the Genesis classic "Cinema Show" and the icing on the cake comes in the form of a completely new track called "Little Deceiver," a leftover from the Rainmaker sessions in 2001. Here only Roine and Hasse Fr?berg deliver the entire musical and vocal spectrum.

So in total 27 tracks are presented in order to give the listener a journey through the history of one of the finest bands in progressive rock : The Flower Kings. Roine says he has opted to deliver a selection of more "easy listening" songs without odd time signatures mainly concentrating on melody. Instead of just pulling the tracks from the shelves, all of the analogue tapes have been transferred onto 24 bit digital whilst better mixes have been executed as well. A few new guitar solos, some new backing vocals, and even the occasional new lead vocal turn this double CD package into a sonic adventure throughout more than twelve years of Flower Kings magic. To make it interesting and worthwhile for all of us, the liner notes describe in immaculate detail when the song was initially written and recorded whilst information about who did what is made available as well. This makes it a pleasant read especially when you listen to the music at the same time.

With a span of over twelve years it is logical that certain songs sound much better than others. Although some extra work has been done, the band obviously has grown and developed as time flew by, which is reflected in their approach toward recording techniques and studio knowledge. "Cosmic Circus," "World Without A Heart," "Vox Humana," "Paradox Hotel," "I Am The Sun," "The Rhythm Of The Sea," "The Flower King," "Stardust We Are," even "Chickenfarmer Song": it's all there waiting to be discovered or re-discovered. The Road Back Home marks the end of an era with the forthcoming The Sum Of No Evil (which no doubt is a Stolt-joke towards Mike Portnoy whose "The Root Of All Evil" kicked off DT's Octavarium album in 2005) studio album to be with us in September 2007, maybe marking the start of the band's second childhood? So for a next compilation album I'm afraid you'll have to wait until 2019.

Tracklisting:
Disc One: Cosmic Lover / A Kings Prayer / Stupid Girl / Cosmic Circus / Babylon / Paradox Hotel / World Without A Heart / Church Of Your Heart / Vox Humana / What If God Is All Alone / Starlight Man / Grand Old World / The Road Back Home / Cinema Show

Disc Two: Ghost Of The Red Cloud / Painter / I Am The Sun (Part 2) / Different People / Little Deceiver / Chickenfarmer Song / The Rhythm Of The Sea / Touch My Heaven / Life Will Kill You / Monkey Business / Compassion / The Flower King / Stardust We Are

Musicians:
Jaime Salazar - drums
Zoltan Csörz - drums
Marcus Liliequist - drums, background vocals
Michael Stolt - bass, background vocals
Jonas Reingold - bass
Roine Stolt - bass, keyboards, guitars, lead vocals, background vocals, percussion
Tomas Bodin - keyboards, background vocals
Hasse Fröberg - guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
Daniel Gildenlöw - background vocals
Hasse Bruniusson - percussion
Ulf Wallander - soprano saxophone
Hakan Almkvist - sitar & tabla

Discography:
Roine Stolt - The Flower King (1994/2001/2004)
Back In The World Of Adventures (1995)
Retropolis (1996)
Stardust We Are (1997/2000)
Scanning The Greenhouse (comp) (1998)
Edition Limitée Quebec (1998) (only 700 copies!)
Flower Power (1999)
TFK fanclub disc (2000) (free CD exclusive to fanclub members only)
Alive On Planet Earth (2000)
Space Revolver (2000)
Space Revolver Special Edition (2CD set) (2000)
The Rainmaker (2001)
The Rainmaker - Special Edition (2001)
Unfold The Future (2002)
Live In New York: Official Bootleg (2002)
Fan Club CD 2002 (2002)
Fan Club CD 2004 (2004)
Adam & Eve (2004)
BetchaWannaDanceStoopid (2004)
Harvest (fan club CD) (2005)
Paradox Hotel (2006)
The Road Back Home (2007)
The Sum Of No Evil (2007)
The Sum Of No Evil (Special Edition) (2007)
Banks Of Eden (2012)
Roine Stolt's The Flower King - Manifesto Of An Alchemist (2018)
Waiting For Miracles (2019)

Meet The Flower Kings - Live Recording (DVD) (2003)
Instant Delivery (DVD) (2006)
Instant Delivery - Limited Edition (2CD/2DVD) (2006)

Genre: Symphonic Prog

Origin SE

Added: July 2nd 2007
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.roinestolt.com
Hits: 4197
Language: english