Back in the World of Adventures

The Flower Kings | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 23, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B000056V9N
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,376 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flower Kings Take Us Back to the World of Quality Music, February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Back in the World of Adventures (Audio CD)

Sometimes the Flower Kings sound like Yes. Sometimes they sound like King Crimson (and to their credit, sometimes they sound like neither). The advantage the Flower Kings have over both of these groups is CONSISTENCY. You can randomly pick any song from this or any other Flower Kings CD (including the Roine Stolt solo CDs) and it is just as good as the next song. With Yes and King Crimson, the quality varies widely from song to song - some good to great, others miss badly...But enough about Yes and King Crimson. This is the 90s and the Flower Kings rule the world of Progressive Rock, and deservedly so. Roine Stolt is as good a guitarist as I've ever heard; he ranks right up there with all the greats. His dazzling, versatile guitar playing is complemented by swirling, intertwined keyboards and melodic bass lines which create sonic dreamscapes in the mind of the listener. The vocals are very good and the lyrics strong and appropriate to the desired effect, never sounding overly hokey or pretentious as with some so-called "Progressive" rock groups. Finally, the album wears very well - you can play it over and over without getting sick of it and actually discover new nuances and little things going on musically that you missed on earlier playings. These are the marks of an exceptional album.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Flower Kings' dilemma, February 26, 2002

By 

L. Renaud "prog_addict" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back in the World of Adventures (Audio CD)

The Flower Kings has been a difficult band for me. First of all, their music is hard to categorize. Most of their pieces can be considered classic progressive music. They remind me of Genesis and Yes, two of my all-time favorite bands, for their melodic sound and the extensive use of keyboards in their compositions. However they also show influences from many other different genres, like pop and world music. Some songs even have a slightly medieval air, which adds a lot of contrast, character and richness to their sound. Their performances, while not virtuous, are very solid and elegant.
They are also difficult to rate, because is hard to be objective with them. Their music is not particularly conventional and as such it will appeal to some people and frustrate others. In fact I sometimes have mixed feelings about them. Most of their material is very enjoyable, with some pieces being nothing short of masterpieces. But on the other hand, at times they seem to loose focus, drifting away from the original melodies and changing them into strange sounds whose meaning still eludes me. I would give this album a 5-star rating if it weren't for those less than stellar moments.
Back in the World of Adventures is a good introduction to the band if you haven't listened to them before. It contains some of their best and easiest songs, such as World of Adventures, Train to Nowhere and Cosmic Lover. It was in fact my first Flower Kings' CD and I haven't stopped buying their albums. While not quite one of my favorite bands, they are original and interesting enough to keep me coming back for more.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album runs the gamut of first-generation progressive, July 25, 2001

By 

R. L. MILLER (FT LAUDERDALE FL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Back in the World of Adventures (Audio CD)

Despite using the standard instrumentation of the old sound, the Flower Kings don't fall into the trap of being self-appointed stepsons of any one band of that era. The title track is a hefty Yes-like number, right down to its ambient "Close To the Edge" intro. "Atomic Prince/ Kaleidoscope" is a deceptively simple instrumental built on a 7/4 time signature. Remember Gentle Giant? This band is definitely not afraid of all-instrumental numbers. "Go West Judas" is one of the hard-hitters here, both in feel and ominous lyrics. "Train To Nowhere" has a decidedly Kansas feel to it-the same sort of heartfelt melody and lyrics. "Theme For a Hero" is another instrumental, definitely in the style of Focus' older material. But they don't stick slavishly to the art-rock template--the title of "My Cosmic Lover" sounds like that of a `70s Carlos Santana solo number and so does the song itself, right down to its ostinato-style bass work. When I first heard of the Flower Kings, I thought they'd named themselves after that old number by The Nice (an early Emerson band) and it didn't strike me as a particularly imaginative name for a group. Don't make the mistake I did and take forever to get around to these guys--this band named instead after the title of its leader's first solo album starts them off very strong for a second semester freshman effort--no wonder they reissued it for American release! Well, now that we know who they are...