Formation
In early 1993, guitarist and singer Roine Stolt had written material for his third solo album The Flower King and sought for musicians to perform it. He had wanted to release a progressive rock-style album for a while and felt the time was right to pursue the project. The album features Stolt on vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards, Jaime Salazar on drums, and Hasse Fröberg on vocals, and was recorded in Sweden between May 1993 and January 1994.
In preparation for Stolt's concert tour to support the album's release, Stolt, Salazar, and Fröberg were joined by Stolt's brother Michael on bass and Tomas Bodin on keyboards. The five performed their first gig on 20 August 1994 at an outdoor festival in Uppsala, Stolt's hometown and the city where The Flower King was recorded. After they decided to become a full time band, they officially adopted the name The Flower Kings, named after Stolt's album. Stolt had produced a list of potential titles for the record, one of which was "The Flower King", and chose it because of its positive meaning and its reference to the hippie era of the 1960s.
Activity
After performing a series of concerts through 1994, the band entered the studio in December 1994 to record their debut album, Back in the World of Adventures. The recording process was gradual, finishing in September 1995.
In 2000, Michael Stolt was replaced by Jonas Reingold. Two years later, Salazar was replaced by Zoltan Csörsz. Daniel Gildenlöw of Pain of Salvation joined the band the same year as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.
Other contributors have included Hasse Bruniusson (percussion) and Ulf Wallander (saxophone).
Stolt has written the vast majority of the material the band has recorded, with Bodin contributing most of the rest. The music is best described as symphonic progressive rock, bearing a strong resemblance to the music of Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, and early Genesis, with jazz fusion and blues influences. The band's lyrics are almost uniformly positive and uplifting, affirming such values as love, peace, and spirituality, and furthering their association with Yes.
Their 1999 album Flower Power contains the eighteen-section, almost 60-minute "Garden of Dreams".
In June 2007, they released The Road Back Home, a compilation of remixed songs from 1994 to 2006, plus "Little Deceiver" (a previously unreleased track) and the full version of their cover of "The Cinema Show" by Genesis.
Zoltan Csörsz was replaced by new drummer Marcus Liliequist for one album, but returned for the 2007 album, The Sum of No Evil. He was subsequently replaced by Erik Hammarström in 2008.
In 2008, Ola Heden, previously of Reingold's side project Karmakanic, joined on guitar, vocals and keyboards.
In November 2008, the band were the opening act of the Ecco Prog Fest in Moscow.
After touring in 2008, The Flower Kings were inactive for four years. Stolt felt the band had varied levels of focus in their direction and had started to feel lost. They reunited in 2011 to work on new material after Stolt felt it was the right time and sensed eagerness from the other members to work together. This marked the arrival of German drummer Felix Lehrmann. Banks of Eden, the group's eleventh album, was released in June 2012 and was recorded with analogue recording techniques and styles reminiscent of the height of vinyl records. This was followed by Desolation Rose in October 2013.
The line up of Stolt, Bodin, Reingold, Fröberg and Lehrmann played together for the last time in 2015. 2016 and 2017 saw the bandmembers busy with other engagements.
In December 2017, the first part of a career-spanning box set titled A Kingdom of Colours was released. This first box, with 10 discs, covers the period from 1995 to 2002 and includes the studio albums from Back in the World of Adventures to Unfold the Future. The second box set, titled A Kingdom of Colours 2 and covering the albums Adam & Eve through to Desolation Rose, was released in June 2018.
In September 2018, Stolt announced a new album named Manifesto of an Alchemist. The album did not feature long-time keyboardist Tomas Bodin, and as such it is credited to "Roine Stolt's The Flower King" rather than "The Flower Kings"
In August the same year Roine Stolt presented a new band called "Roine Stolt and friends play The Flower Kings". The band featured Stolt, Fröberg and Reingold with new keyboard player Zach Kamins and new drummer Mirko De Maio. Roine Stolt stated that he was done being in a group and wanted to tour as a solo artist like Roger Waters or Steven Wilson. Tomas Bodin was not a part of this group and made his displeasure quite public. The band toured with Spock’s Beard in November and December 2018 and continued to do shows in 2019, this time under the name "The Flower Kings Revisited".
In July 2019, "Revisited" was removed from the band name, making it clear that this line up was now "The Flower Kings". The band went on to release the double albums Waiting for Miracles in 2019 and Islands in 2020, the latter having been recorded entirely remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 24 March 2021, Roine Stolt announced two big projects. The Flower Kings are working on a brand new album "in the same innocence" of Stardust We Are. On 19 April 2021, Roine officially teases that Stardust We Are is getting a brand new vinyl remaster.
On April 8th 2022, InsideOut and Roine Stolt announced that Back in the World of Adventures and Retropolis were getting "remastered and partly remixed". The release date for both was placed on May 27th 2022. Also Stardust We Are and Flower Power are getting remixes and remastered in June.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flower_Kings
Studio albums
The Flower King (1994)
Back in the World of Adventures (1995)
Retropolis (1996)
Stardust We Are (1997)
Flower Power (1999)
Space Revolver (2000)
The Rainmaker (2001)
Unfold the Future (2002)
Adam & Eve (2004)
Paradox Hotel (2006)
The Sum of No Evil (2007)
Banks of Eden (2012)
Desolation Rose (2013)
Manifesto of an Alchemist (2018)
Waiting for Miracles (2019)
Islands (2020)
By Royal Decree (2022)
The Road Back Home
The Flower Kings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tails out tapes so please rewind
Do you mind if I me take a closer look
add my name in blood and then close the book...
Now, I don't regret so much what I said
but it's sad some of it stayed inside my head
Jumped the garden wall, climbed the learning tree
Like a slave to the grind
of my own tortured mind
I just look for a road back home.
Wheels of life turning endlessly,
like the rivers run to the sea.
Now I'm grateful to you and I tried to be true,
and after all, it's so good to be alive
Bless my lucky star that you came my way
I picked up on most what you once said.
And it's always plain for the world to see
there's just one place where I long to be.
And I talked to the wind
where am I to begin
I best look for a road back home
Wheels of life turning endlessly,
like the rivers run to the sea.
Now I'm grateful to you and I tried to be true,
and after all, it's so good to be alive
Wheels go round and round and round....
Wheels of life turning endlessly,
like the rivers run to the sea.
Now I'm grateful to you and I tried to be true,
and after all, it's good to be...
and after all, it's good to be alive
The song "The Road Back Home" by The Flower Kings speaks to the idea of seeking redemption and finding one's way back to a place of self-acceptance and inner peace. The opening lines set the tone of the song, as the singer seeks to explore new places and experiences with an open mind. He acknowledges the mistakes he's made in the past, and expresses a desire to right his wrongs and move forward from them.
The lyrics throughout the song symbolize a journey of self-discovery, where the singer explores and learns from new places, memories, and experiences. The line "like a slave to the grind of my own tortured mind" speaks to the frustrations of being trapped in one's thoughts, and the longing for an escape from it. The metaphor of the "wheels of life turning endlessly, like the rivers run to the sea" indicates the cyclical nature of life, but also reminds the listener that there's always a way to find direction and purpose in it.
The song concludes with a sense of gratitude and hopefulness, as the singer acknowledges that he's grateful for the people and experiences that have shaped him, and that it's good to be alive. "The Road Back Home" highlights the significance of introspection and growth, and invites the listener to consider their own journey of self-exploration and self-acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
Down to the crossroad with an open mind
I am willing to take risks and open to new ideas, so I am heading towards the crossroad.
Tails out tapes so please rewind
I have some memories and experiences that I want to revisit and reflect upon once again
Do you mind if I me take a closer look
Can I please inspect this matter more thoroughly and carefully?
add my name in blood and then close the book...
I am committing myself entirely to this matter and I will see it through until the very end.
Now, I don't regret so much what I said
I am not too bothered by what I said in the past, but rather by the things I left unsaid.
but it's sad some of it stayed inside my head
It is unfortunate that I did not express some of my thoughts and feelings because they remained trapped inside me.
Jumped the garden wall, climbed the learning tree
I have overcome obstacles and challenges to gain knowledge and wisdom.
sleep the meadows green, high the memory
I have achieved peace and tranquility, and my memories are pleasant and uplifting.
Like a slave to the grind
I feel trapped and stuck in a never-ending routine.
of my own tortured mind
The source of my stress and anxiety is my own thoughts and inner turmoil.
I just look for a road back home.
I am searching for a way to find peace and comfort in a familiar environment.
Wheels of life turning endlessly,
Life keeps moving forward, without pause or delay.
like the rivers run to the sea.
Events and circumstances are inevitable and follow a natural course.
Now I'm grateful to you and I tried to be true,
I appreciate and acknowledge the influence of someone in my life who has helped me stay true to myself.
and after all, it's so good to be alive
Despite the ups and downs, life is still worth living and enjoying.
Bless my lucky star that you came my way
I am fortunate and grateful to have encountered someone who has positively impacted my life.
I picked up on most what you once said.
I have taken to heart and learned from the advice and words of someone influential to me.
And it's always plain for the world to see
It is obvious to everyone that I have a desire to be somewhere specific, somewhere I deem to be 'home.'
there's just one place where I long to be.
My heart yearns and aches to be at a certain place that holds special meaning to me.
And I talked to the wind
I have shared my thoughts and feelings with an unseen or unheard entity, out of desperation or a desire for solace.
where am I to begin
I am uncertain and overwhelmed about where to start in resolving my problems.
I best look for a road back home
My best course of action is to find my way back to a place where I feel comfortable and at peace.
Wheels go round and round and round....
Life moves in a continuous cycle- it goes on and on regardless of one's individual struggles or victories.
and after all, it's good to be...
All in all, despite the difficulties, it is good to be alive.
and after all, it's good to be alive
All in all, despite the difficulties, it is good to be alive.
Contributed by Lily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.