01	Cosmic Lodge						07:13
	02	Shipbuilding						05:51
	03	Little Cottage by the Sea						04:55
	04	Wreck of HMS Nemesis						11:55
	05	Bizarre Seahorse Sex Attack						06:00
	06	Oceanna Baby Dolphin						03:26
	07	Nuclear Nemo						06:27
	08	Hydrophonia						06:11
	09	Lobsterland Groove						06:19
	10	Seafood Kitchen Thing						09:25

All songs composed by Roine Stolt
Recorded February-May 1998 by Foxtrot Mobile Recording
Produced by Don Azzaro (1998)

Roine Stolt - guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion
Jaime Salazar - drum kit
Ulf Wallander - soprano saxophone

The Flower Kings' Roine Stolt wears an invisible crown set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, amber, jade, and fire-stranded opals of the eternal muse. He has listened well, echoing the distant cosmic winds' voices of the starry wisdom. He returns in joy from barren crags and grassy knolls to chart the song of the heavens, the voice of the sea, the susurrant whisper of the night, and laughter of children. A million cold whitenesses drift down covering the hillsides in a blanket of purest snow. Well-worn cobblestone streets glow golden with the flickering firelight of nightfall. This is the music of dreams and joys, of embraces and goodbyes, of sunlight-dappled lovers and moon-shadowed fields of harvest. Tracks "Cosmic Lodge", "Shipbuilding" and "Little Cottage By The Sea" evoked the foregoing imagery. "Cosmic Lodge" gets my vote as Hydrophonia's best cut. Is that the Mothership on the horizon? "Little Cottage By The Sea" could take the award for one of the year's most beautiful compositions of the progressive genre.
Ten compositions by Roine Stolt carry you along through musical journeys and image-rich wanderings. Stolt is, as usual, superb guitars, bass, keys, and percussion. Jaime Salazar is drumkit and percussion. Ulf Wallander is soprano saxophone.
Stolt even offers an innovative Zappa-esque, fusiony rock, "Peaches En Regalia" progression on "Bizarre Seahorse Sex Attack". He waxes very Oldfieldian on "Oceanna Baby Dolphin" that is new-agey lullaby. He rocks out in a Pekka Pohjolic adventure-track style on "Nuclear Nemo". Title cut, "Hydrophonia" calls to mind the guitar work of John Themis, Joaquin Lievano, Paul Speer, and Mike Oldfield and wraps it all in a Kitaro/Vangelis package. We get islands jazzy on "Lobsterland Groove' and Wallander stretches on the sax nicely. Things are wrapped up Eric Johnson, White-Cliffs-of-Dover style with a driving tune ballad-reel and riff fest on "Seafood Kitchen Thing" that eventually breaks down into Gilmour jams.
No vocals this time around but an immense spectrum of hum-along material is provided here. There should be well enough material here to satisfy any Flower Kings fan on Stolt's Hydrophonia. An odyssey of melody and soaring instrumentals can be found on this release to entertain the most jaded of proggers and rockers. A definitely recommended experience.
~ John W. Patterson

==================

Roine Stolt - Hydrophonia Country of Origin: Sweden
Format: CD
Record Label: Foxtrot
Catalogue #: FOX CD-019
Year of Release: 1998

First time I saw this album was during the 1998 Planet Pul Festival where The Flower Kings played as headliner. Roine tried personally to sell his solo album ... At that time I did not buy this record because I didn't know enough about the Roine Stolt/Flower Kings style of music. After the concert I ran to the stand to buy this record but it was sold out .. I am very happy that almost a year later I got this record from Roine personally because it is a great album !

You only need a few seconds to hear who is involved on this record. Roine Stolt has created his own style of composing and playing guitar without repeating himself. Roine himself told that Hydrophonia would be more experimental than his Flower Kings albums but afterwards Hydrophonia turns out to be a total instrumental album with a lot of feeling and melodie. Although you don't have to expect an instrumental Flower Kings album. People involved on this album are besides Roine (keys/bassguitar/guitars) Jaime Salazar (drums) and Ulf Wallander (soprano saxophone).

Bombastic, nice melodies, folk music but also relaxed pieces are to be found on this record. But most of the music has a very nice, jazzy feeling. There are also some very jazz-orientated pieces of music on this album. A lot of passages could be on the next Flower Kings album while some pieces has totally nothing to do with Flower Kings music. The compositions on this album are more free, more improvisated and absolutely more jazz-rock orientated.

In the booklet Roine dedicates this album to people like Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Jon Anderson and The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (TAFKAP) and I have to agree you can hear parts of them on this album.

Absolute highlights on this album are the tracks Wreck Of HMS Nemesis and the title track. But overall it is a very good and consistent album.

Although this is not the most recommendable album to start with Flower Kings/Roine Stolt music I have to admit the result is great... Roine Stolt made an album that can beat the high level of Flower Kings albums. Highly recommended to all people who love music !!

Conclusion: 9- out of 10.

Dirk van den Hout




Hydrophonia
Date of Release 1998

Between two two-CD sets by the Flower Kings (the 1997 Stardust We Are and the 1999 Flower Power), guitarist Roine Stolt found time to record a solo album, Hydrophonia. He handles guitars, bass, and keyboards and recruited Flower Kings drummer Jaime Salazar and FK contributor Ulf Wallander (soprano saxophone). An all-instrumental affair, Hydrophonia has at its center an oceanic theme: all song titles revolve around the sea and each track is inhabited by oceanic resonances, from sea shanty-like melodies to more subtle underwater atmospheres. Stolt's writing has rarely been so focused and delicate. He reaches a level of musical beauty in simplicity never found in Flower Kings albums. Less bombastic than the groups music, Hydrophonias is all in its melodies. Stolt's influences are more palpable here, especially Frank Zappa's spirit, which can be traced back in the chord progression and guitar solo in the middle of "Wreck of HMS Nemesis" (otherwise the track closer to standard Flower Kings material) and more obviously in "Bizarre Seahorse Sex Attack," the double-speed reprise of "Cosmic Lodge"'s theme in "Seafood Kitchen Thing," and the presence of sea shanty melodies throughout the album (Zappa loved this form of music, just listen to "Uncle Meat" or "Toads of the Short Forest"). The music touches the aggressiveness of King Crimson in "Nuclear Nemo," providing a nice dramatic moment in this otherwise very peaceful and sunny album. Every song has a melody easy to remember, often enhanced by Wallander's saxophone. The whole album recreates feelings of the sea in impressive details without ever resorting to actual sea sounds. Very strongly recommended. - Franзois Couture

Ulf Artan Wallander - Sax (Soprano)
Jaime Salazar - Percussion, Drums
Roine Stolt - Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards
Ingemar Bergman - Photography
Don Azzaro - Producer, Mixing
Stefan Bodin - Photography
Lilian Forsberg - Photography
Per Nordin - Artwork

1998 CD Foxtrot FOX CD-019




Roine Stolt - Hyrdophonia

Released: 1998
Label: Foxtrot
Cat. No.: FOX CD-019
Total Time: 67:47


Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, January 2003
Whom else but the great guitarist, writer, and vocalist, Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) would ponder why he creates music and in the same breath humbly give a nod to his influences? Then state that the importance of his art is insignificant in terms of the grand scheme of things? After all, we are all stardust in the beginning then we return to that form of existence upon expiration of our existence in this realm. I beg to differ; I think his music is as important as life itself, it is the essence of who we are and it brings us closer to our maker. For me, besides looking into my children's eyes, music is one of the only things that remind me from whence I came. I am sure that Roine would consider every day life as part of his artistry, and in turn, his expressiveness through his music vividly interprets those events. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul; I think music serves this purpose very well, too.

Hydrophonia is a classic progressive rock instrumental statement from one of the most important and influential guitarists of our time. Although you may not hear his name mentioned in the same frame of reference as a Page or Clapton, Roine Stolt is without any doubt one of the best guitarists to ever pick up the instrument. Because his music is not mainstream, his popularity is not on the level that it should be, but believe me, he belongs in the upper echelon of great musicians of the last decade, and surely beyond as he continues to blaze a path for all of those that yearn to follow his legacy. This album is as strong as anything that he has done with The Flower Kings, and it is also proof positive that he is the musical genius that has propelled his band to great heights that they have reached over the last several years. This solo flight is just as prolific as his work with the band.

Every track is a sonic delight filled with essential progressive energy stemming from rock, pop, jazz, blues, and many other origins of musical and cultural diversity. Listening to the title track pretty much sums up the feelings and sounds that you will become engrossed in while taking in this recording. The song has Middle-Eastern leanings charged with dreamy saxophone and sharp keyboard shades. Stolt is an exceptional virtuoso that plays hard to formulate adventurous naturally rocking melodies. He succeeds in every way. On "Lobesterland Groove," you will find familiarity with the sounds, as they are reminiscent of some of the best Flower Kings material. Those are just two examples from an outstanding album jam packed with high points that are in a perpetual state of escalation and flux within the framework of each song.

I found this album to be exhilarating and consistent in quality from start to finish. It leaves nothing to be desired for substance and meaning. It is a five star outing beyond compare.

Rating: 5/5

More about Hyrdophonia:

Track Listing: Cosmic Lodge / Shipbuilding / Little Cottage By The Sea / Wreck Of HMS Nemesis / Bizarre Seahorse Sex Attack / Oceanna Baby Dolphin / Nuclear / Nemo / Hydrophonia / Lobsterland Groove / Seafood Kitchen Thing

Musicians:
Roine Stolt - Guitars, bass, keyboards,percussion
Jaime Salazar - Drums, percussion
Ulf Wallander - Soprano Saxophone

Contact:

Website: www.flower-power.org.uk
Note: will open new browser window

Email: flowerkings@foxtrot.se

Discography

Kaipa

Kaipa (1975/1993)
Inget Nytt Under Solen (1976/1993)
Stockholm Symfonie (1993) Japanese bootleg
Notes From The Past (2002)


Solo

Fantasia (1979/1992)
The Lonely Heartbeat (1989)
Behind The Walls (1995) (LP)
The Flower King (1994)
Hydrophonia (2002)


The Flower Kings

Back in the World of Adventures (1995)
Retropolis (1996)
Stardust We Are (1997/2000)
Scanning The Greenhouse (comp) (1998)
Edition Limitee Quebec (1998)
only 700 copies!
Unnamed 3-track EP (1998)
given away free at Japanese concerts; incl "She Cared Me A Wooden Heart," "Space Revolver," and "Jupiter Backwords"
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)