What a cool idea: German hard rockers/light proggers Flying Circus decided to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1997 debut album, Seasons, by re-approaching and re-imagining the dozen songs on that record as if they were new musical ideas that still needed to be fully developed. The jaw-dropping results can be heard loud and clear on Seasons 25 -- a limited anniversary edition that also includes a remastered version of the original album.
Some songs are now in a different key, feature new parts (or might be missing parts), or have been otherwise tightened up. The original album’s running time was about 74 minutes; now it’s 64 minutes. One track, the moody ballad “Follow the Empress,” even is sung by a different band member: drummer Ande Roderigo instead of original lead vocalist Michael Dorp -- who, incidentally, remains part of Flying Circus. The other two original members are Michael Rick on keyboards and Roger Weitz on bass.
Seasons 25 sounds less slick than the original but more modern, more confident, more majestic, more sonically vital and almost like a brand-new record. Most importantly, this release is not simply a quick cash-in by a band re-recording new versions of old songs with new members that don't enhance the originals. (We’re looking at you, Journey.)
The approach Flying Circus opted for here gives fans, both recent and longtime, a full-circle perspective of the band's musical journey -- from how it sounded when the original band first recorded Seasons to how the latest incarnation would have recorded the album 25 years later. Pure genius.
Track Listing (Re-Recorded and Re-Arranged in 2021/22):
1. The Jewel City
2. Footprints in the Sand
3. In All Ways and Always
4. Follow the Empress
5. Seasons (Acoustic Version)
6. Antigone’s Lament and Triumph
7. Let it Be Gone (Don’t Bother)
8. Interior Monologue
9. Evening Solace
10. Supersonic Man
11. Never Again
12. The Jewel City … Reprise
Bonus Disc Track Listing (Original 1997 Album Remastered in 2022):
1. The Jewel City
2. Footprints in the Sand
3. In All Ways and Always
4. Follow the Empress
5. Seasons (Acoustic Version)
6. Antigone’s Lament and Triumph
7. Let it Be Gone (Don’t Bother)
8. Interior Monologue
9. Evening Solace
10. Supersonic Man
11. Never Again
12. The Jewel City … Reprise
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