- Audio CD (25 Aug 2003)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Frontiers
- ASIN: B0000AB71D
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 94,148 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Return of the king,
By
This review is from: Once and Future King Vol. 1 [IMPORT] (Audio CD)
I decided to wait a few months before reviewing these CDs (Parts I & II) because there is a lot of material to get used to. The verdict is positive as Gary Hughes really has done the business with these albums. Several years planning and research went into them as Hughes organised the performances and delved into the Arthur trilogy by Bernard Cornwell as well as other sources for the story. Time well spent as the songs get to grips with the history and myth of Dark Age Britain and the battle of religions and cultures of that time.As well as the subject matter, the songs have the melodic flair that Ten are known for and the exceptional instrumental ability of Britain's finest classic rock band. The varied vocalists also add colour and interest to the set. Best comes last with Harry Hess lending authority to the anthem Once And Future King: "they've slain the man, but not his heartbeat..." This blend of powerful music, story telling and primal fantasy should appeal to a wide audience.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OAFK Pt 1 Arthurian legends brought to life.,
By
This review is from: Once and Future King Vol. 1 [IMPORT] (Audio CD)
For a while I didn't feel this album lived up to my expectations as I was looking forward to its release for ages. However, my early impressions were wrong as I can state with absolute certainty that there are no fillers on here. This is classic melodic rock in typical Gary Hughes style (similar to Rainbow and his own band Ten for want of a comparison) but with the addition of guest vocalists in what is described as a 'rock opera'. Don't know if I would use that description myself as it comes across as 10 individual tracks rather than one piece as might be imagined from that description. The story is only on the sleeve notes and there is no narration such as on Wakemans Journey to the Centre of the Earth (not that that should be the case).The overall emphasis is on the songs rather than any significant instrumental passages (not a critcism) and I would suggest that anyone not having heard Gary Hughes work before might safely make a start with this album. Unless you really object to any of the guest vocalists (who all perform excellently) then have a listen. My personal favourite is the ballad between Gary himself, playing King Arthur, and Lana Lane (Guinevere) called At the End of Day. An excellent track. I also like very much the two tracks by Danny Vaughn(Lancelot), The Reason Why and Avalon. Both are incredibly melodic and consequently latch immediately on to the brain. Also any Magnum fans get two tracks by the great Bob Catley taking the part of Merlin and Diamond Head fans might appreciate the contribution from Sean Harris as Sir Galahad. Melodic hard rock fans should buy without fear. Haters of the genre might want to avoid it. However, I say give it a try anyway...you might like it!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love This Album!!!,
By Mr D. "Artist/Designer/Kibitzer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Once and Future King Vol. 1 [IMPORT] (Audio CD)
Yes, I love this album. I've had it about three weeks now and I listen to it at least once a day. Even my teenage daughter sorta likes it. Shes says it's not as weird as the other music I have and sometimes force her to listen to in the car. The music actually varies from song to song with most of the songs falling in the melodic progressive rock category. Once and Future King is a Rock Opera, loosely based upon T.H.White's classic King Arthur novel of the same name. This rock opera is the creation of Gary Hughes, the lead vocalist of the British AOR group TEN. O.F.K.,however, is strictly Hughes' baby, consisting of two separate and separately sold CDs, Part 1 and Part 2. I have Part 2 as well and it is also good but I prefer Part 1. After composing this masterpiece, Hughes, who has been a guest vocalist on at least one Arjen Anthony Lucassen's* own rock opera's, borrowed a page from the master and enlisted Arjen and several other very talented guest musicians for his own rock opera. *For those not familiar with Lucassen, he is the creator and genius behind numerous concept albums including Ambeon, Ayreon and Star One. Additionally, he has been a valued guest musician on numerous projects in addition to this album, having worked with Lana Lane, Erik Norlander, Rocket Scientists, Within Temptation and Glass Hammer. Characters Gary Hughes.............King Arthur Highlights: "Excalibur", Basically an intro, starting out with a piano and bell solo with background thunder and choir reminiscent of a sound track, leading into a very accessible medium fast paced, melodic prog rock number with very catchy chorus. Excellent singing by Damien Wilson. "Shapeshifter", This is a great, great song in a mainstream rock vein, reminiscent of Garbage a bluesy number with just excellent vampy, singing by Irene Jansen and great backing vocals by the cast. Who is this chick? Well, I checked and she is the sister of Floor Jansen (After Forever). No wonder she's so good, Floor's arguably the best singer in the Galaxy. Irene is apparently with a band called Karma. I will be checking them out! "King for a Day" This is slow rock song, almost a ballad, almost a waltz, a truly wonderful composition, beautifully sung by Bob Catley of Magnum. My respect for Gary Hughes is growing and growing. "In Flames" Another marvelous song, a medium paced, somewhat anthemic, ordered, marching style, rock number, with Bob Catley again lending his superlative style on the vocals. Great percussion and guitar. Conclusion, there's only one conclusion. The music is wonderful and easy to listen to, the musicians are top notch and the singers are emotional and captivating so, buy, buy, buy, buy. And this one's not that hard to find for a change, so buy, buy, buy, buy!!! 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A truly excellent melodic rock epic!,
By Justin Gaines - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Once and Future King Vol. 1 [IMPORT] (Audio CD)
Gary Hughes's Once and Future King joins Missa Mercuria as one of the absolute best of the new breed of rock operas. This superb release is based on the Legend of King Arthur and is split up into two parts. Part I features the following players: Gary Hughes (Ten) as Arthur, Lana Lane as Guinevere, Danny Vaughn (Tyketto) as Lancelot, Bob Catley (Magnum) as Merlin, Irene Jansen as Morgana, and Sean Harris (Diamond Head) as Galahad. Ayreon's Arjen Luccassen and Damian Wilson contribute to the disc as well.
This is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. Gary Hughes really outdid himself here, assembling a cast of some of the best singers the AOR/Melodic rock genre has to offer and combining their talents with a great story, great musicianship, and a vision that is evident throughout the album. The various singers really embrace their characters and put their best efforts into making the listener connect with them. My favorite performance of this rock opera is Danny Vaughn as Lancelot, though I imagine that may change when I hear DC Cooper's contribution to Part II. The prog fan in me can't help but wish there were a couple of instrumental songs on the album, but that is only a minor drawback. Once and Future King is a perfect example of all that is great about AOR/melodic rock. While it can get a bit heavy at times, this probably shouldn't be considered a metal opera like Ayreon or Star One, though it will certainly appeal to fans of those two projects. If you are into melodic rock and metal, I highly recommend checking this one out. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
perfect ten,
By king wolf - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Once and Future King Vol. 1 [IMPORT] (Audio CD)
Ten songs. Ten songs with lyrics that actually make sense and that, most incredibly for this age of popular music, contain perfect scansion, as well as elegant rhyme schemes.
Ten wonderful vocal melodies, each of them complex yet catchy. Ten perfect vocal performances. Ten perfect instrumental performances to support them. Ten perfectly mixed and produced tracks, tracks which, by the way, are of such great variety -- from pure modern power metal to old fashioned eighties pop power ballads and everything in between -- that you will listen to this one all the way through every time. Ten tracks you cannot skip, because each of them would be the highlight on virtually any other album in this genre. This album, on a scale of one to ten: ten. Okay, that punch line was a little weak. (And for those who might not realize, "Ten" is the name of this band, even though here they are calling themselves Gary Hughes and using guest vocalists -- great ones at that.) But seriously, this has got to be the best arena rock album since Steve Perry left Journey two decades ago. Not a single weak moment anywhere. |
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