Flaming Youth
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969) - Ronnie Caryl -- vocals, bass, 12 string guitar - Brian Chatton -- vocals, keyboards - Phil Collins -- vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards - Flash Gordon Smith -- vocals, guitar, bass
- Rod Mayall -- keyboards
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- Los Buenos (Rod Mayall) - Boys Don;t Cry (Brian Chatton) - Brand X (Phil Collins) - Phil Collins (solo efforts) - Carl Douglas and the Big Stampede (Rod Mayall) - The Freehold (Phil Collins) - Genesis (Phil Collins) - Going Steady (Gordon Smith) - Ivans Meads (Rod Mayall) - Jackson Heigths (Brian Chatton) - Moonlight Riders (Gordon Smith) - Nimbo (Gordon Smith) - The Pipe (Rod Mayall) - The Real Thing (Phil Collins) - Rock Follies (Brian Chatton) - The Rockits (Gordon Smith) - Sanctuary (Brian Chatton) - Snafu (Brian Chatton) - The Warriors (Brian Chatton) - Winchester (Gordon Smith)
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Genre: progressive Rating: 3 stars *** Title: ARK 2 Company: Uni Catalog:
73075 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2709 Price: $35.00 |
Not necessarily a fair thing, but the fact Phil Collins was a member of this band means about two thirds of folks will call it quits right here.
"Flaming
Youth" track listing: 1.) Guide Me Orion - 3:15 rating: *** stars Hum, a sci-fi concept packaged in an MOR-pop melody. Well, it could have been far worse. The theme (off to find a new planet for mankind) sounds a bit tired some sixty years later, but the melody wasn't bad with Smith turning in a chunky solo. YouTube has a hysterical promo video for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzBYib_Pko8 2.) Earthglow - 2:52 3.) Weightless (instrumental) - 2:37 4.) The Planets - 12:47
(side 2) 1.) Changes - 5:48 2.) Pulsar - 3:05 3.) Spacechild - 5:10 4.) IN the Light of Love - 3:26 5.) From Now On (Immortal Invisible) - 4:19
In 1969, American singer John Walker, of the Waker Brothers fame, toured in England, and was accompanied by four young British musicians: on keyboards Brian Chatton, who played with The Warriors - whose singer was Jon Anderson, on guitar and bass guitar Gordon "Flash" Smith, on bass and guitar Ronnie Caryl and on drums, Phil Collins. After the tour, they decided to go on together, found a name for their band, Hickory, and recorded a single in 1969, "Green Light/The Key". And then they met two authors-songwriters, Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who were looking for a band to record an album they were working on, so they changed their name and became Flaming Youth. The group released the album Ark 2 in 1969. In November of that same year, the British music magazine NME reported that the concept album was the subject of an hour-long television special, which the group had filmed in the Netherlands.[1] The LP was released on Fontana Records in the UK to some critical but no commercial success. There was also a follow-up single recorded, "Man, Woman, and Child". After the excitement dropped, the band couldn't find any gig to play; they added a new member to the band, organist Rod Mayall, John Mayall's brother, but it didn't work too much, so they broke up. Then Collins and Caryl both auditioned for Genesis the following year, although Caryl was not successful, he played at a concert with them at Aylesbury, just before they met Steve Hackett.[1] He later played with Collins as rhythm guitarist on his solo tours. After he left Flaming Youth, Brian Chatton joined Jackson Heights with Lee Jackson, ex-Nice bassist and singer, John McBurnie was on keyboards and guitar as well as singer. They recorded three albums together: The Fifth Avenue Bus in 1972, Ragamuffin's Fool also in 1972 and their last album before the breakup, Bump n' Grind in 1973. He also recorded four solo albums, one of them Playing for time featured his old mate from the Flaming Youth days, Phil Collins on drums. This is characterized by long, fractured, and disjointed tracks, that are rather uninteresting overall. It doesn't have much period flavor either, but is somewhat typical in style for a concept LP. Grades - 1 B-, 4 C+'s, 1 C, and a C- (this treats "The Planets" as 1 whole track).
This
is a strange record. Its main value is that Phil Collins is on it, this is
the first Phil official recording before he joined Genesis. The album
contains some rock and roll numbers along with psychedelic parts here and
there and some progressive rock. 1 A rather dated pop progressive (think the Association trying to perform early Yes) album mostly remembered for featuring a very young, pre-Genesis Phil Collins. Only the track Changes holds up all that well, and still you have a fairly sappy string laden middle section to contend with. It's really not all that better than Genesis first album From Genesis To Revelation. Keyboardist Brian Chatton would join former Nice bassist Lee Jackson in the second line up of Jackson Heights.
his
album has only historical importance 9first recording of Collins)
Ark 2 is the first and only album released by the British rock band Flaming Youth. It was a concept album released in October 1969, the album featured the theme of an evacuation from a dying Earth. The lead single from the album was "From Now On". The album and its space theme were influenced by the media's attention to the moon landing. The songs were composed by Ken Howard andAlan Blaikley, writers of such commercial A true period piece, Flamin' Youth's Ark 2 is pretentious & arrogant: silly plot, grandiose lyrics & all the pompous tricks which were to alienate so many from prog rock, they're all in there. Not that it comes without charms, it actually finds its interest in excess itself! hits as Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich's "Zabadak!" and "The Legend of Xanadu." The original Fontana pressing gave no composer label credit to Howard and Blaikley (possibly to distance the album's music from their pop music credentials), but the US pressing bore their names. Shortly after the release of Ark 2, the band went into the Dutch TV Station TROS studio and recorded a short 5-song set to promote the album, which was filmed and later broadcast on May 14, 1970 on the TROS TV station. The five songs that were performed are: Earthglow, Weightless, Changes, Space Child, and From Now On (Immortal Invisible). It is the only known footage of Flaming Youth that exists. Both the music and vocals were mimed. Although the album today remains difficult to obtain, it has been reprinted in various markets mainly for the novelty of Phil Collins' first major label recording. Collins was the group's drummer, and Ark 2 was Collins' last recording before auditioning for Genesis the following year.
Critical reception[edit]The album received some critical praise in the music press. Melody Maker listed the album as "Pop Album of the Month", calling it "adult music beautifully played with nice tight harmonies". Disc and Music Echo said "there is some splendid music on this very good first album".[1] The rock press of the time was even more favorable and it was awarded Sunday Times Rock Album of the Year in 1969. Despite this, the album and single were not commercially successful. The BBC did not know what to make of it: there were no radio or TV slots for an extended rock work at the time. So it remained largely unheard except by those who sought it out. Ark 2 was the only album released by Flaming Youth. Tracks[edit]
We are now in 1966, Ronnie makes friends with a local boy with whom he takes the school bus. His friend, who also learns musique and plays the drums, goes to the same school as another drummer going by the name of Phillip Collins. One day, Ronnie meets up with Collins. They both have one big thing in common, to one day be professional musicians. That same year, during a show organized by theEel Pie Island sailing club (of whom the Collins family were members), Ronnie gets invited to play on the number Cat's Squirrel (aCream song) with Collins' group The Real Thing. With his new friend (two years his elder), he gets a part as an extra on the hit film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Occasionally, they both play with the Ronnie Caryl Orchestra. In 1968, at the age of fifteen, Ronnie decides to end school completely and consecrate himself full time to music while still learning theatre. The best of friends and mad on music, the two youngsters begin to meet other musicians. In London's clubs, they get to know the young emerging groups like King Crimson, Yes, Led Zeppelin and others. They play for a short time in the group The Freeholds then find work with John Walker of Walker Brothers fame. In 1968 they decide to set up their own group... The start of Flaming Youth and Genesis Late 1968 Ronnie moves in at Phil's house and both practise with the new group Hickory composed of Ronnie Caryl (bass, guitars and vocals), Brian Chatton(piano, keyboards and vocals), Phil Collins (drums, percussion and vocals) and Gordon "Flash" Smith (guitar and vocals). 
In spring 1969, two songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley put forward a project for an album and a contract for a recording. For this new departure, the group decide to change their name. From now on they call themselves Flaming Youth. All four work flat out elaborating step by step their new songs. They sign up their album, Ark 2, with Fontana Records. The group do a private concert at the London Planetarium to mark the record's release on the 2nd October 1969. On the whole, they get good reviews but, in November, to everyone's surprise, the album is voted Record of the Month by the famous rock magazine Melody Maker. For their tour, the group take on the saxophonist Dave Brook. They play with full orchestra and choir at the famous Lyceum Theatre in London and then follow up with a series of gigs throughout the United Kingdom. Then during 1970, they go off to do a few concerts in Spain. Over this period, Flaming Youth bring out several singles, for example, the "cosmic" Guide Me Orion (which is in the English charts for several weeks) thenMan, Woman And Child in June 1970 (which came out only in Spain) - two unpublished singles from the Ark 2 album and, From Now On (Immortal Invisible) in December 1970. It's also at this time that Ronnie and Phil hung around at one of the most famous recording studios in London - the epic Trident Studios and become friends with one of the future great sound engineers of rock music - "Tea Boy" David Hentschel. It's here right at this time that they cross paths with up and coming singers like Elton John and David Bowie who were in the middle of recording their own respective albums. Still in 1970, the group appear on several German and Dutch television programmes (which can be seen on Dutch Tros TV on the internet - recorded November 1970). However, the group's rapid rise to fame, slowly but surely, starts to fade...the lack of live dates frustrates them more and more. A certain Rod Mayalls (John Mayalls brother) joins the group to replace Brian Chatton who decides to leave, then, not long after, it's Gordon Smith's turn to leave. Their music becomes more and more jazz-rock. Ronnie and Phil get bored and look for new channels. Gradually, the group comes to an irrevocable end in the summer of 1970. They play their last concert at the Van Dykes Club, Plymouth on the 15th August 1970. 
One evening, Ronnie and Phil meet John Anthony (producer of the group Genesis) at the Marquee Club, London. He lets them know that his group are looking for a new guitarist and drummer, due to the successive departures of Anthony Philipps and John Mayhew. From what they see in Melody Maker, this is a group that's busy with plenty of live dates and that's exactly what they're looking for. So, naturally, they audition for this young group full of promise. The rendez vous is made for early August. The audition takes place in the family home of Peter Gabriel, the singer ofGenesis. Ronnie still remembers to this day his first interview, sitting on a chaise longue next to Mike Rutherford, guitar in one hand glass in the other, by the swimming pool. Other musicians were there, waiting their turn. The last to audition wereRonnie and Phil. The latter gets the job as the group's new drummer but Ronnie, despite having more than impressed the group, decide that his style of music is more blues than progressive rock. Despite, the insistance of his friend, Ronnie (and the other guitarists present) don't get the job so sought after. Nevertheless, the group, with whom Ronnie is on excellent terms, ask him to play with them at a concert at the Aylesbury Grammar School on the 16th December 1970. Different sessions Following the Genesis episode, Ronnie Caryl gets involved in several different musical projects. One of his first jobs is on the show "Shoot Up At Elbow Creek". Then he starts up the group Sanctuary in 1972 (with his friend Preston Ross Heyman, plus Sharon Campbell, Bob Efford and Brian Mulcahy), with whom he records an album in 1973-74. Phil even came along and did a chorus on "How Could You Change Your Mind", a track for a future album that sadly still lies unpublished and hidden away in the draws of a famous music label. 
1973 sees the birth of a new group led by Peter Banks (ex-guitarist with Yes), a jazz-rock group with the doubtful name of Zox & The Radar Boys, and with whom Ronnie plays guitar for their live concerts and several jam-sessions in and around London. The group also comprises experienced musicians like the guitarist and violinist Mike Piggott, John Howitt on bass and a certain Phil Collins (a for taste of a parallel career with Brand X). In 1974, Ronnie and Phil join up again with David Hentschel (producer with Genesis from the period of Trick Of The Tail-1976 up to Duke-1980), who's working on Startling Music, his first solo record which includes reruns of tracks from Ringo Starr's successful album Ringo from the previous year. They record this one at Ringo's Startling studio in Ascot. The following year, 1975, and still together, they help out in the recording of another friend, the talented but little-known Irish singer Eugene Wallace on the album Dangerous, with, on drums, Roger Taylor from the group Queen. During October and November of the same year, an old friend, Charles Marling, gives Ronnie a call to help in the recording of his first album in the famous Apple Building studios, founded by The Beatles. 
In 1976, Ronnie leaves for six months on board the world famous cruise ship The Queen Elizabeth II, as part of the official band. In 1977, he takes part in the successful musical Elvis plus six television shows. That same year, he plays twelve-strings guitar on one of Michel Polnareff's biggest French hits, Lettre ā France, co-produced by David Hentschel. In 1979 and 1980, Ronnie can be seen playing on a total of twelve different shows broadcast on American television and other English-speaking countries. Contacts Early 1980, Ronnie Caryl is in South Africa. One evening, he bumps into Dennis Wilson and his brother Brian of The Beach Boys. They become good friends, particularly Dennis,"He was such a great guy ! We knew each for such a short while, but there was a real friendship, something all too rare in our trade. I remember water skiing with Dennis while Brian was in the speedboat and then we'd stay up all night 'til dawn". A few months later, Ronnielearns of Dennis's tragic death. After this trip to Africa and now back in London, he takes part in several shows on the BBC programme Oh Boy, Let's Rock and especially on the show starring the british singer Lulu, called Special Lulu. Having become good friends, she invites Ronnie to record on her next two albums, Lulu (in 1981) and Take Me To Your Heart Again (in 1982) and, to join her on her two respective tours. Ronnie remembers "Lulu as a great Artist and one of the nicest Women I've ever met". 
It's during 1982, that Ronnie records
a single under his own name in the EMI studios at Abbey Road in
London. The two songs, You
Got It and How
Can It Be Right, come out in 1983. Following this, a contract is
signed with a record label to record an album, but, unfortunately,
nothing comes of it. In 1984 and through to 1985, Ronnie plays
several times in the north of England with Mik
Kaminski (violinist
with the group Electric
Light Orchestra) under the name ofViolinsky.
In 1987, he starts a long collaboration with the singer John Otway up to 1990. The same year, Gary Brooker reinvitesRonnie to play in his club for the charity concert No Stilleto Shoes with other musicians like the guitarist Hal Lindes (exDire Straits), the drummer Bob Clouter, the saxophonist Frank Mead, the bass-guitarist Dave Bronze and, of course,Andy Fairweather-Low on guitar. 
During 1988, after a number of concerts in different halls and clubs throughout England, Ronnie finds himself in a recording studio for the new album of Stephen Bishop (the American composer of the 1985 worldwide hit Separate Lives for the film White Nights), entitledBowling In Paris. Ronnie shares guitars with Stephen Bishop and Steve Lukather (guitarist from the group Toto). The album is partly produced by Phil Collins, for example the very bluesy number Hall Light, where Sting is on bass and vocals and Eric Clapton is on guitar. The First Album During 1992 and 1993, Ronnie Caryl takes part in the musical Good Rockin' Tonight - spending an hour and a half on stage every night. With this wealth of experience behind him, he finds the energy, late 1992, to record his first solo album with the help of some of his friends. So he finds himself in a studio in London with around ten songs mostly written with Charlie Marling but also with Otha Smith and David Cole. The musicians he invites along are the pianistNeil Drinkwater, the drummer and percussionist Preston Ross Heyman, Ronnie's sister Zoe on vocals and of course Phil Collins who has the drumsticks on four songs, one of which is titled Somewhere Within - a successful song that came out as a single. (Collins, who is right in the middle of a Genesis tour, comes over to help Ronnie with the video clip). The album comes out on the 8th of December 1994, under the title Leave A Light On. There are a number of very personal songs with a mixture of styles like Sweet Love, the very funky Jealousy, ballads like One Of Those Days, the bluesy Only You or the very atmospheric Where The Wind Blows. 
In the middle of 1993, Ronnie does a tour of the United Kingdom in the role of musical director, guitarist and singer for the scottish singer Maggie Bell. In 2004, the record Maggie Bell The River Sessions comes out - an album recorded on the November 1st 1993 at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1994, Ronnie, in the company of pianist Neil Drinkwater, joins the group The Free Spirit for a long world tour that finishes in England in 1995 with a big show television show on the BBC. France 1995 marks the start of a new life. It's the year that Ronnie and his wife Melanie decide to move to the south-west of France. It was actually after visiting friends in the area in 1993, that they both fell in love with the region and ended up buying a house there. It isn't the first time that Ronnie discovers France. Several times during his youth he spent his holidays there. 
1998, sees the release of the DVD Live & Loose In Paris, recorded in France in December 1997, which includes the highlights of two concerts (at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy) from the Dance Into The Light tour. From 1998 onwards, there follows a series of world tours; one to promote Phil Collins's compilation album Hits - released in October 1998 (different TV shows among which the famous Hard Rock Live & Live By Request), another in 1999 to promote the Disney studios film Tarzan, a tour in 2002 for the album Testify, which sets off from London to New York via Hamburg and Paris, where Ronnie does an acoustic version with just Phil at the RTL2 radio station, then, several dates in 2003 to promote the new Disney film Brother Bear where Ronnie has the huge honour of joining on stage for the premiere in New York, one of his idols, The Diva Of Rock, Tina Turner. The Second Album 
2002 sees the recording of his second solo album One Step At A Time, released on the 18th April 2003. A remarkable record, inspired by his musical idols yet at the same time employing his own particular style of subtle guitar playing. Accompanied by the dependableCharlie Marling, with Colin Copperfield and a new team of musicians composed of Yannick Bernard, Vincent Epaud and Jean-Louis Suschetet, he again expresses his strongest feelings thanks, not only to some blues-rock numbers, but also to some great songs likeHow Can It Be Right (a 1983 title re-recorded for the occasion), where Phil Collins again makes a memorable appearance. Back On The Road In April 2004, Ronnie Caryl plays in Bordeaux (with two members of the Bordeaux group the XII Alfonso) for the first time at the Beatles Days festival (this concert celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between France and England and at the same time is a tribute to the greatest rock 'n roll band of the 20th century, The Beatles). Then, in May, he's off with Phil Collins for the latter's last world tour under the title of Finally...The First Farewell Tour(for which a DVD is recorded, once again, in France at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy in Paris), which takes them from Italy to Russia via the States, Lebanon and, finally, the Czech Republic in November 2005. 
Since 1995 and in between the five world tours with Phil Collins, Ronnie Caryl comes back home to his adopted France to join up with musicians from the same region as himself for various gigs throughout the country, playing his own compositions. He pays tribute to all the great names in blues and rock likeEric Clapton, The Beatles, Joe Cocker, Sting/the Police, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Coldplay, while also doing his own very personal renditions of songs by Phil Collins or Genesis, like I Can't Dance, Easy Lover, Another Day In Paradise, One More Night or Separate Lives. He also, occasionally, takes on the role of teacher, giving Master Classes for budding musicians in different music schools. 
Every year since 2005, Ronnie
Caryl has been
one of the pillars of the Rochefort-en-Accords festival in Charente-Maritime,
France, as has BJ.
Cole the
talented pedal steel guitar player, Paul
Tiernan (Donovan's
ex guitarist) also, and the Welshman Geraint
Watkins. The last few years have seen Hugh
Cornwell (ex Stranglers)
and Robyn Hitchcock, but also French artists like Jacques
Higelin and Gabriel
Yacoub. All these artists get together on stage at the end of
every festival for a huge "jam", much to the pleasure of
the public and the musicians.
Ronnie has also had the opportunity to play several times at another festival in the same region of France, the Festival Hippie of Matha, however the 13th August 2006 is a particularly special day as he is joined on stage by his old friend Charlie Marling. On this occasion they sing together, reggae-style, the title song from Ronnie's second album One Step At A Time. A big emotional moment for these two friends. In November 2008, Ronnie and his friend the pianist Brad Cole get a call from Phil Collins to help out with an acoustic charity concert in Switzerland. Throughout 2009, he does a series of solo concerts before heading off, late November, to Switzerland again, only this time on his own with Phil Collins to do a mini-concert in aid of charity to mark the 50th anniversary of the Panathlon Club of Geneva. They play four songs : Separate Lives, Another Day In Paradise,Sussudio and Stand By Me, this last one sung by Ronnie. During his stay in Switzerland, Ronnie recorded two songs on Going Back, the new Phil Collinsalbum of cover versions from the famous Motown label.
Out there in Texas they've probably already started building ARK 2. It will be ready and waiting for blast off as the fiery flood ignites the funeral pyre of Earth. Only this time it won't be God who selects His Noah - it will be Technological Man, maker of miracles and inventor of his own doom. And this time he won't mess with all those animals - they've already had their space flights, pioneering the way of escape for their human masters. Now there is only room for man with his cargo of blurring memories, his unchanging problems and innocent hopes all in capsule form for easy stowage. You can anticipate his journey with the music that is ARK 2. You will discover that, though his circumstances change, man's dilemma does not. He is still capable of creating beauty as well as despair, still capable of nostalgia and lust, anger and love. And above all, those qualities which may save him for another ten thousand years: humour, irreverance and wit. At the end of your 45 minute preview perhaps you will discover that you can still like man, admire him even. You will hope he makes it. This, then, is man's last trip. This was one of the great albums of the sixties - brilliantly melodic, original and intelligent - but known till now only to a small band of passionate cognoscenti. ARK 2 was the first 'concept album' - a 'space cantata' (though that makes it sound inaccessible and pretentious, which it is far from being). Written by the UK songwriting team whose success, according to The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, was 'rivalled only by Lennon & McCartney': Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, both from Hampstead, London. Though brilliantly reviewed in the music and rock press of the time (it was Sunday Times Rock Album of the Year in 1969), the BBC did not know what to make of it: there were no radio or TV slots for an extended rock work at the time. So it remained largely unheard except by those who sought it out. It is noteworthy for the first appearance on disc of Phil Collins, but (Flash) Gordon Smith, Brian Chatton and Ronnie Caryl each contributed their own fantastic musicianship and vocal power. As can be seen from the original 'sleeve notes', ARK 2, nearly forty years ago, was extraordinarily prescient, anticipating many of today's private and global dilemmas and anxieties.
The Early Years
Taken from PhilCollings.com: http://www.philcollins.co.uk/biog1.htm "After a while, supporting John Walker of The Walker Brothers, Collins and his guitarist friend Ronnie Caryl formed Hickory who soon found themselves with a concept album, the backing of Phonogram, and a new name, Flaming Youth. Their album Ark II, was premiered at the London Planetarium and received lots of favourable press, but musical differences and a lack of commercial success soon meant it was time to answer another Melody Maker ad, this time from a struggling young band from Surrey, called Genesis."
Presence on
Wikipedia
Lauded
on its release in 1969 ("Flaming Great" was the Melody Maker
Review making it one of their 12 albums of the year while Disc and Music
Echo said "there is some splendid music on this very good first
album") this critically claimed album bombed spectacularly, barely
sold and disappeared without a trace.
In the more enlightened punk fuelled '70's, electronica '80's and Brit pop'd 90's, those who remembered this album - and there are few of them - dismissed it as a kitsch late '60's effort with ugly prog-rock pretences, mainly based on the fact that the bands only known member was a long, fair haired drummer called Phil Collins and the album itself is a concept - arrggh! - album about the last flight of man from a dying Earth. If, like me, you hated Genesis / Collins axis and the thought of a concept album sends you scurrying for the hills then this will not tempt you to investigate this obscure rarity. However, put all critical faculties aside and enjoy this album for what it is. A superb set of melodic (some lush, some rock) memorable songs apparently written by the Howard / Blaikley songwriting team (no songwriting credits appear anywhere on the vinyl album) who were responsible for over 30 hits for such diverse acts as Dave Dee & Co, The Herd, Matthews Southern Comfort and even the Bay City Rollers. This is a fine recording with a lot of humour, differing themes and some good old '60's 'love' shtick together with some genuinely moving tracks, all written around an inspiring and enjoyable central theme. If you thought the Herd's 'Paradise Lost' - also penned by Howard / Blaikley - was a brilliant song (It was!) then you'll enjoy this but otherwise it's a difficult album to categorise. I could claim this as some type of 'guilty pleasure' experience but I honestly think the album deserves better. For me, it's an underrated classic and it's still something I'm happy to play and enjoy well into the 21st Century. From the opening rocker 'Guide Me Orion' through the amusing and clever 'Planets Suite' through to the closing hymn this is an absorbing and well-crafted piece of work. And - yes! - I did say 'hymn'. The closing track is written around 'Immortal Invisible' and - I know, I know! - it does sound cheesy but it works (honestly) and in the context of the album is genuinely moving. I've heard people dismiss the idea with a groan (Stuart Maconie on Radio 2 once referring to it while admitting he'd never heard it) but never anyone who has actually heard it while listening to the whole album. More people should hear this album and I can recommend it to anyone. Thank me later.
on
22 February 2012
Forget
that this is Phil Collins' debut recording. If you approach this album
as an active listener, you cannot help but be impressed by the tight,
cohesive harmonies of the group, and yet slightly taken aback by
occasional slight lacks of synchronicity between the band and the
backing orchestra. The music was obviously well-written, carefully
arranged, and the strengths of each voice are exploited to their
fullest; some vocals requiring a two-octave range. To fully appreciate
all the intricate details most people take for granted requires
listening to the whole of the album several times.
"Guide Me, Orion" draws immediate attention to the group's vocal prowess (in particular, Gordon Smith's angelic voice) and Phil Collins' drumming genius. "Earthglow" was, for me, the most difficult to hear. The vocals seemed, at times, forced, though usually well-backed by instruments. "Weightless" showcases drums and keyboards in an improvised, upbeat instrumental variation of "Earthglow." "The Planets" is a masterful and very amusing cycle of seven short songs separated by a muted trumpet passage. Each song is very different. "Mars - Bringer Of War" is a hilarious march. "Venus - Bringer Of Peace" is a happy, romping rock song. "Mercury - The Winged Messenger" can best be described as an attention-deficit interlude purely for smiles. "Jupiter - Bringer Of Jollity" is a lazy, jazzy tune about getting high. "Saturn - Bringer Of Old Age" is a serious-sounding yet satirical waltz. "Uranus - The Magician" is a hard-driving rock song, for which the harmonies are amazing. "Neptune - The Mystic" settles into a laid-back piece that builds to a majestic end to the suite. "Changes" is a wonderful upbeat off-meter song which settles into a glorious slower melody; before reverting to its original mood. "Pulsar" is a frantic-sounding song in which the drums pound relentlessly for three minutes. "Space Child" is a subdued acoustic ballad with wonderfully lilting harmonies. "In The Light Of Love" has wonderful passing vocal lines with a youthfully carefree mood. "From Now On" is a deep song set above the hymn "Immortal Invisible" with each verse growing in majesty. The two bonus tracks, "Man, Woman And Child" and "Drifting," are catchy songs in their own right, but are clearly separate and apart from the rest of the album. Along with Phil Collins (drums, vocals) on this wonderful work are "Flash" Gordon Smith (guitars, bass, vocals), Ronnie Caryl (guitars, bass, vocals) and Brian Chatton (keyboards, vocals). If you love listening to music and not just hearing it, this album will bring you much enjoyment; as it has me!
on
23 August 2007
Flaming
Youth (the name for this band came from some source I know not what!)
may have become most noteworthy as being a very early band containing
Phil Collins as a member. But this is nice swirling space rock with
floating melodies along the lines of "Intergalactic Touring
Band" or Manfred Mann's "Solar Fire" so, if you like that
type of thing, you will clearly find much to enjoy here. It was thought
highly enough of in the UK to release in a deluxe gatefold LP package
with a tissue stained glass window. So someone must have had high hopes.
Grab it when you can at reasonable prices, it can get pretty expensive
when the available copies get soaked up by collectors.
Oh, one more thought, seek out the version with 11 tracks. The two extra songs are from the 45 rpm "Man Woman and Child" and its original B-side, which did not appear on the LP.
on
27 April 2013
Can't
believe I actually have this album now! Mum played this, full volume,
when I was young and my three sisters and I sang all the words without
comprehending the content at all. Today, over 40 years later, we can
still sing all the songs by heart but now we understand the message!!
The disk was delivered within the week - excellent service.
on
1 December 2006
A
very clever rock take of 'The Planets' by Holst. The theme is of a
rocket ship taking off from Earth to a new planet, looking back at the
way life was on Earth with all its wickedness and vices.
The final song, 'Living as we used to live won't be enough from now on' over the top of the hymn 'Immortal, Invisible' is very moving and a great end to this rather unusual CD. I listened to this back in the early 70's at university and have been looking for it on CD!
on
4 June 2010
A
friend introduced me to this album in the late 60s; I liked it a lot but
didn't buy a copy. For some unknown reason the song 'Earthglow' came
into my mind a few weeks ago, and I wondered whether the album was
available today.
I tracked down a copy on Amazon and bought it, expecting some nostalgic pleasure but not much else; often revisiting music after 40 years can be disappointing. But this was a real delight - a diverse collection of great songs with intelligent lyrics and some lovely melodies. I can't stop playing it!
on
26 December 2013
Great
CD copy of an LP I had many years ago. Very melodic music from the pens
of Howard & Blaikley. Very befitting of the late 60's period.
on
26 May 2015
Have
got the original long playing record. (No player). So needed it on cd .
It's a great cd early Phil Collins.
on
18 August 2014
Been
trying to get this album for years. Loved it when I first heard it,
still think its a classic.
on
2 July 2016
wonderful
tofind this on cd, we still have the vinyl version
God knows that I'm not a fan of Phil Collins due to the difference
between his era as GENESIS frontman and the Gabriel years, much less for
his solo albums, so when a former hippy uncle gave me a copy of the
album, I accepted he gift (mainly for courtesy), but without really
caring too much about it. Some months passed, and one day placed the CGD
in the car, and listened it while going to work, when I reached the
office all my prejudices were left behind and I was already a fan of the
band.
Besides being a symphonic nut, I have developed a strong passion for the late 60's, specially for those bands who combined the experimental sound of Psychedelia with early forms of Prog........."ARK 2" is that and much more, couldn't really believe what I was listening, even loved the tracks where Phil takes the lead vocals, simply delightful. Something else ,must be said, "Ark 2" is a conceptual album about a journey of an astronaut across the solar system and beyond, of course the lyrics has the influence of the times, with clear references to the search of peace and hope, and even when not as strong as they could be, the idea is interesting. The album starts with the excellent vocal intro of "Guide me Orion", somehow like THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS without The Mamas, but suddenly the band bursts in fire with typical British Invasion sound, but in this case fused with Classical music and Rock, a very good start. "Earthglow" is a radical change, starts melancholic and Baroque, with clear references of PROCOL HARUM but with better vocals, Gordon Smith does an outstanding job with an almost religious voice and Brian Chatton playing killer keyboards, incredibly beautiful song. The beauty of Weightless is the contrast between the clearly Baroque organ intro that without advice turns into some sort of 50's Rock Boogie Boogie and Jazz instrumental with classical overtones, the guys were really versatile, but the stars of the track are Phil Collins in the drums and Ronnie Caryl who complement the outstanding rhythm section perfectly. Now is the turn for the epic "The Planets" (In some versions each planet of the solar system is a song), there's little (if any) connection) with Gustav Holst's masterpiece but it's clearly inspired in this work, even the inner notes make clear references to each movement of the classical piece and as Holst they ignore Pluto. Now lets talk a bit about the music, there's everything, from 12-bar Blues, to Classical - Orchestral, Jazz, Rock,Vaudeville, Acid Psychedelia, etc, and the "personality" of each planet is described by the music, we can find influences from THE NICE and almost every great musician of the 60's but with a unique touch. This 12 minutes track alone would pay the album. Changes marks the point where the astronaut leaves the solar system and a turn for Phil Collins and Gordon Smith to take the lead vocals and both make a hell of a job, the sound is lost in the boundaries hat divides the late first British Invasion from early Psyche until Chatton starts to jam with the organ and crosses all the possible boundaries of Rock, but that's not all, the band enters into melodic (almost Symphonic) territory, one of the best songs of the album "Pulsar" is a frantic track in the vein of THE NICE with Chatton adding an incredibly fast keyboard performance with Phil covering him all the way, another excellent track that leads to "Space Child", which after a keyboard and guitar intro allows us to listen Phil Collins singing some sort of early Symphonic with real feeling, a bit cheesy by moments but beautiful. Almost every release has a weak point and "In the Light of Love" is the one from "Ark 2", this guys have proved they could play almost everything, but an almost Latin percussion song with Motown touches is not one of them, not so bad to press the skip button, but clearly bellow the level of the album. "From Now On (Immortal Invisible)" presents Brian Chatton as a vocalist (he can also sing) and at least in the live video Phil Collins in the organ, extremely beautiful and melodic musical piece with full orchestra and chorus, a brilliant closer for "Ark 2". Not a perfect masterpiece, but very far from some reviews that qualify them as a disaster, in my opinion an excellent addition for any Prog collection and for this reason worth 4 solid stars.
Review by Guillermo
PROG REVIEWER 
 My
late father was a great record collector of mainly Classical Music
albums, but he also liked in the sixties to buy some of the singles
which were played in some AM Rock and Pop radio stations in my city,
mostly sung in English by some British bands and by some artists from
Europe and the U.S. Most of these singles were bought by him for us, his
sons, and we liked most of them very much. I remember than in the early
seventies, when I finally learned to read, I liked to see the record
labels of these singles to read who wrote the songs. I remember seeing
the names there of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley as composers of some
British Pop and Rock Hit singles from the sixties. Yesterday, I was
visiting youtube and I was looking for some rare albums which can be
listened to there. So, I found this album there, and I listened to it.
While I was doing this, I looked for information in the web about this
album, and I found an article in Wikipedia about it and the band called
Flaming Youth. I also found there the link to an unofficial website
about this band and this album, and Wikipedia also linked Ronnie Caryl`s
website address. So, I visited both websites and read about this band
and this album
This band started their career under the name "Hickory" playing some covers of songs by other bands. By 1969, Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley wrote a concept and songs for a conceptual album about "space journeys", maybe inspired by the Moon Landing of July 1969. So, they offered "Hickory" the opportunity to record their project for an album. The band changed their name to "Flaming Youth" and recorded the album titled "Ark2" which was released in October 1969 in the Fontana label in the U.K., but it also was released in the U.S. and in other European countries. The album had some critical praises but not chart success. The band presented the album in concert sometimes, and even a TV programme was done about it in 1970. But that was all. The band split and Phil Collins some months later successfully auditioned for Genesis, but Ronnie Caryl also auditioned to fill the guitarist role in that band, but without success. Anyway, both musicians are still friends and since 1996-97 Caryl has played guitar in Collins`s solo bands. This very rare album was really more interesting for listening to it while I was looking for it than when I was actually listening to it. With Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley being mostly composers of Pop Rock tunes and musicals, well, I really didn`t expect something Progressive from their work and from this band. The presence of a very young Phil Collins on drums (and some lead vocals by him in some tracks) is the main "hook" to listen to this album. But after listening to it, well, I can see why this album is almost forgotten. Yes. It is a conceptual album about "space journeys". It also has a "suite" titled "The Planets" like the classical music work which Gustav Holst composed, but this "suite" has nothing in common with the classical music work that Holst composed, other than the use of the titles. Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley only used the titles of the sections of that classical music work to compose their Pop songs around them, but that`s all. The music style of the album as a whole is simple Pop Rock from the sixties, somewhat "pretentious", with some "pompous" orchestral and choral arrangements added to the musical pieces recorded by the band. There are some Psychedelic influences in some places, but this conceptual album also sounds a lot of influence by musicals. and there also some good "Proto-Prog" arrangements played by the band, but there are very few "Proto-Prog" moments in this album. The members of the band were good musicians, but obviously Collins showed a lot of talent to play the drums since then and his vocals are also good but still sound a bit inmature. This album, in my opinion, sounds very dated, and is mostly of historic interest to know and to listen to a young Phil Collins for maybe his first appearance on an album, and nothing more. Like the "From Genesis to Revelation"album by Genesis from the same year, this album, while showing some talent from Collins, still doesn`t show how his musical style would change and develop in the future. As history showed, his best place to be in a band was with Genesis, a band in which he developed his talent a lot and he helped to survive after Peter Gabriel left the band in 1975.
Review by Tarcisio
Moura
PROG REVIEWER 
 Let
me start confessing that Iīm really a Genesis fan and, being quite
curious about one of my favorite bands, it is natural that Iīm used to
dig a lot of things Genesis related. Steve Hackett pre-Gnesis band,
Quiet World, was the first. Now comes this one. I have always heard
about Flaming Youth, but I didnīt know until a few days ago that they
had released a complete album at the time Collins was laying drums with
them. And when I put Ark 2 on, I was even more amazed. itīs a
conceptual album about traveling into space (a very common theme at the
time). Considering Collins love for Motown and R&B I was expecting
something in that vein. I could not be more wrong about that.
Ark 2 is a strange mix of british late 60īs psychedelia, pop and tunes that sound like a musical soundtrack from that period. In fact, I think it would have worked much better if indeed there was a musical play to go along with those songs. Without it, it simply sounds pretensions, pompous and silly. Compared to it, the Moody Blues seem to be avant guard. Ok, the vocal harmonies are interesting and somewhat original, the playing is professional and sometimes you can find a good "song" around (Space Child is a good example). But overall the feeling is that of a band playing backing songs in a flower power theater play, or movie. And despite all advertising efforts (even a couple of videos were made and can be found on the youtube), itīs easy to see why it failed commercially. In 1969 you could find much better, stronger and more progressive works like this in spades. More a curio than anything else, I found it only interesting in a historical way. It dated badly and itīs good proof that good playing and good singing was not enough to grant a good work in the end. However, I donīt want to sound too harsh about it. It simply did not move me, but if you like the aforementioned styles, then you should give it a try.
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