Arjen Anth&#111;ny Lucassen: The Theory of Everything

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 02:09

^ I prefer Space Rock pastiche over Metal every time. Tongue

Cristi

Special Collaborator

Crossover / Prog Metal Teams

Joined: July 27 2006
Location: wonderland
Status: Offline
Points: 43778

Post Options

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 01:57

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

I predict the way this is going, Ayreon will have a 5 star discography. LOL

If you give Transitus 5 stars, I'm gonna roll on the floor laughing. LOL

I was thinking the same thing too, but I'm afraid the Universal Migrator Part 2 "only" gets a 4-star rating from me. Smile

When I was listening to them, I found the second Migrator album better, more entertaining than the first one. LOL

It comes as no surprise that you have a different opinion to me again. Tongue

the first Migrator if I remember right is more synth driven, space rock pastiche, well, sort of.

The second Migrator is more metal oriented, quite the opposite to the first I guess.

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 01:50

Cristi wrote:

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

I predict the way this is going, Ayreon will have a 5 star discography. LOL

If you give Transitus 5 stars, I'm gonna roll on the floor laughing. LOL

I was thinking the same thing too, but I'm afraid the Universal Migrator Part 2 "only" gets a 4-star rating from me. Smile

When I was listening to them, I found the second Migrator album better, more entertaining than the first one. LOL

It comes as no surprise that you have a different opinion to me again. Tongue

Cristi

Special Collaborator

Crossover / Prog Metal Teams

Joined: July 27 2006
Location: wonderland
Status: Offline
Points: 43778

Post Options

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 01:47

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

I predict the way this is going, Ayreon will have a 5 star discography. LOL

If you give Transitus 5 stars, I'm gonna roll on the floor laughing. LOL

I was thinking the same thing too, but I'm afraid the Universal Migrator Part 2 "only" gets a 4-star rating from me. Smile

When I was listening to them, I found the second Migrator album better, more entertaining than the first one. LOL

Jared

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 06 2005
Location: Hereford, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 19374

Post Options

Quote Jared

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 01:46

Cristi wrote:

I predict the way this is going, Ayreon will have a 5 star discography. LOL

All these 5 star reviews.... Ermm

Cristi, is it possible that I might have missed something, and should revisit their entire discography?

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 01:44

Cristi wrote:

I predict the way this is going, Ayreon will have a 5 star discography. LOL

If you give Transitus 5 stars, I'm gonna roll on the floor laughing. LOL

I was thinking the same thing too, but I'm afraid the Universal Migrator Part 2 "only" gets a 4-star rating from me. Smile

Cristi

Special Collaborator

Crossover / Prog Metal Teams

Joined: July 27 2006
Location: wonderland
Status: Offline
Points: 43778

Post Options

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 01:39

I predict the way this is going, Ayreon will have a 5 star discography. LOL

If you give Transitus 5 stars, I'm gonna roll on the floor laughing. LOL

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 09 2022 at 01:32

Take a musical trip through time and space with Ayreon aboard the Universal Migrator - and you don't even need a TARDIS! Smile

The Dream Sequencer album features an all-star ensemble of intergalactic travellers, including:- Lana Lane; Floor Jansen (After Forever); Edward Reekers (Kayak); Damian Wilson (Threshold): & Neal Morse (Spock's Beard).

2000: Ayreon - Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVOsr4GKrzU

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - April 09 2022 at 01:38

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 08 2022 at 10:36

^ The album link above is actually for Actual Fantasy Revisited, mainly because I couldn't find the original Actual Fantasy album on YouTube. Embarrassed

progaardvark View Drop Down

Collaborator

Crossover/Symphonic/RPI Teams

Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Sea of Peas
Status: Offline
Points: 51103

Post Options

Quote progaardvark

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 08 2022 at 10:24

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

The second awesome Ayreon album. Is this the real life, or is this just Actual Fantasy that this is another 5-star masterpiece!? You decide. Any way the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me. If you like operatic rhapsodies of a bohemian nature, then this is the album for you.

1996: Ayreon - Actual Fantasy - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kuZo0rkJOWSkm1nycw8m--Ny-6TBtvIE0

If you ever get a chance to listen to the re-recording of this called Actual Fantasy Revisited that came out in 2004, I recommend it. It's a nicer mix with a real drummer (Ed Warby) this time.

Edited by progaardvark - April 08 2022 at 10:26

----------
i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag
that's a happy bag of lettuce
this car smells like cartilage
nothing beats a good video about fractions

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 08 2022 at 09:57

Ayreon completes the hat-trick of 5-star masterpieces with another Dutch treat! Once you've ventured Into the Electric Castle, you won't want to leave. It's such a lovely place, any time of year, and if you want an all-star line-up, you can find it here, including:- Martin Westerholt & Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation); Damian Wilson (Threshold); Fish (Marillion); Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering); & Edward Reekers (Kayak).

5 stars 1998: Ayreon - Into the Electric Castle - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nJN9lXkdyI331mwBfyksfLEdHoUekiH_Y

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - April 08 2022 at 12:38

Hugh Manatee View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: December 07 2021
Location: The Barricades
Status: Offline
Points: 1587

Post Options

Quote Hugh Manatee

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 18:19

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

The second awesome Ayreon album.

1996: Ayreon - Actual Fantasy - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kuZo0rkJOWSkm1nycw8m--Ny-6TBtvIE0

Ah yes, this is more like it. To me this is a huge improvement from the first release. There is a lot more restraint on show and it seems like Lucassen isn't trying to cram as many guest musicians as he can into each track. This is an album I would have no trouble listening to again and again.

A solid four star album for me (I would have to live with it a bit longer to see whether it qualifies for five stars).

Edited by Hugh Manatee - April 07 2022 at 18:20

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of uncertain seas

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 12:06

The second awesome Ayreon album. Is this the real life, or is this just Actual Fantasy? Is this another 5-star masterpiece!? You decide. Any way the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me. If you like operatic rhapsodies of a bohemian nature, then this is the album for you.

1996: Ayreon - Actual Fantasy - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kuZo0rkJOWSkm1nycw8m--Ny-6TBtvIE0

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - April 09 2022 at 12:23

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 08:07

Cristi wrote:

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

^ I'm hardly "a newbie" to the wonderful world of Ayreon. I was listening to Progressive Metal while you were still at school in short trousers. Tongue

I very much doubt that.

I listened to my first Progressive Metal album thirty years ago in 1992, the same year as it was released, although there's no prizes for guessing which well-known album that was. Wink

what was it that you listened to and how did you discover it?

Dream Theater's Images & Words. I discovered the album in a really bizarre way. My friend's daughter won the album in a radio competition back in 1992, but she was only seven years old at the time, so she was a little too young to appreciate the finer intricacies of Dream Theater and Progressive Metal generally. My friend asked me if I'd like to give her £10 for the album after hearing it for the first time, so obviously, I jumped at the chance and I've been a fan of Dream Theater ever since. Smile

It was another twenty years before I discovered Ayreon though. Embarrassed

cute and strange story, if you are inventing it, you're very creative. LOL

I also discovered DT back in the 90s, 1993 if I remember right, Pull Me Under video got played a bit so I looked for the album. Unlike you, I explored this kind of music ever since then.

Yes, unlike you, I didn't even know there was such a music genre as Progressive Metal until I first went online in 2010. Embarrassed

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 08:03

Gentle and Giant wrote:

I recall when my wife was in hospital for a while and someone gave me a copy of The Human Equation which I played non-stop every time I drove to an from to see her and I loved it. Nothing else Ayreon has done really gelled with me but I still love The Human Equation a lot.

t's a good thing they didn't give you a Leonard Cohen album instead. Wink

In The Human Equation of life, there's something joyously uplifting and optimistic about the music of Ayreon.

I became an instant Ayreonaut after hearing My first Ayreon album, which wasn't actually The first Ayreon album, if you follow my meaning. Wacko

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - April 07 2022 at 08:04

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 07:48

^^ That same song pulled me under the spell of Dream Theater too and it still remains their only Top 10 hit.

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - April 07 2022 at 07:48

Gentle and Giant View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: October 24 2019
Location: Blackpool
Status: Offline
Points: 4374

Post Options

Quote Gentle and Giant

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 07:40

I recall when my wife was in hospital for a while and someone gave me a copy of The Human Equation which I played non-stop every time I drove to an from to see her and I loved it. Nothing else Ayreon has done really gelled with me but I still love The Human Equation a lot.

Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen

Cristi

Special Collaborator

Crossover / Prog Metal Teams

Joined: July 27 2006
Location: wonderland
Status: Offline
Points: 43778

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 06:37

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Cristi wrote:

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

^ I'm hardly "a newbie" to the wonderful world of Ayreon. I was listening to Progressive Metal while you were still at school in short trousers. Tongue

I very much doubt that.

I listened to my first Progressive Metal album thirty years ago in 1992, the same year as it was released, although there's no prizes for guessing which well-known album that was. Wink

what was it that you listened to and how did you discover it?

It was another twenty years before I discovered Ayreon though. Embarrassed

cute and strange story, if you are inventing it, you're very creative. LOL

I also discovered DT back in the 90s, 1993 if I remember right, Pull Me Under video got played a bit so I looked for the album. Unlike you, I explored this kind of music ever since then.

BrufordFreak View Drop Down

Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: January 25 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline
Points: 8214

Post Options

Quote BrufordFreak

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: April 07 2022 at 05:43

I remember when Theory of Everything came out I swooped it up with great excitement because of A) the title/subject (I was hoping Arjen & Co, could do it justice), B) the lineup of collaborators (Emerson, Wakeman, Rudess, Wetton), and C) the quality of Arjen's inputs into his projects.

My first impressions were favorable but then the material just didn't keep drawing me back for more, so I gave it up. While I don't think it's my favorite release of his, (that would be The Human Equation) it is up there and far better, in my opinion, than the PA average ratings would have you believe.

I think where Arjen suffers is in length: like The Flower Kings, they throw too much at you with each release. At least, however, Arjen's projects usually have a single theme to try to keep you engaged. I mean: 42 songs! 90+ minutes! Especially when you're given a concept album, you want to be able to sit and go with it from start to finish. That's just too hard (for me) with albums over 45 minutes in length. Perhaps its my vinyl LP programming, perhaps its my computer age short attention span, but I find sitting for anything for over 45 minutes is hard!

Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/

Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 16 2019
Location: Nottingham, U.K
Status: Offline
Points: 40313

Post Options