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Arjen Anthony Lucassen: The Theory of Everything
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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    Posted: April 06 2022 at 12:06
Finally, I've realised an Actual Fantasy today On This Perfect Day by posting a tribute thread to the Dutch multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, who is of course best-known for his epic Progressive Space Metal band, Ayreon. In line with The Theory of Everything, I'll also be journeying Into the Electric Castle by way of Arjen's side-projects too, including his three solo albums and his many other works under the various band-names:- Ambeon; The Gentle Storm; Guilt Machine; Star One & Stream of Passion. That's quite a line-up from a truly prolific composer! In The Human Equation, Ayreon also features an impressive cast of guest singers from the world of Metal, including James LaBrie (Dream Theater); Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)l Simone Simons (Epica); & Floor Jansen (After Forever & Nightwish) to name just four. And so, it's time now to Embrace the Storm of Progressive Metal coming our way as we Transitus back in time aboard the Universal Migrator to The Source of Ayreon and their ironically titled debut album, The Final Experiment. Smile


5 stars 2000: Ayreon - Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVOsr4GKrzU
4 stars 2000: Ayreon - Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Navigator -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvWTIYnQcuY
5 stars 2018: Ayreon - Ayreon's Universe: Best of Ayreon Live - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJGn3wi7b7b606GfoKAdOgm6rtX9OliRc

3 stars 1994: Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3A7MsAKmnfIgAWZzQwqyiaxpvjH1Gif0
4 stars 1996: Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Strange Hobby - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB87CB1D16F331CFF
4 stars 2012: Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost in the New Real - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mHPJknQMxGE9JfUuZ519pzA2DmDQ_VdJQ

4 stars 2001: Ambeon - Fate of a Dreamer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOH-IdU-vnU


 
 
 



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - November 12 2024 at 07:48
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jamessavik View Drop Down
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Thanks for posting this. I'm listening to it now.
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I've listened to a lot of Arjen Anthony Lucassen in the past so I'm on this journey with you.

Listening to "The Final Experiment", it certainly sets up the template of bombast to come, and the spoken word stuff is pretty cringeworthy in my opinion. Musically it's pretty much what I would expect from experience.

Edit [after two runthru's of the posted playlist] There's no doubting the earnesty on display. The earnesty can be quite overwhelming at times. From the posted playlist I actually prefer the "acoustic/ semi acoustic" stuff on the end. Heck, it even starts sounding like Jethro Tull at times.


Edited by Hugh Manatee - April 06 2022 at 19:29
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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The Final Experiment is one of the first and finest examples of Metal Opera and a foretaste of even greater things to come from Ayreon, although it's hard to improve on a 5-star masterpiece. The album features an impressive ensemble of no less than thirteen (mainly Dutch) singers and seven instrumentalists in this epic production, combining science fiction and medieval themes. Thumbs Up Heart


Merlin's Will (featuring Floor Jansen)



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - April 07 2022 at 01:18
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^ Floor didn't sing on the original album, I hope you know that, she was probably in high school in 1995.
 Ayreon Universe was something done recently, with different musicians. 

Here is the full line up.
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Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

^ Floor didn't sing on the original album, I hope you know that, she was probably in high school in 1995.
 Ayreon Universe was something done recently, with different musicians. 

Here is the full line up.
Yes, I did know that, but thanks for pointing it out anyway. I could've just posted a studio track from Ayreon's first album, but then you wouldn't have the pleasure of watching Floor Jansen in action. Smile
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

^ Floor didn't sing on the original album, I hope you know that, she was probably in high school in 1995.
 Ayreon Universe was something done recently, with different musicians. 

Here is the full line up.
Yes, I did know that, but thanks for pointing it out anyway. I could've just posted a studio track from Ayreon's first album, but then you wouldn't have the pleasure of watching Floor Jansen in action. Smile

I don't need to listen to anything, I gave up on Ayreon altogether a little while ago and Transitus literally ruined the band for me for good. I cringe these days to anything Ayreon/Star One and so on. 
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Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

^ Floor didn't sing on the original album, I hope you know that, she was probably in high school in 1995.
 Ayreon Universe was something done recently, with different musicians. 

Here is the full line up.
Yes, I did know that, but thanks for pointing it out anyway. I could've just posted a studio track from Ayreon's first album, but then you wouldn't have the pleasure of watching Floor Jansen in action. Smile

I don't need to listen to anything, I gave up on Ayreon altogether a little while ago and Transitus literally ruined the band for me for good. I cringe these days to anything Ayreon/Star One and so on. 
It's usually me that's in the minority here, so it makes a  nice change that you're in a minority in not liking Ayreon. Tongue

I was floored by Miss Jansen's performance in the video above, so what is there not to like!? Wacko


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - April 07 2022 at 02:18
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

^ Floor didn't sing on the original album, I hope you know that, she was probably in high school in 1995.
 Ayreon Universe was something done recently, with different musicians. 

Here is the full line up.
Yes, I did know that, but thanks for pointing it out anyway. I could've just posted a studio track from Ayreon's first album, but then you wouldn't have the pleasure of watching Floor Jansen in action. Smile

I don't need to listen to anything, I gave up on Ayreon altogether a little while ago and Transitus literally ruined the band for me for good. I cringe these days to anything Ayreon/Star One and so on. 
It's usually me that's in the minority here, so it makes a  nice change that you're in a minority in not liking Ayreon. Tongue

I was floored by Miss Jansen's performance in the video above, so what is there not to like!? Wacko

again, you're a newbie to the world of Ayreon. They're fine when you discover them. But to me they got predictable after a while, same recipe applied over and over again, I got tired. Last three albums were a chore to listen, and the last one was dreadful. Sick

I know I am a minority when it comes to Ayreon. And it's fine. There are also a lot of bands I enjoy that everyone else does not, and that's fine, too. Geek
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^ 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
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul 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. 
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Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul 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
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul 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? 
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Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul 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
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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!
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul 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. 
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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.
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^^ 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
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Originally posted by Gentle and Giant 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
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Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul 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
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