Actual Fantasy

Infobox Album | Name = Actual Fantasy
Type = studio
Artist = Ayreon


Released = October 23, 1996
Recorded = The Electric Castle Studio
Genre = Progressive metal
Length = 65:44
Label = Transmission
Producer = Arjen Lucassen
Reviews =
Last album = "The Final Experiment"
(1995)
This album = "Actual Fantasy"
(1996)
Next album = "Into the Electric Castle"
(1998)

"Actual Fantasy" is a progressive metal album released in 1996 by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen A. Lucassen and is the second album of his Ayreon project. It is the first and only Ayreon release that does not feature a single overarching story concept, but instead draws on science fiction and fantasy films for inspiration, as well as stories written by Arjen himself. [http://www.arjenlucassen.com/ayreon/ay_biography.html Ayreon Chronology] ]

In 2004, Arjen moved to a new record label, InsideOut Germany - with this move came re-issues of all the previous Ayreon releases, including "Actual Fantasy". The re-issue came with a bonus DVD featuring a 5.1 remix of the entire original album, a video clip for "Stranger From Within," and a video featurette showing the 2004 recordings of drums, bass, and guitar for the remix.

Plots

"Actual Fantasy"

Actual Fantasy is the intro song to the CD. The music is a classical orchestra, and expresses a fairy-tale-like setting. [http://www.arjenlucassen.com/ayreon/ay_albums_af.html Actual Fantasy album page] ]

"Abbey of Synn"

Drawing inspiration from 1986 film Name of the Rose , which is based on the novel by Umberto Eco. According to Arjen, an older spelling of 'sin' was 'synn'; it also refers to the pivotal role of the synthesizer on this recording. The song relates the story of a monastery that strictly forbids laughter. Soon a monk is found dead, with a blackened thumb and tongue. The cause of his death turns out to be a book of comedy written by Aristotle, which has poisoned pages, licking your finger after turning a page is fatal. In the end, the monks attempt to confront the seer who guards the book, but he burns the abbey to the ground, taking his own life, as well as the book with it.

"The Stranger from Within"

This song is a story written by Arjen himself, about a young woman in a coma whose mental fantasies focus on a mysterious stranger. It is unknown to the girl whether the stranger is dangerous, harmless, or simply a "charlatan." The stranger speaks to her about curing her ailments, claiming all that is necessary is her imagination. In the girl's mind, the stranger allows doctors to "shoot" him, and as he disappears he takes the disease she suffers from with him. When she awakens from the coma, much is shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain, the stranger will permanently be a part of her.

"Computer Eyes"

Another story Arjen wrote himself, a man has been playing a computer game for days on end, and eventually reaches a point where he cannot differentiate between what is real and what is a part of the game. He feels like a hologram invariably tied to the virtual world, without emotion and unable to escape. The subject matter of this song is very similar to that of "Computer Reign (Game Over)" from "The Final Experiment", and "Web of Lies" from the album "01011001", in that it criticizes inappropriate or excessive use of computers and virtual reality.

"Beyond the Last Horizon"

This track is based on a story written by Arjen in the final days of his father's life. It tells the story of a crusader in the Middle ages who is ambushed and killed. What follows is a traditional vision of post-death experiences, a bright light at the end of a long road, disappearing over the horizon. Riding along the road eventually leads the crusader to the "last horizon," beyond which is death. However, unlike traditional stories, beyond the last horizon there is no light, nothing at all; one simply passes beyond it and disappears forever.

"Farside of the World"

This song is inspired by , an obscure film out of New Zealand. A medieval village is suffering from the plague, killing most of its inhabitants. A young boy falls down and has a vision: in order to save the village and cure its residents, they must dig a hole straight through the earth, and on the other side plant a cross atop a silver tower. According to the lyrics, one or two of the main characters perishes in the journey, but in the end the village is saved.

"Back on Planet Earth"

Another track based on Arjen's own writing, this story details a young boy living on a space station in the future. Emotion and feeling is a thing of the past, but the boy overhears some older residents of the station speaking of the past, a time when humans lived on planet earth. Using a computer on board the station, he seeks out information on earth. What he finds is a chronicle of all the beautiful features found on earth, but also the turbulent and wartorn history that led to earth's destruction, and forced humans to move to space to survive. Viewing how people once lived, with laughter and other emotional responses, the boy concludes he would rather have stayed and died on earth, than live out life on the cold, unfeeling space station. Comparisons can be fairly drawn between this song and the story told in the "Universal Migrator" album pair released in 2000, ' and '.

"Forevermore"

This track is inspired by the 1984 German film The Neverending Story. A boy purchases a book, and arriving too late for his daily classes, sneaks off to an attic, where he hides under a blanket to read the book. The text tells a story of the land of Fantasia, a location falling apart, being eaten away by "the Nothing." This is said to symbolize that human imagination is lacking, no one is fantasizing any longer. In the story, to save Fantasia, the book's hero cures the Empress of her disease by giving her a name.

"Dawn of Man"

Loosely based on Stanley Kubrick's , and Peter Hyams' 2010, this track is very fantasy-oriented and experimental in nature. The song features an eclectic sound, featuring vocoders and scratches. Interpretation of this song is meant to be left up to the listener, the lyrics and music should evoke broad and varying responses.

Actual Fantasy: Revisited

After remixing "Star Child" from his Star One album "Space Metal" in pro logic, and "Day 11: Love" from "The Human Equation" in 5.1, Arjen was very motivated and excited about making an entire album in 5.1. With a switch in record companies to InsideOut, there came a reprinting of all previous Ayreon albums; this proved an attractive opportunity to promote "Actual Fantasy", the lowest-selling and most often overlooked Ayreon recording.

Originally, "Actual Fantasy" was recorded with a drum computer, no physical drumming at all. Arjen had for some time wondered what the tracks would sound like with a real drummer, and as his collaborations with Gorefest drummer Ed Warby became more consistent over the years, the exciting yet intimidating idea developed. To remix the album in 5.1, certain sections had to be re-recorded, as they were lost in the subsequent eight years - this made the idea of using drums for the entire album an increasingly viable option.

The original intention with the album was to make it entirely electronic, which fit the themes found in the songs well. However, after discussing it with Ed, Arjen decided he would be remiss not to utilize Ed's abilities, and did re-record the drum section. Interestingly, when the album was first released in 1996, prior to Ed's association with Arjen, Ed commented to people he knew that he felt the record should have utilized real drums.

Track listing

Personnel

*Okkie Huysdens - vocals
*Edward Reekers - vocals
*Robert Soeterboek (Cotton Soeterboek Band) - vocals
*Cleem Determeijer - synth solo on tracks 3 and 4; orchestral and string arrangements on tracks 1, 3, 7, and 8
*Rene Merkelbach - Hammond, synth solo on track 2
*Arjen Anthony Lucassen - producer, all other instruments
*Floortje Schilt - violin
*Oscar Holleman - engineer
* David Bachwitz - 'little boy' on track 1
* Kiki Holleman - 'baby' on track 8

Actual Fantasy: Revisited

*Ed Warby (Gorefest) - drums
*Peter Vink - bass guitar
*Ewa Albering - flute

References and footnotes

External links

*MusicBrainz artist|id=7bbfd77c-1102-4831-9ba8-246fb67460b3|name =Ayreon
*MusicBrainz album|id=ef547ed6-1a3c-4f1f-acd0-8fd81a741367|name =Actual Fantasy

Ayreon