Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 26 to 50 of 51

Thread: Any thought on Aryeon?

  1. #26
    Member Camelogue's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Lovetron/Pittsburgh
    Posts
    4,751
    Short answer.

    No.

  2. #27
    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    1,759
    Actual Fantasy and The Human Equation are my two favourites. Actual Fantasy was the first Ayreon album I heard and it blew me away, so I might be a bit biased towards it.

    When we were auditioning speakers a couple of years ago, we used Abbey of Synn off of Actual Fantasy as one of our demo songs. Boy did we get some weird looks from salesmen! LOL! Except for one guy who LOVED it and made me write down all the album info for him. Guess who we bought our speakers from?

  3. #28
    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    When we were auditioning speakers a couple of years ago, we used Abbey of Synn off of Actual Fantasy as one of our demo songs. Boy did we get some weird looks from salesmen! LOL! Except for one guy who LOVED it and made me write down all the album info for him. Guess who we bought our speakers from?
    That's awesome!

  4. #29
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    hiding out in treetops, shouting out rude names
    Posts
    3,657
    I like the Universal Migrator albums for the very reason a lot of Ayreon fans don't; its not a rock opera. It plays more like a compilation of songs that have a common theme.

    My nest venture into Ayreon was Electric Castle and it was just too cornball, too Tim Rice for me.

  5. #30
    My first Ayeron was Universal Migrator Part 1, which I still love. Unfortunately, it isn't very representative of his other work, so I got a bit of a shock when I got Part 2. Not being much of a prog metal fan, I gave it away several years ago.

    The Human Equation is by far his best work, IMO. That album is still one of my favorite concept albums.

    Electric Castle I enjoy, but it IS pretty darn cheesy and I would like it a whole lot more if there wasn't narration on every single track (or nearly so). First album is decent, but is sort of a first attempt type thing. Second album, Actual Fantasy is decent, but not one I pull out much.

    The most recent two, 0101100 (or something) and Theory Of Everything both suffer from over literal lyrics. It's like having a novel read to you, with melody. I don't know how any of the singers could really FEEL anything from those lyrics to give a good performance (there are exceptions of course......I think John Wetton could sing the phone book, as the old saying goes, and make it sound good). I like the music on both those, so there is that. I just think his lyrics have gotten progressively worse since Human Equation, which had his best in my view.

    I think I should probably get Guilt Machine, as I keep hearing good things about it but have never yet heard it.

  6. #31
    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by infandous View Post
    The Human Equation is by far his best work, IMO. That album is still one of my favorite concept albums.
    Electric Castle I enjoy, but it IS pretty darn cheesy and I would like it a whole lot more if there wasn't narration on every single track (or nearly so). First album is decent, but is sort of a first attempt type thing. Second album, Actual Fantasy is decent, but not one I pull out much.

    The most recent two, 0101100 (or something) and Theory Of Everything both suffer from over literal lyrics. It's like having a novel read to you, with melody. I don't know how any of the singers could really FEEL anything from those lyrics to give a good performance (there are exceptions of course......I think John Wetton could sing the phone book, as the old saying goes, and make it sound good). I like the music on both those, so there is that. I just think his lyrics have gotten progressively worse since Human Equation, which had his best in my view.
    This is why a total non-lyric guy like myself can get so much out of the Ayreon albums. I just don't place much importance on the lyrics or even the storyline. Human Equation is the only one I've ever followed along to the story. Other than Electric Castle, I have no idea what the story lines are for the rock operas. But I sure like the performances.

  7. #32
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Plague Sanctuary, Vermont
    Posts
    2,481
    Quote Originally Posted by Camelogue View Post
    Short answer.

    No.
    That is a thought, Bob. Not sure you can post here on this forum without thought, though many have tried.
    Last edited by Plasmatopia; 03-18-2014 at 03:52 PM.
    <sig out of order>

  8. #33
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    I love Hansi Kursch's vocals, so I really enjoy The parts on Human Equation and 1001001 where he sings. If I have those right.

  9. #34
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Plague Sanctuary, Vermont
    Posts
    2,481
    This is my favorite tune from The Human Equation:

    <sig out of order>

  10. #35
    Member doh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    428
    Another vote for Guilt Machine. I love them all though.

  11. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Yanks2014 View Post
    This is why a total non-lyric guy like myself can get so much out of the Ayreon albums. I just don't place much importance on the lyrics or even the storyline. Human Equation is the only one I've ever followed along to the story. Other than Electric Castle, I have no idea what the story lines are for the rock operas. But I sure like the performances.

    I guess I just figure that the artist put the lyrics on there for a reason......if not, why have them at all? I just prefer them to be more enigmatic and poetic. I like when you can apply your own interpretation, while still understanding what the artist was trying to convey. With Theory Of Everything (and even the binary one), he just lays out the story without any nuance or, well, artistry. I just find it too much like reading a text book.

  12. #37
    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by infandous View Post
    I guess I just figure that the artist put the lyrics on there for a reason......if not, why have them at all?
    I certainly know lyrics are there for a reason, I just don't care why. It's just not part of music I'm interested in all that much. It's not out of ignorance, it's more the way I listen to music, where I hear every sound the same, whether it's an instrument or a voice. It all floats over me, so I hear every note, but the words, I really don't hear what they are at all, unless I make the extra effort. And when I focus of the meaning of the words, I lose my focus on the instruments. The melody and the sounds used are just more important to me, so keeping my focus there is just better for my enjoyment. After 46 years, I'm not changing the way I listen just so I can appreciate the words more.

  13. #38
    ^^ I think you listen in a similar way to me then. Lyrics are just another melody line to listen to, the words are a by-product.

  14. #39
    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by tallliman View Post
    ^^ I think you listen in a similar way to me then. Lyrics are just another melody line to listen to, the words are a by-product.
    Yeah, pretty much. I can think of a few songs where I do enjoy the lyrics, so of course there are exceptions!

  15. #40
    Yeah, I have a good friend who doesn't like vocals at all, so he obviously never cares much for lyrics. I realize that is not what you are saying, and I do understand where you are coming from. I know other people who say the same thing........the voice is another instrument, the words aren't really important. If a singer is good enough, I can often work with that as well.......I listen to a lot of Italian, French, etc. prog with vocals in the native language and I don't understand a word. Yet I can still love the music and the voice. So I get it. I just think that with Aryeon, the lyrics are the whole reason for the music, so I figure he wants people to pay attention to them. I doubt he would care how people appreciate his music though, as long as they do.

  16. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by Yanks2014 View Post
    Yeah, pretty much. I can think of a few songs where I do enjoy the lyrics, so of course there are exceptions!
    And I'll admit freely singing along to a lot of songs but I couldn't tell you what they meant or what I'm singing most of the time!!

  17. #42
    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by tallliman View Post
    And I'll admit freely singing along to a lot of songs but I couldn't tell you what they meant or what I'm singing most of the time!!
    I do that as well. Usually the only reason I'll try to figure out the words if it I think it will be fun to sing along to. I actually love singing, even if it's limited to the car where nobody has to hear me. I'll also sing along to instrumental bits. I found myself singing nearly all of Steve Hacket's leads back when I saw his Genesis show last fall. I was in the 2nd row, so I doubt many people heard me at all. What an awesome experience that was.

  18. #43
    Into The Electric Castle and (especially) The Human Equation are my personal faves. I'm also rather partial to Actual Fantasy. I need to revisit (or in some cases hear for the first time) some of his other work. Certainly a stellar musician.
    'The smell of strange colours are heard everywhere'- Threshold

  19. #44
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Tejas
    Posts
    1,065
    Huh, The lyrics are the one thing in all of Ayreon's albums that bother me. I wonder if its because English is a second language for him? They just seem to have a high cheese factor. I LOVE the music of Ayreon, but I'm also a lyrics guy. His lyrics seem to "try too hard" that's my fear about "the theory of everything" - I haven't listened yet, but I suspect he saw a Michio Kaku lecture on Youtube and decided to build a concept album from string theory or quantum mechanics. - That would be weird - and frankly, hard to do without using some strange words like "entanglement" or "double slit experiment" or some other weird terminology. A rock song about Nills Bhor would be just plain goofy.

    For me, a concept album has to have a decent concept behind it. But I'm sure the musicianship will be great. I have this new one on my list, but haven't taken the leap. (pun intended) I have to take Ayreon in limited amounts, because of the lyrics.

  20. #45
    Quote Originally Posted by Yanks2014 View Post
    I certainly know lyrics are there for a reason, I just don't care why. It's just not part of music I'm interested in all that much. It's not out of ignorance, it's more the way I listen to music, where I hear every sound the same, whether it's an instrument or a voice. It all floats over me, so I hear every note, but the words, I really don't hear what they are at all, unless I make the extra effort. And when I focus of the meaning of the words, I lose my focus on the instruments. The melody and the sounds used are just more important to me, so keeping my focus there is just better for my enjoyment. After 46 years, I'm not changing the way I listen just so I can appreciate the words more.
    ^^^THIS

  21. #46
    Jon Neudorf
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
    Posts
    442
    Quote Originally Posted by Yodelgoat View Post
    Huh, The lyrics are the one thing in all of Ayreon's albums that bother me. I wonder if its because English is a second language for him? They just seem to have a high cheese factor. I LOVE the music of Ayreon, but I'm also a lyrics guy. His lyrics seem to "try too hard" that's my fear about "the theory of everything" - I haven't listened yet, but I suspect he saw a Michio Kaku lecture on Youtube and decided to build a concept album from string theory or quantum mechanics. - That would be weird - and frankly, hard to do without using some strange words like "entanglement" or "double slit experiment" or some other weird terminology. A rock song about Nills Bhor would be just plain goofy.

    For me, a concept album has to have a decent concept behind it. But I'm sure the musicianship will be great. I have this new one on my list, but haven't taken the leap. (pun intended) I have to take Ayreon in limited amounts, because of the lyrics.
    I don't find the lyrics on "Theory" cumbersome at all. The theme doesn't really focus on the science behind it that much. It's more about the people involved. Of course YMWV.

    Regards,
    Jon

  22. #47
    Quote Originally Posted by infandous View Post

    The most recent two, 0101100 (or something) and Theory Of Everything both suffer from over literal lyrics. It's like having a novel read to you, with melody.
    Interesting, that was my problem with The Human Equation! That album was where I got off the Ayreon bandwagon so I haven't heard the two you've mentioned.

    If Star One/Space Metal is considered an Ayreon album, then that's my favorite by a long shot. I love the exotic Richie Blackmore-type scales/riffs and Floor Janssen...floors me.

    I find that the earlier Ayreon albums (before Human Equation) haven't had staying power with me. I enjoyed them when they came out but they've lost their luster. Perhaps the only one I would still listen to is the Universal Migrator set.
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  23. #48
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    southern Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    7,122
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

    *** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***

  24. #49
    Thread's over a month old, but I'll add my thoughts. I'm a big fan and have listened to everything but the new one.

    My recommendations, in order:

    Into The Electric Castle
    The Final Experiment
    The Human Equation
    01011001
    Flight of the Migrator
    Actual Fantasy
    The Dream Sequencer

    All are recommended.

    After that, you can go through Arjen's other projects:

    Star One - His tribute to SciFi TV shows and movies. Never thought I'd see someone write a Blake's 7 song...
    Lost In The New Real - His solo album where he sings about more SciFi concepts and Rutger Hauer narration.
    Stream Of Passion - If you like Marcela Bovio on The Human Equation, you can check out the band Arjen helped her form. He only plays on the first album, but it is a pretty good band.
    Guilt Machine - The band he formed after leaving Stream Of Passion
    Ambeon - Originally intended to be reworked instrumental pieces from previous Ayreon projects, he discovered 14 year old Astrid van der Veen and had her singing to her own lyrics.

  25. #50
    Quote Originally Posted by Digital_Man View Post
    No disrespect to the original poster but I'm wondering why so often people will start with a band's latest album first. Sorry, I just don't get that.
    I'm totally unaware of Ayreon. However, a few days ago, I saw the video announcement that Emerson and Wakeman are on on it, so that intrigued me.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •