01	Actual Fantasy						01:33
	02	Abbey Of Synn						09:34
	03	The Stranger From Within						07:40
	04	Computer Eyes						07:27
	05	Beyond The Last Horizon						07:35
	06	Farside Of The World						06:20
	07	Back On Planet Earth						07:04
	08	Forevermore						07:16
	09	The Dawn Of Man						07:32
	10	The Stranger From Within (single version)						03:38

Transmission Records

Ayreon - Actual Fantasy: Revisited
Ayreon - Actual Fantasy: Revisited
Country of Origin: The Netherlands
Format: CD/DVD
Record Label: Inside Out
Catalogue #: IOMCD 194
Year of Release: 1996/2004
Time: 62:12
Info: Official Website
Samples: Click here

Tracklist CD: Actual Fantasy (1:45), The Abbey Of Synn (9:20), The Stranger From Within (7:33), Computer Eyes (7:16), Beyond The Last Horizon (7:15), Farside Of The World (6:31), Back On Planet Earth (7:05), Forevermore (7:34), The Dawn Of Man (7:39)

Tracklist DVD: Actual Fantasy Revisited 5.1 mix (62:12), Actual Fantasy 1996 version (61:49), Featurette: Recording Drums, Bass and Guitar 2004 (11:12), Stranger From Within video (4:03)

Faced with the sudden success of the first Ayreon album, The Final Experiment in 1995, Arjen Lucassen felt he had to do something completely different as a follow-up. The result was this album, which was first released in 1996. It was neither a rock opera, nor a concept album and unlike the first album (and later albums) most of the music on the album was played by Arjen himself (only a few synth solos were played by guest-musicians) and he invited only three vocalists.
Fans and critics rarely agree when rating a band's music, however, when it comes to Actual Fantasy, there seems to be a remarkable agreement: It isn't particularly the best Ayreon album out there.

Lucassen has always admitted he wasn't 100% happy with the final result himself and the re-release of the album on the Inside Out label gave him the perfect opportunity to re-visit it. After having experimented with 5.1 surround mix on the DVD of The Human Equation, he thought it would be nice to give Actual Fantasy a similar treatment.
However, as it turned out that he had lost most of the original master tapes, he had to recreate much of the instrumentation. One thing led to another and now about 90% of the music is re-recorded. Peter Vink plays the new basslines (originally played by Arjen himself) and Ed Warby drummed a new drumtrack, replacing the drumcomputer of the original.

Lucassen is known for his thorough approach to things, so besides re-recording most of the album, he also mixed it again, in 2.0 stereo for the CD, and in 5.1 surround for the DVD. And it is the surround mix where the audio comes to its full right of course. There are many samples and effects in the music which are perfect for surround effects. However, Lucassen has not fallen into the trap of creating nausea-inducing effects that circle around the room all the time, and he uses these gimmicks sparingly.

Nice visuals have been created for the DVD as well, resembling a sort of low-key promo video. While you play the music the lyrics appear on your TV in a manner that suits the song, accompanied by abstract images that can best be compared to Mediaplayer visualisations. Very effective, and very original. The only DVD I can compare this to is the DVD-Audio of Porcupine Tree - In Absentia, which uses no more than artwork stills - one for each song, so the Actual Fantasy DVD is a lot more interesting!

Also interesting is the featurette about the re-recording, in which Arjen gives his account on why and how he changed the music from the original. If you've seen the documentary on The Human Equation DVD, then you know what you're in for. As usual Arjen does his best to entertain the viewer with little anecdotes and jokes.
To keep fans satisfied the original 1996 version is also presented on the DVD, and it is fun to listen to both version and try to point out all the differences between the two (in fact, I am sure that people who know the original recording well enough will have many moments where they go 'hey, wait a minute' as in quite a few occasions the guitarriffs have changed, as well as the overall mix.

But visuals and sophisticated mixing techniques aside, what about the music? Well, I think that if you'd rate all Ayreon albums, then Actual Fantasy would probably end up at the bottom of the list, but that is in no way saying that the music is bad at all. It is trademark Ayreon music, which you either love or hate. Bombastic, rich, well-produced and somewhat kitsch. The fact that it isn't a concept album, that the songs are inspired by books and movies and that there are only three singers who all sing on most songs, make the album closer to Star One than other Ayreon albums, really.

The first half of the album is actually very good, as good as anything he has ever done, but after Computer Eyes the album sags a little. The main thing is that the music isn't as varied as the other albums. Though there is some experimenting with Gregorian chants on Abbey Of Synn, the album lacks Lucassen's way of incorporating various styles like folk or classical into the music. Nonetheless there is plenty to enjoy - provided that you like his other albums though. If you don't, then this one won't appeal to you either.

That leads us to the question whether the owners of the original album should shelve out the 20 euros to update their version. I'm afraid I have to answer "Yes" to that. The updated version adds a lot to the original, and the replacement of the drum computer and the new mix give the recordings a lot more depth and make the album sounds less dated, really. After all, it is more than just a mere remaster, it is largely a re-recording and a big improvement in general.

Conclusion: 8- out of 10

BART JAN VAN DER VORST