or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime free trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn more
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Available to Download Now
 
Buy the MP3 album for £8.01
 
 
 
 
Actual Fantasy Revisited: +DVD
 
See larger image
 

Actual Fantasy Revisited: +DVD [CD]

Ayreon Audio CD
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
Price: £11.50 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, May 29? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
Buy the MP3 album for £8.01 at the Amazon MP3 Downloads store.

Amazon.co.uk Currency Converter
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More.

Amazon's Ayreon Store

Image of Ayreon
Visit Amazon's Ayreon Store
for all the music, discussions, and more.

Frequently Bought Together

Actual Fantasy Revisited: +DVD + Final Experiment -Spec- + Universal Migrator 1&2
Price For All Three: £32.08

Show availability and delivery details

Buy the selected items together
  • In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Final Experiment -Spec- £9.99

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Universal Migrator 1&2 £10.59

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product details

  • Audio CD (19 Oct 2009)
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Century Media
  • ASIN: B002QVOPXO
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 150,859 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Reviews

4 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Dr. D. B. Sillars VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
After the success of Arjen Anthony Lucassen's first album under the Ayreon moniker "The Final Experiment", he consciously did not want to repeat the formula of that album. So for the second Ayreon album, the conceptual rock opera structure was dispensed with together with using a large ensemble of guest musicians and vocalists. "Actual Fantasy" was based around separate songs, only vaguely connected by the fact that their subject matter covered elements of fantasy films and stories.

When "Actual Fantasy" was originally released it was not as commercially successful as the previous album. Whether this was due to the change in format or use of more electronic based instrumentation is not clear. However, Arjen has now taken the opportunity afforded by InsideOut's re-issue programme of all Ayreons albums to re-visit the album to the extent of re-recording many parts. The most drastic and important addition is Ed Warby's drums, replacing the original computer generated percussion tracks. Also included in this re-release package is a bonus DVD which includes a complete 5.1 surround mix of the new 2004 version, the original 1996 album, a videoclip of "The Stranger from Within" track and a short featurette on the re-recording process.

The re-recording and remastering process have completely transformed this album. The new version of the album is staggering and reveals what a sensational album this really is. The combination of the excellent vocals of Robert Soeterboek, Edward Reekers and Okkie Huysdens produce a huge harmonically rich blanket behind which Arjens swirling synths and guitars conjure up a sonic storm. The addition of Ed Warby with Peter Vink on bass adds a solid foundation which was crucially missing from the original recording. Musically, this album is melodically rich and complex. The epic soundstage we have come to know and love from Arjens later works is in abundance here. No wonder he wanted to mix this in 5.1. In stereo it is great, but the complexity, depth and nuances of production cries out for the extra freedom of sound separation available from the 5.1 format, in order to fully reveal the startling sounds conjured up by Arjen.

With this impressive re-issue, "Actual Fantasy" will hopefully at last garner the recognition it truly deserves within Ayreon's already highly regarded catalogue of recordings.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is my favourite Ayreon cd, I've had the original for some time now, this is a re-worked version, real drums as opposed to electronic drums, re-recored vocals etc, it's quite different to the original but still a masterpiece, if you have the first version it might be a shock hearing it so differently, but it's still worth the purchace, if your new to Ayreon start here, I find this cd the epitome of melodic progressive rock, the track "Abbey of Synn" will take your breth away.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
A bit disappointing. 18 Sep 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I just find some of the songs on here a bit tedious and cliched, the music a bit dated in style really. Or maybe that's just because I'm comparing to the complexity and wonder of the later Ayreon cds. And I haven't heard the earlier version of this. But the song Computer Eyes is amazing and I love it - it's almost worth the price of the cd for that song alone. It's about the film Tron and would have fitted perfectly on Space Metal or Victims Of The Modern Age.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject




i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges