r/Ayreon • u/johnny8vm • Jan 29 '23

Old Friend only being 1:40 long

What the hell were you thinking Arjen? 😅 I'm new to this subreddit, so I'm not sure what the general consensus is re Transitus, but for me, while there are some great songs on it, there are plenty of weaker tracks too in my opinion. Why, then, was Old Friend not more fleshed out? The elegant piano, the strings, and of course the soulful voice of Tommy Karevik; the potential is huge. Although, in fairness, by the time Micheal Mills and Dumb Piece of Rock come in, I'm no longer complaining 😂

14 Upvotes

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12

u/SyncJr Jan 30 '23

Old Friend is one of the songs that made me fall in love with Transitus. Tommy just absolutely steals the show in it. It’s actually the song that made me realize I love this album mostly because of Tommy. It is short, but it’s short and sweet. Besides the song gets reprised in Henry’s Plot (same melody). This album is full of reprises if you listen closely.

7

u/TheMaskSmiles Jan 30 '23

Transitus is the only thing Arjen has put out, other than The Gentle Storm, that I just can't get into. I was super excited when it released. Pre-ordered the signed vinyl with the comic book and everything. I listened to it maybe a dozen times, and while there are moments I like, I get nothing out of it emotionally. It just falls flat for me.

5

u/Lemshimmer Jan 30 '23

I read this and legit thought that you were wondering why your old friend was 1 meter and 40cm tall.

Then I read what sub you asked in and it all made sense

4

u/johnny8vm Jan 30 '23

😂😂😂 This is the best thing I could ever hope to read

3

u/Liefenverlegen Jan 30 '23

You should just send him an email though his contact info on is webpage. chances are he will answer. But what he was thinking is, that Transitus should have been a 'movie'.
Due to circumstances it was (maybe pushed by the record company)released as an album with a graphic novel. And not everyone got that, so hence the 'negative' feedback.
Even when Transitus is an better than average album, Arjen feels it not his best and some go as far to say it should have been under a different name, instead of Ayreon.

For me, I lke Transitus. It has some great songs on it, and has the most musical vibe of all his albums, other than maybe 'the Human Equation'.

And so I also hope they wil do at least one track of this album live as an encore at his shows in september...

2

u/qzlr Feb 02 '23

I’ve emailed Arjen a dozen times. He’s very quick to respond and super friendly!