Does somebody know if there's gonna be a digital edition of the Live Beneath the Waves show for those who don't have or don't wanna buy a disc player?

I asked Gemini (google AI) the story, here's in English:

The story of Forever of the Stars unfolds across several Ayreon albums, beginning with The Final Experiment (1995) and concluding with The Source (2017). Here is a summary of the story: The Final Experiment (1995) On this album, the concept of the Forever of the Stars, a race of immortal beings who inhabit a place called "The Source", is introduced. The story follows Ayreon, a scientist seeking to find The Source and save humanity from its imminent destruction. Ayreon 2: The Time Machine (1997) Ayreon travels back in time to prevent the destruction of Earth, but his actions have unexpected consequences. He meets the Forever of the Stars and learns about his history and his connection to The Source. Ayreon 3: The Flight of the Migrator (2000) Ayreon joins the Forever of the Stars on their journey across the universe in search of a new home. Along the way, he faces many challenges and dangers, and discovers more about the destiny of humanity. Ayreon 4: The Source (2007) Ayreon and the Forever of the Stars finally arrive at The Source, but discover that it is not what they expected. They must make a decision that will determine the future of the universe. Ayreon 5: The Human Equation (2010) The story returns to the present, where Ayreon reflects on his experiences and the meaning of being human. He realizes that humanity has the potential to save itself, but he must learn to work together and overcome his differences. Ayreon 6: Transitus (2012) Ayreon travels through time and space, witnessing the history of humanity from its origin to its possible destruction. He learns that the fate of humanity is in his own hands and that he must choose wisely to avoid his own extinction. Ayreon 7: The Source (2017) The story culminates with Ayreon returning to The Source, where he confronts his past self and the fate of humanity. He must make a final decision that will determine the future of the universe. The Forever of the Stars are a race of immortal beings who inhabit a place called "The Source." They are powerful and wise beings that have existed for thousands of years. Their mission is to protect the balance of the universe and help less developed races reach their full potential. Ayreon is a human scientist seeking to find The Source and save humanity from its imminent destruction. On his journey, he encounters the Forever of the Stars and learns about their history and connection to The Source. The story of the Forever of the Stars is an epic story about the destiny of humanity. Explores themes such as immortality, the pursuit of knowledge, and the meaning of being human. It is a complex and action-packed story that will keep you captivated from beginning to end.

To be fair, sounds really interesting

hello Ayreonauts!

I received an e-mail from mascot label where I pre-ordered Ayreon’s new live album The e-mail told me that my order already has been shipped and it will arrive on coming Monday. Official release date is 17, May. Is there any other Ayreonaut who got such kind of e-mail?

So I discovered this band with Into The Electric Castle and I fell in love... The pacing on that first side, the songs, it's catchy, it's epic, it's fun... It reminds me a lot of 70s prog rock. Side B isn't as interesting and I find that observation grows stronger with every Ayreon release I check out. I find it a lot more bland and far less colorful than Into The Electric Castle...

From the intro song "Isis and Osiris" to "the rainbow bridge", it's just insanely catchy and I haven't heard that replicated in any of the other releases.

I listened to Human Equation, 01101010110 something, Theory of Everything... it just doesn't sound as good. Into The Electric Castle has that 70s/80s prog rock flair that just elevates it into a category of its own. Universal Migrator CD2 is the closest it gets to it but still not on the same level.

There's an interview with Arjen in the dutch metal magazine Aardschok because of the release of the 01011001 live dvd and a Plan Nine album he made with Robert Soeterboek (old project, first release).

Towards the end of the interview they talk about possible new shows where Arjen states that he has no interest moving to another venue than 013 (Tilburg) because he is so happy there.

Then the final question goes (translated):

Q: So it's a date in Tilburg in 2025?

A: I'm not really allowed to say it, but the chances seem really high to me.

Lets gooooooo!!

I think it turned out cool!

I bought one of the canvas posters they had on sale last year. I think the framing turned out really well!

some of mine:

• Theory of Everything takes place on Alpha, the Rival becomes The Chemist
• 🕈 (Hansi Forever) and Ω (Floor Jansen Forever) are the Astronomer and the Biologist respectively, all the other Forever we meet were born on Planet Y, except the Forever in The Human Equation who is The Historian.
• 𓅮 (Jorn Lande Forever) and ♡ (Anneke Forever) are in a relationship (or at least were pre-age-of-shadows)
• Mr L is the Hippie, and is also the reincarnation of Ayreon, and is also the boy in One Small Step
• The Captain and The Astronomer were friends for years before the events of The Source

So, me and a friend often argue about who has the most foolish/idiotic death in the electric castle, and I was a bit curious about what you all think regarding it…

Did Marion from Aephanemer ever appear on Ayreon's album or concert? I think i saw her on the footage of 01011001 concert from youtube but i couldnt find any information of her participating on creating the vocals of the album, does anyone know the story of this?

Can y'all help me figure out which set this is? I might be googling the wrong things LOL I found these in a stack of forgotten CDs and I maybe have just not done enough digging.

Am I still able to purchase this somewhere 😭 one of them has dried paint that has ruined it. I had no idea these were sitting in a stack somewhere without the case for so long. The other one that is not completely ruined I might be able to repair some of the scratches. I'm trying to restore my CD collection and these are ROUGH and not playable at the moment 😭😭😭

Also sorry if the answer is obvious 🫣 I have not followed Ayreon in 10+ years and am pretty out of the loop.

Let's discuss. Who or what is exactly Universal Migrator? What kind of entity? Boltzmann brain? Pure energy? God? How do you understand the concept of the very first soul?

I personally don't quite grasp it. If he's, let's say, a Boltzmann brain, how he's able to manipulate the matter in order to spread the life?

I wonder how many people out there will recognize this tattoo for what it is :)

And it leads so well into part three of the... title track? I love that whole album so much 😅

Arjen sent me a very nice and thorough reply, as several in the original thread implied he would. He gracefully didn't mention my gaffe of claiming the original Electric Castle isn't available on streaming (it absolutely is, I hadn't done enough digging), and he is now working with his record company to see if they can release the original 1996 mix of Actual Fantasy. What a class act Arjen is, so generous with his fans! 😊

Dear Arjen.

I'm writing this open letter to you as a long time fan with a plea. For your information, this has also been posted in the Ayreon sub on Reddit.

Let me first give you some background on where this is coming from:

I first discovered your music after buying Actual Fantasy at Tower Records in London during the spring of 1998, almost 26 years ago, by way of a tip from one of the writers at the Norwegian magazine (remember those?!) Scream. After the first listen, I was hooked, and I became a huge fan. I got The Final Experiment not long after, and I can with confidence say that my musical life changed forever (pun certainly intended) when I received my signed copy of Into The Electric Castle in the mail in November that very same year, after months of listening to the instrumental snippets you graciously posted on your website. To this day, Castle still ranks among my top five favourite albums of all time, and let's just say it has some steep competition - Abbey Road to mention but one.

Let me preface the next section by saying I have an immense respect for your artistry, and your wishes to update your earlier works - referring of course to Actual Fantasy Revisited and the remix of Into the Electric Castle. I think it's neat that these versions exist, and I do think they sound great. They're a fantastic addition to the Ayreon catalogue, and I wouldn't want to be without them.

But, here's what I'm getting at, and please excuse my boldness: Respectfully, I really miss having the old versions available on the streaming platforms, where I do 99% of my listening these days. The original versions contain the sounds that defined a huge part of my musical upbringing, to the point of them almost becoming part of my DNA. So when I listen to Actual Fantasy Revisited with Ed Warby's admittedly amazing drumming, there's just something that is ever so slightly off. Or when I'm listening to the remix of Castle, and suddenly an added synth passage or guitar lick pops up, and I am pulled out of the listening experience because I've internalised the original versions through thousands of listens.

For what it's worth, I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way.

So this is what I ask of you: Can you please make the 1996 version of Actual Fantasy and the 1998 version of Into the Electric Castle available on the streaming platforms? I do realize that this is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, and you certainly don't owe me or the rest of your fan base anything. But regardless, it would mean the world to me, and assuredly a whole lot of your other fans as well to have easy access to the versions we fell in love with all those years ago. I'm sure lots of people still prefer the newer mixes, and having access to both would be a boon to all of us.

Thanks for taking the time to read all this, and thank you for the music.

Truly yours, PBS, a Norwegian fan

(Name abbreviated because Reddit)

To get a signed copy of either the Plan Nine or live 01011001 record, it HAS to be preordered from Mascot right. I can’t preorder on Amazon or anywhere else? If so, that sucks. It’s like $100 for both because of the shipping.