Ayreon - Universal Migrator (Part I): The Dream Sequencer (2000)++ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Singers: Johan Edlund, Floor Jansen - Lead Vocals on "My House On Mars" Lana Lane - Lead Vocals on "2084" and "Dragon On The Sea", Backing Vocals on "One Small Step" and "The Shooting Company Of Captain Frans B. Cocq" Edward Reekers - Lead Vocals on "One Small Step" Mouse - Lead Vocals on "The Shooting Company Of Captain Frans B. Cocq" Jacqueline - Lead Vocals on "Temple Of The Cat" Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lead Vocals on "Carried By The Wind" Damian Wilson - Lead Vocals on "And The Druids Turn To Stone" Neal Morse - Lead Vocals on "The First Man On Earth" Mark McCrite - Backing Vocals on "The First Man On Earth" The Musicians: Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Analog Synthesisers, Keyboards, all Guitar Solos and Synth Melodies Erik Norlander - Analog Synthesisers, Keyboards, Piano, Vocoder Voice, Hammon, Synth Solos on "The Dream Sequencer", "One Small Step" and "Dragon On The Sea" Rob Snijders - Drums Clive Nolan - Synth Solos on "2084" Produced and mixed by Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Oliver Holleman. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track Listing 1) The Dream Sequencer (Lucassen) 5:09 2) My House On Mars (Lucassen) 7:48 3) 2084 (Lucassen) 7:41 4) One Small Step (Lucassen) 8:45 5) The Shooting Company Of Captain Frans B. Cocq (Lucassen) 7:57 6) Dragon On The Sea (Lucassen / Norlander) 7:08 7) Temple Of The Cat (Lucassen) 4:10 8) Carried By The Wind (Lucassen) 3:58 9) And The Druids Turn To Stone (Lucassen) 6:36 10) The First Man On Earth (Lucassen / Morse, Norlander, Lucassen) 7:19 11) The Dream Sequencer Reprise (Lucassen) 3:36 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 22nd century. I am the last of the Mars Colonists. The air supply has almost run out on this desolate Mars colony, and the food supplies from Earth have stopped arriving since the final war of 2084. I am walking through the tunnel towards our recreation machine called the Dream Sequencer. I hope it will sweeten my final days... 1) The Dream Sequencer (Lucassen) 5:09 (Spoken): Dream Sequencer System Online. Good morning colonist. You have selected the Universal Migrator program. Please lie down in the energy tank ... and place the electrodes on your temples. Think of your designation number ... and drink the fluid from the vessel at the left terminal. Program loaded, commencing U.M. preincarnation protocol. Now focus on the music ... as I take you back to your chilhood... and beyond... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the end of the 21st Century. I have returned to my own childhood. I remember it all as the Dream Sequencer images mix with my own recollections. This is the day my sister and I realised that we would never see the planet Earth. 2) My House On Mars (Lucassen) 7:48 Vocal Medody by Johan Edlund. Daddy where are you now? Forgot about your vow? You promised you'd return ... and take me to Earth Did you have to fight that war? What was it all for? The honor of one's name, what is it worth? I'm all alone - We're all alone My future's unknown - Our future's unknown I reach out to the stars out here in my house on Mars Mother did you hear me cry? You never told me why You put me in this world of rock ... and dust No friends for playing games No foes who scorn my name Computerized machines of steel ... and rust Is this my home? - This is our home This desolate dome - This desolate dome I call out to the stars, 'I'm alone in my house on Mars' I'll never smell ... the ocean breeze... I'll never climb ... the highest trees... I'll never feel the burning ... sun... I'll never meet my chosen ... one ... in my house Daddy I forgive you now You could not keep your vow You will never return, I'll never see Earth My time has come - Our time has come I'm emotionally numb - Emotionally numb I'm headed for the stars - I'm leaving my house on Mars No friends in my house on Mars No foes in my house on Mars I was born in my house on Mars I will die in my house on Mars ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 21st century. The Final Experiment has failed. The final devastating war that was foretold by the blind minstrel Ayreon has indeed come to pass. The war has destroyed all life on Earth, making it completely uninhabitable. I hover above my own dead body... 3) 2084 (Lucassen) 7:41 Silence fills the air, echoes fade away Sadness and despair ... on that cruel and fateful day Chorus 1: My body lies motionless ... upon the kitchen floor The Earth has died, the world's at rest 2084 Many centuries ago, in a dark enchanted land... Our fate had been foretold ... by a poor misguided man We carried on down the road we chose The path of nevermore The journey ends, the book is closed 2084 Chorus 2: And now I have to leave, my work on Earth is done I'm heading for the planet known as Mars... To the last of its race, the final newborn son Before I start my voyage to the stars Chorus 2 Chorus 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 20th century. I am a little boy peacefully asleep. My father comes to wake me so that I can witness an historic event in the finite story of mankind. 4) One Small Step (Lucassen) 8:45 On an early summer morning, July'69 As I dream of the planets I hear a voice softly whisper, 'Son, it is time It's happening soon' It's a quarter to four now and he carries me down... To our place by the telly I see lights on in houses ... all over town... For the man on the Moon Chorus 1: One small step ... for man but a giant leap for mankind The mighty Apollo prevailed - The Eagle has landed I go back to my warm bed, back to my dreams... But not the one of the planets I decided this morning I don't want to be... The man on the Moon Chorus 1 As I lie here in this cold tank, living a dream... I'm the last on the planets I decided this morning I don't want to be... The man ... on Mars Chorus 2: One small step ... for man but a giant leap for mankind The mighty Apollo prevailed Chorus 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 17th century. I am a noble ensign-bearer posing with my guild for the Dutch master painter, Rembrandt van Rijn, in Amsterdam. 5) The Shooting Company Of Captain Frans B. Cocq (Lucassen) 7:57 I'm standing proud ... in this noble crowd My banner raised high... - The coat of arms of Amsterdam ...to the mystic sky - A magic light enchants the land Chorus: We're marching on The shooting company of Captain Frans B. Cocq My uniform shines - The livery of a high-born man The Claw-guild signs - immortalised by the master's hand Light and shade - with colours rich and brushwork bold Night and day - with shadows black and armours gold Chorus I'm standing proud ... in this noble crowd In our golden age - eternalised by the artist's hand A glorious page - in the history of our tiny land We're marching on Up to the battlefield ... to where the spirits walk The shooting company of Captain Frans B. Cocq ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 16th century. I am Queen Elizabeth sending out the brave Sir Francis Drake to defend the English realm against the invading Armada. 6) Dragon On The Sea (Lucassen / Norlander) 7:08 Times are dark now, our empire's gone astray Forces from down south, Armada on the way So we call our greatest men ... to run the barricade Shine your light where shadows fall ... and wash the night away Chorus 1: Sail on for your Queen Sail into history You will never be the same Sail on for country, into our memory Time will remember your name Dragon on the sea Fires burn now ... in once our ... tranquil bays Tall ships ... that rain down ... thunderbolts and flames Go and raise your pirate flag, cast the lines away Take your fleet where darkness falls ... and turn the night to day Sail on for your Queen Sail into history Time will remember your name Dragon on the sea The sun never sets on the empire won But wise men say never say never (say never, say never) It slips through our hands just like sand in sun We thought it would go on forever (forever, forever, forever, forever...) Chorus 1 Chorus 2: Dragon ships, they keep on sailing ... on to Nova Albion While the waking world is sleeping ... dragon ships are sailing on Chorus 2 (2) Dragon ships, they keep on sailing ... on to Nova Albion... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 8th century. I am a Mayan girl heading for the Jaguar Temple in Tikal on the central American continent. 7) Temple Of The Cat (Lucassen) 4:10 Shine down on me, Sun of the Underworld Set me free, chase away the night Proud Jaguar, king of the Mayan God Shining star, light up the sky... And guide me to the ... Temple of ... the Cat Heart-of-Sky, Maker and Hurricane Mighty eye, harvester of life We were born ... solely to speak your name Bring the dawn, we'll praise the sky Here inside the Temple of the ... the Cat Upon his throne ... the High priest addressed the crowd Now carved in stone ... his holy name Beads of jade - adorn his cotton shroud His silvery blade - on a golden chain He lies here in the Temple of ... the Cat, dead He will rise again from the Temple of ... the Cat ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 6th century. This is where it all began. My tired body has passed away, but my once-tortured spirit is finally free now. My name is... Ayreon. 8) Carried By The Wind (Lucassen) 3:58 I've crossed the edge ... where time disappears My life has been taken by the charm of the seer My conscience is clear, I committed no sin My spirit roams free now, carried by the wind My mission has failed, the spell has been cast I wasn't the first one ... and I won't be the last This can't be the end, so let it begin My message will reach you, carried by the wind Out here on Mars ... I now realize Mankind has vanished, tears fill my eyes There must be a world ... I can live in My spirit will find it, carried by the wind My message will reach you, carried by the wind My spirit roams free now, carried by the wind ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is 2800 B.C. I quietly witness the astounding secret behind the creation of a mysterious monument in Wiltshire, England. 9) And The Druids Turn To Stone (Lucassen) 6:36 Chorus 1: The moon sheds no light ... on Salisbury plain The day turns to night ... and the bonfires ... cease burning The druids gather round ... and the chants fill the air Their echoes resound ... and the living world stops turning Chorus 2: The magic words are spoken... As we leave the plain in silence Now the circle stands alone... And the druids turn to stone The dawn shines its light ... on Salisbury plain The day floods the night ... with gilded rays of sunshine The magic words were spoken... As we left the plain in silence Then the circle stood alone... And the druids turned to stone The rising sun ... is dancing ... on the edges of the stones Casting shadows ... creeping down the Avenue... Into the heart ... of the sarsen trilithons I marvel at ... this mystery, beholder of the stars A holy temple, a sacred burial ground... Guarding well its secrets ... from us all Chorus 1 & 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is 50000 B.C. The world is almost empty; nature is still untouched by man. Off in the distance, a clan of ape-like creatures gather near a cliff side. But I am the first to stand. I must be... 10) The First Man On Earth (Lucassen / Morse, Norlander, Lucassen) 7:19 In fields of green, vast as the oceans Is this a dream, is it evermore? A million years, fast as a notion... I stand alone here on the silent shore I'm after prey in the fields Shelter in a cave ... from the cold and lonely nights And now it all seems so real Warming at the fireside ... beneath the pale moonlight Chorus: This is the dawn of time - I am the first to stand Looking through the eyes of the primal man This is the dawn of time - Witnessing the birth I am the first man on Earth The skies of blue ... reach to the heavens They go on and on forevermore No avenues, no city sidewalks Planet Mars is but ancient lore This place has all that I need No computers' glowing screens, no industrial machines Somehow it all seems surreal Memories of days gone by, a slowly fading scene Chorus No one here to blame me No one here to hurt So much space here to occupy my mind I can breathe ... the breath of virgin land The firefly at nighttime The sounds of nothing known And I belong here like I never have before The wandering child returning home When twilight falls, red is the sunset Planets appear across the colored sky No prison walls, no war, no bloodshed Hard to believe ... this new world will die I wish that ... I could stay ... for a while... In the dream world ... that the sequencer creates And though it all seems so real Now I fear the time is gone, I feel its ... heavy weight Chorus Hold on to this moment in time - moment in time Savor a life how it used to be - how it used to be Hold on to the world in its prime - in its prime Breathe in the air, feel the energy - feel the energy ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is the 22nd century again. I am back inside the Dream Sequencer. I am tired. But I want more. I want to go back even further... 11) The Dream Sequencer Reprise (Lucassen) 3:36 Instrumental ------------------------------------------------------------------------