Sail Away to Avalon
Encyclopedia
"Sail Away to Avalon" is the first single by Ayreon
, released on 1995, from their album The Final Experiment
. The song combines elements of medieval classical music with heavy metal
and folk
using instruments such as the harpsichord
for the rhythm sections. The lyrics reinforce this theme, telling the tale of a grand adventure to "Avalon" to recover the holy grail
.
Ayreon
Ayreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica...
, released on 1995, from their album The Final Experiment
The Final Experiment
The Final Experiment is a progressive metal/rock opera album released in 1995 by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen A. Lucassen. Originally penned Ayreon: The Final Experiment with no artist noted, at the suggestion of the record label the subject was later detached, and used as the name for what...
. The song combines elements of medieval classical music with heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
using instruments such as the harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
for the rhythm sections. The lyrics reinforce this theme, telling the tale of a grand adventure to "Avalon" to recover the holy grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
.
Track listing
- Sail Away To Avalon (radio edit) - 03:47
- The Charm Of The Seer - 03:53
- Nature's Dance - 02:36
- Eyes Of Time - 05:09
Personnel
- Arjen Lucassen - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, KeyboardElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
, SynthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. - Barry HayBarry HayBarry Andrew Hay is the vocalist/frontman for Dutch rock band Golden Earring.-Biography:Hay was born in Faizabad, India, and moved to the Netherlands at the age of eight. He lived in Amsterdam and later in The Hague. In the summer of 1967, he joined the Golden Earrings, as they were then called,...
- Vocals - Leon Goewie - Vocals
- Ruud Houweling - Vocals
- Cleem Determeijer - Keyboard
- Rene Merkelbach - Keyboard
- Jan Bijlsma - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Ernst van Ee - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....