2024-Nov-16 - Andromeda
This week's randomly selected song Andromeda is track #10 from disc #3 of my triple CD album It Was All Just a Dream.
Andromeda first appeared on my 2019 album Electric Sky, and both versions of the song feature guest soloist and good friend Chris Sommers. The version from It Was All Just a Dream features a new mix, all new drums, improved string orchestra arrangement, and I re-recorded all of the verse and chorus melody parts.
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Andromeda was initially titled Set A Course For Andromeda!, as an ode to my love of sci-fi and my wild imagination. Throughout the songwriting and recording process, I ended up referring to the song as just simply Andromeda and that ended up sticking.
The goal compositionally with this song was to capture the epic vibe of excited anticipation that one might feel upon embarking on an exploratory space adventure. But I also wanted to add a hint of an element of uncertainty and tension. We as a species have never known a home outside of earth, and I wanted to capture just a hint of that specter of danger lurking in the shadows, which is why I chose to end the song on an unresolved and tense chord.
For the solo section where Sommers plays, the backing part was wide open and expansive, and without having to give him any real direction, he totally nailed the image I was hoping to paint with the song.
I played my Sully Guitars 625 US Custom for all of the verse and chorus melodies. But for my guitar solo, I was aiming for an Yngwie-inspired neoclassical interlude to interplay with the string orchestra, so it seemed only fitting to play my Fender American Elite Stratocaster. For both the crunch and clean rhythm guitars, I played my Ibanez S5521 and J. Custom RG8571. All of the parts were played through my Mesa Boogie Mark V:25.
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You can listen to this song as well as the entire 44 song collection right here on the website! If you love what you hear and want to support the music I make, please consider purchasing this album on CD or digital download. I will gladly personalize and autograph your copy.
https://chrisstark.com/it-was-all-just-a-dream
Keep an eye out for next Saturday's song spotlight, and as always, thank you sincerely for all of your support!
Love, Aloha, and Rock!
❤️😎🎸