2024-Jul-27 - Kosmos
This week's song Kosmos is track #13 from disc #1 of my new triple CD album It Was All Just a Dream. This song is a perfect example of how this new collection is far from just a simple remix and remaster of old songs.
The earliest version of Kosmos was from my unreleased album Kosmos, and the song was focused almost entirely on the piano. Some of the themes from Kosmos vaguely reminded me of Tchaikovsky's works for ballet, including The Nutcracker Suite, Swan Lake, and Romeo & Juliet, so as a nod to the Russian master, I used a “K” instead of a “C”, thus turning cosmos into kosmos. I was young. 🙄
Fast forward to 2016, I reinterpreted Kosmos for my album Legacy. I added guitar to the song, but in retrospect, I ended up feeling like that version was pretty much just a straight interpretation of the piano onto guitar. I didn't feel like it was bad, but I just ended up feeling like there wasn't a strong enough reason for the guitar to be there if it wasn't actually doing anything unique.
So that's where this song took a significant jump in a new direction with It Was All Just a Dream. Instead of simply doubling the piano, now Kosmos featured a strong and completely independent melodic guitar part that could stand on its own but still complement the underlying piano.
As the name implies, Kosmos was inspired by my awe of all things related to space and astronomy. The song starts out dreamy and calm, just as the cosmos can draw us in with its alluring beauty. But the end of the song is dark, brooding, and almost sinister, reminding us that as beautiful as the universe is, it is also cruel, empty, and hostile to life.
The new version of Kosmos was played almost exclusively on my Sully Guitars US Custom 625, but there's also a short break featuring my nylon string Ibanez Guitars TOD10N. The electric parts were played on my Mesa Boogie Mark V:25 using a combination of the "Fat" and "IIC+" voices.
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!
❤️😎🎸