Kompendium - Beneath The Waves - More clips

[Pedro]

Details begin to emerge :-

//http://www.progrockmag.com/news/rob-reed-unleashes-his-kompendium-super-project/

This is going to be awesome.

[L33VEY]

SOOOO good it's posted twice!!!

[Pedro]

Yes, sorry about that, my laptop must have been reading what I was typing and got so excited it did the double! I've removed the other post.

But, you're right...one post doesn't seem enough...look at the line-up...

Steve Balsamo – vocals
Steve Hackett – nylon guitar
Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree) – drums
Nick Beggs (Steve Hackett Band) – stick bass
Troy Donockley (Nightwish) – Uilleann Pipes, whistles
Nick Barrett – guitar
Neil Taylor (Tears For Fears) – guitar
Jakko Jackzyk (20th Century Schizoid Band) – guitar
Francis Dunnery – guitar
John Mitchell – guitar
Mel Collins (King Crimson, Camel) – saxophone
BJ Cole (Elton John, David Gilmour) – pedal steel guitar
Chris Fry (Magenta) – guitar
Christina Booth (Magenta) – backing vocals.
Synergy Vocals,
The English Chamber Choir conducted by Guy Protheroe,
The London Session Orchestra conducted by Dave Stewart
Opera singers Rhys Meirion and Shan Cothi.

[MarkOneMusic]

I see a vinyl copy of this in my future (well and the CD clearly!)

[Mikey]

Did someone say Mitchell? How much does he contribute?

[Pedro]

110% as always.

I would guess a guitar solo here and there..but there may have been some requirement for yodelling or simulated cork-popping sounds...

[Pedro]

There has been a series of articles in "Sound on Sound" magazine describing the various techniques for arranging the parts played by strings in recordings. In the August edition, the author of the articles, Dave Stewart, who arranged the string parts and conducted the London Session Orchestra for the Kompendium recordings, had this to say :-

"A set of demo string arrangements of unusual quality came from a client called Rob Reed, a genial Welsh keyboardist and TV composer who was in the process of recording his own long-form symphonic-rock concept album. I realise that to utter the last sentence in a UK music magazine back in 1977 would possibly have led to death threats, but in the post-punk, chilled-out climate we now enjoy, I feel safe to tell you that the music on this album is of an impressively high standard."

He also said: "The composer, who earns his living working with live players as well as creating MIDI mock-ups round the clock, knows his musical onions, and had used some top-end sample collections in his string demos. The arrangements, therefore sounded very good, and the musical ideas worked so well that I didn't feel the need to elaborate or rewrite much."

Praise indeed.  

It's no wonder the album's so good, Rob's got musical onions!!

[Rook]

Praise indeed.  

It's no wonder the album's so good, Rob's got musical onions!!

Praise indeed: Dave Stewart also has musical onions.

http://youtu.be/ZWG8uKaFyfA

Maybe just me, but the teaser for Kompendium seemed a mite... self congratulatory to me. Still, I will indeed be checking it out.

[Pedro]

Yeah, I hear what you say about the video...it's a tricky thing, promoting your own work.
On one hand you can be too modest (British) and risk downplaying it too much, on the other hand you risk bigging yourself up too much...
I tend to think that if you have spent three years creating something that even slightly warrants comparison with the works of the likes of Oldfield, Jeff Wayne, Alan Parsons, etc....then a couple of toots on one's own little trumpet could be allowed?

[Rook]

Yeah, it is indeed a tricky thing. I am sure I have probably lost out on some opportunities due to my unwillingness to  "talk myself up". It is a cultural thing too as you alluded to; Australia is quite similar to the U.K. I imagine, while I had to learn a whole new set of expectations when I was working in the U.S.

Whatever it was, I think the vid missed the mark just a touch for me. It still sounds very interesting, and I am sure to check it out

[Al Fleeman]

Yeah, I hear what you say about the video...it's a tricky thing, promoting your own work.
On one hand you can be too modest (British) and risk downplaying it too much, on the other hand you risk bigging yourself up too much...
I tend to think that if you have spent three years creating something that even slightly warrants comparison with the works of the likes of Oldfield, Jeff Wayne, Alan Parsons, etc....then a couple of toots on one's own little trumpet could be allowed?

Hi all.  I'm with you on this one, Pedro.  There's no megubucks for promo coming from record companies these days which makes it really difficult for artists/albums to get noticed.  You've just got to try things yourself - no one else (with the exception of forums such as this) is going to do it for you.  In this case, I think, as he started going in this direction anyway, Reed could have made the big crescendo even bigger, visually.  Whatever, I'm really looking forward to getting my copy of the album!

[E.S.]

Sounds very very promising indeed.

And yeah, promotion today, unless you're one of the few with your own press people; forums, facebook, twitter, spam spam lovely spaaaam! To a degree. Having a fanbase do it for you is even better, so you don't seem desperate.

Can't wait to hear this.

[Mikey]

yodelling

He's joined Focus ?  

[Bert]

For those of you so inclined, the Kompendium Facebook page is now up and rocking https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kompendi ... 462?ref=hl

Come and say "like" :-)

Also, a twitter feed at https://twitter.com/Kompendium1

Spread the news about this AWESOME project. Pre-orders 24/09 from http://www.kompendium-web.com/

[Pedro]

Cracking exclusive preview article by Lambsie in the new CRS mag 'Rock Society' that arrived today.
Lots of info about the album too.