Chimpan A – the prog duo of Rob Reed and Steve Balsamo – commence a series of four EP releases leading up to new album Music Is Art Vol. 1. The video for their cover of Peter Gabriel’s Here Comes The Flood can be seen below.
Reed (Magenta, Cyan, Sanctuary) and Balsamo (Jon Lord, Eric Woolfson, Jesus Christ Superstar) will launch the follow-up to The Empathy Machine in August. Before that, three further CDs will pair a classic cover with a new album track. The initial five-track EP is on sale now.
“I nagged Steve to do this track for nearly three years,” Reed tells Prog. “Understandably he was fearful of attempting a new version of a classic. When I suggested we try it with more of a gospel/soul vocal, he came round to it.
“As soon as we heard Kirstie Roberts sing the chorus line I knew we had something special. It was also a big moment when we played it to Peter Gabriel’s drummer, Ged Lynch. Thankfully he loved it and offered to play on it.
“Having Queen bass player Neil Fairclough on it also very special, along with one of our musical heroes, Neil Taylor. He’s well known for being in Robbie Williams’ band – but to us it was his contribution to Tears For Fears’ classic hits that sent shivers down our spines!”
Balsamo admits: “The idea of Here Comes The Flood scared the bejesus out of me! But Kirstie’s powerhouse voice gave us a soulful key into the song. I absolutely love what we’ve made, and with the beautiful and dark video, it’s definitely a brave start to our third album.”
The video is made up of rushes from Rom Baro, a short film by Rhys Davies and James William Cooke, in which Balsamo appears. “When Rob suggested it might work for Flood, we cut it to the song – and it fits like a glove,” the singer says. “I think it’s a little work of art, and a statement of intent for what’s coming on the album.”
