2023-07-14 14:47:02
In 1983 the two virtuosos Brian May and Eddie Van Halen met in the studio and started playing. 40 years later, the recordings are published in their entirety for the first time.
London.
Brian May is still happy that he picked up the phone at the right time 40 years ago. In the spring of 1983, the Queen guitarist called his colleague Eddie Van Halen and asked if he would like to jam with him and a few other musicians in the studio. A few months after this meeting, the mini-album “Star Fleet Project” was released. Now Brian May is releasing all the recordings from back then for the first time as part of an extensive new edition.
For tax reasons, May was living in Los Angeles for a few years when the idea for the call spontaneously came to him. “I don’t usually do that, I’m pretty shy,” May (75) recalls in an interview with the German Press Agency in London. “I was thrilled that Ed agreed to come over and play with me.”
The two guitar virtuosos were joined by Phil Chen, who had made his name as bassist for Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, drummer Alan Gratzer of the band REO Speedwagon, and keyboardist Fred Mandel, who frequently played for Queen. For two days they made music at the famous The Record Plant. “It almost felt outrageous,” May jokes. “It was so different.”
At the beginning of 1983, there was deliberate radio silence between May and his Queen colleagues, above all Freddie Mercury. There had been clear tensions between the band members around their album “Hot Space” and the accompanying tour. “We had reached the point where we definitely needed a break,” says May.
Only three tracks
The Brit originally had no intention of publishing the recordings with Van Halen and Co., which were made on April 21 and 22, 1983. “I just thought it would be great to see what’s happening in the studio. But I wanted to record it so we could save it for posterity. Thank god we did.” After consultation with his comrades-in-arms, he released the mini-album with only three tracks but almost 30 minutes running time under the band name Brian May + Friends in October of the same year.
The eponymous song “Star Fleet” goes back to the Japanese puppet science fiction series “X-Bomber”, which ran on British television as “Star Fleet” in the early 1980s and inspired Brian May and his son Jimmy. May took the theme music to make it a rock version. Fellow Queen Roger Taylor later contributed backing vocals.
The other two songs are the bluesy “Let Me Out,” May’s original composition, and the 13-minute improvised blues jam “Blues Breaker,” which almost duels guitar virtuosos May and Van Halen. However, there was no competition, May assures. “It wasn’t there. There was just joy, really. I think it felt a bit like he was my little brother, because he told me that I had an influence on him.”
The new edition of the “Star Fleet Project” is a revelation, especially for Van Halen fans. Because among the recordings from April 1983 there are almost a dozen tracks on which the legendary US guitarist with Dutch roots lets off steam on the strings and inspires with his unmistakable sound.
May: “Analogue recordings have something magical”
“He always grinned and the guitar was like a part of his body,” May enthuses about his friend who died in 2020. “I’ve never seen him ‘try’ to play anything, he just played. And if he had a thought in his head, he could play it with his fingers straight away without any effort. He was one of the most gifted guitar players I’ve ever had I’ve ever played in my entire life.”
Listening to the old tapes again after such a long time was something special, says May. “I think there’s something magical about analog recordings. And the atmosphere of the day comes across totally. It’s very nostalgic for me, very emotional, that too hear.”
Studio talks about the recordings can also be heard. There are also insightful interviews from back then, more versions of “Let Me Out”, various jams and live tracks by the Brian May Band from 1993. The booklet documents the two-day session with lots of photos and extensive liner notes. The box also includes a reproduction of the LP, the 7″ single and memorabilia.
Brian May had already opened the archive a few years ago to tackle the “Star Fleet Project”, but after Eddie Van Halen died of cancer in 2020 he stopped for the time being. “I felt it wasn’t decent. I felt like it was too painful,” he explains. “But I always wanted to get this album out, dust it off and let people hear it. I wanted them to be able to hear it in full.” (dpa)
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