There was a lot of ebullience, a lot of exploration, discovery and astonishment,” Brian adds. “And some truly magical moments when everything gelled together – a fusion of energies!” Brian is proud to be an ambassador for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, set up in memory of Freddie Mercury to support AIDS projects. Over 700 projects and millions of people have benefitted from the Trust as the global battle against HIV/AIDS continues.

But everyone was keen,” he adds. “Ed was up for it, then I phoned up [bassist] Phil Chen, and he was in. Phil played with Rod Stewart, but he was just a mate to me. John Deacon introduced me to him originally, and he had so much energy, and he was a beautiful player. [Keyboard player] Fred Mandel I already knew very well as he’d played on some of Queen’s stuff. They all came on board, and it all just felt right somehow.” Here we have the hardware because, of course, it was all done on tape – analogue tape. And here are the original boxes, ‘cause I thought this is a very exhaustive box set. You know, tou get everything in this box. May continued, “Ed was a wonderful soul. Listening to him and me, I feel completely outclassed by him in the studio, but in a very pleasant way. What a joy for me to be around a guy who could do all that—such a privilege.” Half Speed vinyl mastering by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. Artwork by Richard Gray and Brian May.The troupe also worked on an earlier May song, the bluesy " Let Me Out," while the set closes with the titanic " Blues Breaker," almost 13 minutes of scorching guitar interplay between Brian and Edward: not so much duelling as sharing ideas and passions. As Brian explains, "It was inspired by John Mayall's Blues Breakers, the album with Eric Clapton reading The Beanoon the front cover. Edward said, 'This is great for me; I haven't played like this in years. This is where I come from! I didn't come up doing tapping and all the fireworks. I grew up doing blues, wanting to be like Eric Clapton and do something melodic." Bearing in mind that this kind of spontaneous all-star session was a whole new thing for several of the participants – not least May himself – the two days’ worth of sessions for the Star Fleet Project at the Record Plant, Los Angeles, on April 21 and 22, 1983 provoked a range of emotions for all concerned. However, while Brian was itching to get on the phone to Van Halen, he also notes that “I’m not a very forceful, confident character, and I tend to be quite shy,” so he was only able to proceed after some encouragement from another key player in the soon-to-be-formed Star Fleet Project. ‘It all just felt right somehow’

He’d done the Beat Itsolo and I wanted him to have that kind of feeling about it. I think he did three different ones, all of which were utterly brilliant. Our jaws all dropped. And I remember, at the very end of the soloing section there’s a little harmony run-up, so we overdubbed that together live, but as an overdub. Brian May targets summer 2023 for box set re-release of the Star Fleet Project EP he recorded with Eddie Van Halen". Loudersound. 29 November 2022 . Retrieved 22 April 2023. Complete with a digital recreation of the original 1983 source material’s artwork, Star Fleet Sessions doesn’t just gleam anew. Across 136 minutes of audio, the box set takes you behind the curtain, highlighting the electricity that made the project such a special chapter in Brian’s life and career. Purvis, Georg (2011). Queen: Complete Works (2nded.). London: Titan Books. p.214. ISBN 9780857685513.Containing 2 CDs, 1 vinyl LP, and a vinyl single, as well as other collector's items, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Sessions will be launched as a Deluxe Edition box set, worldwide on July 14th. a b c d e "Star Fleet Project". Queen Vault. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013 . Retrieved 2 November 2021. Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of July 19, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese) . Retrieved 19 July 2023. We were hyped up, it wasn’t like being in the studio with your regular band,” says May. “At one point, Alan finished one of the takes and said: ‘Thisis so much fun, this is going to belike cheating on your wife.’ I don’t think he ever cheated on his wife, but that sums upthe feeling. It was exhilarating. It felt like an illicit liaison.”

Queen – rare interview 1984: Brian May & Roger Taylor". YouTube. 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023 . Retrieved 21 April 2023. There’s all sorts of differences between the way Eric runs his life and the way I run mine, but he’ll always be my hero,” says May. “Every time I hear Key To Love [from 1966’s Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton, aka The Beano Album] Iget chills up my spine. That’s why I do what I do, because Eric did that. There’s something about LAwhere I feel more able to get out into the world,” he says. “I tend to be quite reclusive in England, it takes a lot to get me out. But in LA I wake up in the morning and think, ‘Who can Icall? What should I do today?’”This is the Special Edition – special Special Edition which goes with the box set reissue. So I will be wearing this with pride and I hope you will too – Will fit in the lovely box. Complete with a digital recreation of the original 1983 source material’s artwork, Star Fleet Sessions doesn’t just gleam anew. Across 136 minutes of audio, the box set takes you behind the curtain, highlighting the electricity that made the project such a special chapter in Brian’s life and career. The EP was re-released along with a collection of other session recordings and alternate takes titled Star Fleet Sessions on 14 July 2023. [4] Production [ edit ]

Ed was a wonderful soul," adds May. "Listening to him and me, I feel completely outclassed by him in the studio. But in a very pleasant way – what a joy for me to be around a guy who could do all that. Such a privilege. Sinclair, Paul (26 February 2022). "Brian May / Another World reissue". Super Deluxe Edition . Retrieved 19 May 2022.Phil Chen was a great character. He’s Jamaican extraction. I think he was born in Britain – full of sunshine – full of life. And as a bass player full of kind of tautness, and humour. He played with great kind of panache. He was in Rod Stewart’s band for a long time, so I got to see him fairly… … We used to bump into Rod and his band quite often. I mean, I’d spent quite a bit of time with him, having a drink or two – generally cups of tea with Phil. He wasn’t a big drinker. God bless him. Well, I wasn’t mostly – three were moments, but mostly not. Containing 2 CDs, 1 vinyl LP, and a vinyl single, as well as other collector’s items, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Sessions will be launched as a Deluxe Edition box set, worldwide on July 14th. Bentley, Mark (2015). "Living On Their Own: The Solo Work of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor—and Larry Lurex!" (PDF). Uncut. p.118. Brian May and Friends: Star Fleet Project' with Eddie Van Halen". Van Halen News Desk. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013 . Retrieved 19 May 2022.