“We did a little preparation, on the phone and at home with tiny Rockman amps and earphones. Then we went in. The tapes rolled. My LA neighbour Alan Gratzer beat the Hell out of his kit with the fattest, heaviest drumsticks I had ever seen. Phil Chen, a friend I had met when he played with Rod Stewart, brought his unusual style of funk-orientated rock playing to the party, along with his sunny Caribbean energy and humour. And Fred Mandel, one of the classiest keyboard players I have ever met, tickled both the ivories and some very technical synth patches to bring the spacey riffs to life. Ed (I can still never call him “Eddie Van Halen” because he more than once told me he found it annoying!) played the guitar as if it were a piano … tapping and snapping, and sliding and skipping around the fingerboard like an electric sprite - always with a cheeky smile. If anything he did was difficult for him, he never showed it. A total original. Pure joy. What an everlasting privilege to play with him.” Brian May 🎸
A superlative show of back-to-basics passion and purpose, Star Fleet brims with the freedom of an off-the-cuff break from the day jobs for all involved.
The record emerged on October 20th, 1983 as a set of blistering guitar work, rock’n’roll spontaneity and vibrant melody, infused with palpable chemistry and respect between the players. Spawning a single in the title track, the mini-album reached No 1 in the British ‘Kerrang’ rock charts.
Now, of course, the record stands in part as a celebration of those we’ve lost: a chance to reconvene with great, much-missed talents. As Brian puts it, “It’s been very exciting to open up the vault to find these tapes where, in the blink of an eye, I’m trading licks with my friends, including the fantastic Ed Van Halen. It’s highly emotional, especially since Ed is sadly no longer around. We have since also lost Phil - so the rest of us cherish these fleeting moments together.”
Available to Buy/Listen here: http://www.BrianMay.lnk.to/StarFleetProject ✨ #StarFleetSessions #StarFleet #BrianMay
Credits: Directed by Brian May, Akira Takahashi, Michio Mikami, Peter Conn Produced by Brian May Engineered by Mike Beiriger and Nick Froome Music mixed by Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson Sound design and dialogue by Martin Cantwell and Kris Fredriksson Re-recording mixer: Kris Fredriksson
Visual Restoration Credit: Remastered from the original 1-inch videotape master by James Wong
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Brian May - Star Fleet (Official Video Remastered) https://www.youtube.com/user/queenofficial
