Brian May's Star Fleet Project is one mysterious album. First off, it's not an album, but a brief EP that contains only three songs. And Brian's "friends" on the album include session bassist Phil Chen, REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer, and none other than Eddie Van Halen on second guitar. The EP was still a relatively new format to Capitol Records at the time, so what better way to kick off this new line than with an obscure near-concept album based on a children's cartoon, written by Brian May? It doesn't take a genius to predict that Star Fleet would be a guitar-heavy album, and it is, with lots of over-the-top guitar duels and songs based on soloing rather than memorable compositions. Still, the title track rocks like few Queen numbers did in the early '80s, kicking off with Eddie's signature two-handed tapping technique, and eventually leading into a guitar solo fest. The remaining tracks, "Let Me Out" and "Blues Breaker," are blues-based rather than rooted in heavy metal. "Let Me Out" features some heartfelt vocals courtesy of May and has a liberating quality. "Blues Breaker" (dedicated to Eric Clapton, who was a big influence on both guitarists) is a 12-bar blues stretched to nearly 13 minutes, but it's interesting to hear both Eddie and Brian let down their hair and lay into some blues licks. The only problem with Star Fleet Project is that just when you're getting wrapped up in it, it's finished. A full album (with an emphasis on stronger songwriting) would have been ideal, but fans of both guitarists should definitely hunt down a copy of this forgotten '80s guitar summit, which is currently out of print and has never been issued on CD. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Star Fleet Project is a project of Brian May, most famous as the guitarist from Queen, which resulted in an album with the same name. The project was released as the work of "Brian May + Friends", consisting of May, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alan Gratzer (of REO Speedwagon), Phil Chen (session bassist who played with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart), and Fred Mandel (session keyboard player who also played as additional keyboard player on Hot Space World Tour and The Works). Roger Taylor, Queen's drummer, provided backing vocals for the title song. It was not meant for the tapes to be released and they had minimal mixing before release. "I could have put away these tapes in a bottom drawer and kept them as a private record of one of the best experiences of my life. But the few people I've played them for have urged me to 'publish'...I haven't messed one scrap with the tracking done on the day. The rest is simply mixed 'naked'."
Recorded on the 21st and 22 April 1983 at the Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, it was released in October of the same year as a "Mini LP", a "Challenge to the established principle that a piece of rock music must fit into either a 2x4 minute single, or a 2x20 minute LP format". The LP consisted of three songs: "Star Fleet", "Let Me Out", and "Blues Breaker".
The idea for the album came from May's son, Jimmy.
"Star Fleet is the theme tune for a superb TV sci-fi series broadcast in England for kids of all ages; Japanese visuals and British soundtrack including music by Paul Bliss. The heroes pilot space vehicles which can assemble into a giant robot for land battles. The aliens fly fantastic insect-like craft which spawn smaller fighting machines; all intent on possession of the secret of F Zero One...Having been introduced to all this by my small boy, I became equally obsessed by it, and formed the idea of making a hard rock version of the title theme."
"Let Me Out" was an old Brian May song which until that point had not been committed to record. During the song Eddie Van Halen "tortures his top string to its audible death", and plays the rest of the song on the remaining five.
"Blues Breaker" was dedicated to Eric Clapton, of whom both Van Halen and May were huge fans. This song, as well as "Let Me Out" were more spontaneous than "Star Fleet", showing both guitarists enjoying a jamming session, with Brian showing off his signature sound and Van Halen using his tapping technique to great effect (Although the best example of this is at the beginning of "Star Fleet").
Long only available on vinyl, "Star Fleet" is now available on CD in two forms. It was first re-issued on CD as part of Brian May's "Back to the Light" single. There were two CD singles – the first (which came in a special pack with space for the second CD) featured "Star Fleet" and "Let Me Out". The second had "Blues Breaker" in it. Then in 1993 it was re-issued as part of the Japanese mini-album "Resurrection", featuring the three Star Fleet Project songs as tracks 6-8, albeit in a different order from the original vinyl release.
The solo CD releases of this project are unofficial. Those copies are billed as an official release from EMI, and it also uses the same artwork.
