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
Van Halen'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. ~ Greg Prato
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