Brian May is working on a reissue of his ‘Star Fleet’ EP from 1983 which featured Eddie Van Halen, REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer, former Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart bassist Phil Chen, along with keyboardist Fred Mandel, who played with Queen on their 1982 tour.
May told Variety, "I’m very excited about it as I’ve opened up these tapes [and] it is highly emotional, again, as Ed’s not around. Neither is Phil. And I’ve been talking to Alex (Van Halen) and started thinking about how I wish I had stayed closer to Ed. I have a huge regret about that. He was a wonderful soul – a Peter Pan who never grew up, never wanted to grow up and never should have grown up. He should still be with us.”
Brian added, "Listening to him and me, I felt completely outclassed by him in the studio. But in a very pleasant way – what joy for me to be around a guy who could do all that. Such a privilege. So, you’ll hear us in the studio, trading licks. I was never fond of the original mix of 'Star Fleet,' the single, so we cleaned that up. Now, EVH’s sound is larger than life. You’ll hear the development of Eddie’s solo, which I always thought was one of the greatest things he did… a real immortal classic of Ed Van Halen pieces. And, we are going to give you everything. Every take of every song. The things gone wrong, the laughing, the finding new things to do."
May plans a release for some time in the middle of 2023. This will be the third release in Brian’s “God Series.”
[Source: Classic Hits Today]