Brian May is revisiting his 1983 all-star collaboration, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project, which featured Eddie Van Halen, Alan Gratzer, Phil Chen and Fred Mandel.
Recorded during a break from Queen, the mini album featured just three tracks: May’s reimagining of “Star Fleet,” a tune from a Japanese kid’s science fiction series; the tune “Let Me Out,” featuring guitar solos from May and Van Halen; and “Blues Breaker,” featuring 13 minutes of May and Van Halen trading guitar licks.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the project, a new deluxe box set will be released on July 14, featuring 23 tracks of previously unreleased material, including multiple takes of “Star Fleet” and “Let Me Out.” There are also newly remixed versions of all the songs, with “Star Fleet” out now. The set is made up of two CDs, one vinyl LP and a vinyl single, along with a badge and a booklet with extensive liner notes.
There will also be a separate 7-inch, double A-side single, which will also be released on CD, with the newly mixed versions of the two songs, as well as a red vinyl version exclusive to the Queen online store.
“We are going to give you everything … every take of every song, the things that went wrong, the laughing, the finding new things to do,” May shares on the set’s sleeve notes. “But it won’t be just a remaster – we’ve rescued everything from the original multitracks, every detail magnificently remixed, and more! You’ll hear every take from the historic 1983 sessions plus fragments of conversations, outtakes and musical experimentation.”
Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project is available for preorder now.
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