Brian May's Star Fleet Project
A Guide
With a new re-release on the horizon, it’s time to take a break from episode reviews and address the elephant in the room.
Whenever discussing Star Fleet X Bomber with the uninitiated or the peripherally aware, one will often get comments like “great Brian May theme tune,” or “didn’t the guy from Queen write that song?”
Those of you who’ve been reading along may raise your hand and point out that I’ve been claiming the music was written by Paul Bliss, not Brian May. So where does the confusion come in?
Let’s take a deep dive into something called The Star Fleet Project.
Brian May is a rock and roll legend.1 He rose to fame playing for Queen– the world famous peddlers of glam rock and producers of such hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Second only to flamboyant front man Freddie Mercury, May was pretty much the most well known member of the group. Iconic for his big curly hair and big red guitar which he made himself with his father in his teen years. A scientifically minded individual, Brian took to the business of shaping wood into an electrified instrument like a duck takes to water. 2
He was studying physics at University when he left to become a rock star in the late 60s. After his success, he would return to academic work and eventually earn a PhD in astrophysics. These days, he is heavily involved in stereoscopic imaging and wildlife conservation.
In the midst of this crazy lifestyle, Brian encountered Star Fleet. According to an interview given at the time of the Star Fleet Project’s release, Brian claimed that he watched the show on Saturday mornings with his son, Jimmy.
Born in 1978, Jimmy May would have been just four years old when Star Fleet was first aired in the UK and only five when the album was released, making him quite young for Star Fleet. I suspect that his father got him hooked on it, although Brian says Jimmy used to drag him from bed on Saturday mornings to watch it. Since Star Fleet was broadcast at 10am, he definitely liked to sleep in on his rare Saturdays off.3
May enjoyed the show with it’s “Japanese visuals and British soundtrack.” From the original liner notes:
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 possesion of the secret of F Zero One.
But what struck Brian the most was the soundtrack. In particular, was the end theme.
Send a message out across the sky
Alien raiders just passed Gemini
Who will come and save us now?
Who can defend us from their power?
Star Fleet, Star Fleet-Star Fleet, Star Fleet
Tell the people back at Earth Control
Send Star Fleet legions to save our souls
Always daring and courageous
Ooh-ooh- only they can save us4
Star Fleet, Star Fleet-Star Fleet, Star Fleet - Star Fleet
As Brian listened to this catchy tune, with vocals from Andy Brown, he began to imagine what a hard rock version might sound like. The idea lingered in his mind for awhile. 5
Cut to Spring of 1983.
Queen, like a lot of classic rock bands from the late 60s/early 70s, were going through hard times. These groups were being sidelined by new movements in pop music like punk, disco, and new wave.6 In the consumer culture of the time, music was a disposable commodity and surviving rock groups were regarded in the press as dinosaurs.
This combined with damage from substance abuse, excess, or just plain old exhaustion had put a lot of bands out of action. Queen was suffering from internal friction and put a pause on their career until 1984.
During this extended hiatus, May was hanging out in Los Angeles with nothing to do. “I suddenly realised that four musicians, with whom I'd long wanted to play, were at the end of a local telephone call.”
Those four musicians were friends, and May had the idea to just jam out in the studio with them, regardless of whether or not the end product was released. He recorded a quick demo with a portable tape recorder and an acoustic guitar to show them what he had in mind and the crew piled into the studio on April 21st to give it a go. 7
The studio in question was the Record Plant in LA, where such monster hits as Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and Hotel California by the Eagles were recorded. Those four friends were all heavyweights too. They included REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer, session bassist Phil Chen (Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, etc.), session keyboardist Fred Mandel (Pink Floyd, Queen, Elton John, etc), and perhaps most famously, Eddie Van Halen.
“Ed” as Brian May preferred to call him, was a founding member of the band Van Halen, who exploded into the world of Rock and Roll with their 1978 debut album. While singer David Lee Roth turned the heads of the press with his showmanship, Ed brought in the rock guitar fans with his musical chops. He’s credited with popularizing the guitar technique of “tapping” and his sound would come to define heavy metal music.
Van Halen was a star of the same stature as May, if not even more recognizable since his group was named after him8. Both players routinely make top 10 lists of ‘greatest guitarists of all time’ and ‘top rock shredders.’
Although Star Fleet was evidently broadcast in the US, it seems doubtful that the too-cool-for-school rock stars had any awareness of it outside May’s demo tape. The idea of two of the world’s loudest rockers banging away on the theme tune to a puppet show is a bit surreal in retrospect.
The sessions lasted two days and included 11 takes of the extended Star Fleet jam. According to May, Van Halen never soloed the same way twice, improvising new licks overtop of the pulsing synth and crashing drums.
“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.”
Four months after the sessions wrapped, May decided to release the project after all. It would be credited to Brian May + Friends and featured a rough and ready mix that was pure rock and roll in its energy. Dubbed The Star Fleet Project, it featured four songs. Fans loved it and it eventually became a cult hit.
Sales were slow at first, perhaps due to the use of Star Fleet images and logos which would be mostly unknown to US and Canadian fans. In hindsight, rock fans would be more excited to see a Van Halen/Queen crossover than a bunch of cool images from a Japanese sci-fi show, a marketing strategy that is definitely reflected in the 2023 reissue.
There was also a Star Fleet single, which featured more jamming called “Son of Star Fleet” on the B-side.
For fans of Star Fleet, the MTV music video is a must watch. Adding a Star Wars style text crawl and much footage of Brian lip syncing whilst flying through space, the video features footage from fan favorite episode 11 (Farewell, the Eternal Battlefield) which features lots of battles and guest character Princess Keeli. 9
Whether in interviews or in publicity material, May was always careful to give credit to Paul Bliss, who was presumably paid through standard channels for the licensing of the tune. For his part, Bliss was pleased at the exposure. “I was just really, really grateful that he did it. Purely because it gave the show a bit more credibility,” Bliss told interviewer Ros Connors, “He sent me a signed copy. I’ve never actually met the guy.”10
As May’s work with Queen resumed and his solo career continued with a “proper” debut album, it seemed the Star Fleet Project was destined to be confined to the curiosity shops.
Then on June 1st, the official Brian May site announced a re-release along with a re-master and a massive pile of merch. Some of the pricier exclusive items sold out instantly but there is still quite a bit there. I would say some of it is worth picking up if you want to have the album in your collection. Have a listen to a polished remix of the four minute version.
Here’s the official link with all the details on the official Brian May site
And here is an affiliate link that also supports this site.
In the end, I have some mixed feelings about the Brian May/Star Fleet connection. Obviously it was a great way to raise the profile of Star Fleet, but that didn’t seem to translate into converting a wider audience into fans of the TV series. Fans of the show don’t seem to like talking about the album that much either. It’s a cool anecdote, but that’s about it and I think we’re all tired of explaining pedantically that the song was actually written by Paul Bliss.
On the other hand, it is a kick ass cover and the solo section is a favorite of mine since childhood. I’m not much of a Queen or a Van Halen fan, but both guitarists are among my favorites for their unique technique and musicianship, which is on full display on this record without the distractions of Freddie Mercury or David Lee Roth. I have an original copy of the 12” EP which I love to spin now and again. It looks very nice to have some Star Fleet in my record collection.
It’s too bad that the album wasn’t a bigger hit. It really stands as more of a curiosity for completist fans these days so it’s a bit of a surprise to see such a detailed re-release, complete with *every take* of the theme tune. I hope everyone who’s interested gets a copy and if you’re able to use my affiliate link, I’d be grateful for your support.
Maybe it will show some of the streaming services or home video companies that there is interest in a Star Fleet revival or blu-ray boxset? Time will tell!
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Not to be confused with Australian film composer Brian May, who was responsible for the music of Mad Max.
He’s also pretty well known for the unusual technique of using an old sixpence coin as a plectrum. This inspired me (and many other fledgling guitar noodles) to grab a silver dollar and give it a try but I soon returned to the more traditional plastic.
I’ve often wondered if Brian was interested in Star Fleet because of a childhood love for Gerry Anderson shows. Brian was already in his late teens when Thunderbirds debuted in 1965 and my research has so far turned up little evidence of his fandom. However, I imagine he would have enjoyed watching Supermarionation shows if they happened to be on, for the same reasons he enjoyed Star Fleet.
Tweaked to ‘only you can save us’ in the cover version
In an alternate version of events, recounted in Queen: Complete Works (2011), May recalls his son telling him it would be a good idea to cover the song.
Hits like ‘Under Pressure’ and ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ made Queen much more danceable than, say, Led Zeppelin but it wasn’t enough to keep going.
Prior to this, there were also allegedly some over the phone rehearsals using portable Rockman amps.
And his brother Alex, a drummer.
Yanked from YouTube in the wake of the remaster, it can still be found here at the time of writing: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1223871251061211
The interview is archived in full on xbomber.co.uk:
https://xbomber.co.uk/?dir=Star%20Fleet/Soundtracks/Star%20Fleet
(Long-time reader, first-time commenter here!)
I heard about this re-release from my older brother - he's a 'Queen' nut, and he knows I'm a 'Star Fleet' nut - and I figured it wouldn't be long before we heard your two cents on the subject!
Not really sure what else to say here, except keep up the good work. I've been a 'Star Fleet' fan for nearly ten years now, and reading this blog has allowed me to enjoy it in a whole new light - lots of stuff here I'd never noticed or considered before.