Brian May’s opinion on Eddie Van Halen

in 1978, Brian May He was already a famous guitarist. your band, and queen, has already recorded albums at the top positions in the charts in the United States, the United Kingdom and several other countries. best songs likeBohemian Rhapsody”, “Somebody to Love”, “We’ll Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” It was already part of the catalog.

None of that stopped maybe From a strong admiration for a musician who is almost ten years his junior. He was Eddie Van Halenguitarist from the band that takes his nickname, W Van Halen. At the time, the young group was still looking for a place in the sun with their self-titled debut album, and opened up Black Sabbath. The performance was so good that members of Saturday They admit that their peers have been kicking their butts.

+++ Read more: Will Bohemian Rhapsody have a sequel? Brian May responds

Brian He saw all of this happen before his eyes, specifically, during a show in Cologne, Germany. musician from queen compare effect Eddydied in 2020, to Jimi HendrixAnother revolutionary six-string, as highlighted in an interview with Classic rock.

“I came to the show early, and I thought, ‘Who are these guys from Van Halen and what are they like? I sat and watched with my jaw dropping. Watching Ed was like watching Jimi Hendrix for the first time. I was blown away.”

Then the British recorded the three greatest merits of the Dutch artist. Namely: positive spirit, virtuosity in playing the guitar and a sense of melody.

“First of all, the spirit of the man. Ed was incredibly lively, and nothing was a problem for him. Sometimes I get frustrated, and have to think about things from a different angle, but Ed was never defeated by anything. Second, the incredible ingenuity of his The way the fingers move – definitely a lot more than me. I bring the techniques of a keyboardist to the guitar. Someone like Rick Wakeman (yeah) can move his fingers very quickly on the keyboard. Ed can do that on the guitar.

And the third thing is that he had a real sense of melody. Even when tapping incredibly fast, you always heard the melody. He sang through the guitar, as did Jimi Hendrix. And this combination of being able to do things very quickly while still retaining a sense of humor was quite unique. […] All of this put him on a different level than I’ve seen anyone else.”

Brian May and Eddie Van Halen

In the early 1980s, he brought in Brian May Eddie Van Halen to work with him on a new initiative. He was Star Fleet Project, which produced a mini-album in 1983, inspired by a children’s television show. The material will be reissued in a deluxe box, celebrating the work’s 40th anniversary. The guitarist also participated Phil Chen (Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck), keyboardist Fred Mandel (Queen, Alice Cooper) and drummer Alan Gratzer (REO Speedwagon).

“It was a step into the unknown for me. But it was a chance to have some fun, play with guys I knew and loved, and finally get a chance to play with Ed.”

By the way, you must have noticed it Brian He always refers to the guitarist who passed away in 2020 as Ed, right? During the interview, he also explains why.

He told me he didn’t like being called ‘Eddie.’ The fame came to me Van Halen Pretty quickly all the headlines were: Eddie Van Halen do it, Eddie Van Halen do it. He said: This is not how I see myself. I’m in the family Edwardor Mr. Dr for my brother I don’t sympathize with this thing of ‘Eddy“.”