EntertainmentBrian May’s take on Eddie Van HalenTwo of the most important guitarists in rock history even worked together in the 1980stoday at 7:30pm

In 1978, Brian May he was already a renowned guitarist. His band, the queen, had already scored albums in the highest positions of the charts in the United States, United Kingdom and several other countries. Hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Somebody to Love”, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” were already part of the catalogue.

None of that stopped may of being extremely impressed with a musician nearly ten years his junior. It was Eddie Van Halenguitarist of the band that took his surname, the Van Halen. At the time, the young group was still looking for a place in the sun with their eponymous debut album, and opened for black Sabbath. The performance was so good that, today, the members of the Sabbath they admit their peers were kicking their asses.

Brian saw all this happen before his eyes, specifically, during a performance in Cologne, Germany. The musician from queen compare the impact of eddiedied in 2020, to Jimi Hendrixanother six-string revolutionary, as highlighted in an interview with Classic Rock.

“I got to the show early, thinking, ‘Who are these Van Halen guys and what are they like?’ I sat and watched and my jaw dropped. Watching Ed was like watching Jimi Hendrix for the first time. I was stunned.”

Then the three greatest merits of the Dutch artist were scored by the British. Namely: positive spirit, guitar dexterity and melodic sense.

“First of all, the spirit of the guy. Ed was incredibly lively, nothing was a problem for him. Sometimes I get discouraged, I have to think about things from a different angle, but Ed was never defeated by anything. Second, the incredible dexterity in the way of moving the fingers – certainly much more than me. He brought a keyboardist’s techniques to the guitar. Someone like Rick Wakeman (Yes) can move his fingers so fast on a keyboard. Ed could do that on guitar.

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

Brian May and Eddie Van Halen

Early in the 1980s, Brian May brought Eddie Van Halen to work with him on a new initiative. It was the Star Fleet Project, which spawned a mini-album in 1983, inspired by a children’s TV show. The material will be re-released in a luxurious box-set, celebrating the work’s 40th anniversary. The bassist also participated Phil Chen (Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck), keyboardist Fred Mandel (Queen, Alice Cooper) and the 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 liked, and finally get the opportunity to play with Ed.”

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

“He told me he didn’t like being called ‘Eddie.’ Fame came to the Van Halen very quickly, and all the headlines were: Eddie Van Halen do it, Eddie Van Halen do that. He said, ‘That’s not how I see myself. In the family I am edwardor Ed for my brother. I don’t identify with this thing of ‘eddie’.”