Kenneth Glad
Working alongside fellow musicians often unlocks an artist’s deepest creative instincts. For veteran performers, the passing years only increase the desire to explore new projects and share stories through sound. A recent conversation with a rock icon highlights how fresh inspiration can strike at any age.
Guitar legend Brian May recently spoke to Planet Rock about his latest musical collaborations. The Queen guitarist discussed working on a track called “The Angels of Calling”, which appears on a posthumous album by Stax icon Steve Cropper.
Longtime friend and producer John Tiven invited May to contribute to the project. May admitted he initially struggled with the melody. He just could not find the right feel for the song. But unexpected news of Cropper’s passing soon shifted his whole perspective on the recording process.
“Instantly, I could hear something in my head,” May told the outlet.
He decided the track had to become a heartfelt tribute to Cropper. The final result honors a lasting musical legacy that influenced countless rock players across the globe.
Beyond that emotional song, May also teamed up with 95-year-old actor William Shatner. The two icons created a heavy track inspired by Dylan Thomas poetry.
Shatner listened to the finished recording live over a video call. “He was like, fired up,” May recalled. The guitarist noted the veteran actor thoroughly loved the energetic guitar work and brought incredible passion to the unique studio project.
Rejecting bad ideas
During the broadcast, May took time to answer several fan questions about his decades in the music business. One curious listener asked whether frontman Freddie Mercury ever proposed an idea that the rest of the band turned down.
Mercury once suggested naming a Queen album “Good”. This pitch arrived right after pop star Michael Jackson released his smash hit record “Bad”. “And there was a sort of silence in the room,” May said, as the rest of the band realized a gag title was probably a terrible move.
The discussion then turned to the highly anticipated topic of Queen album reissues. May revealed that classic records like “Sheer Heart Attack” will not get full remakes any time soon.
He explained that the original mix holds up incredibly well today. Still, devoted fans can expect future box sets filled with unreleased gems and forgotten studio outtakes.
May also spoke about his famous Red Special guitar. He famously built the unique instrument alongside his father using wood saved from an old fireplace.
He noted that commercial Fender guitars sounded too thin for his playing style, while Gibson models felt too dark. The custom creation delivered the versatile range of tones that ultimately helped define rock history.
Source: Planet Rock
