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MICHAEL SCHENKER @ AVALON NIGHT CLUB SANTA CLARA CA 6-23-07
The name Michael Schenker immediately brings to mind the image of a man bent over a Gibson Flying V, playing the most melodic sounding guitar work ever to be created. It was this winning melodic signature sound that made Michael Schenker a cult guitar hero. He is one of the few guitarists who can execute those amazing classical runs with such speed and unbelievable agility. He literally squeezes out the highest, most soulful notes possible, and is enchanting to listen to. There are few guitarists who can reach out and touch your soul with their playing, and Michael is one in this elite group, who is capable of doing just that. His playing is a direct connection to his heart and soul, and it shows in his music.
He first appeared in 1970 at the age of 15 on his brother Rudolf's band Scorpions, as lead guitarist. They released one album called "Lonesome Crow" and Michael left the band to join up with UFO in 1973. At the age of 18, Michael had already developed his trademark style, and was already amazing people all over the world with his fantastic talent. That first UFO album with Schenker on board, propelled the band into popularity. "Phenomenon" was fueled by his smoking guitar riffs and even at that young age, he was already writing songs that became classics. Rock Bottom and Doctor Doctor were both on that first album. The next two UFO efforts continued to showcase Michael's flashy, melodic licks while maintaining that sharp metal know-how. 1975's "Force It" and 1976's "No Heavy Petting" were simply awesome. They included such wonderful songs as Shoot Shoot, Let It Roll, and a song you have to love, the rowdy Natural Thing. UFO began to gain even more attention for their touring. They were killer live, with Michael's fierce axework that was scaling new heights, singer Phil Mogg's unique vocals, and the thundering rhythm section of bassist Pete Way and drummer Andy Parker. No one saw what was coming next in the UFO legacy. An album that outshined all others, "Lights Out". Producer extraordinaire, Ron Nevison was called in for this one, and it showed. The drum and bass tracks were pumped up to headbanging levels, and the guitar was crystal clear. The one stand out on this classic, besides the title track, is the ballad Love to Love, which is one of my favorites. Love to Love is a 7:36 emotional epic. The guitar supplied by the Flying V master, of course, is so beautiful, its difficult to describe, but if you are lucky enough to have heard this gorgeous song, you would know what I mean. The lyrics have become classic as well, especially the line "misty green and blue, love to love to love you."
Just before the band was going to begin their tour in support of the new album, Schenker went AWOL, there were reports that he had disappeared because of road burn out and excessive drinking, but the truth was was that he went to spend a few days with his girlfriend, who was getting irritated because he was gone all the time. The band had already hired another guitarist before he could return, but when Schenker showed up, they quickly kicked out the new guy. The next year, 1978, saw the release of another UFO album, "Obsession", which included some of the most cohesive writing to date, including the power ballad Lookin Out For Number 1 and the pop metal flavored Only You Can Rock Me which was one of the first pop metal songs ever created, and was what most of the 80s metal music was patterned after. On the ensuing US tour, one of the all time greatest live performance albums was recorded, "Strangers In The Night", and was UFO's finest hour. The performances were stellar, and Michael's pristine, playing set loftly new standards for rock guitar musicianship. The playing on this live album earned Michael recognition as one of the finest rock guitarists alive. He grew restless, however, after this. The band wanted to move into a direction that collided with his own vision, so in 1978 he left UFO to work on a few tracks with his brother Rudolf for the Scorpion's album "Lovedrive." He even toured with the Scorpions at the time, and the tour was superb, with a triple axe attack. After the brief stay with the Scorpions, it was once again time to move on, and Michael decided to put together his own group, called the Michael Schenker Group or better known as MSG.
He made a great choice for a singer, Gary Barden. Gary's unusual vocals were loosely in the same category as Mogg's, only a lot better. His vocal style fit perfectly with Michael's melodic guitar. In 1980 they released their first album, a self titled one, that finally put his guitar right in the spotlight. There was no question about who was the main songwriter in the band, because most of the songs were written to wrap around the guitar tracks. The lead break to the opening track Armed and Ready showcases this, where he drops in speedy runs, wild string bends, and the winning melodicism that made him a hit in UFO. Cry For the Nations was another great track, a mysterious doomy kind of song, that is just wonderful, and has one of the most explosive beginnings of any song in history. Other lesser known key tracks from the album are Tales of Mystery, another broken hearted ballad, with acoustic guitar that sounds like water lapping upon an ocean shore, and Feels Like A Good Thing, a pure feel good rocker. Schenker never sounded so good before, and it could only get better, and it did.
Next came another self titled album, to avoid confusion with the self titled album thing, the first one was called The Michael Schenker Group and the second one was called MSG. MSG was released in 1981, and Ron Nevison was once again producing another album that Michael played on. The result was an album that was not quite as heavy as what Michael had hoped for, but it was the best album he ever recorded. From start to finish, this one is mesmerizing. Kicking off with another party rocker, Ready To Rock, and then flowing into the ironic Attack of the Mad Axe Man, which was another tour-de-force from Schenker and the trademark Flying V. After that, the album slows down a bit (not the guitar though!!!) for 6 songs that are the essence of MSG, pure melody. The guitar is fascinating, and Barden's vocals are perfectly suited to singing these types of songs. On and On is the first one of them, and it moves into my favorite MSG song of all time Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, this one has to be heard to be believed. As usual, it includes superb axework, and the vocals are just extraordinairy. Barden really pushed the range to the limit, and it shows. This song is very relaxing to listen to, in fact, all 6 of the last cuts on this one are. Schenker's lyric writing gets a workout too, writing such lines as "please stop bringing me all of your reasons, false pretenses only make me feel sad" and that might not sound so great here, but if you heard Barden sing that, you would know how well that it fits into the song. Barden left shortly after this album was released, and Michael recruited Graham Bonnet to howl on the next one. Any heaviness Michael thought MSG lacked, was made up in "Assault Attack", a killer album. The highlights from it are Desert Song, Rock You To The Ground, and the title track. Bonnet's caterwaul, and the six-stringed sorcerer's strafing guitar breaks made a formidable team, and ignited the ferocious sounding album, that gets going and never loses speed. Graham managed to blow another good gig (he had already kicked up a fuss in Rainbow and left), and left during yet ANOTHER European festival. Michael didn't know what else to do but call Barden in last minute, and they were such a huge hit, that the axeman asked Gary to stay in the band. He accepted the offer, and it was back to the studio to do another MSG album that was sure to be a classic, and it was. "Built to Destroy" was the result, a really great all around album. It included the classic Rock Will Never Die a ballad, that captures your attention with the first note and the opening line "dream on, dream on, your time has come...." MSG was truly back together the way it should be, the joy of that was shortlived however.
Michael began to tire of the over partying ways of his other band members, and decided that he should take his music in another direction. He decide to take a three year break, and when he returned to the music scene, it was a completely different world than what it was when he had left. He formed a new band, the McAuley Schenker Group, which also came to be known as MSG, with vocalist Robin McAuley. They released three albums between the years of 1987 and 1992, including Save Yourself, and another self titled album called MSG (which most fans of the axeman call MSG2). It was MSG2 released in 1991, which was the best of the bunch. This band had a much more commercial sound, which was really good, but the vocals fall just a little short of the greatness of Barden, and the guitar is not as killer as it had been in the Michael Schenker Group. MSG2's highlights include the soulful ballad When I'm Gone, where McAuley really sounded like he had a broken heart, We Believe In Love a mid-tempo rocker, and Neverending Nightmare, a ballad that is so good, that it is worth the price of the album just to hear it. It is basically Robin's vocals and Schenker's spanish flavored guitarwork. The lyrics are especially beautiful, one of my favorite parts is the very beginning "nightmare lying here in the dark, scared like my dreams made their mark, I wonder, dreamer always alone, lost in a part of myself I can't find anymore." It has been said many times, that the only true poetry that has been written in the past 100 years, are the lyrics of metal songs, and I believe that is true.
Schenker joined up with Contraband, a metal supergroup featuring Tracy Guns and Share Pederson of Vixen, for one album shortly before the release of MSG2. After MSG2, a reunion everyone dreamed about but never thought would happen, came to light. UFO reunited, with Schenker on guitar in 1994. They released a Japan only disc called "Walk On Water" and launched an awesome tour that awed everyone. It proved that the UFO magic had never left. Schenker abandoned them shortly after to reform MSG again, the Michael Schenker Group. He returned with a classic sounding album, what would have been a followup to "Built to Destroy." This one was called "Written In Sand" and featured a new singer, and a completely new band lineup, formed from the remains of Yngwie Malmsteen's 1995 Magnum Opus band, Barry Sparks and Shane Galaas (a magnificent drummer, who really pounds the skins with talent). The result was fabulous, and MSG and Michael Schenker fans all over the world rejoiced, while the guitar hoard thought it was ridiculous. After all, guitarists are not supposed to be THAT good anymore. The guitar world has gotten to the point where they believe that if you shave your head and turn up the fuzz and distortion and play offtune, that you should be worshipped as a great guitarist, and all of the true guitar players have been angry at the people in control of the media for years about this. So the latest MSG didn't go over like it should have, no one cared, because the fans were enchanted with the mad axeman all over again, and that was what counted.
Michael is currently in the studio working on another MSG album with a supposed release date of this year. He has scaled the height of fretboard heroics for 27 years now, playing with the trademark "heavy melody" sound. The battlecry of guitar fans for a long time now has been "Long Live the V!" and it will continue to be for many more years. Michael is the quintessence of our modern day guitar hero. Just think of him as rock n' roll's own electric diva. |
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