Still Alive & Well

Popping in to say hi. Been mostly making videos and posting them at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeLH3seyd0RZ862jih9kzUA but I'm looking into an alternative video platform since Youtube has obviously turned globalist and anti-Free Speech. I'll keep you posted.

10-4, Good Buddy, We Still Got Our Ears On

That's right, bitches. We're still alive & well.

I have written some Schenker-related reviews at Amazon and Amazon.co.uk over the past few years. I won't bother providing a link. You'll see them there if you peruse the Schenker-related items.

Be nice to yourselves, you little ant people.

The Best Schenker Reviews are Here

Still kicking.
No material by Schenker worth reviewing at the moment.
He has a new album with Barden but what I've heard of it does not impress me.
Guitar shredding is a young man's sport.

Nevermind.
His best stuff will always last.

Michael Schenker Group: World Wide Live 2004 DVD

I don’t know why Michael Schenker doesn’t just retire those old MSG & UFO songs given the fact that he can’t play them nearly as well as he used to. He sounds like a geriatric imitation of his glorious past. His hands these days have no electricity or elasticity. There is very little passion in the man’s sound or body language.

Dig, those old chestnuts are meant to be performed with a youthful pizzazz, full of vim & vigor, and sweat dripping off the end of one’s nose, but those qualities are not on this dvd.

He’s a shell thrice removed from how well he could play back in the early 80’s.

The band he’s employing look and sound like they should be playing Death Metal or some form of Spastic Rock. They play their parts adequately but don’t play with any true soul or artistry. The keyboards sound rinky-dink cheap & amateurish. The vocals are generic modern-day Hard Rock, nothing especially good or bad about them, they get the job done and that’s about it. And the same can be said for the rest of the band.

The picture quality is outstanding.
And you do indeed get to see Schenker’s hands often enough, but the thing is, there isn’t much to watch. Or, better stated, what you see are 8 fingers and 2 thumbs moving minimalistically. They hit just enough notes for us to recognize the skeletons of past virtuosic solos. He plays just enough to get by.

The interview is pure crap because the interviewer sounds like he’s asking questions from a sheet of paper and does not rebound off the answers provided. All you get from this interview are short, chirpy answers to very lame, over-asked questions.

It’s a red-faced shame that this dvd is the only video document of Schenker in concert ever to be officially released in the USA or England (as of this day in December 2004). If you want pro-shot videos of Schenker performing in his heyday then you will have to surf & search the www and/or make contact with video suppliers in Japan. Look for MSG Rock Will Never Die (Live at the Hammersmith 1983), MSG Rockpalast 1981, MSG Dortmund 1983, and MSG Super Rock 1984 Live in Japan.

Bottom line: I don’t like this dvd. You'd be wiser to get one of his audio concerts such as Back To Attack or Reactivate or Rock Will Never Die.

UFO---Big Apple Encounters

Is Big Apple Encounters worth the £11.99 price tag? No it is not. Schenker’s overall performance is plodding, sloppy, and truly uninspired. I feel sorry for the rest of the band because they so obviously want to play well---and do---but it means nothing in face of the fact that the star of the show ain’t pulling his weight. And I’m not being picky here, either. I’m no graduate from the Guitar Institute of Technology and don’t need to be one in order to discern when a performer is playing miles below his capabilities. Do you understand? On this particular night Schenker stank. He seems timid, hesitant, and just plain out of it. Maybe he was ill or drunk or depressed? You never know... He could’ve been. It’s not fair to assume that he would sometimes play poorly just to punish Phil Mogg or someone else associated with the band…Here’s the set list:

LET IT ROLL
DOCTOR DOCTOR
OH MY
BUILT FOR COMFORT
OUT IN THE STREETS
SPACE CHILD
MOTHER MARY
ALL OR NOTHING
THIS KIDS
SHOOT SHOOT
ROCK BOTTOM

I found tracks 1-8 weak & uninteresting. The last few tracks are okay but only in contrast to the previous ones. They do not make this cd worth owning. Nothing does ---not even the brilliant sound quality.

UFO---On With The Action

Is this album equivalent to Strangers In The Night ? No, not by a longshot. Is it better than Big Apple Encounters ? Yes---at least Michael Schenker appears to be awake & steady on his feet. On this night, 25 April 1976, he exerts some effort to put forth some pleasing results and does a decent job of it. This album features some good performances of songs from the album No Heavy Petting (Can You Roll Her & Highway Lady). But overall it lacks magic---at least when compared to Strangers In The Night. And I know it’s not necessarily fair to compare all Schenker-era UFO performances with Strangers…, but it can’t be helped. That album represents a high water mark that no other officially-released live UFO recording has even come close to touching.

All in all, On With The Action (which, sadly, does not include the title song) sounds like a run-of-the-mill performance---just another day at work, dear. And yet, having said all that, maybe you should buy it and play it just to see how good Strangers In The Night really is.

Schenker--Pattison Summit The Endless Jam

An album of cover tunes.

We start with Shape of Things and it is quite tasty. I'm surprised.
Next up is a very impressive Schenkerized version of Hey Joe. Again I'm surprised because his last few albums have been boring & derivative but this album is fabulous. Even though Schenk is utilizing different guitar sounds compared to his early 80's work, his fingerwork and melodious inventions are sounding quite nice & spicy. He seems to be working with more sustain & chorus...
We're now at Pearly Queen and it too sounds damn good. Schenker is showing us that he still has the guts of a hotshot guitarist. HE CAN STILL TEAR IT UP. I can't believe it either. Mind you, it would be foolish to expect him to still be able to sound & play like he did 20 years ago, but for a man of 49 he sounds really good. It blows my mind.
The next track is Whiter Shade of Pale. It has alot of fanciness about it that sort of turns me off...but that's just me.
Next up is Never In My Life and it sounds okay, but it doesn't strike me as anything special---and yet, I wouldn't skip this track.
Next is Robin Trower's Long Misty Days. It's a bit repetitive sometimes but still sounds pretty. It's nice to hear Schenker using guitar effects that you've never heard him use before.
Next up is a spirited rendition of Montrose's I Got The Fire. Schenker plays it better than Ronnie Montrose but Pattison doesn't sing it as well as Sammy Hagar (no one could). Still, it's a good song.
Next up is Voyager from Gamma (aka: Ronnie Montrose). It's a keeper. Quite good.
Up next is The Stealer. It's a good bluesy & rocky number. I like it.
Next up is the wistful Theme From An Imaginary Western. Here Michael is joined on guitar by one of his adolescent heroes Leslie West. It's not bad.
And now we've reached the final song Built For Comfort. I was a bit disappointed the first time I heard this because Schenker isn't playing it nearly as tasty as he did with UFO on their Phenomenon album. But I have grown to like it after listening to it a couple of more times. It has a mature, funky & crunchy feel about it unlike the UFO version.

All in all this is a damn good album. Aynsley Dunbar is on drums and does a fine job. Gunter Nezhoda plays bass like the pro he is. And yes, Davey Pattison can still sing as well as he did with Robin Trower and Ronnie Montrose back in the 1980's. As long as you are willing to embrace Schenker's "new" 21st century sound & style, you will be glad to own this album. I know I am.

MSG---Back To Attack Box Set

Discs 1 & 2 were recorded in Japan on 18 January 1984. Schenker’s performance is undeniably top notch and superb. The rest of the band---as always---is quite excellent, too. Each song is bursting with energy, sparkle, and sizzle. The Rock Bottom we hear on disc 2 is surprisingly fast but everything you could want it to be. Here’s the set list for disc 1:

CAPTAIN NEMO
ROCK MY NIGHTS AWAY
ARE YOU READY TO ROCK
CRY FOR THE NATIONS
ON AND ON
ATTACK OF THE MAD AXEMAN
INTO THE ARENA
COURVOISIER CONCERTO
LOST HORIZONS
ROCK WILL NEVER DIE

Disc 2:
I’M GONNA MAKE YOU MINE
SYSTEMS FAILING
STILL LOVE THAT LITTLE DEVIL
ARMED AND READY
ROCK BOTTOM
DOCTOR DOCTOR

The sound quality is very good even though the show was not professionally recorded with a mobile studio. It was recorded through the soundboard (the mixing desk used for the Public Address system) and therefore you will probably find it better to listen to the discs through speakers rather than headphones. [All of the shows on Back To Attack are soundboard recordings.]

Right, and now we come to disc 3: It was recorded in Portland, Oregon on 14 December 1983. It only contains six songs which tally up to a measly 28 minutes. HOW RUDE! Whoever made this decision has slapped our faces with a gargantuan amount of disrespect. Didn’t they know that cd’s can now hold 80 minutes of material? Even if the rest of this show has been lost due to accident or neglect, the Decision Maker could’ve put other material onto this disc. And yet, what makes the matter all the more hateful is the fact that this show features Schenker ON FIRE! His performance is even better than the above-mentioned show in Japan---and that’s really saying something! In fact, it proves once and for all that he was the very best heavy metal guitarist of the 20th century---even better than Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Gary Hoey, Uli Jon Roth, Tommy Iommi, Vivian Cambell, Eddie Van Halen---and yes, even Hendrix! Enough said. Check it out for yourself. The set list for disc 3 is as follows:

CAPTAIN NEMO
ROCK MY NIGHTS AWAY
ARE YOU READY TO ROCK
CRY FOR THE NATIONS
ON AND ON
ATTACK OF THE MAD AXEMAN.

Gary Barden is dynamite---full of hard rockin energy---and so is the rest of the band. The sound quality is usually very good and seems to highlight Schenker but there are a few minor dropouts here & there---and they’re insignificant. They really are.

And now we come to disc 4. It was recorded in Holland at the Pink Pop Festival on 08 June 1981. The sound quality varies between good and very good. It’s a bit rough at times but you’ll get used to it. As for Schenker’s performance…well, it’s not as good as the other two shows in this digipack, but it’s still interesting. No, it’s not bad, just a little sloppy here & there…I think I’m warming up to it a little more each time I hear it…Here’s the set list for disc 4:

ATTACK OF THE MAD AXEMAN
VICTIM OF ILLUSION
NATURAL THING
FEELS LIKE A GOOD THING
ROCK BOTTOM
LOST HORIZONS
DOCTOR DOCTOR.

I feel very fortunate to own this 4 cd digipack. It’s only early November as I write these words but I feel as happy as a spoiled brat on Christmas Day. My only complaint is that most of the discs could’ve & should’ve had more material put onto them---and maybe the Decision Makers will keep this in mind the next time they release some more concert recordings of MSG (and how about some dvd’s???). I certainly hope so. (You guys could’ve squeezed in another show or two)…(By the way, what happened to the songs from the Assault Attack album which were played each night on the 83/84 Tour?) Anyhow, thank you Mr. Schenker & Mr. Barden. Thank you for playing so well and for releasing these recordings.

MSG---Reactivate Live Box Set

According to my internet-based research, all four discs are soundboard recordings---that is, from the mixing desk at each venue, and this means that the signal is mixed for the mono PA system and therefore doesn’t sound all that great through headphones. But, other than a few minor glitches here & there, they sound just fine through speakers---at least discs 1, 2, and 4.

Disc 3 is from a rehearsal session in Kent, England in the Autumn of 1980 and sounds very rough at times (especially Rock Bottom & Lights Out ). In fact, Schenker’s performance on disc 3 is a bit dodgy and one can only assume that this is due to the fact that there was no audience to feed off of or impress. But nevermind. The performances on the other three discs are excellent (especially discs 2 & 4).

I disagree with one reviewer who suggested that this package is more for the “seasoned fan”. It’s not. It’s for anyone who has ever heard even one Schenker song and liked it alot. The raw nature of the sound quality displays Schenker’s virtuosity much better than the glossy quality found on One Night At Budokan (which, by the way, is still a damn good album to own). And as for “bum notes”: Schenker was an inspirational performer. He played by feeling. He never tried to play a solo the same way twice. He played what he felt at the moment. This means that, despite the fact that there are multiple versions of the same songs in this Reactivate package, each one is a unique performance. The songs you hear on his studio albums were frameworks to jump in and out of during his concerts rather than straitjacket blueprints to confine himself to. And so, if you’re gonna perform with spontaneity and inspiration rather than play your songs exactly like your studio versions (yawn), then you’re bound to hit a few notes that seem out of place while you’re burning a new path through old ground. Believe me, if you hear any “bum notes” on discs 2 & 4, you’ll be glad rather than disappointed---glad because you’ll hear them within awesome solos never to be repeated.

Yes, Reactivate Live will be a welcomed addition to the collection of any true fan of Michael Schenker’s astonishing talent ---despite the sad fact that each disc holds far less material than it’s capable of. (Heavy sigh…) And the liner notes are a waste of space. They don’t tell you anything about the history of the recordings. They don’t tell you where they’ve been and how they were chosen---they don’t even tell you WHO chose them. They don’t tell you if each concert is presented in its entirety or if it’s been edited---and if edited, why? No, all we get is some plonkerville prattle from Paul Raymond who has the cheek to say, in reference to the disc 2 show, “A good show by a band that promised so much but, due to the diversity of its members, never really quite delivered”. Never quite delivered what? The moolah? The posh clothes & mansions & tropical islands? So what if they were never a HUGE corporate success? They rocked. They rocked harder than any other group. I don’t know what Paul Raymond is talking about because I’ll tell you what, this 4 disc set DELIVERS some of the very best heavy metal/hard rock guitar soloing you’ll ever hear (and there’s more on Back To Attack---in fact, even better!).

Buy it. Play it through speakers. Turn off the EQ & Xtra Bass and other fun audio tricks---at least for your 1st listen---and hear it the way the audience’s did.

MSG---Rock Will Never Die

This is a Japanese import.
The show was recorded (and professionally filmed) in London at the Hammersmith Odeon in October 1983.

All of the songs are performed with a 20-something gusto. Schenker's fingers are nimble & fast. His notes are stinging & piercing. Barden's right on the money with the vocals--as usual. The rest of the band are tip-top as well.

This is a very good show and definitely worth owning. Ex-Ted Nugent vocalist Derek St. Holmes provides excellent backing vocals and sings the lead vocals for I'm Gonna Make You Mine. He also plays rhythm guitar. He was quite a nice touch to the MSG team (for the little while that he was with them).

For me the highlights of this album are the two tracks from Assault Attack: Rock You To The Ground, and Desert Song. They are lovely melodies that sound better here than on the studio album. Much better. Then again, all the songs on this album are highlights; each one is a unique performance showcasing Schenker back in his heyday.

MSG---BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert

So far this is the only officially released concert recording of MSG on tour in 1982. This show was recorded in August at the Reading Festival in England. The band was promoting its Assault Attack album...but first, let's have a little background on what happened in 1982:

In March, Gary Barden, the lead vocalist, was fired by Schenker because his managers thought a different vocalist might help to sell more records. They replaced Barden with Graham Bonnet, former vocalist of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Bonnet & Schenker wrote the Assault Attack album and then went on tour to promote it. However, Bonnet only lasted a show or two before flaking out & disappearing. This happened two days before MSG were due to appear at the Reading Festival. Schenker did not want to cancel MSG's appearance so he contacted Barden and asked him to rejoin MSG. Barden agreed even though he did not know any of the songs from the Assault Attack album (nor had he performed anything by anyone for the past 5 or 6 months). So, what you have here on MSG's BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert is a recording of a show where the vocalist sounds a bit unrehearsed and the lead guitarist sounds a bit distracted at times. But it's still a good show. Schenker's sound is very good and his playing is pretty much up to par. The only flub track on this disc is Rock You To The Ground: Schenker plays it fine but Barden doesn't know the words and tries to fake it (and maybe this is why one Amazon reviewer thought he was drunk--but he wasn't). But hell, it's good for a laugh.

What makes this disc unique amongst other MSG concert discs is the inclusion of Bijou Pleasurette and But I Want More. Both are quite nice to listen to---and so are the other tracks (even Rock You To The Ground). Lost Horizons, as usual, is the star attraction. It begins with a sort of weak version of Courvosier Concerto (which isn't listed in the track listings) but gathers steam & momentum and ends up sounding very good. Overall this is a decent concert to own if you just have to have every early 80's MSG concert recording you can get your hands on (like me). If you don't, then you'll probably be happy with just owning One Night At Budokan and/or Rock Will Never Die.

Michael Schenker Story Live

This package contains some good performances recorded in Japan in 1996. My favorites are: In Search Of Peace Of Mind, Another Piece Of Meat, and All The Way From Memphis. But, to be perfectly blunt, the performance quality of the 80's MSG & 70's UFO songs does not measure up to the bitchin & electrifying quality found on at least 5 other currently available albums & box sets that feature concerts from the 70's & 80's. This is not to say that Schenker sounds like crap; he plays quite well, he sounds well-rehearsed, but the youthful exuberance is gone.

The hunger, the eye-of-the-tiger, it's gone, man. His fingers don't move as quickly as they used to. The intensity level during his solos is significantly less than it was in the 70's & 80's. And I figure it has everything to do with age. Afterall, hotshot, blistering, metal-licious guitar soloing is a young man's sport. The way Schenker played in his heyday is like listening to some incredible audio-acrobatics. I don't think most Hard Rock fans realize how amazing Schenker was. It wasn't just the fact that he could play fast & precisely, it was the fact that these beautiful, unique, gut-grabbing note-constructions sped from his mind to his fingertips, dig? His mind was lightning-fast and bursting with melody & Hard Rock sensibility. But not on this album.

Right, and now to the vocals: Most of them are sung by David Van Landing. He's a decent sounding vocalist with a strong voice and he does an admirable job of singing. But he ain't no Gary Barden or Phil Mogg and you're reminded of this with every word he sings. As for the other vocalist, he isn't even worth mentioning by name. He sounds like someone who would sing backing vocals in a band like Whitesnake. The dude ain't got no metal or edge to him whatsoever. He's just a poser.

I'll grant you that my tastes are perhaps too critical, but do yourself a favor and check out the following albums first before you buy this one: Strangers In The Night, One Night At Budokan, Rock Will Never Die, Back To Attack, and Reactivate Live. Your time is running out so you may as well hear the best stuff first.