1981 and Michael Schenker releases the superb MSG Album which features some serious players! Check out the list below….
Michael Schenker – lead guitar
Gary Barden – vocals
Chris Glen – bass
Paul Raymond – keyboards, rhythm guitar
Cozy Powell – drums
MSG was my first dabble in the term Supergroup and like many Supergroups these guys dissolved after there next release the fantastic double live One Night At The Budokan.
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. “Are You Ready to Rock” Michael Schenker, Gary Barden 3:26
2. “Attack of the Mad Axeman” Schenker, Barden 4:17
3. “On and On” Schenker, Barden 4:41
4. “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” Barden, Chris Glen, Cozy Powell, Paul Raymond, Schenker 5:21
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
5. “But I Want More” Schenker, Barden 6:56
6. “Never Trust a Stranger” Raymond 4:24
7. “Looking for Love” Schenker, Barden 4:03
8. “Secondary Motion” Schenker, Barden 3:42
Total length:
36:47
The album is lock stock and barreled with a ton of Mikey’s fantastic soloing while Cozy Powell Drives the bus with his drumming! Gary Barden sings for his supper on this album…..
The album is of the 8 tracks 7 are flat-out rock tracks while Never Trust A Stranger is the lone slow mo like tune but good nevertheless!
A shame really Mikey could not keep this unit together!
This Post is for THEE GREAT HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD…..
UFO….! Strangers In The Night in my neck of the woods growing up was and is still a classic live album!
These guys for some reason never really took off I guess they had there chances but for some reason North America never took to them in a big way but here in Tbay we did and we loved UFO especially Muc and myself!
Before Mechanix though my first listening exposure to UFO was Strangers In The Night back around in 1981 and myself and Muc were blown away how good these guys were and we snapped up copies of Kerrang to read about them in the British press as there was only one North American magazine (Hit Parader) that would ever write about UFO.
I guess Rodney Dangerfield(RIP) said it best! “No Respect!” In this case this fits UFO to a T!
Pete Way(bass)Michael Schenker(Lead Guitar)Andy Parker(Drums)Paul Raymond(Keys,Backing Vocals and Rhythm Guitar) and Phil Mogg(Vocals) are the dudes responsible for this great piece of rock!
NATURAL THING-after some fella intros the band here’s Mikey on guitar with a real cool opening riff and not before to long here’s the rest of the boys joining in and one of rocks greatest unknown wordsmiths in Phil Mogg! Mogg especially the late 70s early 80s UFO output would write real good stories inside a 4-5 minute track! Natural Thing is no exception it’s about a chic from Memphis and well kiddos listen to the video posted! Crank it and let Uncle Phil tell Ya a great story! One of the best man…..Schenker mows down a great solo and I always liked the use of how UFO used keyboards! Raymond would double up on guitar and when needed would add extra texture on certain songs with keys! Kids this is how it’s done! I’m not gonna rag on Journey here for once!
OUT IN THE STREETS-Raymond lays down a real cool playing on them keys as Natural Thing segues right into Out In Streets! The verses are chill but ramp up,at the end of each line. Love the tempo changes and the crashing of the drums and Schenkers guitar!
ONLY YOU CAN ROCK ME-Mikey plays a real cool opening riff and Raymond joins in with his Hammond B3 and we’re off! This song is just a great straight ahead driving track! ” Only you….can Rawk me RAWK me,come back and doooooo it again!” Sings Phil and Yep the chorus is real good and Schenker pulls back the reigns on his guitaring on certain UFO tracks as he doesn’t have to showboat all the time!
DOCTOR DOCTOR-the biggie hit that Iron Maiden has used as there opening music for countless tours and you know why? It’s easy Doctor Doctor is typical Classic UFO. They start the song off chill(key) Mikey joins and chills (guitar) the rest of the cats join in (Parker and Mr Fastway)Phil hollers(Doctor Doctor) and kaboom kids were off! Raymond and Schenker lock horns on the guitars and its a real simple catchy riff and hook! I really dig the part of “Livin,Lovin!” This is one of UFOs Greatest tunes or well perhaps one of there best known tunes! Check out the live back and white clip of UFO playing Live from 1978! What is interesting is that Schenker had bolted just before the tour and his replacement was Paul Tonka Chapman he later played on many other UFO albums including the great Mechanix album of 1982! I also must mention check out the Ultimte Party Rock Guy bassist Pete Way who if you look close enough can see that Nikki Sixx about 7 years later(1985) on the Theatre Of Pain Tour would borrow (ahem ) Ways whole stage schtick from clothes,the bass and onstage staggering! Ha…..just sayin!
MOTHER MARY-another jacked up UFO track and this song is straight forward driving rock! Cool drumming by Andy Parker on this song….
THIS KIDS-same as Mother Mary but as much as love UFO its years later when I read that This Kids and Mother Mary were recorded live in the studio and the audience from Cleveland was added into it…say what UFO? Ha some one Musta been hanging out in the Kiss organization back in 1978 on how to fool young deke about live albums. That’s ok fella’s I understand…..
LOVE TO LOVE-love there babbling about a mic being down…haha they sound confused but there not confused when Love To Love begins! This is another case of epic UFO being that the keys build up the song Mogg as well writes awesome lyrics and soon to be gone Michael lays down the huge power riffs that made him a force to be reckoned with until he came off the rails. Crank this song friends and see what I’m talking about! Misty Greeeeeeen and Bluuuuuuue!
LIGHTS OUT-UFO comes blasting out of the gates with Lights Out and it’s heavy UFO! Mogg, Way and Crew rock this tune to the rafters I mean the chorus goes..”Lights Out …Lights Out In London” but that Ol sly Phil throws out a “Lights Out In Chicago!” And Queen the roar of the crowd! Raymond knew his palce in UFO wit the keys as they didn’t muzzle out the great guitar work of Schenker. Plus Raymond is a capable rhythm player in his own right so these guys just rock this track!
ROCK BOTTOM-not the KISS tune Mr Ladano but the UFO live staple that would come complete with complimentary Schenker guitar hero solo. Dude has chops and basically proved to all he was here to stay! Hoooooray!
TOO HOT TO HANDLE-great riff once again with a real cool verse driving into the chorus and man it explodes from there! These tunes should have been huge in North America but there are alot of tone deaf people out there……so that explains lot!
I’M A LOSER-UFO kinda puts on the breaks kinda ….song like many other builds slow and takes off come Schenker (solo) time! This is UFOs comfort zone and its a zone I dig! In other words don’t meddle with things you don’t understand! (Not my line but whose is it? Quiz time folks!)
LET IT ROLL-cool tune and yeah man I love that Raymonds keys are locked into Andy Parkers double bass drums in this song! Great friggin end of the night track …
SHOOT SHOOT-is the end of the night tune with complimentary cowbell consumption by Andy and his Ludwig Drums. Shoot Shoot is basically Mogg destroying the tavern with Way drinking the bar dry while Raymond twinkles the ivories (piano) while chaos ensues! How about a quick little end of the live album solo once again by Mikey and viola …GOOD NIGHT!
IN CONCLUSION-Can you say Stomper??! I sure as hell can! This for me is a great piece of work even in the album it says it was recorded in Chicago but most of it was recorded in Cleveland! it’s the songs that count man and they do here! Watch and listen to the three videos posted as perhaps you don’t know about UFO(Tbone Brush up!) as well as a few of us knew there deal but it’s never to late to join the party….
Earlier I mentioned that Schenker bolted during the mixing of the live album. I guess the story was he rolled into the studio heard the mix of his solo in Rock Bottom and told everyone present including fellow blogger Jompa’s favourite producer(Ron Nevison) quote ” poor,poor Rock Bottom” in his German accent and quit the band than and there…..
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