Michael Schenker Group

[Deftone]

Huge Micael Schenker fan. I saw UFO open for Cheap Trick around 1980 just after he split, so I got the Paul Chapman version. Didn't get to see Schenker until he was doing the MSG thing in the late 80's, maybe '88 or '89?, can't recall who he opened for. He was sporting hair extensions and jean jackets then.

I had this issue of Guitar World back in the day....

Great interview, I still remember parts of it. Didn't know he had hair extensions?

 

[Vinsanitizer]

I had this issue of Guitar World back in the day....

Great interview, I still remember parts of it. Didn't know he had hair extensions?

All ya gotta do is look, righ?^ Michael Schenker's real hair was never 3ft. long. LOL!, especially when so many bands were using extensions by then.

 

[Dogs of Doom]

Huge Micael Schenker fan. I saw UFO open for Cheap Trick around 1980 just after he split, so I got the Paul Chapman version. Didn't get to see Schenker until he was doing the MSG thing in the late 80's, maybe '88 or '89?, can't recall who he opened for. He was sporting hair extensions and jean jackets then.

if you saw him around '88/9, was it w/ Ratt? He played w/ Ratt, after Crosby left, so he was doing double duty. That's how he got the MTV Unplugged gig w/ them...

Ok, I looked it up, it was '90/1...

 

[Vinsanitizer]

if you saw him around '88/9, was it w/ Ratt? He played w/ Ratt, after Crosby left, so he was doing double duty. That's how he got the MTV Unplugged gig w/ them...

Ok, I looked it up, it was '90/1...

... I never saw Ratt live, although I wish I did during the Undercover tour. I liked them a bunch, and still do. I've been to so many concerts I'll never remember them all. I just tried looking up his MSG tour dates history, and there are blanks when I would have seen them, and the outer two dates weren't it either.

I saw a vid of him doing a stint with Ratt, but I thought that was just a guest appearance. Lots of stories about bands wanting him, like the Stones, etc. But he never really wanted to be in someone else's band. Personally, I believe that if he and Mogg had gotten along much better, he may not have felt the need to venture off on his own "musical journey", as he speaks about so often, perhaps to the point of overbearing.

I've been compiling a list for years of all the concerts I've been to and the dates/locations, which probably aren't nearly as many as a lot of other people here, but it's big enough that I only recall scenes from some shows. Like the time I saw Men At Work, or Peter Gabriel before he became a radio hit-maker - not exactly the most memorable shows. Just as I'm typing this, I recalled seeing Mr. Big and a visual of Paul Gilbert starting the show with the fringes on his guitar neck - that's one I forgot, but can't remember who they opened for, (KISS Psycho Circus maybe? I'll have to look it up).

 

[Dogs of Doom]

I saw a vid of him doing a stint with Ratt, but I thought that was just a guest appearance. Lots of stories about bands wanting him, like the Stones, etc. But he never really wanted to be in someone else's band. Personally, I believe that if he and Mogg had gotten along much better, he may not have felt the need to venture off on his own "musical journey", as he speaks about so often, perhaps to the point of overbearing.

I think the problem w/ Mogg & the guys in UFO, was that, he was young, naïve & he got screwed up (drugs/alcohol) & then they got big fast. He didn't hardly know a lick of English & they did most of their writing by him playing a riff & the guys nodding yes or no...

I think that he realized that he was a big part of their success & wasn't getting a fair shake to all the seasoned veterans in the group.

I think then, when he melted down, his brother gave him an escape, due to Uli Roth leaving the Scorpions. Uli left & they procured Mathias Jabbs. When MS left UFO, Rudy immediately took him in, which meant kicking Mathias to the curb.

But, MS was so messed up that he couldn't be in Rudy's band either. He was ½ heartedly playing Uli's licks now & they wrote a new album, but he wasn't ready for the road...

So he started his own project MSG...

I heard rumors that Ozzy wanted him, but, he didn't want to be a solo act's backing musician. Like Daisley, he wanted to either be in a band, or be his own solo act.

So he teamed up w/ Billy Sheehan & Denny Carmassi & started MSG. Recruited Gary Barden & got the ball rolling. Not sure what happened to Billy & Denny, but, he ended up hiring studio musicians to record his album Simon Phillips & Mo Foster & Don Airey...

After that, he got Cozy Powell, Chris Glenn & Paul Raymond left UFO to join him... to tour & record the next album.

The story gets long from there... w/ Cozy getting his good buddy Graham Bonnet, then leaves, & Chris Glenn gets his buddy Ted McKenna to join to replace Cozy...

Then it became a revolving door of singers & musicians, including the McCauley Schenker - mid-'80s, more commercial group...