Msg

[charvelguy]

This just makes me realize there's a huge generation gap that radio & video does not cover..but. I know players here who are in my gen that don't get his appeal or appreciate his work too.

All Michael has to do is write one or two songs that would gain airplay and he would have a whole new captive audience again, course.. he'd be limited to where he could tour as he seems to choose to keep a low profile.

I met that vindictive '....' too.. she used to tour with him along with their children, who were also there at the room. Struck me as quite lovely and pleasant. I guess he's learning the hard way that looks aren't everything.

[Snow007]

I've HEARD of him but I never really heard his music. I checked it out and I loved Doctor, Doctor and Into The Arena right off the bat. I'll give the other songs another chance tommorow but those 2 songs are really great.

[TheSteveMan]

Ok, first things first - has no one heard of Overstock.com? They have a bunch of MSG stuff for decent prices.

I was unaware of this, thanks for the heads-up.
I'm familiar with overstock.com but when I looked at it a long time ago hoping there was something good on it, I didn't find anything interesting to me, plus I kinda don't like 'em because I'm really annoyed at their little digital on-field ads on college football games.. so I generally ignored their existence.
But since you have told me there is MSG there, I'm gonna go ahead and give 'em a shot!

[Dreamland_Rebel]

i really like the live UFO album "Strangers in the Night"

[Guitardude86]

To many that's concidered the best live album ever

[lerxstcat]

his albums with Robin MacAuley were his worst, Perfect Timing and Save Yourself.

they aren't terrible, but they are not his best work IMO. so this is what a lifelong Schenker fan has to say.

As another lifelong Schenker fan (since 1975) I agree that those albums aren't his best work, but they were his most calculated commercial albums, and the second guitarist played some cool though fairly generic stuff on them.

Having said that, my opinion from seeing them live at the Sun in Anaheim is that MacAuley is by far the best singer Schenker has ever worked with as a solo artist. He sure sounded great live on the classic Schenker stuff, which I can't say the same for Gary Barden. Maybe Graham Bonnet was consistent live too, I don't know, but I just can't stand Bonnet's voice personally. I know most don't feel that way.

[Chasbo]

Dig this action of him and the Scorps circa 1972

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nTGTCSGj30&mode=related&search=schenker

[skorb]

that was great Chasbo, thanks! too funny 1972. check the beard on Klaus Meine. LOL

this is also a sick vid, the 10 minute version of Rock Bottom from MSG's early 80's prime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnnQFLoCbWw&search=schenker

[jk2171]

Try Djangos.com for used CDs. They usually have some obscure stuff.

[shredmonster]

Best Schenker CD is Adventures of the Imagination if you were to rate the guitar work. I would start with that one - particularly tracks 3 and 5.

Schenker can be off sometimes live - a Youtube video of him with Uli Roth and Schenker is off there. But when he's on he's a genious. Always thought he was much better than EVH - just does not have the "pyrotechnics" in his playing.

But there is no one that has a better vibrato - no one period. Schenker has a whole friggen vocabulary of vibratos - not just one. I find him to be the most melodic and expressive player I have heard bar none.
Not the fastest or most technical but one of the most beautifully musical guitarists ever.

Executes perfectly - have heard very few guitarists that execute with perfection like Schenker. Also get the song Save Yourself. Killer!!!

Interesting interview where he says many of todays guitarists have great technical abilities but they have no feel or expression. I gotta agree.

CHECK THIS OUT...

http://www.dinosaurrockguitar.com/bios/Schenker.shtml

Famous / Infamous for

Famous for: Absolute brilliance when he's on. He's known for his Flying Vs and being the "big daddy" of all German Metal Gods. The Mad Axeman is was in the Scorpions by age 15 and in UFO by 17. By age 19 he was a true Guitar God — a better player than most of us will ever be with a lifetime of practice. And then he got better!


Strengths
Melodic sense at genius-level. I don't toss the term genius around much, but it applies here. Schenker is the most melodic, rock player you will ever hear. He is simply on a higher level than everyone else when it comes to melody. Other great players can certainly come up with a great melody in a song. Michael can weave many great melodies together in the context of one song. It's not just in his songs either. The melodic sense carries over into his rock playing and lead style. . His lead work is also incredibly melodic, even when he's blazing away at top speed. It always boggles my mind — how many ideas and melodies Michael hears in his head.
Technique and chops. Pure German precision. Michael is an awesome alternate picker. He has blazing speed, wonderful elasticity, and a fabulous vibrato and intonation. All of it utterly controlled and consistent. He's a Porsche, a Mercedes, and a BMW all rolled into one. The Ultimate Playing Machine.
Acoustic and acoustic/electric instrumental compositions. What you find is very thick and densely-packed guitar tracks: doubled-electric rhythms, often topped by acoustic rhythms. Multiple melody tracks too. The music is dynamically rich, and Michael's fairly quick to grab the acoustic for certain melodies or as a device to bring the song dynamics down. Songs often move back and forth between raunchy rock riffs and quieter acoustic laden parts within the same song. Michael's acoustic and acoustic/electric work is everything Blackmore's Night should be, but isn't.
Weaknesses

Michael has always been his own worst enemy. He could have and should have been bigger than Van Halen and Randy Rhoads. He had a head start on both. But for various reason, whenever Michael has flirted commercial success, he's either been unwilling or unable to grab the brass ring while it was still in front of him. Instead of being a household name, Michael remains a cult hero.
Consistency. At Michael's peak, when he was hitting on all cylinders, each of his albums contained great songs and stunningly brilliant guitar solos. But Michael's peak was between 1974 and 1984. Since then his work has become spottier. Notable exceptions include UFO's Walk On Water and the solo release Adventures of the Imagination.


His best work of late has been instrumental guitar albums, where he is free to unleash his melodic sense, explore more complicated ideas and the depth of his overall "vision."


Tone For both live and studio work, the basics of Michael's tone are very simple: A Gibson Flying V, 50 watt Marshalls (everything on 10 except volume on 8) , and Cry Baby wah pedal. That's it. What makes Michael's tone so distinctive and killer, is the way he uses the wah like an equalizer to add color and emotion to his playing. When he plays a solo he moves the wah to different positions which adds and removes bass and treble from his tone.

Guitar Style

Michael uses very basic chord voicings. In his rock work, you won't hear much more than standard rock chords: root 6 and 5 bar chords, and folk chords. In his instrumental compositions — particularly the acoustic ones, he uses many arpeggios of common chord forms. Scale-wise it's primarily minor pentatonic and blues scale rock licks, with Aeolian minor and major pentatonic melodies and themes. There's actually a lot of Jimmy Page-like ideas, but they're played with a much higher degree of precision and a unique phrasing. The classic Schenker stylistic formula is straightforward rock riffs mixed with Aeolian minor or major pentatonic melodic themes. His solos often alternate between slow minor and major melodies. Michael's slow playing is breathtaking — filled with intense emotion and feeling. When it's time for speed, it's mostly blistering blues-rock licks, but he doesn't sound bluesy to me. His tone and phrasing puts his own unique stamp on even stock licks, and make them sound ballsy as hell. There's plenty of attitude in Michael's playing, but it isn't always a nasty, raunchy attitude. Sometimes it's more delicate. And while there's definitely sex in Michael's playing, it's more erotic than pornographic.
Back in the 80s, Guitar Player Magazine asked Michael: What should a Michael Schenker solo do? Michael replied: "It has to build. It's like a book, where you get an introduction, the highest point, and the happy ending or whatever. I like things that are melodic."



If you listen to the classic Schenker-era from 74-84, you'll hear a Michael who is an amazing pure alternate picker and uses this technique on fast runs and layovers. On blues rock licks, he's more legato. Very occasionally, he throws in a raked lick or some tremolo picking. Other Schenker trademarks include large bends, pre-bends with controlled vibrato at the top, high speed four-point layovers in both the Pentatonic and Aeolian scales.

Since the 90s, however, Michael has been using a lot more legato in his solos. Compared to his older style, this approach feels to me like he's cutting corners and taking shortcuts. Combine that with the "go-nowhere" solos he's been spitting out of late and you get an end result that's a far cry from the lead work of Michael's glory days. I'm left with the impression that Michael Schenker has either lost his inspiration or has simply gotten lazy — or both.


Vibrato:

God-like. Wonderful. Distinctive, even and controlled. He's got a quick, medium-width one, and a slightly slower and wider one. Because he plays a Gibson V exclusively, there's no whammy bar at all. He has been known to bend the whole neck by pressing the back of the headstock — which is a real good way to break your guitar's neck!

[skorb]

cool write up, Shredmonster, thanks for that!

[pro-fusion]

Schenker's playing won't hit you over the head immediately like a shredder does, but he's a master, nonetheless. To me, his 'essential' albums are UFO-Strangers in the Night and the first three MSG albums. I love Assault Attack maybe the most of his studio work just because I've always like Graham Bonnet's vocals. They worked well together but had a bad personal blow-up just a few months after Bonnet joined.

[skorb]

I love Assault Attack maybe the most of his studio work just because I've always like Graham Bonnet's vocals.

me too, that and the first one are his best IMO.
been a fan since 1977.

[khabibissell]

UFO - Strangers in the Night, The first MSG, and Adventures of the Imagination are all amazing. Like stated above, Schenker doesn't sweep, tap, or do anything "gimmicky", he just plays amazing melodic stuff that is delivered with precision. I have a couple of DVD's (one from 1981 and another from 1997) of him and I'm constantly rewinding solos to try and figure them out.

I just started listening to him about a year ago and his playing absolutely blows me away. It is amazing how he does so much with what some may consider "simple" licks. Incredible!

[Horse Called War]

schenker

Like I said in a early post, I have a lot of old vinyl of MSG, UFO and all the old scorpions with Uli. These are some great music and playing.