Last year I started this section, concentrating on the Metal albums which have either meant the most to me over the years or which enhanced my enjoyment of the genre after having listened to them. This year I intend to continue this small exploration with another look at some albums which certainly fall under the category of
MSG --- Michael Schenker Group --- 1981 (Chrysalis)
Some people here might discount Schenker and the Scorpions as being more hard rock than Heavy Metal, and that’s probably a fair assessment, but this is my section and this album did have quite an effect on me. At the time, I believe I may have listened to one or two Scorpions albums (“Blackout”, “Animal magnetism” etc) and pretty much did not like them, and still don’t. For me, the screaming of vocalist Klaus Meines never really sat well, and I was not, nor probably ever will be, a fan of the Scorps. So why did I buy this album?
I’m not completely sure. It may have been one of those spur-of-the-moment purchases, it may have been cheap second hand or it may have been recommended by the Bible of Heavy Metal at the time, “Kerrang!” magazine. It’s even possible that Tommy at Sound Cellar, my local rock record shop, convinced me to try it. It’s over thirty years now, so don’t hold it against me if I can’t remember. But the main thing is that I really liked it, so much so that when the band came to town I went to see them, even though this was the only album I knew, and very little of the Scorpions’ output. And I really enjoyed it.
Of course, being the naive young kid I was at the time, I assumed that because it was the Michael Schenker Group that that was him singing, when of course it isn’t. Schenker was and is known for his expertise on the guitar, and here he does not disappoint, also participating in the writing of all but one of the tracks. There are only eight in all, but there are some really great ones.
With the rather unnecessary and perhaps rhetorical question in the title of the opener, “Are you ready to rock” starts us off with that trademark Schenker sound on the guitar, the late lamented Cozy Powell making his mark behind the drumkit. The song thunders along on rails of iron, giving the effect of a locomotive gathering speed as it heads off on its journey, and vocalist Gary Barden’s voice is a mixture of Heavy Metal and AOR, as we pile inot “Attack of the mad axeman”, which not surprisingly begins with a screaming solo from Schenker before Powell brings the beat, carrying the tune in a sort of blues/boogie style. Barden’s voice is slightly altered, almost as if filtered through something, but I think it’s just a sign of his versatility that he can achieve this.
To be honest, this is one of the tracks I liked least on the album. It’s quite catchy, almost too much so, and has a rather incongruous slow section in the middle, wherein rhythm guitarist Paul Raymond gets to display his prowess on the keys too, but Barden’s falsetto vocal is almost comical, especially given the harder-than-hard title of the track. Thankfully, Schenker rescues it at the end with a blazing solo that more or less takes it to its conclusion. Even the ending can’t really save the song though, and I found it quite disappointing and underwhelming. Not so “On and on”, which again affords Raymond the chance to fire up his synth in a
faux gentle passage that introduces the track before Schenker’s guitar comes through slowly but surely and the song takes off in a very Rainbow/Dio vein.
The chorus sees Barden return to the slightly annoying falsetto, but this is offset by some lovely harpsichordical piano from Paul Raymond. There were probably never going to be any hit singles from this album, but if they chose to release one this would have been my pick. Sadly, they just went with the opening track which, good as it is, is not single material and certainly no candidate for radio airplay. Still, the album did get into the top twenty in the UK, no mean feat for a Metal album, even in the heady days of the NWOBHM. The only track on which all five members of the band collaborate, “Let sleeping dogs lie” has a marching beat, subtle AOR flavour to it and some fine basswork from Chris Glenn. It’s a bit of a Texas strut sort of song, touches of early ZZ about it, and Raymond’s keyboards add a lot to it.
Barden is also in fine vocal form here, with Powell restricting himself to a pretty basic beat which nevertheless drives the song along. Any song, any album, any band was nothing if not enhanced by the presence of one of the greatest rock drummers the world has ever known. Superb solo from Schenker as ever, but I feel the song is let down a little by the unimaginative chorus. It’s more of a vehicle for the man whose name the band bears than really “Attack of the mad axeman” should have been, and the album is really just getting into its stride now as we reach one of the standouts.
Another opportunity for Raymond to flex his muscles on the keys, “But I want more” has a very classical, dramatic opening that runs for over a minute before Schenker and Powell kick it up and prove that it’s possible to write an AOR song that still fits really well into the Heavy Metal sphere. It’s almost three songs in one, with the atmospheric intro, the guitar-led first verse and then the straightahead rock of the rest of it, on which Barden really excels. It’s also the longest on the album, just shy of seven minutes. Smooth and emotional solo that would bring tears to the eyes of the late Gary Moore, and very much in his style, just completes a really excellent track.
The only ballad on the album, and the only track written solo by Paul Raymond, it’s not surprising that “Never trust a stranger” is heavily piano-oriented, but it is a powerful, emotional song, and another of my favourites with a superb hook in the chorus. It’s certainly nice to hear the piano when up to now all we’ve heard is synth, but of course you would not expect Schenker to allow himself to be left out, and so we get a blistering and very expressive solo from the man. We’re back rocking then with “Looking for love” --- which you’d kind of expect to have been the ballad, but there you go --- which bops along really well even if it is a little on the poppy side of things. A great solo at the end by Schenker tries to inject some rock fire into the song, and mostly succeeds, but it’s still a tad weak. But if my memory serves me --- and it’s been decades since I last listened to this album --- I believe it closes very badly.
“Secondary motion” starts out with a crying guitar then picks up a little with a nice hard rock groove, with a kind of Bryan Adams/Def Leppard feel to it, nice upbeat piano from Raymond and some solid drumming from Powell. Of course Schenker rocks it as ever, but I’m just left with a vague feeling that they stuck this on at the end, weren’t too bothered. I would have finished on “Looking for love” personally.
TRACKLISTING
1. Are you ready to rock?
2. Attack of the mad axeman
3. On and on
4. Let sleeping dogs lie
5. But I want more
6. Never trust a stranger
7. Looking for love
8. Secondary motion
Michael Schenker built up a massive reputation for himself, first in UFO then the Scorpions and finally as a solo aritste in his own right. Although I enjoyed this album I somehow never felt the need to explore his, or their, catalogue any further. I think the point is I liked it, but I didn’t love it. Nevertheless, listening back to it now I can see why I was impressed at the time. It’s not too long nor too short, has just the one ballad and plenty of guitar, and as I mentioned earlier, at the time I really thought to myself “Wow! That Michael Schenker is one hell of a singer too!”
What a dweeb!
