Guitarist Michael Schenker recently appeared on the Appetite For Distortion podcast, to promote the September 20th release of his new album, My Years With UFO, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Schenker’s tenure with UFO.
During the chat, which can be heard below, Michael Schenker reveals how he got Axl Rose and Slash from Guns N’ Roses to contribute to My Years With UFO. An excerpt has been transcribed as follows:
Schenker: “When Michael Voss, my co-producer, and I, we started putting down my guitars, and as we did that, we had no idea what we were gonna do… nothing had been discussed. And so as we were putting down the music, we thought, ‘Oh, what about this? What about that? What about who?’ Everybody had some ideas. And so, actually, everybody who participated on this album was added to the whole idea from different sources and different times. So, basically, with Axl and Slash — Slash, I was always interested in doing something with him, but I guess when Michael first approached him that we’re doing the best of UFO and read him the songtitles, he was for it. And when we met in the Frankfurt recording studio, we were both going there to jam ‘Mother Mary’.”
“I had my technician there and my amplifier, and Slash brought his guys and his amplifier, and actually Slash ended up playing with my amplifier. And we were supposed to do a jam, but then I realized, ‘Hey, Michael, I already put all my guitars down. Why we are wasting time doing additional stuff? I already like what I did.’ So I was more into focusing on Slash and getting great takes and add them to what I already had done. And Slash liked that idea. And then also, when he came in, he said, ‘Michael, I just told Axl that I was going to do this, and that I’m on my way to do this. And he said, ‘I wanna sing a song too.’ And I said to Slash, ‘That would be fantastic. Ask Axl which song he would like to do.’ And so actually Axl ended up singing ‘Too Hot To Handle’, ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Love To Love’. But I think they also were on tour at the time, and so Axl was not actually happy with his performance on ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Too Hot To Handle’. And I guess it was too many songs, because they were in the middle of a tour, and he preferred to just focus on ‘Love To Love’. And he is a perfectionist, I have noticed, and so we waited until he was ready, and then finally he went, ‘Okay, ‘Love To Love’. I approve. You can release it. And that was it.”
The world of rock guitar has always been illuminated by a few virtuosic stars who shine brighter than the rest, and among them, Michael Schenker stands out as a comet blazing across the night sky. His tenure with the British hard rock band UFO during the 1970s remains one of the most celebrated periods in the annals of rock, elevating UFO from underground sensations to rock legends.
Now, in 2024, Michael Schenker is set to celebrate those glory days with his new album, My Years With UFO, alongside today’s rock elite.
Produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss, the new album marks the 50th anniversary of Schenker’s era with UFO, spanning from 1972 to 1978. The “German Wunderkind” was asked to join UFO at just 17 years old. Touring the globe as a teenager, Schenker became a driving force behind some of UFO’s most loved tracks, such as “Doctor Doctor,” “Rock Bottom,” and “Only You Can Rock Me.”
The first single off the new album, “Mother Mary,” breathes new life into this classic, bringing together Michael Schenker’s and Slash’s unmatched guitar work with Erik Grönwall’s soaring vocals.
Stream/download “Mother Mary” here, and watch a visualizer for the song below.
Although Michael Schenker’s era with UFO spanned only six years, his influence as a young songwriter and exceptional guitarist had already left a lasting mark on rock. During these meteoric years, the UFO albums Phenomenon, Force It, No Heavy Petting, Lights Out, Obsession, and the seminal live album Strangers In The Night were recorded, each contributing significantly to the genre. Strangers In The Night particularly stands out as one of the most influential live rock albums of all time and is still regarded as a cornerstone in any rock enthusiast’s collection.
In this celebratory album, Michael Schenker presents 11 of UFO’s greatest hits from this magical era with an impressive lineup of guest stars. Joining Schenker on this journey are Derek Sherinian on keys’ Brian Tichy on drums’ and Barry Sparks on bass.
The stellar roster of guest artists includes Axl Rose, Slash, Kai Hansen, Roger Glover, Joey Tempest, Biff Byford, Jeff Scott Soto, John Norum, Dee Snider, Joel Hoekstra, Joe Lynn Turner, Carmine Appice, Adrian Vandenberg, Michael Voss, Stephen Pearcy, and Erik Grönwall.
This album is the introduction to an upcoming trilogy, as Michael Schenker has signed an exclusive three-album deal with earMUSIC, with additional albums to follow in 2025 and 2026.
The release of “Mother Mary” sets the stage for what promises to be one of the most exciting rock albums of 2024.
My Years With UFO will be released worldwide on September 20th via earMUSIC and is available for pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
“Natural Thing” (Feat. Dee Snider + Joel Hoekstra)
“Only You Can Rock Me” (Feat. Joey Tempest + Roger Glover)
“Doctor Doctor” (Feat. Joe Lynn Turner + Carmine Appice)
“Mother Mary” (Feat. Slash + Erik Grönwall)
“This Kids” (Feat. Biff Byford)
“Love to Love” (Feat. Axl Rose)
“Lights Out” (Feat. Jeff Scott Soto + John Norum)
“Rock Bottom” (Feat. Kai Hansen)
“Too Hot Too Handle” (Feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg, + Carmen Appice)
“Let It Roll” (Feat. Michael Voss)
“Shoot Shoot” (Feat. Stephen Pearcy)
“Mother Mary” visualizer:
(Photo – Tallee Savage)