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. Read more details about this release, here.
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 former Skid Row singer Erik Grönwall‘s soaring vocals.
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 keyboards, Brian Tichy on drums, and Barry Sparks on bass.
The stellar roster of guest artists includes Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses),Slash (Guns N’ Roses),Kai Hansen (Helloween),Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Joey Tempest (Europe), Biff Byford (Saxon), Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen, Journey), John Norum (Europe), Dee Snider(Twisted Sister), Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake),Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow),Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus),Adrian Vandenberg (Whitesnake), Michael Voss, Stephen Pearcy (Ratt) and Erik Grönwall (Skid Row).
This album is the introduction to an upcoming trilogy, as Michael Schenkerhas signed an exclusive three-album deal with earMUSIC, with additional albums to follow in 2025 and 2026.
Today’s 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 through earMUSIC and is available for pre-order.
My Years With UFO track listing:
1. Natural Thing (feat. Dee Snider, Joel Hoekstra)
2. Only You Can Rock Me (feat. Joey Tempest, Roger Glover)
3. Doctor, Doctor (feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Carmine Appice)
4. Mother Mary (feat. Slash, Erik Grönwall)
5. This Kids (feat. Biff Byford)
6. Love To Love (feat. Axl Rose)
7. Lights Out (feat. Jeff Scott Soto, John Norum)
8. Rock Bottom (feat. Kai Hansen)
9. Too Hot To Handle (feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg, Carmine Appice)
10. Let It Roll (feat. Michael Voss)
11. Shoot, Shoot (feat. Stephen Pearcy)
4 Responses
Grönwell did a great job on these vocals, this is really good.
I agree this kicks major azzzzz! The guitars sound so full and overall just killer. Made me pre-order the vinyl actually!
Erik Gronwall is a superb vocalist. I think there’s more to the story about his departure from Skid Row. By flying solo, he might not be locked to a contract that will allow him more opportunities for guest appearances and solo recordings. Some bands won’t allow replacement singers to venture out beyond the brand.Joining that band did give him a wider exposure but I just had the feeling it wasn’t going to be for very long. He is now a free agent and ultimately will be better off financially as well. He’s still young
For me you can’t top the original solo it’s one of the all time great guitar solos ever , Phil’s voice can’t do better either .. sorry I’ll take the original over this every single time ~