Perhaps the important part about this era of the band is that the writing style of the songs was directly aimed at radio airplay and commerciality. That is not to say that they didn’t want that, but they didn’t directly write the songs in a manner that would lend itself to that kind of arrangement. Schenker’s prominence with UFO brought with it a following in itself, and with Raymond also now involved it brought that audience with them to see what they could produce, and Cozy’s followers from several bands he had been involved with did the same. And though Gary Barden was very much an integral piece of the band, both by being the lead vocalist as well as being heavily involved in the writing of the songs, it was still the strength of his voice that sometimes caused concerns – or at least, it did from a listeners point of view.
The album itself starts off on the right foot. Although it the modern age and the way heavy metal music has developed over the years it may appear to be a plodder and somewhat dated, "Are You Ready To Rock" was always a great opening to the album on its release. Its catchy chorus and dedicated guitar riff drive the song along while allowing all of the individuals in the band to make their presence felt early on. This segues straight into the song that perhaps more than any other song post-UFO has become Schenker’s signature, the one that defined him and who he was. Though the lyrics are based around the antics of psychotic serial killer, there’s no doubt that the title of the song could be literally explained as being about Michael Schenker himself, suggesting that when he lets loose on his guitar it is his attack, and given that many of his contemporaries felt he was extremely difficult to work with because he was mad (which can be easily backed up by the number of artists he has had working with him over the years, and the very short amount of time each of them ins able to stay in the band), then the title of “Attack of the Mad Axeman” always felt like an appropriate title for him. It has always been one of my five favourite Michael Schenker songs, dominated by the solo that is pure Schenker in output. This flows straight into "On and On", another top shelf Schenker song with a great vocal feel as well as riff line, and is followed by “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” where Barden’s vocals are at their best and Schenker’s guitar work is again absolutely superb.
The second side of the album is unable to live up to the overall excellence of the first side. “But I Want More” feels more like that is what they are doing with the song, in essence it feels like a short song being extended into an inconsequential jam on stage that should have finished about five minutes before it actually does. Schenker’s guitaring through the back half of the song is great but it doesn’t feel like it is going anywhere. Then comes the rock ballad, “Never Trust a Stranger”, written solely by Paul Raymond, and it feels more like a solo song than a band song. His keyboard dominates the first half of the song which just sighs along like ballads do while Barden’s vocals find the element that he seems to prefer, which is a little disconcerting seeing as he should be a hard rock singer rather than a rock ballad singer in this band. The song is saved from being a total disaster by Schenker’s solo break in the middle, but it seems like a strange choice to throw in here. Order is restored with the harder, rockier faster pace of “Looking for Love”, which not only showcases all of the band in a much better fashion it has Schenker dominating the middle to end of the song with a scorching solo that much better defines the joy of MSG than any half cut ballad does. Somewhat sadly, the album concludes with “Secondary Motion”, a song that is unsettled throughout between what it should be and what it turns out to be, as though the band is unsure exactly what style the song should be. Again, at least Schenker’s guitar is able to play us out but it just could have been a much better end than the way it was written. Or – am I just being over critical? There is always that possibility... but I’m not.
I’ve had a special place in my music heart for many years for Michael Schenker, so much so that I can look past some pretty average music to see the gems that sparkle amongst it. And if I was to give an honest appraisal of his work since 1980 – and probably even before that – it would be that he has a great knack of writing some bloody brilliant tracks, and then just as many that don’t quite hit the mark. And most of that is just through my own musical taste, because he does an amazing job of having the same situation crop up with almost every album he is involved in. There are the brilliant tracks, heavy and loaded with guitar riffage goodness, there are the average songs that may not be special but generally also have some great guitar moments, and then there are the slower ballady tracks that get mixed in which for me tend to shut down the overall enjoyment of the money. I am of the opinion that you could pick me out any two MSG albums form any era, and by throwing out the slower stuff I could make any of them better by combining the best tracks into one.
In many way, MSG has dated since its release, steeped as it is in its mid-to-late 70’s styled guitar and keyboards moments along with Barden’s pleasant but not overtly strong vocals. The top shelf tracks still do the business, while the others feel as though they are in the wrong place entirely. The shining light continues as ever to be Schenker’s guitaring, which to be honest is the reason we all come into these albums. And at least there was not the aim for commercialisation on this album as was the case a little further down the track, when even Schenker’s guitar was basically shelved in the name of finding a radio hit.
For me, this is still one of my favourite Michael Schenker Group albums. Perhaps it has its couple of flaws, and perhaps it is dated with age around the edges, but fans of the band will still enjoy it today BECAUSE of what it is, and not because of what it is seen to be by others.
The album itself starts off on the right foot. Although it the modern age and the way heavy metal music has developed over the years it may appear to be a plodder and somewhat dated, "Are You Ready To Rock" was always a great opening to the album on its release. Its catchy chorus and dedicated guitar riff drive the song along while allowing all of the individuals in the band to make their presence felt early on. This segues straight into the song that perhaps more than any other song post-UFO has become Schenker’s signature, the one that defined him and who he was. Though the lyrics are based around the antics of psychotic serial killer, there’s no doubt that the title of the song could be literally explained as being about Michael Schenker himself, suggesting that when he lets loose on his guitar it is his attack, and given that many of his contemporaries felt he was extremely difficult to work with because he was mad (which can be easily backed up by the number of artists he has had working with him over the years, and the very short amount of time each of them ins able to stay in the band), then the title of “Attack of the Mad Axeman” always felt like an appropriate title for him. It has always been one of my five favourite Michael Schenker songs, dominated by the solo that is pure Schenker in output. This flows straight into "On and On", another top shelf Schenker song with a great vocal feel as well as riff line, and is followed by “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” where Barden’s vocals are at their best and Schenker’s guitar work is again absolutely superb.
The second side of the album is unable to live up to the overall excellence of the first side. “But I Want More” feels more like that is what they are doing with the song, in essence it feels like a short song being extended into an inconsequential jam on stage that should have finished about five minutes before it actually does. Schenker’s guitaring through the back half of the song is great but it doesn’t feel like it is going anywhere. Then comes the rock ballad, “Never Trust a Stranger”, written solely by Paul Raymond, and it feels more like a solo song than a band song. His keyboard dominates the first half of the song which just sighs along like ballads do while Barden’s vocals find the element that he seems to prefer, which is a little disconcerting seeing as he should be a hard rock singer rather than a rock ballad singer in this band. The song is saved from being a total disaster by Schenker’s solo break in the middle, but it seems like a strange choice to throw in here. Order is restored with the harder, rockier faster pace of “Looking for Love”, which not only showcases all of the band in a much better fashion it has Schenker dominating the middle to end of the song with a scorching solo that much better defines the joy of MSG than any half cut ballad does. Somewhat sadly, the album concludes with “Secondary Motion”, a song that is unsettled throughout between what it should be and what it turns out to be, as though the band is unsure exactly what style the song should be. Again, at least Schenker’s guitar is able to play us out but it just could have been a much better end than the way it was written. Or – am I just being over critical? There is always that possibility... but I’m not.
I’ve had a special place in my music heart for many years for Michael Schenker, so much so that I can look past some pretty average music to see the gems that sparkle amongst it. And if I was to give an honest appraisal of his work since 1980 – and probably even before that – it would be that he has a great knack of writing some bloody brilliant tracks, and then just as many that don’t quite hit the mark. And most of that is just through my own musical taste, because he does an amazing job of having the same situation crop up with almost every album he is involved in. There are the brilliant tracks, heavy and loaded with guitar riffage goodness, there are the average songs that may not be special but generally also have some great guitar moments, and then there are the slower ballady tracks that get mixed in which for me tend to shut down the overall enjoyment of the money. I am of the opinion that you could pick me out any two MSG albums form any era, and by throwing out the slower stuff I could make any of them better by combining the best tracks into one.
In many way, MSG has dated since its release, steeped as it is in its mid-to-late 70’s styled guitar and keyboards moments along with Barden’s pleasant but not overtly strong vocals. The top shelf tracks still do the business, while the others feel as though they are in the wrong place entirely. The shining light continues as ever to be Schenker’s guitaring, which to be honest is the reason we all come into these albums. And at least there was not the aim for commercialisation on this album as was the case a little further down the track, when even Schenker’s guitar was basically shelved in the name of finding a radio hit.
For me, this is still one of my favourite Michael Schenker Group albums. Perhaps it has its couple of flaws, and perhaps it is dated with age around the edges, but fans of the band will still enjoy it today BECAUSE of what it is, and not because of what it is seen to be by others.
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