MSG’s “Assault Attack” album had been received well, but with lead singer Graham Bonnett sacked after just one gig of that tour, former lead singer Gary Barden was brought back into the fold, to complete the tour, and then also perform on the band’s follow up album, “Built to Destroy”, the episode of which you can find in Season 5 of this podcast. It was on the tour to promote this album that it was decided to record some shows once again for a second live album release, following the “One Night at Budokan” live album from 1982. The site chosen was the two night performance the band played at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 22-23 October of 1983.
No one knew it at the time of course, but this was to become a significant album in the history of the Michael Schenker Group band. In a four year period, the group had released four studio albums, and the live album that would be released from this tour would be their second live album. From the outside it appeared to be a solid core grouping, which for the live shows had added Derek St Holmes as rhythm guitarist to back up Schenker’s lead, and tellingly also added great back up vocals to the show. And the quality of this album – which we’ll get to – should have set this line up in stone going forward, with plenty more albums to come. Instead, it was the final outing for the line up and for the band in its current form. And anyone who has listened this album and enjoyed the ones released before this, will know that that could surely have only come about because of the volatility that the band’s eponymous leader could have created.
In the modern age, there are two versions of this album, both excellent without putting down the other. The original 1984 version was released as a single LP, which contained nine tracks from that performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, which left six tracks out from the actual set list performed on that tour and those two nights. Then in 2009, a remastered and restored edition of the album was released on CD, which includes the entire setlist restored from those gigs. And it sounds great, and all of the songs they play are terrific. In this day and age, that is the version you would get if you were going out to buy the album. But my version has always been the original, and it is the version I know so well.
Those six songs initially left off of the single LP version are great, but to be honest there’s only a couple you would really miss if you didn't know about it. “Cry for the Nations” and “Rock You to the Ground” are both good songs, but taken out of the setlist from where they were, they promote “Attack of the Mad Axeman” up the order to come after “Are You Ready to Rock”, which actually improves the album output. "Courvoisier Concerto" is only a two minute interval at best, and its deletion is no great loss. And of the three songs that lead up to the encore, “Red Sky”, “Looking for Love” and “Armed and Ready”, once again you don’t miss them not being there on the first release of the album. It all depends on whether you are a traditionalist and want to indulge in the original album, and be a completist and have the whole concert to listen to. Both are great.
Because of the songs left off, the original is jammed packed with the brilliance of those first four albums the band released. Opening with the wonderful instrumental “Captain Nemo”, it is a great way to start the concert and the album, and the segue straight into “Rock My Nights Away” is also superb. It is a terrific up tempo track that is also upbeat and bright, and a mood lifter whenever it comes on. A great way to start off this live album. This is followed by the standard bearer of the album “Are You Ready to Rock” which has always been one of the band’s best tracks and sets down the platform for what is to follow. And what is to follow is still MSG’s signature and best track, “Attack of the Mad Axeman”, always better in the live environment musically, but perhaps not vocally. It is still one of those tracks that the vocals were written and performed in a way that made it very hard to reproduce live, at least with Barden on the mic. The second great MSG instrumental track “Into the Arena” follows, before the title track from this live album and one of the main songs off the album they were touring on, “Built to Destroy” follows, “Rock Will Never Die”. It sounds great here live.
I did say earlier that “Attack of the Mad Axeman” could be considered as the band’s best song. On reflection, it probably only ranks as second, as the next song here, “Desert Song”, is actually probably their best. I’d rather have heard Graham Bonnet singing it – as he did on the Alcatrazz live album that was reviewed on this podcast recently – but this is still a great version. Following up is a terrific version of “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” which ups the energy of the studio version nicely. The album, and therefore concert, concludes with Schenker’s signature song from his previous band UFO, the always classic “Doctor Doctor”, which also includes special guests Klaus Meine from Scorpions on co-lead vocals, as well as Michael’s brother Ralf on rhythm guitar. It’s a nice way to end the album, and as it turns out, endings of another type as well.
Back in my all-too-short university days, where I absolutely did not do enough work to come close to passing certain subjects, and during which I was not in the happiest mood of my life, the Michael Schenke Group was one of those artists that I grabbed onto hard, and who got me through a lot of dark days during that 18 month period. I first had three songs from this album taped onto the end of a cassette that my heavy metal music dealer had made for me of another album, the title of which has faded into the mists of time. But I remember those songs well, and how much I enjoyed them. I then happened upon this album at my favourite second hand store, Illawarra Books and Records, in that first year of uni, and it kept me company at home and in the car for a year afterwards. It is basically a best of album of the band, but performed live, and I loved every song on it. This, alongside “Built to Destroy” and “Assault Attack” were my constant companions during that era.
This has always been one of my favourite live albums of any band, and it remains it to this day. I have had this back in rotation for this episode for the last three weeks and it has still been a joy every time it comes on. And it truly hits the mark of what I’ve always considered the hallmark of the live album – that it should contain the best songs that the band does, it their best environment, so a live album should almost always be a 10/10 album. For me, “Rock Will Never Die” absolutely has that status.
As I have alluded to however, this was to be the swansong for the Michael Schenker Group, or at last, the halcyon days of the band. Following this tour, Schenker moved on from all of the members of the band, and joined up with vocalist Robin McAuley as his new partner, and then renamed the band the McAuley Schenker Group while retaining the same logo. It began a new era, a skewed direction, and many more years of music for the legendary guitarist. For his first iteration of the band though, the best was now in the past.
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