DVD Review: Michael Schenker Temple of Rock, Live in Europe

Text © Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen, 2010
Images from the Internet

 

Michael Schenker Temple of Rock, Live in Europe
Directed by Bernhard Baran (Tilburg) and Blue Leach (London)
In-akustik GmbH & Co.
135 minutes (including bonuses), 2012
In-akustik.com
Michaelschenkerhimself.com
MVDvisual.com

For the greater good or bad, Germans are known for their precision. With his guitar in hand, Michael Schenker has proven over the decades that he knows his way around a Metal fretboard. His decades on the stage and in the studio have rightfully made him a legend.

Despite his name on the helm, Schenker is a member of the band, standing to the side with fingers ablazing. This show is especially noteworthy because, as singer Doogie White says in his thick burr early on, that they had to erect a barrier in front of the stage because on it were three live Scorpions, invoking the band that earned the three world-wide prominence.

During the 1970s and ‘80s, while I was listening to a lot of basic I-IV-V on the stages of the likes of CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City, the closest I got to metal was probably Ross the Boss Funicello of the Dictators. Meanwhile, Schenker traveled the world living off his guitar in one of the better known, groundbreaking metal bands. He is exactly four months older than I am, and yet we are musically worlds apart.

The question this brings to me is, at what point does it start style becoming more focused on what Jacques Elull referred to as “technic” rather than on the music? With Hendrix, there was no doubt that he was music based, and no song sounded the same twice. Schenker is a superb musician, no one can argue with that and I would not even begin to broach the topic, and yet, I seriously wonder when does it become too clinical? Celine Dion is a surgical singer, and that makes her dry as a bone, all the emotion ripped out of her songs. That is not to say that Schenker’s guitar is emotionless, but it certainly borders on a Metal cliché, albeit technically sharp as a razor’s edge or a doctor’s scalpel, and one he helped foster.

The same can be said about vocalist Doogie. He hits all the notes, both literally and figuratively. He certainly can be seen as a Metal cliché: high pitch and wavering vocals (especially on the last note of each stanza line), leather vest over black tee-shirt, tight black pants, shoulder length hair, check, check and check. The Michael Schenker Group (MSG) has their sound down to a science, which is ironic that this tour is to promote the latest recording, the religiously metaphorically titled, Temple of Rock.

The fact is that the MSG is a multi-talented band from beginning to end. From what I read, Schenker particularly likes this group (sometimes he has different people back him from city to city, much as does Chuck Berry, the true king of Rock and Roll), and he used this line-up to do this European leg of the tour. Everyone on the stage seems to be having fun.

A good thing is that being as established as they are, they can focus on what they’re doing, rather than needing to rely on theatrics like jumping off speakers, or running around the stage like a mad person (now, that being said, Iggy does it an makes it work, but I digress…). There are no exploding pots of pyrotechnics, but rather a reliance on some of their varied classics, including “Armed and Ready,” “Another Piece of Meat,” “Shoot Shoot,” “Rock Bottom,” and their best known, “Rock Me Like a Hurricane,” with its ear worm chorus.

The DVD is broken up into two separate concerts in very different venues. The main section is taken from a show at the O13 theater in Tilburg, Netherlands, on May 13, 2011, then in the bonus section, there is a short set at the 2011 High Voltage Festival in London, on May 24, with a few songs repeated from the Tilburg show (see the set lists below). Both shows have different feels to them. One reason is musicianship.

At the Tilburg show, Doogie is in command of the band, and he and Schenker rightfully get the lion’s share of camera attention. There is a brief guitar solo by Wayne Findlay in the first half of “Rock Bottom” before Schenker takes back his guitar god mantle. Schenker’s recent collaborator, Michael Voss, comes out for a single song to vocalize for “Hanging On.”

At the open air High Voltage Fest, Voss is the sole vocalist, sans Doogie, and he does a fine job as well, giving a different flavor to the songs, being a lot more active on the stage. His voice is quite different than Doogie’s, and yet there are other similarities are astounding, with the shoulder length blond hair, and (cloth) vest over black shirt, and the high voice with the waiver at the end of the last word of the stanza sentence. I could be wrong, but I believe the band as a whole plays faster with Voss. His voice is also a bit rougher with a deep growl, which I actually like better. Doogie does come out for the last song, with Voss on harmony and cowbell. They are also joined for a couple of songs by Schenker’s brother, Rudolf (making it four members of the Scorpions on the same stage for “…Hurricane,” and with Voss picking up his ax as well, that’s a four-guitar wall of sound), ex-Journey singer Jeff Scott Soto, and UFO bassist Pete Way. This may excite some.

The other extra is a 10-minute pre-show backstage at O13, which has its moments, but is mostly uninteresting. Doogie is definitely the most entertaining here. Though, for a digression, it should be noted to Handsome Dick Manitoba (speaking of the Dictators), that Schenker is wearing a Yankees cap.

One thing I can say about the MSG, no matter what the incarnation, is that they are extremely high energy. There are a couple of ballads, but mostly this is full tilt, and they never waiver. Not bad for a bunch of guys in their ‘50s, most in the latter half of that decade.

But that begs a bigger question: why does Schenker dress like Justin Beiber?

Tilburg, Netherlands
Band:
Michael Schenker (lead guitar)
Doogie White (vocals)
Herman Rarebell (drums)
Francis Bucholtz (bass)
Wayne Findlay (rhythm guitar / keyboards)

Song list
Into the Arena
Armed and Ready
Lovedrive
Another Piece of Meat
Hanging On
Cry For the Nations
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Coast to Coast
Assault Attack
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Lights Out
On and On
Let it Roll
Shoot Shoot
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Rock Bottom
Encore:
Holiday
Blackout
Doctor Doctor

Bonus: 2011 High Voltage Festival in London¸ May 24
Band:
Michael Schenker (lead guitar)
Michael Voss (vocals)
Herman Rarebell (drums)
Elliot “Dean” Rubinson (bass)
Wayne Findlay (rhythm guitar / keyboards)

Song list
Armed and Ready
Another Piece of Meat
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Hanging On
Doctor Doctor



Bonus Video:

Jersey Beat’s Quiet Corner, Fall 2011: Part 4 of 4

Text © Robert Barry Francos, 2011
Originally in Jersey Beat webzine, 2011
Images and video from the Internet

Here are the reviews that were in my Quiet Corner column at the excellent Jersey Beat webzine (jerseybeat.com). Rather than publish all the reviews at once, I will be publishing them on this blog a few at a time. If I found a video of an exact version of a song from the release, I attached it. Other videos by these artists (usually live) exist, so you can check them out.

If you are in a band and want me to review your release, be it CD, vinyl, DVD or digital, write to me at rbf55@msn.com, or if it’s digital, just send it along.


Deciding to go the single name root, reggae singer Ruth A. Brown is now known simply as RUTH. While she has a full album in the making, she had released an eponymous EP (bran-nu.com), with five songs. The production is solid, glossy, and could easily be comfortable in the Top-10. But I decided to listen to it all the way, anyway. All five cuts are about love, as in being starry-eyed and at full tilt. While the best cut is “Unfamiliar Feelings,” the absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder “Jamtown” (slang for Jamaica) comes in an easy second. “I Love You” is good, if a bit predictable, and “Chillin’ with my Baby” is mostly fine, though the repeated title chorus gets a bit much. But then again, reggae is oft-times based on a repeated rhythm, so perhaps I am being narrow-minded. Now, I’m not sure if it’s the singer’s ego or she has a punk attitude (meant as a compliment, of course), but having an opening track of that professes her love for her guy while slamming music reviewers, “Here Come the Critics,” is nervy. Good for her. That being said, this isn’t hardcore reggae but with a definite pop feel to it, but she does apparently have a better voice than the limited amount I’ve heard of the over-produced and auto-tuned Rhianna. Now Ruth just needs to get a wider market.



KELLI SCARR has had quite the career, with the bands Moonraker, and Salt and Samovar, plus an acclaimed stint writing film soundtracks. Heck, she’s even toured with Moby (for which I will forgive her), as both his opening act and in his band (she co-sang his “Wait for Me” with him on the 2009 release). On Piece (Silence Breaks, c/o myspace.com/kelliscarr), her style is slow ballads reminiscent of Julee Cruise (though not that laconic). Along with some break-up tunes (“Break Up,” “So Long”), there is also lots of introspective life reflections, such as lullabies to her son. Definitely 33 in a 45 world, the tunes are mellow, but hardly dull. There’s a bit too much self-vocal overdubbing, but her voice is sweet so it all comes out on the positive side. The music is a bit electronic keyboard heavy (her instrument) but not obnoxiously so. In fact, she wields the instrument incredibly well, with no rinky-dink plunking, just using the right amount to highlight the songs. Good second cup of coffee in the morning music.



Ubber German metal flash guitarist Michael Schenker was in the bands Scorpion and UFO during the mid- to late-1970s, and, then he formed his MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP in 1980. Now there is the nearly 2-hour, 2-CD 30th Anniversary Concert: Live in Tokyo (in-akustik.com), a reunion of most of his original orchestra taped early in 2010. Schenker is a helluva guitarist, whizzing up and down the fretboard of his custom Flying V guitar, and there is the occasional solo by other musicians, such as excellent bassist Neil Murray (from Whitesnake), drummer Simon Phillips (whose huge kit include a double bass) and rhythm guitarist / keyboardist Wayne Findlay, but this is Schenker’s show. My biggest problem with the band, though, is lead vocalist Gary Barden, who has bounced in and out of the band over the years. He’s a decent singer, but his style is formulaic for the genre, and his vocals are, well, certainly not idiosyncratic, like Joey Ramone, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Bon Scott, Lemmy, or Donna “She Wolf” Nasr. He certainly does seem to be having a lot of fun though, as is the Japanese crowd. However, the first number that really got my attention was the 10th one, “Into the Arena,” which I realized most of the way through was an instrumental. From the short (“Welcome Howl” comes in under 2 minutes) to the lengthy (“Rock Bottom” is nearly 13 minutes), there is a fine range of styles and feel, speed and tempo. I’m never going to be a metal head, but I can appreciate what the band is doing, and they manage it with surgical precision. There is also a DVD of this concert available from Inakustik.



What a difference a finger at a console makes. FRED SHAFER has a new release, Resistor (fredshafer.com), and the possibilities for this solid rocker are far and wide. His songs are pretty strong with a firm rock bottom, but... This was co-produced by Shafer and Jamey Perrenot, the latter having worked with the likes of Taylor Swift and LeAnn Rimes. In other words, Perrenot knows all the tricks of the trade to make this release so slick that it collapses under its own weight. Yeah, this can be played on the radio as is now, and that most likely is the goal, but this is just so slick that there is no room for it to breathe, all compressed and balanced to the point of the loss of soul (small “s”). There have been a number of great bands that have been damaged by gloss, like Get Wet, Blondie after the first album, and the Dead Boys’ second. I would like to hear him live to see what he actually sounds like. Meanwhile, there are some decent songs here, like “Mama” and “Going Blind,” and his vocal has the right amount of growl in the back of it. It’s just a bit too mainstream for my taste these days.


Imagine if Patti Smith had listened to Delta folk rather than the Rolling Stones before recording “Piss Factory,” and that could give you some idea of what PEG SIMONE and crew do on Secrets From the Storm (myspace.com/pegsimone). Starting off with the epic 22-minute poetry piece “Levee / 1927,” based on songs by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy, the twangy guitar goes on for a while before the spoken word verse begins, telling of a dead body that’s come to the surface after being buried in mud for a while. After the poem part, Peg sings the next part. It’s an interesting and intriguing experiment. The other four pieces, all originals by Peg (and sometimes Holly Anderson) average around four minutes, but are of similar style, with a bluegrassy slide guitar and bass (and occasional piano and drum), and Peg either talking, whispering, or singing over it. It definitely kept my attention throughout. This is thoughtful and complex, even though it is apparently based on simple riffs, but its depth is surprisingly effective, even if the lyrics / poetry is sometimes cryptic.



THE SUPERBEES release, Top of the Rocks (acetate.com), sounds like it could have come out in 1977, or they could have been on a double bill with the Heartbreakers or Gizmos. They have a raw and solid post-New York punk sound that will definitely rock you. Solid musicianship with great songs makes this too-short 6-songer fly by. “The Lonely Kind,” backed with extra vocals by Reggie Kat, just wails. The Superbees sound like they’d be a riot live by any indication of this release. I may have to search out their previous full-lengther. Not a bad song here.



RUSTY WILLOUGHBY was in the bands Pure Joy and Flop: opposite names with the same result of career stagnation. Here is his second solo release, Cobirds Unite (Local638records.com), and while I can’t predict success, I will say this is a well-thought out collection. Well, the ‘80s post-psych and ‘90s grunge were unsuccessful for him, but the neo-country he’s doing now is definitely a step up. An example of this success is definitely “Streets of Baltimore” (where he shares the vox with Rachel Flotard). His press keeps comparing him to Gram Parsons, which is ridiculous, but it can give you some idea of the direction Rusty is going. A question I have is whether this course is what he wants to do, or the track he thinks will work – two very different things, though I ask it as rhetorical. Rusty does seem to be comfortable in this genre of mixing country with soft rock, mostly leaning toward the latter, thankfully, since it works better with his voice, such as on the short opener “Wrecker of the Heart.” Topic-wise, a lot of it is wishin’ and hopin’ for love. He has a good feeling for melody, and sounds good in harmony. Hopefully, this will be his successful milieu.


I’m going to assume you have been reading this column for a while and know where my music heart snuggles. Here’s some info about Nova Scotia’s “atmospheric indie” (as they’ve been called) band WINTERSLEEP: their last album won a Juno (Canadian equiv of the Grammy) for Best New Band, and they opened for Pearl Jam; so where do you think I sit with their fourth release, New Inheritors (wintersleep.com)? Well, the press release compares them to Pearl Jam, Band of Horses and Interpol, three bands that have never meant anything to me. And Pearl Jam always seemed a bit harder than this. Don’t get me wrong, these guys play the crap outta their music, but it’s just a bit slick for me, almost like neo-prog. I mean, “Blood Collection” is pretty good, but I’d want to hear them more stripped down without all the studio overlays. But then, when dealing with an “atmospheric” band, that’s just about what a fan of the genre would want to hear, right? I’m torn, because I can tell this band is certainly talented, and know their way around their style and instruments, and also around a studio, but it’s not something I would ever go out (or stay in) to listen to without a specific reason. I don’t know, perhaps they’re more interesting live. Again, this is me talking about what I get outta the band, not the way they are performing (which is why this is a review, not a critique). Okay, rambling aside, if you like the bands mentioned as comparisons, perhaps check them out, or hear some of their samples. If this band touches you in your musical heart, all the better.



KATHY ZIMMER has such a lovely voice. I find people who have some operatic training tend to force their vocals, but not Kathy. The proof is further expressed in her new 5-song EP, Opening Band (kathyzimmermusic.com). It’s by sheer luck I ran into Kathy at a Tamara Hey show a couple years back, but I’m grateful, because now I have the chance to introduce you to her, once again. Right from the first song, “Fairytale,” she lilts and tilts her tunes over and around her acoustic guitar. Swirling about as well are an electric guitar, violin and percussion. She continues the light ballad trend through all the originals here, giving the listener a warm, cozy feeling. All five are keepers, so go for it. Oh, lest I forget, my only complaint about the whole thing is that all the CD covers are hand-put-together, so no two are identical, and being the collector I am, I didn’t want to break the seal! But I did, and it was worth it…

DVD Review: The Michael Schenker Group: The 30th Anniversary Concert, Live in Tokyo

Text © Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen, 2010
Images from the Internet

The Michael Schenker Group: The 30th Anniversary Concert, Live in Tokyo
Directed by Shin Yamamoto and/or Kiyoshi Iwasawas
In-akustik GmbH & Co. KG, 2010
135 minutes, USD $19.95
In-akustik.com
Michaelschenkerhimself.com
MVDvisual.com

When ubber German metal flash guitarist Michael Schenker was in his earlier bands Scorpion and UFO during the mid- to late-1970s, well, I was listening to the polar opposite of the Ramones. His music never once came into my radar, though I was aware of the names. Those ensembles were lumped in my mind with every other metal and hair metal band, which sounded like one screechy noise to me. I was on the lo-fi with sloppy guitar groups like the Heartbreakers and much of the rest of the New York Scene. Mind you, there were some amazing guitarists back then, such as Tom Verlaine, Ross the Boss, and the underrated Howard Bowler, but it was a totally different genre (with the Dictators being the closest).

Well, it’s now 30 years after Schenker formed his Michael Schenker Group (MSG) in 1980, and this DVD is a reunion of most of his original orchestra on January 13th, 2010, held at Nakano Sun Plaza in Japan, one leg of the 5-concert series, and this is the first time I’m experiencing them.

There is no doubt about it in my mind, Schenker is a helluva guitarist, whizzing up and down the fretboard of his custom flying V guitar; as noted in the liner notes, he plays only on Dean Guitars (since 2004, he reveals in a bonus short). Though there is the occasional solo by other musicians, such as excellent bassist Neil Murray (from Whitesnake), drummer Simon Phillips (whose huge kit include a double bass and single snare) and rhythm guitarist / keyboardist Wayne Findlay (who gets short attention here), this is Schenker’s show, and the musicianship shows. There may have been dark periods of Schenker’s 55-year life (substance abuse, martial problems, poverty, etc.), but he is in fine form here, and certainly seems to be having a lot of fun, often cradling the V on his crotch as he fingers away.

The direction of the complete show, taped in HD, is strong, though the cutting at every 5 beats on average is a bit strenuous for the viewer (this one, anyway), and I found it a bit difficult to focus as much as I wanted on the musical acumen of each participant as the camera kept bouncing from one player to the next. During a solo, I like to see the work, but maybe that’s just me.

My biggest problem with the band, though, is lead vocalist Gary Barden, who has bounced in and out of the band over the years, but has been the main focus of vox in recordings. Yeah, he’s definitely a decent singer, hitting the notes and all, but his style is formulaic for the genre, and his vocals are, well, certainly not idiosyncratic. What I’m trying to say is that he doesn’t sound individualistic. When Joey Ramone sings, you know it’s him. Same with Handsome Dick Manitoba, Bon Scott, Lemmy, or Donna “She Wolf” Nasr, if one wants to be closer to the MSG genre. I will give him some nods that he certainly seems to be having a lot of fun, and that is transferred to the Japanese crowd, who often sing along en masse, and thereby to the DVD viewer. However, I should also note that the first number that really got my attention was the 10th one in, “Into the Arena,” which I realized most of the way through was an instrumental (sans Barden). Again, I am not saying Barden is a bad singer, not at all; he just doesn’t really stand out for me. But he certainly is comfortable in the role, which is reassuring on some level.

But it is important to remember that the hey-day of MSG is in the ‘80s, and some of what is now formulaic was started by them, such as taking the metal sound and adding some progressive elements to it. As part of the full concert retrospective series that the German label Inakustik has been releasing (this is the second I’ve seen), they are doing admirable work focusing on guitar-oriented music of various genres. In a similar vein, this is a showcase overview for the lengthy MSG history.

From the short (“Welcome Howl” comes in under 2 minutes) to the lengthy (“Rock Bottom” is nearly 13 minutes), there is a fine range of styles and feel, speed and tempo, covered within the framework of this 1 hour and 45 minute concert. Actually “Rock Bottom,” is one of two songs I really liked that showed up in the encores, the other being the finale “Doctor, Doctor.” “Rock” has a very long solo that varies in many ways, and “Doctor” has a good riff to it.

The audience through the whole show is very appreciative, and often sings along; Barden is happy and enjoying that he can hold out the mic and have a couple of thousand people sing the chorus, as he does often on “Doctor.”

I’m never going to be a metal head, but I can appreciate what the band is doing, and they manage it with surgical precision.

There are two extras on the DVD. The first is “The L.A. Rehearsal.” Between short bursts of them playing inside a tight-fitting studio are some band interviews which is what makes this 21 minutes-long videolog the most interesting. Schenker discusses his early years going from band to band and back for reunions, and then the varied history of MSG. Each member of this line-up gets to talk a bit, such as drummer Simon discussing how he was on only the first MSG album because he was still in the Jeff Beck Group at the time, and how bassist Neil came to play on this tour after having Whitesnake play a few times with Schenker’s bands back in the ‘70s. Even their roadie / occasional percussionist, Roberto Carrero, gets to talk about some equipment issues he’s had to solve on the road.

In the 8 minute second bonus, “Backstage Impressions,” basically a camera follows Schenker around from his arrival at the Sun Plaza, backstage, during the soundcheck, as they take their bows, his leaving the venue, and then stopping to shake hands and sign autographs for the fans waiting outside. While minor in content, it was very enjoyable to watch some snapshots of what it was like for the band.

Songlist
Welcome Howl
Feels Like a Good Thing
Cry For the Nations
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Armed and Ready
Victim of Illusion
Are You Ready to Rock
I Want You
A Night to Remember
Into the Arena
Lost Horizons
Rock My Nights Away
On and On
Attack of the Mad Axeman
Encore
Ride On My Way
Rock Bottom
Second encore
Dance Lady Gipsy
Doctor, Doctor