Michael Schenker's Revelations

WHETHER HE’S TALKING ABOUT THE SCORPIONS, UFO, HIS NEW ALBUM OR THE “DISTORTION OF HIS IMAGE,” THE GERMAN GUITAR LEGEND IS AS CANDID AS EVER.

- Mark McStea

IT’S BEEN ALMOST 50 YEARS SINCE MICHAEL SCHENKER MADE HIS recording debut at age 16 on the Scorpions’debut album, 1972’s Lonesome Crow. From the start it was obvious he was at playing a level that was well beyond many of his contemporaries. This little detail was noticed by U.K. rockers UFO, who poached Schenker from the Scorpions in 1974 after witnessing his chops first-hand. Their first album together, Phenomenon, was a game-changer for UFO in terms of their commercial appeal. Schenker had everything — the guitar hero image, the chops and the iconic Gibson Flying V. Fame didn’t sit well with him, however, and he developed a reputation for unreliability and unpredictability. He left UFO in 1978 ahead of the release of 1979’s Strangers in the Night, an oft-cited contender for the title of greatest live album of all time. After a brief return to the Scorpions for Lovedrive in 1978, Schenker filled guitar hot seats with Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and Ian Hunter. He calls this period — the era leading up to forming The Michael Schenker Group with vocalist Gary Barden — his “first phase.”

The ensuing “second phase” saw Schenker endure a roller-coaster of highs and lows. The highs included his time with McAuley Schenker Group and a brief return to UFO; the lows involved personal problems that saw him endure a costly divorce, and a period where he seemed to have cut himself adrift from the world of rock. Schenker’s current “third phase” kicked in when he realized he was no longer suffering from stage fright in 2008 — and he began to actively relish performing.