I have, this very day, received an email about the upcoming release of a mighty box set of vintage Michael Schenker Group live stuff from the glory years in the 1980s.
Schenker and MSG were untouchable back then. That legendary debut album was just the start of it. And the first CD in this box set is from that tour back in 1980. They were on fire. I was fortunate to see them on that tour.
Here’s the media release I received about it:
The Michael Schenker Group were founded in 1979 by one of rock’s greatest guitarists Michael Schenker, following his time in Scorpions and UFO. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1980 on Chrysalis Records, was hailed as a commercial and critical success.
This April sees the release of Live & Ready: 1980 – 1984, a six disc box set which captures the live raw power and precision of the group in their formative years. “My whole life has been a journey of constantly developing as a guitar player”, Michael states and this box set is an essential part of that.
This 6-disc box set features four complete, career-defining shows across the years which, showcase the development and evolution of Michael Schenker’s performances. He adds,
“These shows and these recordings, they’re all part of what I did in my past, part of my development. It is what it is, part of my life and with good memories. And by the way, this box set, that’s what it’s all about too, that short period of time, ’80 to ’84. It was definitely a crazy and very fast-changing period of time. It’s hard to wrap my head around how fast we had to make changes based on circumstances, but that’s part of life.”
The live albums in the boxset are:
CD1: Manchester Apollo, Manchester, 30th September 1980
CD2: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, 12th August 1981
CD3: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, 12th August 1981
CD4: Hammersmith Odeon, London, 22nd-23rd October 1983
CD5: Seibu Stadium, Tokyo, 12th August 1984
DVD: Full Visual Concerts:
Hammersmith Odeon, London, 22nd-23rd October 1983
Seibu Stadium, Tokyo, 12th August 1984
The set is accompanied by a booklet featuring extensive liner notes by acclaimed rock journalist Martin Popoff and a brand-new interview with Michael Schenker himself, offering personal insights into the era, the band, and these legendary performances. The booklet also includes previously unreleased photographs.
Housed in a premium two-part rigid box, this release is designed not only for fans of Michael Schenker and MSG, but also for serious collectors of classic rock and heavy metal history. Remastered at AIR Mastering and with its wealth of unreleased material and expertly curated content, this box set serves as both a stunning time capsule and an essential addition to any rock archive.
A couple of months to wait – sure to be worth that wait though.
>> PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON HERE <<
To keep you going until release date – here’s Armed and ready from Hammersmith in 1983:
Please support the site and buy me a coffee.
https://buymeacoffee.com/nwobhm
As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.