MSG

The first release under the official M.S.G. band name has former UFO keyboardist/guitarist Paul Raymond and former UFO producer Ron Nevison jumping ship over to the side of the mercurial guitar god to help him make his second statement to the music world as a bandleader. Containing most of the songs that his fans would call his classics, this is a decent album but I think the production of it is a bit too dry for my liking. On top of that Gary Barden's voice I feel sounded much better in a live setting. I think after multiple takes in the studio his voice got too raspy. Still, tracks such as "Are You Ready to Rock", "Attack of the Mad Axe-man", "On and On" and "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" would become staples of the live set for decades to come and Barden and Schenker were a pretty formidable writing team. On top of that the rhythm section of former Sensational Alex Harvey Band bassist Chris Glen (who would stay with Schenker for the entire first-run of his solo career) and drummer Cozy Powell, fresh off his long run with Rainbow was a complete powerhouse. If Nevison hadn't gone drastically over budget during the recording of this album then this band might have stuck together. If that would have happened then this band I think could have cracked the States and then the world. Sadly, this didn't happen. While I feel that the follow-up album "Assault Attack" was better, it didn't fare as well globally. Still, this is a solid release and one of Michael Schenker's shining moments.

I'm a recent huge UFO fan that decided to venture into MSG to see what they had to offer. The first album was a solid offering with some incredible songs and this one absolutely smokes. It seems as the song writing is a bit tighter and I love the production of this CD unlike what a few other reviewers had stated. My favorite tracks being the first three and the 7th. I have not listened to the UFO tracks yet but it seems to me it would be very hard to hold up to the original. Unfortunately the third album seems to have lost the magic with a different lead singer and more choppy slower songs. If you like heavy metal and rock you cannot go wrong with the first two.

Great second release from MSG everyone is in top form on this album Gary Barden sounds great and of course the Blonde Bomber shreds on tracks Like Attack of the mad axeman in 2008 MSG toured on their 30th anniversary tour and for the fans MSG will be touring next year with Gary Barden as well on vocals.

Brilliant music and production of a true classic. One has to however question the wisdom of changing the iconic album cover art. Otherwise great purchase

The second solo album from Michael Schenker Group is from start to finish a non-stop machine full of thick guitar sounds and thunderous beats from late great Cozy Powell.There is not a weak track on this record and it sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released. I maybe younger than the record, but my ears tell me all I need to know. This is one of the many records I own that is so dynamic it simply does not get old.

I really like this record, its a great follow up to the debut and with tracks like Axe man and Never trust a stranger you get some awesome Schenker moments within really great songs, no waiting through an OK song to get to Michaels leads the whole composition is a pleasure to listen to. A gem from when recordings were released with the intent that the listener would pay attention to each song.

i have been a fan of michael schenker since his days in ufo.i think he is one of hard rock,s finest guitarists,this album is great,from; are you ready to rock thru and including the new live bonus cuts with this album michael had assembled a great band cozy powell from rainbow,paul raymond his buddy from ufo,chris glen and gary barden,its too bad this line up did,nt last longer..anyway if you are a schenker fan grab this cd and play it loud!

This is the best Schenker record IMO. The guitar work is amazing as usual. The vocals and writing are exceptionally good on this one. I think that's what makes it stand out to other great MSG albums.

I remember wanting to listen to this on release back in about 1982. A chap at college had it but decided not to lend it to me. Over 30 years later I bought it and got the remastered version for a very reasonable price.This is in my opinion the definitve MSG album and line up. An excellent spread of material, much of which was featured on their live "One Night at Budokan" album.Highlights include the superb 'On and On' which to me is the standout number.Many critics consider this to be MSG's finest hour and I agree. Excellent so far...BUT..Sadly the bonus material content is a total let down. Almost all of it is covers of UFO classics which featured Mr Schenker and whilst he is as good as ever, the sound quality is AWFUL, sounding like it was lifted from some seized bootleg or even some Walkman. This is a shame as part of the reason for the purchase was to check out the covers but they just do not cut it!Buy this if you like the original album. There is enough to carry it through but the live material is only for die hard completistsFive stars for the album, one star for the live material so Three stars it is.

no 2nd album syndrome here,after a succesful launch with the first album schenker now had a band to match his ambitions,a lot of people felt at the time paul raymonds keyboards would ruin the band and reduce the music to a poppy level,that would come later when bonnet appeared,this is a fairly underated disc as it falls between the classic debut and and the mind blowing live album and probably has been overlooked by many.While songs like ready to rock and on and on are certainly generic metal by numbers the disc is still blessed with classic tracks like attack of the mad axeman(still gets my head banging) and let sleeping dogs lie.Raymonds' never trust a stranger is a beautiful piece and really should have been heard by millions,radio stations eh? never get it right,unlike the ist album were schenker plays guitar hero to the max this is a more even band performance where everybody gets their chance to shine. The bonus track are pretty interesting metal mickey's version of ufo classics and ist album personal fav lookin out from nowhere.Like the ist disc its fair to say that the remaster doesnt really enhance the original sound by much,but its the music that counts and this scores highly in that department,this disc heightened the expectations around this band sadly it would all fall apart shortly after,still buy a piece of history ,sit back and enjoy

Great 2nd album by msg

I think this is Schenkers best album. I had to listen to a vynl copy for years, then I bought this. It really is great. If you are looking to start listening to Schenker I would recomend this album. With some classics like "On and On" and "Mad Axe Man". It is a great start for some one wanting to listen to Schenker.I would recomend "Looking For Love", in my opinion one of the best Schenker songs ever.

The Second Album By Michael Schenker Group back in 81. Not the best of the old Classics by MSG , but at least noe I got them all in my Collection! Not the Best , but not Bad . On And On & Attack Of The Mad Axeman still rules...