Michael Schenker recently spoke with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation. During their conversation, Michael shares why he made a new record, My Years With UFO, and talks about doing a final show. He also talks about Axl Rose singing “Love To Love” and how that came about.
SiriusXM's Trunk Nation, hosted by Eddie Trunk, airs daily at 3 PM, ET on SiriusXM’s Faction Talk. Audio clips and transcription below, courtesy of SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation.
On why he made the new record, My Years With UFO:
Michael Schenker: "Obviously because it's 50 years and that's the reason. I didn't do much UFO stuff in all these years since then. And so it's 50 years and I guess it's also, you know, celebrating, basically it's celebrating the songs I wrote for UFO in that period of time, between 1972 and 1978. Strangers In The Night came out, which was the best of UFO and basically those were most of the songs I wrote on that album, which was, you know, basically the best of UFO. And also in the past, I've noticed that we masters, were coming out without any information, no information of who was the songwriter. It was just UFO in the song. And so people are listening to the song and don't even know where it comes from.
"It's a long time, 50 years. And so I want to use, I thought it would be a great idea to let people know, you know, like newcomers, especially where those songs are coming from. Give some information, some additional information. I think a lot of information got lost over the years. I mean, I was born fifty five, fifty years before I was born. I have no clue what happened then. So it is a long time. So basically that's the idea. And then on top of that, I wanted to celebrate this with musicians and singers, you know, from like bands that were influenced or inspired by UFO, and myself, that made it big. And there are lots of them, Guns N’ Roses, Dee Snider, et cetera, et cetera. And so I got so much fun out of this."
On doing a final show with UFO:
Schenker: "You know, the thing is what meant to be will be, that's all I can say. I'm not the writer of, you know, I'm not the master of the universe. So what will be, will be. It's like I am not saying anything, I just do what needs to be done in the moment now, you know. Going into a hypothetical future that may happen, may not, it's not where I want to put my energy. So if somebody knocks me, you know, taps me on the shoulder and asks me like a now question, then I will answer it. But hypothetical, I'm not really interested in talking about something, you know, this is what I'm doing right now, My Years With UFO. So whatever everybody else is contemplating or trying to figure out, you know, what they can do or et cetera, et cetera, it's not, it's like fantasy land. What is really happening is when it happens in the now. And so that's what I'm interested in, you know, so that's what I say is, whatever is meant to be will happen."
On Axl Rose singing "Love To Love":
Eddie Trunk: "'Love To Love" is like the ultimate song for most of us. So tell me how Axl, who doesn't do a lot of things like this, how did he end up recording this with you?
Schenker: "I mean, again, it's just another funny story. You know, that there's so many, everything happened in so many different ways and there are so many great artists and singers on this album. That's why I only, I didn't even get to Axl, you know, I mean, it's just another story. It's like Slash came to the studio in Frankfurt. I guess they were touring Germany at the time, and Slash came down and the first thing he said, he came to me, hugged me and said, 'Hey, Michael, I told Axl you know that I was going to do this here today with you and he said, ‘Oh, well, I wanna sing something too.’' I said, 'That's fantastic. Please ask him what he wants to sing.' And so that's how it came about. And so Axl actually, he decided to sing 'Only You Can Rock Me', 'Too Hot To Handle' and 'Love To Love'. And he recorded all three songs. He sang all three songs. I got all three songs to listen to approve, and they all sounded great."
My Years With UFO is out worldwide via earMUSIC.
Schenker's new album is a tribute to the golden years that saw British hard rock band UFO rise from an underground phenomenon to rock legends. Produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss, the new album marks the 50th anniversary of Schenker's era with UFO, spanning from 1972 to 1978. The "German Wunderkind" was asked to join UFO at just 17 years old. Touring the globe as a teenager, Schenker became a driving force behind some of UFO's most loved tracks, including "Doctor Doctor," "Rock Bottom," "Lights Out," "Love To Love" and many more.
Although Michael Schenker's era with UFO spanned only six years, his influence as a young songwriter and exceptional guitarist had already left a lasting mark on rock. During these meteoric years, the UFO albums Phenomenon, Force It, No Heavy Petting, Lights Out, Obsession, and the seminal live album Strangers In The Night were recorded, each contributing significantly to the genre. Strangers In The Night particularly stands out as one of the most influential live rock albums of all time and is still regarded as a cornerstone in any rock enthusiast's collection.
In this celebratory album, Michael Schenker presents 11 of UFO's greatest hits from this magical era with an impressive lineup of guest stars. Joining Schenker on this journey are Derek Sherinian on keys' Brian Tichy on drums' and Barry Sparks on bass.
The stellar roster of guest artists includes Axl Rose, Slash, Kai Hansen, Roger Glover, Joey Tempest, Biff Byford, Jeff Scott Soto, John Norum, Dee Snider, Joel Hoekstra, Joe Lynn Turner, Carmine Appice, Adrian Vandenberg, Michael Voss, Stephen Pearcy, and Erik Grönwall.
This new album is the introduction to an upcoming trilogy, as Michael Schenker has signed an exclusive three-album deal with earMUSIC, with additional albums to follow in 2025 and 2026.
Order My Years With UFO here.
Tracklisting:
"Natural Thing" (Feat. Dee Snider + Joel Hoekstra)
"Only You Can Rock Me" (Feat. Joey Tempest + Roger Glover)
"Doctor Doctor" (Feat. Joe Lynn Turner + Carmine Appice)
"Mother Mary" (Feat. Slash + Erik Grönwall)
"This Kids" (Feat. Biff Byford)
"Love to Love" (Feat. Axl Rose)
"Lights Out" (Feat. Jeff Scott Soto + John Norum)
"Rock Bottom" (Feat. Kai Hansen)
"Too Hot Too Handle" (Feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg, + Carmen Appice)
"Let It Roll" (Feat. Michael Voss)
"Shoot Shoot" (Feat. Stephen Pearcy)
"Love to Love" (Feat. Axl Rose):
"Only You Can Rock Me" visualizer:
"Rock Bottom":
"Mother Mary" visualizer:
Michael Schenker is not only celebrating the 50th anniversary of his time with UFO with new editions of the best UFO songs of that time period with many guest stars on recordings, but will also be embarking on a major European tour with his backing band in 2025.
The "My Years With UFO" tour spans various countries all over Europe and starts on April 9, 2025 in the Netherlands. From April 10, 2025, you can experience the guitar virtuoso, probably the most famous "Flying V" player in the world, live in Germany with the biggest hits and classics of his UFO era.
Michael Schenker "My Years With UFO" Tour 2025:
April
9 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Poppodium Boerderij
10 - Hamburg, Germany - Fabrik
11 - Coesfeld, Germany - Fabrik
12 - Neuruppin, Germany - Kulturhaus Stadtgarten
16 - Krakow, Poland - Klub Kwadrat
19 - Mannheim, Germany - Capitol
21 - Augsburg, Germany - Spectrum Club
22 - Nuremberg, Germany - Der Hirsch
25 - Maastricht, Netherlands - Muziekgieterij
26 - Uden, Netherlands - De Pul
27 - Herford, Germany - Kulturwerk
28 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche
30 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
Further dates will be announce soon.
(Photo - Tallee Savage)
