The Michael Schenker Group To Release Live & Ready: 1980-1984 6-Disc Box Set

The Michael Schenker Group (MSG) will release Live & Ready: 1980-1984, a 6-disc box set that captures the live power and precision of the band in their formative years.

Founded in 1979 by legendary guitarist Michael Schenker following his time in Scorpions and UFO, MSG’s self-titled debut album (1980, Chrysalis Records) was hailed as a commercial and critical success. This new collection documents the blistering 1980-84 era across four complete, career-defining shows.

“These shows and these recordings, they’re all part of what I did in my past, part of my development,” Michael Schenker said. “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:

• Manchester Apollo (1980): explosive debut tour set
• Nippon Budokan, Tokyo (1981): legendary show at the height of MSG’s early powers
• Hammersmith Odeon, London (1983): available in full for the first time, with special guests Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine of Scorpions
• Seibu Stadium, Tokyo (1984): festival powerhouse showcasing MSG’s melodic Metal mastery
• DVD: full visual concerts of Hammersmith Odeon (1983) and Seibu Stadium (1984)

The set includes a booklet with extensive liner notes by acclaimed rock journalist Martin Popoff and a brand-new interview with Michael Schenker, plus previously unreleased photographs. Remastered at AIR Mastering and housed in a premium two-part rigid box, this is positioned as a must-have for fans and collectors of classic rock and Heavy Metal history.

The Michael Schenker Group will release Live & Ready: 1980-1984 on 3 April 2026 via Chrysalis Records. Pre-orders are available from msg.lnk.to/LiveReady.

Tracklisting

CD1: Manchester Apollo, Manchester – 30 September 1980
Armed & Ready; Cry For The Nations; Victim Of Illusion; Natural Thing; Feels Like A Good Thing; Into The Arena; Looking Out From Nowhere; Rock Bottom; Tales Of Mystery; Lost Horizons; Shoot Shoot; Doctor Doctor; Lights Out

CD2: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo – 12 August 1981
Introduction; Armed And Ready; Cry For The Nations; Attack Of The Mad Axeman; But I Want More; Victim Of Illusion; Into The Arena

CD3: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo – 12 August 1981 (continued)
On And On; Never Trust A Stranger; Let Sleeping Dogs Lie; Tales Of Mystery; Cozy Powell Drum Solo; Courvoisier Concerto; Lost Horizons; Doctor Doctor; Are You Ready To Rock

CD4: Hammersmith Odeon, London – 22-23 October 1983
Captain Nemo; Rock My Nights Away; Ready To Rock; Cry For The Nations; Rock You To The Ground; Attack Of The Mad Axeman; Into The Arena; Courvoisier Concerto; Rock Will Never Die; Desert Song; I’m Gonna Make You Mine; Red Sky; Looking For Love; Armed And Ready; Little Devil; Doctor, Doctor; Thank You

CD5: Seibu Stadium, Tokyo – 12 August 1984
Captain Nemo; Rock My Nights Away; Cry For The Nations; On And On; Lipstick Traces; Bijou Pleasurette; Into The Arena; Courvoisier Concerto; Lost Horizons; I’m Gonna Make You Mine; Armed And Ready; Doctor, Doctor

DVD: Full Visual Concerts
Hammersmith Odeon, London (22-23 October 1983); Seibu Stadium, Tokyo (12 August 1984)

The post The Michael Schenker Group To Release Live & Ready: 1980-1984 6-Disc Box Set first appeared on MetalTalk - Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.