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 6 disc boxset 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:
Manchester Apollo – 1980: The explosive debut tour featuring early classics, Nippon Budokan, Tokyo -1981: A legendary show captured at the height of MSG‘s powers, Hammersmith Odeon – 1983: Recorded at London’s Hammersmith Odeon with special guests including Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine of Scorpions, available in its entirety for the very first time. Seibu Stadium, Tokyo – 1984: A powerhouse festival set showcasing MSG’s melodic metal mastery, with an additional DVD including the full visual concerts of Hammersmith Odeon – 1983 and Seibu Stadium, Tokyo – 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.
Pre-order – here
Tracklisting:
CD1: Manchester Apollo, Manchester, 30th September 1980
- Armed & Ready / 2. Cry For The Nations / 3. Victim Of Illusion / 4. Natural Thing / 5. Feels Like A Good Thing / 6. Into The Arena / 7. Looking Out From Nowhere / 8. Rock Bottom / 9. Tales Of Mystery / 10. Lost Horizons / 11. Shoot Shoot / 12. Doctor Doctor / 13. Lights Out
CD2: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, 12th August 1981
- Introduction / 2. Armed And Ready / 3. Cry For The Nations / 4. Attack Of The Mad Axeman / 5. But I Want More / 6. Victim Of Illusion / 7. Into The Arena
CD3: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, 12th August 1981
- On And On / 9. Never Trust A Stranger / 10. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie / 11. Tales Of Mystery / 12. Cozy Powell Drum Solo / 13. Courvoisier Concerto / 14. Lost Horizons / 15. Doctor Doctor / 16. Are You Ready To Rock
CD4: Hammersmith Odeon, London, 22nd-23rd October 1983
- Captain Nemo / 2. Rock My Nights Away / 3. Ready To Rock / 4. Cry For The Nations / 5. Rock You To The Ground / 6. Attack Of The Mad Axeman / 7. Into The Arena / 8. Courvoisier Concerto / 9. Rock Will Never Die / 10. Desert Song / 11. I’m Gonna Make You Mine / 12. Red Sky / 13. Looking For Love / 14. Armed And Ready / 15. Little Devil / 16. Doctor, Doctor / 17. Thank You
CD5: Seibu Stadium, Tokyo, 12th August 1984
- Captain Nemo / 2. Rock My Nights Away / 3. Cry For The Nations / 4. On And On / 5. Lipstick Traces / 6. Bijou Pleasurette / 7. Into The Arena / 8. Courvoisier Concerto / 9. Lost Horizons / 10. I’m Gonna Make You Mine / 11. Armed And Ready / 12. Doctor, Doctor
DVD: Full Visual Concerts:
Hammersmith Odeon, London, 22nd-23rd October 1983
Seibu Stadium, Tokyo, 12th August 1984
