Michael Schenker Group unleash Live & Ready: 1980 – 1984, a six-disc boxset capturing four complete shows from a pivotal era, due out 3rd April through Chrysalis Records.
Spanning five live albums and a live DVD, the collection charts the evolution of Schenker’s performances across venues including Manchester Apollo, Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Hammersmith Odeon in London, and Seibu Stadium in Tokyo. The Hammersmith Odeon recordings from October 1983 appear in their entirety for the first time, featuring guest appearances from The Scorpions’ Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine.
Extensive liner notes by rock journalist Martin Popoff include a brand new interview with Schenker, who reflects on the era’s breakneck pace.
“It was definitely a crazy and very fast-changing period of time,” he said. “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 boxset follows a whirlwind chapter in Schenker’s career. After leaving UFO between the Obsession tour and the release of Strangers In The Night, he briefly returned to The Scorpions for Lovedrive before founding The Michael Schenker Group with singer Gary Barden. The self-titled debut album in 1980 and subsequent UK tour were both hailed as commercial and critical successes.
The collection features career-spanning setlists mixing MSG originals and UFO classics, including ‘Armed And Ready’, ‘Cry For The Nations’, ‘Into The Arena’, ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘Rock Bottom’ and ‘Lights Out’.
Housed in a premium rigid box and remastered at AIR Mastering, Live & Ready: 1980 – 1984 is out 3rd April through Chrysalis Records.
A remastered live video of ‘Armed And Ready’ from the 1983 Hammersmith Odeon show is out now.
