McAuley Schenker Group - Biography
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1987-1992
Biography
Michael Schenker would set about auditioning proposed vocalists for what was initially to be a further extention of the Michael Schenker Group. Included in the runners was ex-Airrace vocalist Keith Murrell. However, the all new band transpired as the McAuley Schenker Group, with Michael's new frontman being Irish born erstwhile Grand Prix man Robin McAuley. The pair built up a completely fresh band comprising of bassist Rocky Newton, guitarist Steve Mann and German drummer Bodo Schopf. The latter's credits include British act Juicy Lucy. Both Newton and Mann had credits with Lionheart whilst the guitarist could cite prior membership of such esteemed acts as Fast Buck (with a pre Thin Lizzy Scott Gorham), Bandana, Liar, Stratus, Tytan and Scorched Earth.
This line-up debuted live in front of an enormous festival audience in Germany at the Rock Am Ring festival billed alongside Ozzy Osbourne and the Scorpions. The group subsequently relocated to Los Angeles and were intent on cracking the American market. The resulting Perfect Timing album, produced by Andy Johns, sold fairly well being backed up with support tours to the likes of Whitesnake, Rush and Def Leppard. Mann was unable to tour due to a family illness and American ex-Steeler and Talas man Mitch Perry filled in for live work before Mann's return in August of 1988 in time to record the follow up.
That next album, the Frank Filipetti produced Save Yourself, quite unusually, bearing in mind his track record, saw Schenker retaining the same line-up. Touring saw the band opening for Great White and going out as headliners with the The Black Crowes as guests. Between albums Schenker turned up on MTV guesting with Ratt for their "unplugged" sessions and contributed guitar solos to their Detonator album.
The work with Ratt led to the formation of an ad hoc "supergroup" called Contraband that comprised of Shark Island vocalist Richard Black, Vixen bassist Share Pederson, L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns and Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer. The resulting album was typically an average affair, but nonetheless Contraband guested on Ratt's American tour, but with an ever depleting line-up, as individual members' own band commitments came to the fore with Pederson unable to make the tour at all and Black leaving after two gigs.
In 1991 McAuley and Schenker switched management to Alan Cobeck and immediately fired the rest of McAuley Schenker Group with a view to recording the next album with various "guest stars" rather than hired musicians. As it turned out, Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson and ex-Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak did the honours.
Steve Mann later turned up as a member of the Sweet, enjoying a seven year term with the fabled glam rockers. He would also find acclaim as a noted producer and put in a stint with German progressive rock veterans Eloy.
Schenker once more staggered his fans when, upon the album's completion, he announced he was going on hunger strike in order to draw attention to the worlds's needy. The proposed culmination of this hunger strike was a show featuring the original Michael Schenker Group line-up, UFO and the Scorpions at the Irvine Meadows amphitheatre in California. The show never happened.
Rumours abounded that Schenker was now letting a German astrological guru dictate his career as the guitarist underwent rehabilitation to counter his alcohol problem. The guitarist was also earning money by giving celebrity guitar lessons for a whopping $200 an hour fee! It was at one of these lessons that Schenker met his manager to be Bella Piper.
McAuley and Schenker geared up for live action with a sprinkling of acoustic shows. McAuley Schenker Group in America were becoming increasingly reliant on UFO covers when playing live and with the reunion of UFO mainmen Phil Mogg and Pete Way in the early 90s rumours abounded that Schenker was to rejoin the classic 1978 UFO line up. Although contact was made it was to be a further two years before Schenker reunited with Mogg and Way, during which time UFO released the High Stakes And Dangerous Men album with guitarist Lawrence Archer. Finally, in November 1993 Schenker relented to tour Germany with UFO.
The UFO shows included a sprinkling of instrumental numbers from Schenker's Thank You acoustic album. In an unorthodox move Schenker had asked his fans to pay upfront for the album by mail order and in return they would be peronally thanked on the album sleeve, hence the album title.
The guitarist recorded a superb album with UFO, 'Walk On Water and the band undertook a lengthy American tour. After more than 70 very successful shows Schenker quit yet again. In 2004 Robin McAuley notably reunited with Michael Schenker to front up a cover of Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills" for a 2005 tribute album. On the live front, a Michael Schenker Group concert at the The Vault in Long Beach, California on 20th January saw McAuley guesting, marking the first ocassion he and Schenker had shared a stage in over 13 years. In June McAuley announced an all new band formation in June entitled Bleed, a union with seasoned musicians guitarist Dave Bates of Kill Van Kull, second guitarist guitarist Bob Pace, bassist Bjorn Englen of Takara, Soul Sign, Tamplin, White Diamond and Heaven & Earth and drummer Brett Chassen of the Bret Michaels band, Velvet Chain and Black On Blonde.
In mid July 2006 it was announced that McAuley had joined Survivor as the veteran AOR band's new singer. In October 2006 McAuley vocalised on a cover version of the Journey classic "Faithfully" featured on the Cleopatra Records homage collection 80s Metal Tribute To Journey.
McAuley put in a one off performance fronting The Big Ball Stars, alongside vocalist/guitarist John Corabi of Mötley Crüe, Union and Ratt, drummer Chris Slade of Uriah Heep and AC/DC, keyboard player Teddy Zig-Zag of Guns N' Roses, plus the Ratt credited Robbie Crane on bass and Brent Woods from the Vince Neil band, in a live set on January 27th 2007 at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California.
(Source: MusicMight (ex-Rockdetector), 10.6.2014)
This line-up debuted live in front of an enormous festival audience in Germany at the Rock Am Ring festival billed alongside Ozzy Osbourne and the Scorpions. The group subsequently relocated to Los Angeles and were intent on cracking the American market. The resulting Perfect Timing album, produced by Andy Johns, sold fairly well being backed up with support tours to the likes of Whitesnake, Rush and Def Leppard. Mann was unable to tour due to a family illness and American ex-Steeler and Talas man Mitch Perry filled in for live work before Mann's return in August of 1988 in time to record the follow up.
That next album, the Frank Filipetti produced Save Yourself, quite unusually, bearing in mind his track record, saw Schenker retaining the same line-up. Touring saw the band opening for Great White and going out as headliners with the The Black Crowes as guests. Between albums Schenker turned up on MTV guesting with Ratt for their "unplugged" sessions and contributed guitar solos to their Detonator album.
The work with Ratt led to the formation of an ad hoc "supergroup" called Contraband that comprised of Shark Island vocalist Richard Black, Vixen bassist Share Pederson, L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns and Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer. The resulting album was typically an average affair, but nonetheless Contraband guested on Ratt's American tour, but with an ever depleting line-up, as individual members' own band commitments came to the fore with Pederson unable to make the tour at all and Black leaving after two gigs.
In 1991 McAuley and Schenker switched management to Alan Cobeck and immediately fired the rest of McAuley Schenker Group with a view to recording the next album with various "guest stars" rather than hired musicians. As it turned out, Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson and ex-Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak did the honours.
Steve Mann later turned up as a member of the Sweet, enjoying a seven year term with the fabled glam rockers. He would also find acclaim as a noted producer and put in a stint with German progressive rock veterans Eloy.
Schenker once more staggered his fans when, upon the album's completion, he announced he was going on hunger strike in order to draw attention to the worlds's needy. The proposed culmination of this hunger strike was a show featuring the original Michael Schenker Group line-up, UFO and the Scorpions at the Irvine Meadows amphitheatre in California. The show never happened.
Rumours abounded that Schenker was now letting a German astrological guru dictate his career as the guitarist underwent rehabilitation to counter his alcohol problem. The guitarist was also earning money by giving celebrity guitar lessons for a whopping $200 an hour fee! It was at one of these lessons that Schenker met his manager to be Bella Piper.
McAuley and Schenker geared up for live action with a sprinkling of acoustic shows. McAuley Schenker Group in America were becoming increasingly reliant on UFO covers when playing live and with the reunion of UFO mainmen Phil Mogg and Pete Way in the early 90s rumours abounded that Schenker was to rejoin the classic 1978 UFO line up. Although contact was made it was to be a further two years before Schenker reunited with Mogg and Way, during which time UFO released the High Stakes And Dangerous Men album with guitarist Lawrence Archer. Finally, in November 1993 Schenker relented to tour Germany with UFO.
The UFO shows included a sprinkling of instrumental numbers from Schenker's Thank You acoustic album. In an unorthodox move Schenker had asked his fans to pay upfront for the album by mail order and in return they would be peronally thanked on the album sleeve, hence the album title.
The guitarist recorded a superb album with UFO, 'Walk On Water and the band undertook a lengthy American tour. After more than 70 very successful shows Schenker quit yet again. In 2004 Robin McAuley notably reunited with Michael Schenker to front up a cover of Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills" for a 2005 tribute album. On the live front, a Michael Schenker Group concert at the The Vault in Long Beach, California on 20th January saw McAuley guesting, marking the first ocassion he and Schenker had shared a stage in over 13 years. In June McAuley announced an all new band formation in June entitled Bleed, a union with seasoned musicians guitarist Dave Bates of Kill Van Kull, second guitarist guitarist Bob Pace, bassist Bjorn Englen of Takara, Soul Sign, Tamplin, White Diamond and Heaven & Earth and drummer Brett Chassen of the Bret Michaels band, Velvet Chain and Black On Blonde.
In mid July 2006 it was announced that McAuley had joined Survivor as the veteran AOR band's new singer. In October 2006 McAuley vocalised on a cover version of the Journey classic "Faithfully" featured on the Cleopatra Records homage collection 80s Metal Tribute To Journey.
McAuley put in a one off performance fronting The Big Ball Stars, alongside vocalist/guitarist John Corabi of Mötley Crüe, Union and Ratt, drummer Chris Slade of Uriah Heep and AC/DC, keyboard player Teddy Zig-Zag of Guns N' Roses, plus the Ratt credited Robbie Crane on bass and Brent Woods from the Vince Neil band, in a live set on January 27th 2007 at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California.
(Source: MusicMight (ex-Rockdetector), 10.6.2014)