Customer Reviews

Adventures of the Imagination

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been waiting for Michael Schenker to release an electric instrumental album for a long time. I really enjoy listening to this album, although it took a few listens to get to that point. Now I find myself putting it in the CD player all the time.

The main reason it took a bit of getting used to is that his classic tone seems to be lost a bit in this recording. It doesn't sound like they are recording him through Marshall stacks anymore, rather some sort of signal processing amp simulator, not to mention what tone is probably lost in the digital recording. There is a lot to be said for analog recording, especially when it comes to hard rock.

I lost touch with his music after Built to Destroy because I thought the material was getting a bit too cheesy (especially the McCauley Schenker stuff). However I picked up Thank You and was immediately interested in this release. I understand he is releasing another electric instrumental album within the year, as well as an album with UFO (I hope this is true).

I agree with a previous reviewer in that this album almost sounds like a Joe Satriani album at times. This is strange because I don't associate the two players. I think this association goes back in part to my comments about the guitar tone quality. I think Satriani's tone is a result of a lot of signal processing.

This album not only demonstrates that Michael Schenker is a great guitar player, but that he is a great composer. This is especially exemplified from track three (Three Fish Dancing) through track seven (Old Man With Sheep On Mars). That section of the album is a composition to me, not a group of songs. His great sense of melody is also represented throughout the record.

The reasons I only give it four stars are the few weak songs (tracks one and two come to mind) and the guitar tone. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this album for Michael Schenker fans, aspiring guitar players and fans of good writing in general.

I listened to this cd with some apprehension at first, I have been a Schenkerista since 1975(UFO/Force it),and I sometimes expect too much from my guitar hero. One of the reasons I enjoy his playing is that he always sounds very melodic and in control. This is true on his accoustic as well as electric guitar work. In fact he blends the two together at will, alternating soothing and blistering sounds. Others do it also but never as seemlessly as MS. On this cd he takes that ability and pushes it over the top with song composition that is the envy of classical composers. Songs that move the listener along through not only his imagination, but theirs as well. Tracks 1&2 set the pace with crisp clean melodies that get your attention and then opening up your mind for the adventure to begin. Tracks 3-6 are what I call "electric symphony". Classical music written and performed by a modern master of the rock guitar. "Three fish dancing" is quite a piece of work all its own, it drifts in and out captivating and hypnotizing the listner with crafty musical movements. When it was over I was amazed that it was 14 minutes long! It sure doesn't seem like it while you are mesmerized trying to guess where MS is taking you next. He also demonstrates his love for his family with "Michael Schenker jr, & I want to be with you". Its rare that a performer these days can feel comfortable enough with his craft to include personal feelings in thier art. Tracks 7&8 are simply stunning pieces of work. "Old man with sheep on mars" is where MS shows off. It is the song on this cd that makes you stand up and play the air guitar! Not to mention hit the repeat on the remote a few times. "At the end of the day" is my personal favorite on this cd. It is all MS. No drums, no bass. Accoustic rythym, and tastefully overdubbed lead guitar melodies that left me nodding my head in approval. Even some special wolf howling sounds from the axe in the intro & as the song drifts off to add to the sunset theme of this amazing track. This cd could have ended right there and I would have been blown away and completely satisfied! But not so fast. "Hand in hand" is the ending surprise. I wont describe this track, buy the cd and listen for yourself how MS decides to end his "Electric Symphony". All in all a great work of music. I am sure that it wont get airplay or mass approval, It is far to complicated and interesting. Lets be honest, the average person does not want to relax and analyze music. This is for true afficionados of rock as art. Buy it and enjoy your new toy!

Have you ever noticed how, the more talent a rock player has, the more obscure he is? The difference between Michael Schenker and say, Paul Gilbert or John Petrucci or even Steve Vai is that Schenker can write songs. You know, nice melodies to go with those unbelievable solos. And on this album there are no annoying vocals with teenage lyrics. Just Michael--and he can solo endlessly, over just a few chords, and its brilliant! Melodicly, its a bit like Boston meets Frank Marino playing World Antheum with maybe a dash of Kansas. Is he in a league with Joe Satriani or Eric Johnson? You bet.

After listening to this CD, I felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. After the lack of melody and soloing shown on the Unforgiven record, I was beginning to wonder about Michael's direction. Not to worry. Schenker has always written excellent instrumentals, and this CD really shows what he can do. The tunes feature a wide variety of tones, moods, and emotions. The production is nice and clean,too, not bottom-heavy and muted like the Unforgiven was. Yeah, all the classic riffs and licks are there, but I noticed that some new directions are there, too. The last tune is really cool and features some sounds that I never thought would be associated with Michael Schenker. The soloing shows why Michael blows away Malmsteen, Moore, Macalpine and other similiar players. His technical prowess is ably demonstrated, but never overwhelms the songs or melodies with mindless streams of 128th notes or straight up and down scales. Other shredders take note! All in all, this is the CD that myself and other guitarists have always wanted him to put out. Essential for fans of melodic and purist electric guitar playing.

Michael Schenker has been one of my guitar heroes since I was a teen. Having seen him with UFO during their Obsession tour was a memorable experience. I had lost touch with his work over the last few years because his work with Mcauly/Schenker was a bore and was beneath his talent. This instrumental is awesome. It shows his greatness as guitar player and a composer. I can only hope this is the beginning of new era for Michael. He should never do another vocal album unless it is with UFO. His talent as a guitar player and composer have never been showcased outside of UFO on a vocal album. I love listening to this album, it is what I have been waiting 20 years to hear from Michael. Forget vocal music Michael, compose great guitar albums whether it be acoustic or electric. Just play guitar!

Michael Schenker has gone through a lot of phases in his career. The most memorable was his period with UFO, where he was known and the GERMAN WONDER BOY. His melodic talent in the guitar was already becoming legendary. Brother of Rudolf Schenker from SCOPRIONS, thanks God Michael didn't stay in that outfit, because soon would turn bubblegum. He left UFO, released a couple of good (but not fantastic) solo albuns, flerted briefly with the horrible glam phase in the middle eighties, forming MacAuley / Schenker Group. Then he went into UFO again, but by now all that UFO's singer Phil Mogg could write about were silly love lyrics. Now we've got this gem, the pinnacle of a career, the kind of album that demonstrate why Malmsteen, Gilbert, and other guitar "virtuosos" seem so heartless, mechanic and without passion when comparing with Schenker. Each note Schenker plays is not given for free, even if it's played at the speed of light No, they have a clear purpose in the song structure. Go on, Michael, we are eagerly waiting for your next solo instrumental job, bcause this one is fantastic.

Here I am, 36 years old, married, with two kids, and I'm commuting back and forth to work with Michael Schenker blasting the roof off my SUV. Am I nuts? I'm not sure, but I am definitely enjoying this record.

I started listening to this guy when I was 17, and I still put on one of his older records occasionally because I think he's the best hard rock guitarist I've heard. The problem I've had is that the song writing on most of his albums in the past has been pretty poor, with a lot of stock adolescent nonsense lyrics, and the singers have generally been total hacks. To the extent that I can ignore the vocals, I still get a kick out of the UFO live album, and I think the solos on "Rock You to the Ground" and Lovedrive are fantastic. Nonetheless, I've long hoped for an instrumental album.

Thank You was a start. This one is better. Buy it. The best cut here is "Aardvark In A VW Smoking A Cigar", but there are no bad ones. Schenker hasn't lost a step over the years, and though a lot of this will sound familiar, it's got quite a few new wrinkles, and I think the man lot of gas left in the tank.

- joyce_tom@yahoo.com

I think that the reason people like Schenker is because he remembers what music is about - it expresses our humanity in its many sidedness and depth. Adventures of the Imagination is no exception to this. The second and second-to-last tracks are a sheer joy to listen to, whilst I agree with another reviewer who rates the solo work at the end of Old Man with Sheep on Mars along with the best in rock history - in my view the very best ever. What Schenker so skilfully avoids is that whole nexus of adolescent feeling-states to do with showing off, performing to win attention, 'proving I'm better', and so on. Instead, Schenker expresses far less superficial, and hence commonly more adult, yearnings, sorrows, and joys of the human heart. These are things that belong to maturer stages of human growth and self-understanding - things that reflect true humanity-for-others rather than mere adolescent vanity and 'I told you so' competitive narcissism. Schenker's style, actually, reflects his broader Germanic historical context - the richness of German tradition - both musical and philosophical. Of course, Michael may not realise this consciously (though he has agreed with my thoughts on such matters), but there is a rich way in which his cultural setting has influenced and shaped his style, even if this is at a pre-cognitive or unconscious level. Schenker should not be likened to shredders (though he is as fast as anybody when he occasionally wants to be), but to players like Hendrix, who somehow create the human shape out of the primordial chaos. If Hendrix perfectly captured the more tragic side to humanity, then Schenker (despite his troubles) captures the more hopeful, joyous side - without losing sight of Hendrix's insights. To my mind, Hendrix and Schenker are the only two rock guitarists in their league (which is the top league). If forced to choose between the two players, I would choose Schenker. But both players play what the German philosopher Heidegger spoke of as human 'existentiality'. It is notable that Heidegger viewed the merely 'technical' level of human thinking as a peculiarly 'Western' aberration that had lost touch with deeper aspects of human reality. As that other great 20th century thinker Wittgenstein puts it: 'when genius fades, technique begins to show'. With Schenker, it is never really the technique that shows - because the listener is elsewhere in the 'world' that Schenker's music creates. Again, with Wittgenstein, it is only when 'genius fades' that mere 'technique begins to show' - a problem that Schenker does not suffer from! In other words, buy the record!

This album is Schenker's best work since his first release after departing UFO. It is an incredible guitar instrumental album. Three Fish Dancing and An Aarvark in a VW Smoking a Cigar are epic hits, while Open Gate displays the classic Schenker sound. I have listened to this album over 25 times and I still can't wipe the smile off my face.

What I love most about this album is that it is so enjoyable for me to listen to. Even if I knew nothing about playing guitar, I could appreciate how complex of chords that MS is playing and yet, still be entertained by them. Sometimes great guitar players release recordings that appeal to only accomplished guitar players. The accomplished players like the recordings because they realize how hard it is to do what the guy is doing. However, average people completely turn off to it, because it is just not made for them. Well, with this great album, Michael Schencker has made a musically accomplished album that appeals to all. Great stuff!