Endless Jam

Michael Schenker | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 27, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shrapnel
• ASIN: B0001Z49CE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,562 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Shapes Of Things To Come

2. Hey Joe

3. Pearly Queen

4. A Whiter Shade Of Pale

5. Never In My Life

6. Long Misty Days

7. I Got The Fire

8. Voyager

9. The Stealer

10. Theme For An Imaginary Western

11. Built For Comfort

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are You Kiddin' Me?, May 1, 2004

By 

Marlon Hill (des moines, iowa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Endless Jam (Audio CD)

I usually don't care for remakes, but in this case I will make an exception. Michael Schenker put's his indellible mark on these classics like Michael Angelo on the Cystene chapel. The rhythm section is great...Aynsley Dunbar is the perfect timekeeper, Gunter on bass does a really good job. Davey Pattison is better than I expected. I'm just wondering why this was'nt called Schenker's Endless Jam. His solos are more than half the song. This is not typical for Michael, his solos are always within the framework of the piece. Hold on to your hat, Schenker is on Fire! This is without a doubt one of the best performances I have ever heard. It sounds like his leads were done live. His speed and tone are incredible, his melody and feel are unmatched. Check out "Shapes of Things" and "I Got The Fire" for speed. "Hey Joe" and "Pearly Queen" for his tone. "A Whiter Shade" and "Theme For an Imaginary Western" for his feel. But my favorite track is the Robin Trower classic "Long Misty Days". Schenker is unbelievable on this one, every facet of his playing is displayed. At 49 Mr. Schenker still Rules. Get It!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old Farts at Play!, February 21, 2005

By 

J. Rolfe "The Wandering Gourd" (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Endless Jam (Audio CD)

Grizzled vets Michael Schenker, Dave Pattison, and Aynsley Dunbar team up to re-work a bucket of hoary old classics and danged if they don't generate a shower of sparks and some genuine heat. No mean trick given that you've likely heard many of these tunes a million times. I know I went in jaded and came out with my ears pinned back. Basically it's a Schenker does Jeff Beck-Jimi Hendrix-Robin Trower-Ronnie Montrose outing, and the German axemeister is stunningly clean, nasty and ferocious throughout. He's one of the few guitarists who can carry a long solo, continually escalating the power and dynamics, his hornet's nest flurries refusing to let your interest wander. He's in top form on the Hendrix chestnut "Hey, Joe" and does superb justice to Robin Trower's swirling and very moving "Long Misty Days." Longtime Trower fans will be familiar with Dave Pattison, who smoothly handles the warbling on everything except the opener - the Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things" - which seems to strain his reach and sense of phrasing at times. My only other quibble is that this clambake could have used at least one more balls-out rocker like "I Got The Fire", but all in all it's a solid, meaty work that is well worth killing your china pig to purchase.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It May Be Hard To Believe But This Album Burns Brightly, June 29, 2004

By 

Alexander T. Newport (Oro Valley, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Endless Jam (Audio CD)

An album of cover tunes.

We start with Shape of Things and it is quite tasty. I'm surprised.

Next up is a very impressive Schenkerized version of Hey Joe. Again I'm surprised because his last bunch of albums have been boring & derivative but this album is fabulous. Even though Schenker is utilizing different guitar sounds compared to his early 80's work, his fingerwork and melodious inventions are sounding quite nice & spicy. He seems to be working with more sustain & chorus...

We're now at Pearly Queen and it too sounds damn good. Schenker is showing us that he still has the guts of a hotshot guitarist. HE CAN STILL TEAR IT UP. I can't believe it either. Mind you, it would be foolish to expect him to still be able to sound & play like he did 20 years ago, but for a man of 49 he sounds really good. It blows my mind.

The next track is Whiter Shade of Pale. It has alot of fanciness about it that sort of turns me off...but that's just me.

Next up is Never In My Life and it sounds okay, but it doesn't strike me as anything special---and yet, I wouldn't skip this track.

Next is Robin Trower's Long Misty Days. It's a bit repetitive sometimes but still sounds pretty. It's nice to hear Schenker using guitar effects that you've never heard him use before.

Next up is a spirited rendition of Montrose's I Got The Fire. Schenker plays it better than Ronnie Montrose but Pattison doesn't sing it as well as Sammy Hagar (no one could). Still, it's a good song.

Next up is Voyager from Gamma (aka: Ronnie Montrose). It's a keeper. Quite good.

Up next is The Stealer. It's a good bluesy & rocky number. I like it.

Next up is the wistful Theme From An Imaginary Western. Here Michael is joined on guitar by one of his adolescent heroes Leslie West. It's not bad.

And now we've reached the final song Built For Comfort. I was a bit disappointed the first time I heard this because Schenker isn't playing it nearly as fluidly (nor filling in all the gaps) like he did with UFO on their Phenomenon album. But I have grown to like it after listening to it a couple of more times. It has a mature, funky & crunchy feel about it unlike the UFO version.

All in all this is a damn good album. Aynsley Dunbar is on drums and does a fine job. Gunter Nezhoda plays bass like the pro he is. And yes, Davey Pattison can still sing as well as he did with Robin Trower and Ronnie Montrose back in the 1980's. As long as you are willing to embrace Schenker's "new" 21st century sound & style, you will be glad to own this album. I know I am.