Album of the Week #313: The Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack (1982)

[Scott]

By "I searched for a duplicate AOTW post 100 times and this album never showed up in the results" Scott

This weeks album was my introduction to Michael Schenker and also UFO. Sure I knew of them, but I hadn't really heard much, and then I went over to co-workers apartment for a party (I'm sure it was a small innocent gathering) and he put this on. It was one of those *mic drop* moments. I had to know who this was and he then proceeded to follow up with some UFO. Life changing moment. So if you've never heard Assault Attack, sit back and prepare for your moment... First some info...

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After returning to the UK from Japan in August 1981, having recorded the live album One Night at Budokan, Schenker and his band played a short tour of the UK. After the tour, Cozy Powell and Peter Mensch (Michael Schenker Group's manager) wanted a better singer for the band and suggested David Coverdale, but Schenker himself wanted Graham Bonnet. After some disagreements, which ultimately led to the termination of the cooperation between Mensch and MSG, Bonnet joined the MSG in February 1982. Meanwhile, Powell and Paul Raymond left the band for their own reasons and were replaced by drummer Ted McKenna and session keyboardist Tommy Eyre. After four months the band went to France to start recording the album that would become Assault Attack with producer Martin Birch, who arrived fresh from Iron Maiden's album The Number of the Beast. The sessions took place at a French castle, Le Château d'Hérouville.

This was the last time until the Tales of Rock'n'Roll album that Schenker and Bonnet cooperated. The BBC broadcast of the Reading Festival concert was released in 1993 as BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert - this featured a returning Gary Barden on vocals. More recent CD reissues contains the bonus track "Girl from Uptown", the b-side of "Dancer", the album's sole single. Attracting mixed reviews on release, Assault Attack is now looked on more favourably, and Schenker himself is considered by many critics to be in top form. In 2005, Assault Attack was ranked number 481 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

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• Group: The Michael Schenker Group
• Title: Assault Attack
• Release Date: 1982
• Label: Chrysalis
• Duration: 40:06
• US Chart Position: 151 (We're so stupid sometimes)
• UK Chart Position: 19

Band members...

• Michael Schenker - guitars
• Graham Bonnet - lead & backing vocals
• Chris Glen - bass
• Ted McKenna - drums, percussion

Track Listing...

1. Assault Attack
2. Rock You To The Ground
3. Dancer
4. Samurai
5. Desert Song
6. Broken Promises
7. Searching For a Reason
8. Ulcer
9. Girl From Uptown (2009 Reissue Bonus Track)

[Niels (Mod)]

I clearly remember buying this album in early autumn of 1982.

I wasn't really a fan of Schenker, but I was a fan of Bonnet's voice.

I liked the album, not a lot, but I liked it.

Do I still hear it? Absolutely not. I haven't heard it on a regular basis since....1982, I think.

Weirdly, I didn't really buy anymore Graham Bonnet-fronted albums, but I did buy a couple of Schenker-albums.

It's still a good album, especially the title-track and Desert Song. Dancer is an okay pop-tune. Samurai is okay too...kind of.

The last third of the album is filler IMO. Probably why I didn't kept listening to the album. I like an album to end with possible the strongest songs. The very best albums does (A Night At The Opera, Physical Graffitti, Led Zep IV, Superunknown, OK Computer, Book Early, In Color, Pyromania, even Destroyer, Hotter Than Hell and Dynasty)

The bonus track is another waste of my time.

Do I like the album? Yes. Do I love the album? No.

[Jon]

For some reason, I could swear I posted Michael Schenker here before. Not this album (since I was waiting for the right time and I guess I'll now never have the chanve, thank you very much) but the album that came before this. See, I remember writing about the album cover and how they changed it from the original awesome cover to a group photo. That's the album that introduced me to MSG so of course I picked this one up when it was released and it is the greatest Michael Schenker Group album, period. PERIOD.

When I invented and then discovered the internet, this was one of the first albums I looked for and had to special order it. It was something like $18 and it was remastered and also included "Rock Will Never Die". Still think it was cheap, it arrived at the store in a couple weeks and I was happy since I had lost the vinyl many years before. This would have been around 1996/97.  In case you're wondering, one of the other albums I was looking for was Y&T's "Black Tiger" which I had to buy as a Japanese import for around $30. 

What makes this album even better is Graham Bonnet and it's a shame that this was it with Schenker. It's kinda like Alcatrazz where the best album they put out was the one with Graham Bonnet (oh, and Steve Vai).

I've actually listened to this album at least four time within the past month and I am listening to it now and it's not boring me at all. There are no bad tracks on this at all and it you don't get pumped up with "Broken Promises" (especially the beginning, you might have something seriously wrong with yourself.

Gee, thanks Scott.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Maybe I have to be the voice of dissent...or maybe I don't.  The first two songs do nothing for me.  Dancer, for the most part, doesn't either.  But the chorus is okay.

The album heats up mightily with Samurai.  A cool tune, followed by and even better tune in Desert Song.  Jon may actually be right about that song.  I even think Broken Promises is pretty good.  But it falls away again with the final two tracks from the original album.

I can't say I'm a fan of Schenker.  He can certainly play, but his music misses Phil Mogg.   Funny thing is, for me, Phil Mogg's vocals don't miss Schenker.  Because Vinnie Paul is fabulous.  But that's neither here nor there.  

I'll take UFO over MSG any day, regardless of the era.

[Scott]

Not sure how you listened to this, but this is one of those albums that needs to be loud and the listener needs to be near a speaker or perfectly between them.  Its an album that the bass drum kicks resonate through your body and you really feel this one.  This is the only way to hear this.