Veteran heavy-metal guitarist Michael Shenker recently released a new album paying tribute to his 1970s stint with British rockers UFO. The album, titled My Years with UFO, features a variety of special guests, including Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose.
Videos by American Songwriter
Rose appears on a version of the 1977 UFO power ballad “Love to Love.” Now, the track has been released as the latest single from the album.
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In addition to Rose’s powerful vocals, the updated version of “Love to Love” is highlighted by Schenker’s blazing riffs and ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian’s melodic piano lines. The track also features former Michael Schenker Group bassist Barry Sparks and ex-Foreigner/Billy Idol/Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy.
A companion visualizer video for the new version of “Love to Love” has debuted on the earMUSIC label’s YouTube channel. The clip features sketches of Rose and Schenker that also appear on the single’s cover art.
“Love to Love” was co-written by Schenker and UFO’s founding frontman, Phil Mogg. The song appeared on the band’s sixth studio album, Lights Out, which was released in May 1977. Lights Out was UFO’s highest-charting studio album, reaching No. 23 on the Billboard 200.
Schenker Discussed Rose’s Participation in His Album
In an October 2024 interview with Classic Rock magazine, Schenker discussed Rose’s participation in the My Years with UFO album. The guitarist revealed that in addition to “Love to Love,” he tried singing “Too Hot to Handle,” also from Lights Out, and the 1978 song “Only You Can Rock Me” for possible inclusion on the album.
“Axl is a perfectionist,” Schenker noted. “He puts everything under the microscope. He was not happy with his performance on ‘Too Hot to Handle’ and ‘Only You Can Rock Me,’ but he did such a great version of ‘Love to Love.’”
Schenker explained that it took quite a while before Rose was happy with what he sang.
“He would go back into the studio and do something else,” Michael recalled. “[He’d say,] ‘It’s not right yet, it’s not right yet!’ We waited and waited, and eventually he got it. It’s a really good song for Axl to sing.”
More About the My Years with UFO Album
My Years with UFO was released on September 20. Among the other guest singers and musicians featured on the album are Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, Slash, Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy, ex-Rainbow/Dee Purple frontman Joe Lynn Turner, Europe’s Joey Tempest, Saxon’s Biff Bifford, Roger Glover, Adrian Vandenberg, Carmine Appice, and Joel Hoekstra.
Tempest wound up singing “Only You Can Rock Me,” while Turner was the lead vocalist on “Too Hot to Handle.”
More About Michael Schenker
As a teenager, the German-born Schenker played with the Scorpions, which his older brother Rudolf co-founded, from 1969 to 1973. He then joined UFO, and was a member of that group until 1978, when he briefly rejoined the Scorpions.
In 1979, Schenker launched his own band, the Michael Schenker Group, which became his main musical focus for many years. The guitar virtuoso also reunited with UFO a few times, as well as launching various other projects.
My Years with UFO is the first of a planned trilogy of albums from Schenker as part of a new deal he signed with the earMUSIC label. The other two albums are expected to arrive in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Schenker has lined up a spring 2025 European tour to promote My Years with UFO. The trek kicks off April 9 in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, and currently runs through a May 2 show in Mozac, France. Schenker also is confirmed to play a few European festivals next summer.
My Years with UFO Track List:
- “Natural Thing” (featuring Dee Snider and Joel Hoekstra)
- “Only You Can Rock Me” (featuring Joey Tempest and Roger Glover)
- “Doctor Doctor” (featuring Joe Lynn Turner and Carmine Appice)
- “Mother Mary” (featuring Slash and Erik Grönwall)
- “This Kid’s” (featuring Biff Byford)
- “Love to Love” (featuring Axl Rose)
- “Lights Out” (featuring Jeff Scott Soto and John Norum)
- “Rock Bottom” (featuring Kai Hansen)
- “Too Hot to Handle” (featuring Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg, and Carmine Appice)
- “Let It Roll” (featuring Michael Voss)
- “Shoot, Shoot” (featuring Stephen Pearcy)
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