World Wide Live 2004

Rating:
Summary: Flawed But Excellent Nonetheless
Review: After finally having gotten this DVD and watching it a couple times I have to say that the critics of it may be flying off the handle a bit. It certainly could be better in terms of video production, but the concert itself is vastly superior to his VHS concert release from the 80s - I think it was called "Rock Will Never Die"? - and a godsend for video-starved Schenker fans. 'Hope he comes out with some more of these in the future, minus the...

Flaws:
First off - yes, this is in fact one of those concert vids that will leave you with an overwhelming urge to do extreme violence to whoever was in charge of the cameras. The crew clearly is not even remotely familiar with the music. Actually that's being charitable - they don't even seem aware of which particular musician is Michael Schenker because, as others have amply pointed out, you catch only an occasional glimpse of him throughout the show. And it's not limited to Schenker. One would expect even the most dense of camera directors to find his way eventually to the musician who's in the middle of a solo, if by statistical odds or process of elimination if nothing else - but there are entire lead breaks during which the camera just never gets there! It may be lounging around on one of the other players, sweeping dramatically from side to side, tilting 45 degrees while sweeping dramatically from side to side, panning the crowd, examining the lighting rig, sulking in the corner, etc. This is not to say there's anything wrong with snazzy camera movement - in the hands of someone competent and intimately familiar with the songs it can make for a great production. But for this concert it's obvious the director of photography was utterly oblivious to the subject matter. It's almost as if the camera direction was coming from a stoned 13-year-old.

On the other hand:
Despite the psychotic camera work and lethargic crowd, this is a surprisingly pumped-up and electrifying show. I say "surprisingly" because as a lifelong Schenker fan I've been disappointed by almost all of the MSG releases when compared to UFO in the Schenker/Mogg/Way/Raymond/Parker/Nevison lineup. (The two recent throwaway discs from Shrapnel/Varney can't even be considered to be UFO.) The older MSG tunes benefit from the strength and energy of Schenker's new band and have an intensity live that was always lacking on the studio versions. The UFO tunes, which you have gotta think Schenker is bored to tears with having to play for the umpty-thousandth time, definitely do not have the freshness of the classic "Strangers" performances but that's an unfair comparison in any case - that was a full twenty-five years ago. It's fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable to listen to what a more mature Schenker, backed by a solid band of younger players, does with that older UFO material. The results are tighter and somewhat more raw versions of classics.

The other thing that comes out loud and clear is the timelessness of those original songs - "Lights Out," "Rock Bottom" and "Mother Mary" sound like they could have been written last summer, not a quarter of a century ago.

The band is as strong as the best of the MSG lineups, which to my mind would be the "Assault Attack" and "Perfect Timing" incarnations. Chris Logan is not the most flamboyant showman on the planet, but his voice is dead-on and rock solid on every tune, even on Graham Bonnet's range-stretching wails in "Assault Attack." Wayne Findlay does a great job filling the Paul Raymond dual role of keys and guitars, even pulling off an impressive guitar solo himself on one track. Pete Holmes is, well, he's not Neil Peart or Jeff Sipe, but he gets the job done with authority. The standout is bassist James Jones, who I think gets a bumb rap as "helicopter boy" or any of the other perjoratives thrown his way. The guy is definitely a character - to my mind he doesn't come across as a "poser" at all, just someone who's way, way into what he's doing. But *that dude can play that bass*!

As for the crowd, well, this show was shot in Poland - if I'm remembering accurately it was shot for Polish television? I forget who it was, but I remember reading an interview with a rock star - somebody from Rush or the Scorps if I'm not mistaken - who pointed out that crowds differ vastly by country. In North America we're rowdy and no-holds-barred, in Japan and much of Europe they sit virtually motionless, almost politely, and just watch. I've seen that on quite a few European and Japanese concert vids. It's a cultural thing, don't sweat it.

The bottom line is, I'm interested in what's happening on the stage, not in the audience. So a pox on the camera director but kudos to Schenker and the band for slamming this home. All in all it could have been a better production, but the performance is great - a welcome and long-overdue video addition to the body of Schenker's work.

Last week I donated mine to a "send your DVDs to the troops in Iraq" thing my employer is doing (along with the new S.R.V. Montreaux 82/84 DVD,) so I'm off to pick up my second MSG DVD - it's that good. And somewhere in Iraq some soldiers are grinning ear to ear...

Rating:
Summary: Sad, Sad, Sad
Review: An extreme disappointment. I've seen MS several times and have never been disappointed watching him play. The problem with the DVD is that whoever was doing the video obviously was not watching the concert. It was a dizzying display of camera swapping that made absolutely no sense by constantly rotating amongst the band members when it should have been focused on one individual. Other than that, the picture quality was great and the sound was fair (I'm being pretty nice here since I really like his music). If you do decide to purchase it, make sure you take your Dramamine. Michael....whoever you paid to put this together really let you down.

Rating:
Summary: Great DVD for Schenker Fans
Review: For those of us that have waited and waited years for the chance to see and hear a good video of one of the most influential guitarists in rock, this is video delivers in some ways, and disappoints in others.

True, there are weaknesses in the video. But there are many strengths as well. I have given this concert several views, and it does grow on you.

Michael Schenker has lost some of his precision and pizzazz as a guitarist, but then most of us pushing 50 have. One thing that we learn is to play within our limits, and it seems as though Michael has scaled back his extensive soloing to accommodate this lack of fluidity. His band is tight though, something he has not always had to back him.

Here are some items of note, some negative, some positive:
-Chris Logan on vocals does a pretty good job. There is a lot of criticism of him concerning this DVD, but we have to remember that he is covering at least three other vocalists. His own songs are the strongest, as you would expect. His performance on "Assault Attack" is probably the weakest, which stands to reason, as Graham Bonnet is a superb vocalist who is difficult to cover. There is another shot in the video where the vocal does not match his mouth movement, an obvious studio "fix", but it passes quickly. But it does make me wonder how much doctoring went on with his vocals. His stage presence is lacking, not the most charismatic front man around.

-There are a couple of places where the keyboard sounds absolutely sick, most notably during the lead break on "Let it Roll". It does nothing to enhance the song; I think the keyboard player should try to stick to the originals a little closer.

-The drummer is dead on; he does a superb job throughout. I heard nothing from him other than good, solid drumming.

-Rev Jones, the bass player is fun to watch, and he is a superb player to match. He is a definite asset to the band.

-As far as Michael goes, there are a lot of ups and downs. He makes a couple of pretty noticeable gaffs during his lead breaks, and sometimes his improvisation will be a disappointment to those who want to hear a note-for-note performance. For example, the famous solo on "Rock Bottom" is really lame, a real downer for the last song of the video. There are times, though, where Michael shines.... but these times are just a little too few and far between for my liking. The songs Michael loves to play are obvious, as he actually gets swaying and moving, notably "Into the Arena" and "Lights Out".

There are a couple of other things that are irritants, as well. The camera shots are generally great, clear with decent editing. But when you are buying a video that should showcase the star, the camera cuts away nearly every solo Michael performs, either to another band member or to his picking hand. Maybe that's niggling, but I want to see the fret board hand! And the shots of his picking hand are a continual reminder that Michael has never taken the protective plastic off his guitar's pick guard, and it is peeling down. That just seems kind of unprofessional....which brings me to the homemade sign on his amps advertising his web site. It looks like either a 5th grader made it, or it was put up as an afterthought. Either way, it degrades an otherwise nice stage appearance.

Michael Schenker purists will love the chance to see him in action, but for me there is an undercurrent of disappointment with the video. There are those of us who always believed that Michael could do no wrong, but this video shows that he is a mere mortal. And that he can still play a pretty mean guitar.


Rating:
Summary: ken hower's review
Review: having been a long time UFO fan (up until the Chapman years of course) and a loyal Schenker fan, this DVD was a great addition to my collection, only second after the coveted led zeppelin dvd. i do though have an issue with KEN HOWER'S review. he obviously cannot shake his known boy-band preoccupation. Having been acquainted with him for a few years, his review brings to mind the illness I feel when walking up to his house and hearing the ever present, blaring, ballad ridden boy-band cacaphony(grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrril i , i , i want to play jax wif you)...the canned music that follows will stop any true rocker in their tracks. Hower's prepubescent problem is clearly reflected in his brief synopsis of this dvd. i won't be surprised to see his review of the journey dvd with the well known destroyer of journey..steve (stop that guitar solo, neil) perry.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Loyalty Is To Tell The Truth
Review: I don't know why Michael Schenker doesn't just retire those old MSG & UFO songs given the fact that he can't play them nearly as well as he used to. He sounds like a geriatric imitation of his glorious past. His hands these days have no electricity or elasticity. There is very little passion in the man's sound or body language.

Dig, those old chestnuts are meant to be performed with a youthful pizzazz, full of vim & vigor, and sweat dripping off the end of one's nose, but those qualities are not on this dvd.

He's a shell thrice removed from how well he could play back in the early 80's.

The band he's employing look and sound like they should be playing Death Metal or some form of Spastic Rock. They play their parts adequately but don't play with any true soul or artistry. The keyboards sound rinky-dink cheap & amateurish. The vocals are generic modern-day Hard Rock, nothing especially good or bad about them, they get the job done and that's about it. And the same can be said for the rest of the band.

The picture quality is outstanding.
And you do indeed get to see Schenker's hands often enough, but the thing is, there isn't much to watch. Or, better stated, what you see are 8 fingers and 2 thumbs moving minimalistically. They hit just enough notes for us to recognize the skeletons of past virtuosic solos. He plays just enough to get by.

The interview is pure crap because the interviewer sounds like he's asking questions from a sheet of paper and does not rebound off the answers provided. All you get from this interview are short, chirpy answers to very lame, over-asked questions.

It's a red-faced shame that this dvd is the only video document of Schenker in concert ever to be officially released in the USA or England (as of this day in December 2004). If you want pro-shot videos of Schenker performing in his heyday then you will have to surf & search the www and/or make contact with video suppliers in Japan. Look for MSG Rock Will Never Die (Live at the Hammersmith 1983), MSG Rockpalast 1981, MSG Dortmund 1983, and MSG Super Rock 1984 Live in Japan.

Bottom line:
I don't like this dvd. You'd be wiser to get one of his audio concerts such as Back To Attack or Reactivate or Rock Will Never Die.

Rating:
Summary: My Review
Review: I think this is quite a good dvd from MSG. Chris Logan does a suprisingly good job on covering different lead vocalists other tunes. I wasn't sure what to expect vocal wise but he does a good job covering Barden, Mogg, and Bonnett vocals. The best performance on the dvd for me is into the arena. I think it's very well done. The poorest performance is Only you can rock me. It's not a perfect dvd. The crowd isn't all that enthuastic but the performances are good for the most part. It's not the video for Strangers in the night but it's much better than a bootleg performance.

Rating:
Summary: Much better than I expected.
Review: I was not expecting much from this dvd since I heard Michael Schenker was going through some hard times and was broke. I say he delivered the goods. The video quality is top notch. This is surprising since MSG is not a well know band. The sound seems good to me on my Onkyo sytem. I also liked the large selection of UFO songs on the set list. I have the Hammersmith live 83 laser disk and liked this one better.

Rating:
Summary: there's something lacking here...
Review: O.K., first the pro: this is a killer value for the money; a CD & DVD for the first 3,000 copies. He has a great bass player albeit he looks like he should be in Dope instead of MSG. Schenker plays well, but honestly except for James Jones (bass) & occasionally Wayne Findlay (keyboards/guitar), they look as if they're going through the motions. Chris Logan is a good but not great singer & he really isn't a very good front man in terms of crowd interaction (the standard crap). The crowd is anemic & comatose for most of the set. The sound is decent, but not great. The treble sounds a bit in the background, almost under the bass though the vocals come through well. Pete Holmes does a good yet unspectacular job on drums (love Black 'N' Blue!). Lastly, since half of the set is UFO material, I must say that I don't care for this band's versions, expecially compared to the classic live "Strangers In The Night" from UFO. I must admit to skipping over the majority of them in viewing the dvd. The accompanying interview with Mr. Schenk is o.k., but he skips sniffing the whole time (coke?). All in all, with the time allotted to them in preparing this package, it comes off a bit rushed. The sound could've been tweaked a bit more & the biography on the extra features is poorly written & edited. The band could've been a bit more pumped for a live recording; no energy from the majority of the band or crowd! Just the facts... The Wolf

Rating:
Summary: Armed & Ready!
Review: Take no heed on reviews criticising the Michael Schenker DVD. It is excellent--and worth every penny. Accusations of limited on-camara time of Michael Schenker are totally unfounded. The Polish production crew has produced a glossy live concert video with multiple angles (including a moving boom view) and tight camera directing. This is never dull--not a single moment. Furthermore, some have accused the audience of being non-responsive. Some directors do not root a microphone in the audience to keep noise down during the performance, and that appears to be the case here. Need proof? Watch the audience as the camera pans. They're going berserk--you just don't hear them very loudly. If the video quality is first-rate, the sound quality is also top-notch. *ALL* members get equal time on camera, and the director follows where the action is but avoids staying in one spot too long--hence keeping up the excitement. If you're looking for an hour and a half of extreme close-ups of Michael's fingers, this isn't the video for you. But if you want a video showing Michael and his band put on a stunning show, buy this DVD. I've been a Michael Schenker fan for over 20 years. This is a first-class video. Watching James Jones twirl his locks around like he does is worth the price alone--not to mention a surprise or two in the Schenker interview (I won't spoil it for you). This video is Armed and Ready!

Rating:
Summary: Compressed sound and bad vocals make a sad dvd
Review: WOW what can I say, I was awaiting this DVD. I'm very disappointed with this DVD, where to start, the sound is so compressed it can't drive my 5.1 setup well at all, the mix is aweful. I had to turn it way up just to hear it a bit. Most DVDS you see all the speaker meters full to the limit with driven sound, this DVD does not even move the the meters at all. His choice of vocalist is not good at all, this guy just does not have the energy that I expect, most strained and unskilled.The people in the crowd seem to be dead or sleeping little wonder. the fact is I have always enjoyed Michael Schenker, but without a vocalist the caliber of Phil{UFO}Mogg. This band sinks Like a german U-boat. Even the soul felt playing of Schenker can't save this DVD from the bad sound and poor vocals. Do yourself a favor if your a UFO fan, pull out the old albums and have a listen, save your money better spent.