Axl Rose appears on an upcoming Michael Schenker album of classic UFO songs
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose is to appear on a new album by Michael Schenker, My Years In UFO. The album is scheduled for release on September 20 via earMusic.
The album, which sports a cover loosely based on the design of UFO's classic live album Strangers in the Night, features new recordings of UFO songs from Schenker's tenure with the band.
According to the tracklist on Amazon, Rose appears on the new version of the epic Love To Love – originally featured on 1977's Lights Out album – while other contributors include fellow Guns N' Roses man Slash as well as Dee Snider, Ratt frontman Steven Pearcy, Deep Purple's Roger Glover and Saxon man Biff Byford.
"For the first time, Michael Schenker revisits his classic years with UFO," says the promotional blurb on the Amazon page. "The Schenker era, from 1972 to 1978, is revered as the period when UFO achieved international success with hits like Doctor Doctor, Rock Bottom and Lights Out. In 2024, to celebrate the 50th anniversary, Schenker re-records 11 of his UFO hits from this era, featuring guest stars such as Axl Rose, Slash, and Dee Snider."
The first song to be released from the album, a version of Mother Mary – originally from 1975's Force It album – is out now, and features Slash on guitar and former Skid Row man Erik Gr?nwall on vocals.
According to the Facebook page Slash Addict, Rose's part was recorded in June last year in London during Guns N' Roses' European tour, with Slash's guitar taped in Dusseldorf the same month. It's not clear if Rose's contribution to Love To Love is a rare new vocal or a take on Paul Raymond's original piano part, or both.
Other musicians appearing on the album include former Rainbow singer Joe Lynn Turner, Whitesnake's Joel Hoekstra, Europe's Joey Tempest and John Norum, Carmine Appice, Jeff Scott Soto, Helloween's Kai Hansen and former Whitesnake man Adrian Vandenberg. Full tracklist below.
Michael Schenker: My Years In UFO tracklist
Natural Thing (Dee Snider and Joel Hoekstra)
Only You Can Rock Me (Joey Tempest and Roger Glover)
Doctor, Doctor (Joe Lynn Turner and Carmine Appice)
Mother Mary (Slash and Erik Gr?nwall)
This Kids (Biff Byford)
Love To Love (Axl Rose)
Lights Out (Jeff Scott Soto and John Norum)
Rock Bottom (Kai Hansen)
Too Hot to Handle (Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg and Carmine Appice)
Let It Roll (Michael Voss)
Shoot, Shoot (Stephen Pearcy)
