McAULEY SCHENKER GROUP – “SAVE YOURSELF” 1989 ALBUM REVISITED
I have forever and always will be an admirer of Michael Schenker, the lead guitarist of The Michael Schenker Group, McAuley Schenker Group, UFO and of course, an original guitarist for the Scorpions. Michael Schenker has also released numerous albums through a solo career and side projects. McAuley Schenker Group – Save Yourself, was a choice Metal pick of mine today… I reached for this CD and let it’s Heavy Metal engulf my ears. Released on October 25, 1989, Save Yourself was an instant Metal favorite for me since it’s release. Always the impeccable Metal guitarist, Michael Schenker, through his signature sound, is such an amazing standout figure in the history of Heavy Metal… in my Metal opinion. Is this the greatest Michael Schenker guitar led album ever? Not necessarily, yet Save Yourself does come across with it’s melodic Metal power – amazingly well for my liking. This is an album that I have never grown tired of, nor ever will. Is Robin McAuley my favorite vocalist on a Michael Schenker album? No, Gary Barden is, that is not an insult to Robin McAuley, it’s just my personal choice. I really like the vocals of Robin McAuley, Old School and never overreaching.
Metal Odyssey Warning: There is NOT one bad or sub-par song on Save Yourself, in my Metal opinion. Seek out this album and listen to it at your own Metal risk… you just might find yourself liking this album a great deal.
I Am Your Radio is a prototypical 1980’s Heavy Metal anthem. With its heavy stomping and power driven rhythm section, accompanied with a backdrop fused with all the electrifying guitar leads and riffs you can ask for… throw in a climactic solo for good Metal measure too. Can this song be construed as ’80’s corn dog? Not in my Metal mind… especially when this song is played LOUD, like it was meant to be heard. What We Need is an engaging Heavy Metal song, strong vocals from McAuley and muscular guitar licks from Schenker abound. Shadow Of The Night is rich with it’s Heavy Metal chorus, a true ’80’s melodic anthem, a sing-along for MSG die hards!
There Has To Be Another Way is the lone instrumental on Save Yourself. This is not Michael Schenker showing off, no ego is prevailing here… just a bitter sweet sound of emotion being spoken from his flying V. (As fine of a mellow/Metal guitar instrumental I’ve ever heard). Get Down To Bizness has the attitude and flamboyancy that late 1980’s Heavy Metal was so notorious for. Combine the vocals and solo of this song and you have a molten ball of Heavy Metal, raging with all the greatness of this era’s heavy music. Anytime is a power ballad THAT I EQUATE TO HEAVY METAL GREATNESS. That is correct… a ballad that I revere!! Wow, there really are Heavy Metal ballads that get Metal recognition on Metal Odyssey after all! Simply put, Anytime with it’s lyrics, melody, tempo and complete musicianship… is an all time favorite song of mine… period. Anytime gives me salamander bumps up and down my arms and across my face, each time I hear it. (Don’t repeat this to anyone… you all MUST Metal promise!).
Bad Boys gets the adrenaline flowing on high, it’s not a knock you out song, it’s just a song that has bite with raw undertones. Besides, Michael Schenker makes good on his guitar solo on Bad Boys, regardless of how shortened it is. Save Yourself as the album opener, opens with Michael Schenker letting it be known he is THE guitar god on this album and with his band. Save Yourself is arguably the heaviest song on this album. Take Me Back is the last song on this album, it is almost like Robin McAuley and Michael Schenker wanted to save one of the best for last… for Take Me Back IS one of the best songs on Save Yourself. A commercially accessible song is Take Me Back, still it is Heavy Metal with Michael Schenker leaving his signature – guitar stamp of approval all over it. Steve Mann, not to be ignored, plays alongside Michael Schenker on this album and my ears hear his credibility throughout, both on guitar and keyboards.
Check out and listen to the power ballad – Anytime… this song just gets better for me with each listen:
McAuley Schenker Group as they appeared on Save Yourself:
Michael Schenker – lead guitar
Robin McAuley – lead vocals
Steve Mann – guitar and keyboards
Rocky Newton – bass guitar
Bodo Schopf – drums
Track Listing For Save Yourself:
Save Yourself
Bad Boys
Anytime
Get Down To Bizness
Shadow Of The Night
What We Need
I Am Your Radio
There Has To Be Another Way (instrumental)
This Is My Heart
Destiny
Take Me Back (bonus track)
Save Yourself was originally released on Capitol Records.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
February 1, 2010 at 8:39 pm
I LOVE this release. I have to be honest… I didn’t get into MSG until the “Perfect Timing” release. I saw the video for “Gimme Your Love” and just had to have it. I really thought they stepped it up with “Save Yourself”. It is just one of those perfect albums. I have since listened to older MSG releases, but I just dig the ones with Robin McAuley the most. It seems “The Boneyard” (XM/Sirius Radio) only knows the song “Take Me Back” though. A great tune, but there is so much more to choose from… like you pointed out. Then again, anytime I hear Leatherwolf, it is always the song “The Calling” from the first Island Records release… but I digress. I am fortunate enough to have the 3 McAuley Schenker Group releases on Compact Disc. This pairing were a great chapter in the history of MSG. I hate it didn’t go further or last longer. Great review of a classic album. Good Work! \m/
February 3, 2010 at 2:55 am
Thanks for the Metal compliment… it’s appreciated. Once I caught onto MSG it seemed I never looked back. Graham Bonnet was on lead vocals for ’82’s “Assault Attack”… man, the song “Dancer” on this album always stuck with me. Honestly, when it comes to MSG, I really can’t point out a dud for an album or even close to a dud. I used to have “Assault Attack” and ’83’s “Built To Destroy”, (with Gary Barden), on vinyl… not to sound like a broken record here – I wish I never got rid of ’em. My “MSG” vinyl, from 1981, was where it all began for me… then I bought the the debut “Michael Schenker Group” album from 1980 and on it went. I always kept my “MSG” vinyl, it’s become sentimental to me and I could never see it leaving my collection.
In Metal
Stone
February 2, 2010 at 1:50 am
I’ve been listening to stuff from them on YouTube for a while. I like it and want their first three albums. Too bad the imports are so expensive.
February 3, 2010 at 2:36 am
You may come across them used… on Amazon. It’s amazing how some of “the really great albums” are imports and cost more, I used to think this type of madness would stop years ago… I was wrong. My domestic version of “Save Yourself” is out of print… your right, the import price is laughable.
May 6, 2010 at 9:28 pm
[…] their name before but never dove too deep into it. Luckily, Stone over at Metal Odyssey did a post that got me really interested in the band. A few YouTube searches later and I was HOOKED on this […]