Slash of GUNS N’ ROSES joined legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker on stage earlier today at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany to perform the UFO classic “Mother Mary”. Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.
Slash previously appeared on the studio version of “Mother Mary” which was included on Schenker‘s “My Years With UFO” album, produced by Schenker and Michael Voss. The LP, which was released last September via earMUSIC, marked the 50th anniversary of Schenker‘s era with UFO, spanning from 1972 to 1978. The “German Wunderkind” was asked to join UFO at just 17 years old. Touring the globe as a teenager, Schenker became a driving force behind some of UFO‘s most loved tracks, such as “Doctor Doctor”, “Rock Bottom” and “Only You Can Rock Me”.
The first single from “My Years With UFO”, “Mother Mary” brought together Schenker‘s and Slash‘s unmatched guitar work with former SKID ROW singer Erik Grönwall‘s soaring vocals.
Regarding how he got Slash and GUNS N’ ROSES singer Axl Rose involved with the album, Schenker told the “Appetite For Distortion” podcast in an August 2024 interview: “Yeah, when Michael Voss, my co-producer, and I, we started putting down my guitars, and as we did that, we had no idea what we were gonna do… nothing had been discussed. And so as we were putting down the music, we thought, ‘Oh, what about this?’ ‘What about that?’ What about who?’ Everybody had some ideas. And so, actually, everybody who participated on this album was added to the whole idea from different sources and different times. So, basically, with Axl and Slash — Slash, I was always interested in doing something with him, but I guess when Michael [Voss] first approached him that we’re doing the best of UFO and read him the songtitles, he was for it. And when we met in the Frankfurt recording studio, we were both going jam there to ‘Mother Mary’. And I had my technician there and my amplifier, and Slash brought his guys and his amplifier, and actually Slash ended up playing with my amplifier. And we were supposed to do a jam, but then I realized, ‘Hey, Michael [Voss], I already put all my guitars down. Why we are wasting time doing additional stuff. I already like what I did.’ So I was more into focusing on Slash and getting great takes and add them to what I already had done. And Slash liked that idea. And then also, when he came in, he said, ‘Michael, I just told Axl that I was going to do this, and that I’m on my way to do this. And he said, ‘I wanna sing a song too.’ And I said to Slash, ‘That would be fantastic. Ask Axl which song he would like to do.’ And so actually Axl ended up singing ‘Too Hot To Handle’, ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Love To Love’. But I think they also were on tour at the time, and so Axl was not actually happy with his performance on ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Too Hot To Handle’. And I guess it was too many songs, because they were in the middle of a tour, and he preferred to just focus on ‘Love To Love’. And he is a perfectionist, I have noticed, and so we waited until he was ready, and then finally he went, ‘Okay, ‘love to love’. I approve. You can release it. And that was it.”
Although Michael Schenker‘s era with UFO spanned only six years, his influence as a young songwriter and exceptional guitarist had already left a lasting mark on rock. During these meteoric years, the UFO albums “Phenomenon”, “Force It”, “No Heavy Petting”, “Lights Out”, “Obsession” and the seminal live album “Strangers In The Night” were recorded, each contributing significantly to the genre. “Strangers In The Night” particularly stands out as one of the most influential live rock albums of all time and is still regarded as a cornerstone in any rock enthusiast’s collection.
In this celebratory album, Michael Schenker presents 11 of UFO‘s greatest hits from this magical era with an impressive lineup of guest stars. Joining Schenker on this journey are Derek Sherinian on keyboards, Brian Tichy on drums, and Barry Sparks on bass.
The stellar roster of guest artists includes Axl Rose (GUNS N’ ROSES),Slash (GUNS N’ ROSES),Kai Hansen (HELLOWEEN),Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE),Joey Tempest (EUROPE),Biff Byford (SAXON),Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY),John Norum (EUROPE),Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER),Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE),Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW),Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS),Adrian Vandenberg (WHITESNAKE),Michael Voss, Stephen Pearcy (RATT) and Erik Grönwall (SKID ROW).
