“I’d always said to the Scorpions, ‘If any band from England asks me to join, no matter who it is, I’m doing it’”: Michael Schenker celebrates his tenure with UFO with a new reimagined greatest hits record – and it features Slash

Michael Schenker performs on stage at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on October 31, 2021 in London, England.

UFO's Michael Schenker has just announced a new album that celebrates the guitarist's tenure with the band – with a twist. Aptly titled My Years with UFO, the record finds Schenker inviting a Rolodex of rock luminaries to join him – including Slash, Adrian Vandenberg, Joel Hoekstra and Axl Rose.

My Years with UFO marks the 50th anniversary of Schenker's era with UFO between 1972 and 1978. Schenker joined the band when he was just 17 years old. He not only toured the world as a teenager, but also became the driving force behind some of the band's most popular tracks, including Rock Bottom, Doctor Doctor and Only You Can Rock.

The first single from My Years with UFO is Mother Mary, originally released in 1975. The new version features Slash's signature guitar work, including multiple ripping solos. H.E.AT's ex-vocalist Erik Grönwall lends his vocals to the reimagined track, which still manages to stay true to the quintessential UFO sound.

The other artists involved in this project are Axl Rose, Hansen, Roger Glover, Joey Tempest, Biff Byford, Jeff Scott Soto, John Norum, Dee Snider, Joel Hoekstra, Joe Lynn Turner, Carmine Appice, Adrian Vandenberg, Michael Voss, and Stephen Pearcy.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

1. Natural Thing feat. Dee Snider & Joel Hoekstra
2. Only You Can Rock Me feat. Joey Tempest & Roger Glover
3. Doctor Doctor feat. Joe Lynn Turner & Carmine Appice
4. Mother Mary feat. Slash & Erik Grönwall
5. This Kids feat. Biff Byford
6. Love to Love feat. Axl Rose
7. Lights Out feat. Jeff Scott Soto & John Norum
8. Rock Bottom feat. Kai Hansen
9. Too Hot Too Handle feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg & Carmen Appice
10. Let It Roll feat. Michael Voss
11. Shoot Shoot feat. Stephen Pearcy

(Image credit: Michael Schenker)

In a recent interview with Classic Rock, Schenker discussed how he ended up joining UFO after the band he was in at the time, Scorpions, supported them in Germany. “About one month after the tour, they contacted me and asked me to join. I’d always said to the Scorpions, ‘If any band from England asks me to join, no matter who it is, I’m doing it.’

“No-one in Germany understood what I was doing, and the scene was lame. I said to Scorpions, 'Sorry guys, I told you I would do this,' and I left. It wasn’t so much about UFO, it was about the opportunity to play in England. I wanted to develop and go to the next level. I was full of energy and ideas, and I wasn’t afraid of anything.”

My Years with UFO will be released worldwide on September 20 and is now available for pre-order.