HNE Recordings will release a new 4 CD Box Set called Bad Boys – The McAuley Schenker Story 1987-1992, featuring the three studio albums and Unplugged Live album with extra bonus tracks. It’s set for release on January 30, 2026.
After making his debut at a mere 17 years old on Scorpions’ first LP ‘Lonesome Crow’ in 1972, guitar maestro and mad axe-man Michael Schenker spent five years as lead guitarist with the inimitable UFO, before forming The Michael Schenker Group (MSG for short) with singer Gary Barden in 1979. With four studio albums and two live records under his belt between 1980 and 1984, Michael returned in 1987 with the ‘Perfect Timing’ album, fronted by former Grand Prix and Far Corporation singer Robin McAuley, and a change of name to the McAuley Schenker Group – but still conveniently shortened to MSG. The new look MSG released a total of four albums between 1987 and 1992, starting with the melodic ‘Perfect Timing’ (1987), followed by ‘Save Yourself’ (1989), ‘M.S.G.’ (1992) and finally with ‘Unplugged Live’ (1992). ‘Perfect Timing’ features three singles; ‘Love Is Not A Game’, ‘Follow The Night’ and the US Hot 100 Hit ‘Gimme Your Love’, and is certainly the most melodic and AOR-friendly of this batch of albums. ‘Save Yourself’ followed in 1989. 1991’s ‘M.S.G.’ was certainly a harder, grittier affair than the previous McAuley Schenker releases, and includes the single, ‘Never Ending Nightmare’. The much harder, guitar-driven sound was possibly a reaction to grunge that was very much in vogue at the time, whereas ‘Perfect Timing’ was a good reflection of the more commercial, glam sounds and hair-metal that was the height of fashion in the mid-late 1980s. Thanks in part to MTV’s popular Unplugged series of TV broadcasts, albums and videos, going acoustic was certainly very much de rigueur in the early 1990s, which leads us to the fourth and last album in this collection; 1992’s ‘Unplugged Live’. As well as key McAuley Schenker songs, recorded live in Los Angeles in 1992, the album features three UFO classics; ‘Natural Thing’, ‘Doctor Doctor’ and ‘Lights Out’.
Perfect Timing features the bonus tracks ‘Gimme’ Your Love’ (Edit) and ‘Follow The Night’ (Edit). ‘Save Yourself’ is now expanded with ‘There Has To Be Another Way’ (Instrumental), ‘Save Yourself’ (Single Edit), ‘This Is My Heart’ (Edit), ‘Anytime’ (Single Edit), ‘Anytime’ (Radio Edit), ‘Bad Boys’ (Acoustic Version). ‘M.S.G.’ now features ‘When I’m Gone’ (Single Edit), ‘Nightmare’ (Single Edit), ‘When I’m Gone’ (Acoustic Version), ‘When I’m Gone’ (Alternative CHR Version) and ‘Nightmare’ (AOR Version). Unplugged Live is completed by a take of UFO’s ‘Only You Can Rock Me’, ‘Anytime’ (Acoustic Version), ‘What Happens To Me’ (Acoustic Version), ‘We Believe In Love’ (Acoustic Version) and ‘Never Ending Nightmare’ (Acoustic CHR Version) taken from the unplugged in the studio Japanese only mini-album ‘Nightmare: The Acoustic MSG’.
DISC ONE
PERFECT TIMING (1987)
1 Gimme’ Your Love
2 Here Today – Gone Tomorrow
3 Don’t Stop Me Now
4 No Time For Losers
5 Follow The Night
6 Get Out
7 Love Is Not A Game
8 Time
9 I Don’t Wanna Lose
10 Rock ’Til You’re Crazy
BONUS TRACKS
11 Gimme’ Your Love (Edit)
12 Follow the Night (Edit)
DISC TWO
SAVE YOURSELF (1989)
1 Save Yourself
2 Bad Boys
3 Anytime
4 Get Down to Bizness
5 Shadow of The Night
6 What We Need
7 I Am Your Radio
8 This Is My Heart
9 Destiny
10 Take Me Back
BONUS TRACKS
11 There Has To Be Another Way (Instrumental)
12 Save Yourself (Single Edit)
13 Vicious (B-Side)
14 This Is My Heart (Edit)
15 Anytime (Single Edit)
16 Anytime (Radio-Edit)
17 Bad Boys (Acoustic Version)
DISC THREE
MSG (1991)
1 Eve
2 Paradise
3 When I’m Gone
4 This Broken Heart
5 We Believe In Love
6 Crazy
7 Invincible
8 What Happens To Me
9 Lonely Nights
10 This Night Is Gonna Last Forever
11 Nightmare
BONUS TRACKS
12 When I’m Gone (Single Edit)
13 Nightmare (Single Edit)
14 When I’m Gone (Acoustic Version)
15 When I’m Gone (Alternative CHR Version)
16 Nightmare (AOR Version)
DISC FOUR
UNPLUGGED LIVE (1992)
1 Anytime
2 We Believe In Love
3 What Happens to Me
4 Bad Boys
5 Gimme Your Love
6 Natural Thing
7 Perrier
8 When I’m Gone
9 Nightmare
10 Doctor Doctor
11 Lights Out
BONUS TRACKS
12 Only You Can Rock Me
13 Anytime (Acoustic Version)
14 What Happens To Me (Acoustic Version)
15 We Believe In Love (Acoustic Version)
16 Never Ending Nightmare (Acoustic CHR Version)
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