Michael Schenker achieved a rare feat on his star-studded new album, My Years With UFO: He lured Axl Rose into the studio to record a guest vocal on an updated version of UFO’s “Love to Love.”
In fact, Schenker tells UCR, he didn’t even have to ask Rose to participate — the famously elusive singer requested to be part of the project.
Schenker had already recruited Slash to play on My Years With UFO, and the top-hatted guitarist appears on a scorching rerecording of “Mother Mary” alongside short-lived Skid Row frontman Erik Gronwall. Once Rose learned about the collaboration, he wanted in as well.
“When Slash came to the recording studio in Frankfurt to record with me, he said, ‘Oh, I told Axl I’m coming here today to do this with you,'” Schenker tells UCR. “And Axl said, ‘Oh, can I sing a song?’ So I said, ‘Oh, really? Ask Axl which song he wants to sing.'”
Rose recorded vocals for multiple tracks, though only one — the seven-and-a-half-minute epic “Love to Love” — appears on My Years With UFO. “He ended up singing ‘Only You Can Rock Me,’ ‘Too Hot to Handle’ and ‘Love to Love,'” Schenker explains. “And I guess because they were in middle of a tour, he didn’t like his performances. He wanted to focus on one song. He’s a perfectionist. … I liked them all, but I left it up to him. And he said ‘Love to Love’ is the one. So eventually, he had it all together and texted us or gave us a message that his version was ready.”
READ MORE: 10 Rare Axl Rose Performances Only Hardcore Fans Know
How UFO Influenced ‘Hardcore Fans’ Guns N’ Roses in the Studio
If anybody could get the two figureheads of Guns N’ Roses to guest on an album, it would be Schenker, who says that Slash and Rose have been “hardcore fans” of his work for decades. In fact, Slash has been guesting in Schenker projects since before Guns N’ Roses even rocketed to stardom.
“In the ’80s I did a video, ‘Rock Will Never Die,’ with Michael Schenker Group,” Schenker explains. “And in the background, there were a bunch of celebrities, but they were doubles, like a Michael Jackson double. But there was one, Slash, that was the real one. He is a real fan, and he heard about this, and he came … and you can see him rocking there.”
Watch Michael Schenker Group’s ‘Rock Will Never Die’ Video
Schenker says the sound of UFO’s classic albums also had a profound impact on Guns N’ Roses. “Slash has always expressed his love — Axl and Slash and Guns N’ Roses,” he continues. “They really loved the UFO productions, in the studio and the live recordings. And Ron Nevison [UFO producer] had a tape op called Mike Clink, and so he actually ended up producing Guns N’ Roses. And because Mike Clink had all the information on how Ron Nevison did it, Guns N’ Roses were basically kind of trying to stick as close as possible to UFO’s sound, and, of course, added their own individual ideas to it. But basically, they are really, really hardcore fans.”
Every Guns N’ Roses Song Ranked Worst to Best
Multiple narratives emerged when compiling the above list of Guns N’ Roses Songs Ranked Worst to Best. All entries by Eduardo Rivadavia except where noted.
Gallery Credit: Eduardo Rivadavia
