Michael Schenker - In the Midst of Beauty
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.02 You Save: $9.93 (59%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.46 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for In the Midst of Beauty
Free Music Review: Been waiting for Gary to come back...20 some yrs!!!
Hit: 4 Stars
Being a long time fan of Michael, I was anxious to hear this cd when I heard Gary Barden was back with him and the solid musicians who played on this studio release made it even better. I feel,IMHO, that this is most solid all around release since the late 80's when he was with Mcauley. I lost touch with him in the 90's. Some of his music was hit or miss(more of the latter). His work with UFO in the 90's was pretty decent and "The Plot" with Pete Way was solid also.
I am glad Gary is back with him. I feel MSG was at it's strongest in the 80's and had a decent small run with Mcauley that produced some good music. Gary sounds good, not as strained as he did sometimes about 20 yrs ago or so. The song writing is decent, not the best work done, but solid and better than anything he has put out in a long time. His tone sounds a little different(does not use the wah as much?), but the style is pure Schenker.
The only thing I would say negative about this would be that a good part of the songs sound repeatitious, same tempo,kinda all blend together except for a few.Very similar. And also really no signature Schenker guitar riffs. None that really jump out and grab you...that kinda disapointed me.
Overall, the music is solid release from Michael and it's good to see Gary back. I don't expect them to repeat what they did int he 80's ,but maybe with sometime together getting reaquainted the songwriting can get stronger and produce some more good music.
Free Music Review: In the midst of beauty
Hit: 4 Stars
First off let me mention that an artist doesn't do the exact same thing over and over. If you always expect the same thing from an artist in every work of course you may suffer initial disapointment when encountering their new creations. However, this is not to say you are not justified in expecting a certain level of craftsmanship and signature style from the artist. Michael Schenker delivers something an MSG fan can believe in with this new album. Is this his best work? Well, that is for the beholder to interpret for themself. As a long time Schenker fan, I see this as an honest attempt to regain some of the glory which was MSG, but with a bit less hunger for perfection evident on MSG, Assault Attack and Built to Destroy. An instant classic it is not, yet over time I believe anyone who truly appreciates where MSG is coming from will "get it" even if it takes listening a few times. Definitely a worthy addition to your MSG collection, especially at the price in today's rip off world of music sales. Myself, I expected music I would enjoy more than I actually did on this effort. I hope for the future that Michael Schenker can strive to give his fans what we want! "But I want more".Free Music Review: Very good
Hit: 4 Stars
Trouble is, in this age of the CD and the almost obligatory set of at least 12 songs in a new release, it's almost impossible for artists duplicate the masterpieces they recorded in the sixties/seventies/eighties, when around 7-9 songs did the job in, usually, a maximum of 45 minutes per album.
So, this being said, it's natural that some songs in this new MSG album will not make any significant impact on you after listening to it. However, the sheer quality of the band line-up and a overall sense that they were giving their best will compensate that, and this album will add nicely to a MSG collection.
As for Gary Barden, it's no surprise for me that he can handle the job, since I listened to his work in Statetrooper, and checked how he was good (even the lyrics are better in Statetrooper - for anyone who knows the first albums of MSG back in the eighties, it's a known fact that Barden's lyrics were some of the worst ever written in the hard rock scene!!)
In general, a very good album, in my humble opinion.
Free Music Review: best he's done in years!
Hit: 4 Stars
As most of the other reviews here have said, front to back, this is the most consistently good release by Schenker in quite awhile. Fans of Schenker should definitely buy it!
The songs and solo's are relatively tight, Barden's vocal style is more subdued than it was all those years ago - but his tone is such a great match for Schenker that he's still my favorite of all the vocalists Michael has used. The other backing bandmates are all seasoned pros and the result of their participation is that this sounds like a real "band" effort (as opposed to many of Schenker's more recent releases).
The songs I'm enjoying the most right now are End Of The Line - with Don Airey's rollicking keyboards it calls to mind good old Nazareth songs like Not Faking It - and A Night To Remember which has a Smoke On The Water-ish tempo.
Overall, a really solid rock cd. If you're even considering buying it then do it!
Free Music Review: Michael's Best In A Decade
Hit: 4 Stars
"In The Midst Of Beauty" is arguably Michael's best album in a decade.
His playing hasn't sounded this good since the UFO album "Walk On Water". Great songs and melodies with plenty of riffs, lead fills and solos from Schenker to keep you coming back for more. I have never been a fan of Barden's vocals and lyrics, but he steps it up big time here. Sure Barden's no Paul Rodgers or Glenn Hughes, but his spoken/sung vocal style and overall tone compliment Michael's riffage perfectly. Finally, the production and sound quality are top notch. No more of the transistorized, sterile feel of the "Endless Jam" projects. "In The Midst Of Beauty" has a spontaneous, live feel which has been missing from Michael's last few albums. "Midst" is a must have for any Michael Schenker or UFO fan.