Dentist, Dentist....Please!

November 18, 2018
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Posted By: Stephen Murray

Lessons from a Michael Schenker concert - nothing to do with teeth (but then again....)

Probably the most famous V guitar in rock,
the Dean Guitars variation on his Harlequin Gibson Flying V

I can't adequately explain how talented this man is. His music has sustained me through O Levels, A Levels, Dentistry and Orthodontics degrees. I saw him first in Ulster Hall in 1986 and most recently last week. It was glorious.

His career is nearly half a century long at this stage, and he's certainly one of the most melodic heavy rock guitarists ever. In another world, Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett would have sang versions of his songs. Sadly, despite his monumental abilities, professional stability and a definitive studio album eluded him and his true essence is still best in performance and is best captured on his live albums "One Night at Budokan" and "Michael Schenker Story: Live".

He has currently made his peace with all his previous vocalists and is touring with "Schenkerfest". 

What did I learn?

  1. He has little good to say about one guitarist he worked with and the band they were briefly in together
  2. The people he used to work with clearly enjoy making music with him still
  3. He enjoys what he does, even after 5 decades
  4. His tone, articulation, melody and mastery of the instrument was superb. He played a 10 minute guitar solo and it was never boring  - a joy to watch
  5. His new stuff is still good
  6. The regular members of his current band are clearly expert at what they do and support him ideally
  7. He still has an audience of people that want to experience what he does
  8. Everyone left with a smile on their faces

I wish I was as effective at orthodontics as Michael Schenker is at music

 

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