Search - McAuley Schenker Group :: Save Yourself

Out-of-this-world

Ehite | Chittagong, Bangldesh | 07/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"first of all, i think 1 of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time is why didn't this band broke big time. i mean, the time was ripe with all the motley & jovi singles racking up the millions: yet this super catchy band gets lost in time, is a thing beyond me...



anyway, this album is among the top 3 greatest albums i've heard in my life. here is the song-by-song review:



1. Save Yourself - omg! here i'm sitting unknowingly in front of my pc with hi-vol, & all of a sudden the power of the song almost blows me away. this album is worth 5 star for this song only. what a solo, what a fine vocal performance! the word amazing was created 4 this. 15/10



2. Bad Boys - an ok rocker. a tad bit overly-commercial, accompanied by very good drum intro by Bodo Schgopf, Mcauley's pipes show a lot of attitude complementing schenker's wicked playing. 8/10



3. Anytime - what can i say about this song, except that this is among the top 5 ballads of all time. the emotion that slurs from schenker's guitar is nothing short phenomenal. 10/10



4. Get Down to Bizness - a very commercial track with an ordinary verse. saved at the last moment by the madman's 'V' - tronics, yet an ordinary track. 7/10



5. Shadow of the Night - A dark ballad accompanied by Schenker's moody solo & mcauley's heart-felt vocals. the use of a computerized vocal was very cool. 9/10



6. What We Need - An up-tempo track, although mcauley's pipes seem a bit strained. another short but masterful solo. take note of the blistering guitar lick. 8/10



7. I Am Your Radio - a great track. very enjoyable with a funny lyrics by McAuley/Stewart. full of melodic guitar snaps. 8/10



8. There Has to Be Another Way - a great instrumental, yet a bit short. 8/10



9. This Is My Heart - A heart-felt power ballad. written by all the band members, one of their best. 9/10



10. Destiny - Classic! the best lyrics I've seen in any msg song. truly amazing. 10/10



11. Take Me Back - I expected this to be a ballad, instead i was treated with one of the

greatest mid-tempo rockers in my life. the guitar is just 'spitzenclass'. 10/10



ooh! what an album. even the worst track is better than many of motley's best singles. Schenker is in the form of his life, and McAuley is just out-of-this-world. great cohesive playing from Newton//Mann/Schopf - respectively on bass,

guitars/keyboards & drums. it's a pity that amazon has confined highest no of stars to 5. other wise i would have given it an infinite no of them.....

"

Fantastic melodic hard rock album

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 09/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know why this album doesn't have a better rating here, because from where I stand Save Yourself is one of the better melodic hard rock albums this decade had to offer - and you know that's saying a lot! Of course, my guess is that most people gravitate towards this band because of guitar hero Michael Schenker, and are expecting non-stop guitar pyrotechnics rather than a fairly straightforward "hair metal" album. I tend to follow vocalists rather than guitarists, so my main concerns are well written melodic songs and a good vocal performance, which Robin McAuley absolutely delivers.



Save yourself brings to mind Hardline and the later albums by another guitar hero Axel Rudi Pell, largely due to Robin McAuley's vocal performance, which is quite similar to Johnny Gioelli's. Schenker's guitar playing is first rate (no surprise there), but it is McAuley's melodic voice and songwriting skills that make Save Yourself such a memorable album. Sure, the album has some of those 80's rock clichés (see Bad Boys and I Am Your Radio), but what 80's album didn't? Besides, one fan's camp is another's nostalgia.



I really can't see this album disappointing any 80's rock/metal fan. If you still love anthemic hard rock bands like Autograph, Giant, Hardline, and Y&T and haven't picked up Save Yourself, you need to do so right away. You won't regret it!

"

A worthy album

sauerkraut | 10/27/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Save Yourself, by McAuley Schenker Group, was released in 1989. It sports 11 tracks, one being a bonus track, "Take Me Back." Also, an instrumental is included--"There Has to Be Another Way." Throughout, the guitar playing is proficient. Robin McAuley is a pleasing, expressive singer, too. The material is in a straight-ahead hard rock musical direction. I think that the songwriting is tight, the musicianship is solid, and the sound quality is gratifying. The compositions that I favor are "Anytime," "There Has to Be Another Way," "This Is My Heart," and "Take Me Back." The plaintive "Anytime" exhibits a winning, pretty chorus and well-crafted, regal-sounding guitar soloing. The somber "There Has to Be Another Way" is one of my favorite instrumentals (in general); it displays charming, elegant, mellifluous guitar work. The catchy "This Is My Heart" has an attractive refrain and nice guitar soloing, while the smooth "Take Me Back" displays majestic harmony vocals. As for the CD booklet, it includes the song lyrics, various black-and-white drawings, and a color photo of each member of the group. The disc is just over 51 minutes. Save Yourself is a recommendable album."