Description
The “phantom MSG” was formed after leaving UFO/SCORPIONS and welcoming the young Billy Sheehan. The upgraded master of that precious studio recording has been miraculously newly excavated. The earliest MSG formed with Billy Sheehan First of all, who are the “phantom MSG”? It was the initial lineup that existed in 1979, before the production of their debut album “God (The Return of the Flying Arrow)”. The golden duo “Michael & Gary Barden” that we all know well were the core, and the rhythm section was joined by two Americans, Billy Sheehan (then TALAS) and Denny Carmassi (formerly MONTROSE), a four-piece group. They entered the studio as a new band and began writing songs for their album debut. For those of us who know the later activities of Billy and Carmassi, it was a super band that made us drool, but at the time Michael was in a terrible state due to alcohol problems. It collapsed before it got on track. Although it was such a “phantom MSG”, a few studio demos were left behind. In particular, the five takes, including four unreleased songs included in the bonus of the remastered version of “God”, are famous, and many people will be delighted by the miracle of the official release. However, those five songs are not all that “Phantom MSG” left behind. In 1994, an even longer demo was unearthed by a prestigious label. “Proof of the sound of the phantom MSG” reigned as a must-have masterpiece for collectors. A completely different dimension of newly excavated upgrade master The introduction has become long, but what is permanently preserved in this work is such a long demo. However, even though the performance itself is the same as the conventional label version, it is a super upgrade master with a sound that is in a different league. The source of this work is a master tape brought from a unique route overseas, but the sound that flowed from it was a completely different dimension. To put it bluntly, the Bondage label version is the type that “I’m grateful to be able to listen to it”. There is a hiss noise all over the album, and the performance sound itself is undeniably rough. There were also some tape twists and random patch errors here and there. However, this newly excavated master has almost no such flaws. It is a beautiful sound that approaches the bonus track of “God” (I repeat, it is a different demo in terms of performance). When you say upgrade, some people may imagine polishing with remastering, but even with modern digital technology, it is impossible to improve it to the extent of this work by processing. The difference in master is another dimension that makes you realize once again that it is so decisive. The clash of super individuality that is exposed because it is earlier than the official demo, such a completely reborn sound is depicted in the studio recording by a miraculous super band. The official demo of the remastered version of “God” was at the stage where the appearance as a song was also established, but this work is earlier. It feels like a jam recording of nine takes, three of which (Jam #7, #8, #9) include Gary’s singing. This is not even in the official demo, and it is a treasure that remains unreleased to this day. And the remaining six takes are trio instruments. It feels like jamming with the motif of riffs and phrases that Michael thought up and developing the song. As a result, you can hear the seeds of “Looking Out From Nowhere” and “Feels Like A Good Thing” that will be included in “God”, and you can enjoy the four unreleased songs “Just A Lover”, “Breakout”, “Tales Of Mystery”, and “Get Up And Get Down” that saw the light of day on the remastered version in even more primitive versions. This is just amazing. Even though it’s just a jam stage… no, it’s because it’s a jam that the players’ personalities are fully exposed. The guitar sound is unmistakably “that V”, and the sense of time and the slight obbligato are completely Michael-marked. Moreover, it’s “that Michael” who was brilliant, which is directly connected to “Conquering the Universe” and “God”. And it’s irresistible because it’s “that Billy” who is involved. As expected, it’s a composition demo, so it’s not a battle mode like DAVID LEE ROTH BAND or MR. BIG, but even so, there is no simple root playing at all, and it’s a flood of singing phrases. Contrasting phrases and variations that provide ideas for Michael’s motifs are constantly poured in. Pete Way also had an outstanding sense of melody, but Billy is no match for him. Of course, Carmassi is not in work mode, but in serious mode, providing ideas for accompaniment. The groove reminiscent of later HEART and COVERDALE/PAGE is also wonderful, and he may have been a better fit for the role than Simon Phillips or Cozy Powell… he shows off drumming that makes you fantasize about such things. Anyway, it’s a miracle demo album that has been upgraded to a completely different class. Since the official demo was released, there have been fewer opportunities to listen to it because people thought, “It’s just jam anyway…”, but the sound has improved and the sense of the super players has fully bloomed. In fact, it has evolved to the point where you can say that jam is more interesting! A super album where rare talents intersect in the rock world. A studio demo album of the phantom lineup formed with Billy Sheehan and Denny Carmassi. This is an early demo that is completely different from the remastered bonus of “God”. Although there are already bootlegs, this work is a super upgraded master newly excavated by a unique route. The sound is incomparably better, and the jam where the two geniuses Michael and Billy bump ideas into each other endlessly explodes with the best sound. You can enjoy two unreleased songs with vocals that you can’t hear even on the remastered version of “God”. Recorded at The Manor Studio, Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxfordshire, UK in 1979 *SUPER-UPGRADE!!!!!(from Original Masters!!!) (45:29) 1. Jam #1 (Looking Out From Nowhere) 2. Jam #2 (Just A Lover) 3. Jam #3 (Breakout) 4. Jam #4 (Tales Of Mystery) 5. Jam #5 (Get Up And Get Down) 6. Jam #6 (Feels Like A Good Thing) 7. Jam #7 8. Jam #8 9. Jam #9 (Take 2 Of Jam #8) Michael Schenker – guitar Billy Sheehan – bass Denny Carmassi – drums Gary Barden – vocal Gary Edwards – engineer
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