Legendary guitarist Michael Schenker recently shared that Axl Rose recorded three tracks for Schenker’s upcoming album, *My Years With UFO*, but only one will make it to the final release. Rose’s rendition of his former band’s classic track “Love to Love” will be featured on the LP, set to drop on September 20.
In an interview with the *Appetite for Distortion* podcast, Schenker explained how the collaboration came to be. It began with a studio session involving Rose’s Guns N’ Roses bandmate, Slash. “When [Slash] came in, he mentioned to Axl that he was going to record with me,” Schenker said. “Axl then expressed interest in singing a track as well. I was thrilled and told Slash to ask Axl which song he’d like to do.”
Axl ended up recording three songs: “Too Hot To Handle,” “Only You Can Rock Me,” and “Love To Love,” all originally from UFO’s late 1970s albums. However, Rose was dissatisfied with his performances on two of the tracks. Schenker speculated that the reason may have been due to the demands of Guns N’ Roses’ ongoing tour, which likely prevented Rose from delivering what he considered perfect takes.
“Axl wasn’t happy with his vocals on ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Too Hot To Handle,’” Schenker revealed. “He’s a perfectionist, and he wanted to focus on ‘Love to Love.’ After some time, he finally approved that one track for release.”
Despite Rose’s decision not to include the other two tracks, Schenker had no trouble finding top-tier replacements. The upcoming version of “Only You Can Rock Me” will feature Joey Tempest and Roger Glover, while “Too Hot to Handle” will include Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg, and Carmine Appice.
Slash also contributed to the album, playing on “Mother Mary” alongside Eric Gronwall. Other notable guests on the record include Dee Snider, Jeff Scott Soto, and Stephen Pearcy.
With an all-star lineup and Axl Rose’s one approved track, *My Years With UFO* is shaping up to be a must-listen for classic rock fans.
