Built to Destroy (Michael Schenker Group album)

Built to Destroy
Studio album by The Michael Schenker Group
Released	2 September 1983 [1]
Recorded	Ridge Farm Studios Dorking, Rusper, England Townhouse Studios, London, England
Genre	Hard rock heavy metal pop metal [2]
Length	41:54
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	MSG, Louis Austin
The Michael Schenker Group chronology
Assault Attack (1982) Built to Destroy (1983) Rock Will Never Die (1984)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	9/10 [4]

Built to Destroy is the fourth studio album by the hard rock band The Michael Schenker Group. Gary Barden returned to the group on vocals, following the departure of Graham Bonnet amidst tensions with Michael Schenker. This was the band's final studio album prior to their disbanding and Schenker moving on to form the McAuley Schenker Group with vocalist Robin McAuley. New material released under the Michael Schenker Group name would not appear for over a decade.

The song "Captain Nemo" is the theme song for Eddie Trunk's radio shows Friday Night Rocks on WAXQ and Trunk Nation on XM Radio's Hair Nation Channel.

Track listing

(UK and Japan LP)

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Rock My Nights Away"	Andy Nye, Gary Barden	4:09
2.	"I'm Gonna Make You Mine"	Nye, Barden, Michael Schenker, Ted McKenna	4:18
3.	"The Dogs of War"	Schenker, Barden	4:23
4.	"Systems Failing"	Schenker, Barden	4:25
5.	"Captain Nemo"	Schenker	3:22

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Still Love That Little Devil"	Schenker, Barden	3:24
7.	"Red Sky"	Schenker, Barden, Chris Glen, McKenna, José Luis Campuzano	5:15
8.	"Time Waits (For No One)"	Nye, Barden	3:58
9.	"Walk the Stage"	Schenker, Barden	5:55
Total length:			41:54

(US Remix LP)

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I'm Gonna Make You Mine"	Nye, Barden, Schenker, McKenna	4:33
2.	"Time Waits (For No One)"	Nye, Barden	4:06
3.	"Systems Failing"	Schenker, Barden	4:16
4.	"Rock Will Never Die (Walk the Stage)"	Schenker, Barden	5:40

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Red Sky"	Schenker, Barden, Glen, McKenna, José Luis Campuzano	5:06
6.	"Rock My Nights Away"	Nye, Barden	4:37
7.	"Captain Nemo"	Schenker	3:22
8.	"The Dogs of War"	Schenker, Barden	4:52
9.	"Still Love That Little Devil"	Schenker, Barden	3:41
Total length:			40:18

• The 2009 EMI Remaster CD includes both UK and US mixes of all songs (18 tracks) with the UK ones listed first. The original title "Walk the Stage", then to be changed to "Rock Will Never Die", on this remaster is listed as "Rock Will Never Die (Walk the Stage)".
• The song "Walk the Stage" has various name changes for different releases:

Built to Destroy: "Walk the Stage" (UK), "Rock Will Never Die (Walk the Stage)" (US and worldwide); Rock Will Never Die (LP): "Rock Will Never Die"; Rock Will Never Die (VHS): "Dream On (Rock Will Never Die)".

Personnel

Band members

• Michael Schenker – guitars
• Gary Barden – vocals
• Chris Glen – bass
• Ted McKenna – drums
• Andy Nye – keyboards
• Derek St. Holmes – vocals on the American Remix of "Still Love That Little Devil"; Gary Barden sings the verses and chorus on the UK Mix.

Credits

• Produced and mixed – MSG & Louis Austin
• Recorded and mixed at – Ridge Farm Studios Dorking
• Additional recording and mixing at – Townhouse Studios
• Engineer – Louis Austin
• Assistant engineer – Richard Manwaring ^[5]
• Tape Operator – George Chambers ^[6]
• Tape Operator – Gavin MacKillop ^[7]
• Additional mixes at – RG Jones ^[8]
• Mastered at – Townhouse Cutting Rooms
• Cover concept – Michael Schenker
• Art direction – John Pasche
• Cover photos – John Shaw
• Cover model – Caroline Dodd
• Inner sleeve photography – Brian Aris
• Project coordinator – Nigel Reeve ^[9]
• Project coordinator – Hugh Gilmour ^[10]
• Bonus tracks remixed at the Record Plant, New York City by Jack Douglas and mastered at Sterling Sound
• José Luis Campuzano, credited as co-writer of "Red Sky", is the bassist and singer of the Spanish heavy metal band Barón Rojo. He is also known as "Sherpa".

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [11]	6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [12]	32
UK Albums (OCC) [13]	23

References

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 33.
2. Downing, Brian. "Built to Destroy - AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
3. Downing, Brian. "Michael Schenker Built to Destroy review". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 19 July 2011.
4. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 317. ISBN   978-1894959315.
5. AllMusic
6. AllMusic
7. AllMusic
8. AllMusic
9. AllMusic
10. AllMusic
11. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
12. "Swedishcharts.com – Michael Schenker Group – Assault Attack". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.