UFO "No Heavy Petting" 1976****/"Lights Out" 1977****(comp.1994)

A few hours ago, I saw UFO in my neighboring city, Zoetermeer. I'm talking of course about the hard rock band, not an actual Unidentified Flying Object. I have seen one of those but I don't talk about it lest The Men In Black show up in my doorstep. I'm joking, of course! Really, just forget I ever wrote that, and focus on the UFO concert. The current line-up includes classic members Phil Mogg (vocals), Andy Parker (drums), Paul Raymond (guitar, keyboards), as well as new guys Rob De Luca (bass, since 2008) and Vinnie Moore (lead guitar, 2003). Vinnie is a perfect fit for the band, an acclaimed virtuoso and one of the few people who can live up to the inevitable comparisons with original guitarist Michael Schenker - in speed and technique, if not flamboyance. Mogg's voice isn't what it used to be, but whose is? The band performed well and the audience had lots of fun, especially with all the 70's classics, while new songs didn't sound out of place. Regarding the record review itself, this is one CD I'm not sure I'm keeping. The two albums compiled here are great but the songs are all included on The Chrysalis Years box set which I've just bought. No reason to own it on CD twice. If it was vinyl, now... "No Heavy Petting" was the band's third LP with Michael Schenker on guitar. The band was firing on all cylinders, with "Force It" breaking into the Top100 and the German wunderkind (still only 21) closing in on Ritchie Blackmore in the race for Metal's best lead guitarist. They had the momentum, and this should have been the album to push them over the top. They kept producer Leo Lyons (from Ten Years After) and added new member Danny Peyronel (ex-Heavy Metal Kids) on keyboards to achieve a fuller sound. The result was commercially unsuccessful with the album peaking 100 places lower than their previous one, at No 169. Listening to it now, it's hard to understand why. Opener "Natural Thing" certainly pulls out all the stops: powerful riff, catchy chorus, and some bustling Jerry Lee-like piano by Peyronel. "I'm a Loser" has a morose title and country-ish acoustic intro, but soon picks up, culminating in a fiery electric guitar solo. "Can You Roll Her" is one of their more metallic songs. Reminiscent of Deep Purple, because of its speed but also because of the way the guitar and keyboards complement each other. It's followed by the emotive ballad "Belladonna" displaying UFO's ability for writing great ballads - probably the only hard rockers that can out-ballad them are Schenker's alma mater aka The Scorpions. "Reasons Love" is another fast metal song with a riff similar to Purple's "Stormbringer". Schenker's playing here is phenomenal. "Highway Lady" is a Peyronel composition and he steals the show with some nice boogie woogie piano. "On with the Action" is a slow-burning mid tempo rocker, while the bluesy "A Fool in Love" (a Frankie Miller cover) sounds more like Rod Stewart than UFO. Closer "Martian Landscape" starts off with some proggy keyboards before evolving into a typical power ballad. I think this album is better than it's usually given credit for.

***** for Natural Thing, Can You Roll Her

**** for I'm a Loser, Belladonna, Reasons Love, On with the Action

*** for Highway Lady, A Fool in Love, Martian Landscape

The commercial failure of "No Heavy Petting" meant some changes were in order. First up, they brought in producer Ron Nevison who tried to enrich their sound with more complex orchestrations including strings and horns. Then, Danny Peyronel was replaced by Paul Raymond who doubled on keyboards and rhythm guitar, complementing Schenker without vying for equal footing. The album opens with powerful rocker "Too Hot to Handle" combining the electric blues of Free with a glam/pop chorus. "Just Another Suicide" is a glam rocker embellished with strings and keyboards. "Try Me" is UFO's softest ballad. The piano and strings dominate, and for once Schenker's guitar is emotional rather than bombastic. As if to show us he hasn't mellowed out he returns with some stupefyingly fast solos on the galloping "Lights Out", one of the band's best (and heaviest) songs. A couple of typical hard rockers ("Electric Phase" and Thin Lizzy-soundalike "Gettin' Ready") surround a surprisingly faithful cover of Love's "Alone Again Or". Not an obvious choice, certainly. Either the idea was to showcase Alan McMillan's orchestral arrangements or to shut Schenker up for once. He does emulate the sound of the original's mariachi trumpets with his electric guitar, but otherwise takes a back seat here. Any way, kudos to the band for not fucking the song up and for reminding people of the genius of Love. One has to remember that, although today "Forever Changes" is a universally acknowledged classic, back in '77 it was all but forgotten. The closing "Love to Love" blends together emotive vocals, stirring pianos, soaring strings and heavy guitars to create the ultimate power ballad. That said, I have to admit I personally find it rather too long (at 7'40'') and overloaded. It certainly has its fans: Iron Maiden's leader Steve Harris has cited it as his all-time favourite song. The album in general turned out to be UFO's biggest success ever, peaking at No.23 (U.S.) and even now featuring in many Best-Albums-Ever lists. Unfortunately, Schenker's alcoholism and erratic behaviour would hinder them from reaching the potential showed here. Finally, after one album in similar vein (1978's "Obsession"), they would part ways. A pity, really: neither band nor guitarist would ever better the albums they made together as a team.

***** for Too Hot to Handle, Try Me, Lights Out

**** for Just Another Suicide, Alone Again Or, Love to Love

*** for Gettin' Ready, Electric Phase

Disclaimer: I just want to make clear that I have never seen an actual UFO. I wrote it as a joke. UFO's do not exist, neither do The Men In Black. Aliens have never come in contact with us, and the U.S. Government is not experimenting on people. Additionally, Osama Bin Laden did plan the 9/11 attacks and really is dead.

UFO "The Chrysalis Years: 1973–1979" 2011(comp)****

I must admit I really am a sucker for reissues and repackages of classic (and beloved) records. When I saw "UFO The Chrysalis Years: 1973–1979" on sale for €9,99 I bought it although I knew I had some of the records included in this compilation on CD. How many? I didn't count them at the time, but it turns out I had 5 out of 6, all except "Obsession" which is the weakest of the bunch, although by no means bad. On the bright side the box set also contains some unreleased material, including a whole live show from 1974. I will present individual albums apart later, and only focus on the box set package and bonus tracks here. First of all, the package is a simple 5-disc plastic box with the tracks presented in chronological order. This results in two albums (Force It and Lights Out) being split over two discs, which kind of disrupts the flow. Another minus is that the booklet is rather poor. Based on previous experience I would have expected some reproduction of the original artwork, inner sleeves and all, plus a history of the band and of the recording process of the individual albums. Instead you just get an interview with singer Phil Mogg, a few photos and recording credits. Furthermore it's not as exhaustive as it could have been since some bonus tracks that appeared in the remastered editions of these 6 albums are missing.  I call that a wasted opportunity. At least the sound is remastered and crystal clear, plus even at its regular price (£11.64 on amazon.co.uk, around €15) it is still a great bargain if you don't already own the albums like I did. Before we start getting through the bonus tracks, let us get some perspective: The story begins in 1973. UFO had been around for a few years and had released a couple of studio and one live album in heavy prog style with limited success in the UK and US, although they were well received in Germany and Japan. They were in the process of seeking a more straight rock/commercial sound, replacing guitarist Mick Bolton initially with Larry Wallis (future Pink Fairies/Motorhead) and later with Bernie Marsden (future Whitesnake) but nothing worked out until, by accident, Marsden lost the plane to Germany. To keep their trip from being a complete disaster UFO borrowed the guitarist from the support group, a local band called Scorpions. The 18-year old Michael Schenker turned out to be the missing piece of the puzzle so UFO promptly offered him the position of lead guitarist, despite the fact that he didn't speak a single word of English. His fast and flamboyant style must have been a strong influence on later guitar heroes like Randy Roads and Eddie Van Halen. Together with Phil Mogg's earthy vocals and big catchy choruses, they defined the sound of the new UFO and ushered a very successful era for them - though whether they really did him a favour by taking him on is debatable, as his old band went on to become one of the biggest rock acts in the planet. In any case this compilation chronicles the first seven years of Schenker's involvement with the band, starting with their first single "Give Her the Gun/Sweet Little Thing". The A-side is a chugging boogie and B-side a nice rocker. The new guy's arrival is already evident, both in the masterful guitar work and co-write credit on "...Gun". He'd go on to co-write 10 of Phenomenon's 12 tracks, quite an achievement for a new member still in his teens. The single edit of that album's "Doctor Doctor" included here is just that: the LP track is shortened by simply fading out. You're left wanting for more, and thankfully the following track delivers: A full 7-minute rendition of dynamite hard rocker "Rock Bottom" recorded at the BBC studios, followed by emotive ballad "Time on My Hands" and another version of "Give Her the Gun" from the same sessions. A third version of that tune appears on disc 2, recorded at the Electric Ballroom in Atlanta during the band's first American tour.

(Presumably) the whole show is included, with the band firing on all cylinders. The setlist is based on their then current album "Phenomenon" and it's a very tight performance, songs generally sticking close to the studio arrangements with explosive guitar solos regularly upping the energy level. The hard rockers are interspersed with heavy blues ("Built for Comfort"), a ballad ("Space Child") and a cover of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey". Mogg's vocals are a bit too macho for this particular song, but anyway it's mostly used a showcase for Schenker's guitar virtuosity. The concert closes with the spacey "Prince Kujuku", a song of the previous line-up that they positively improved on. The recording quality is very good considering it wasn't meant to be released. The audience is barely heard, which kind of detracts from the live feeling, but otherwise it'd make for a great live album by itself. Disc 3 contains the single edits of  the excellent string-laden ballad "Try Me" and catchy Status Quo-like rocker "Only You Can Rock Me", as well as a '78 radio session recorded for John Peel: "Too Hot to Handle", "Lights Out" and "Try Me" from the Lights Out album are played very well but they are a bit too faithful to the studio renditions to be of real interest. Disc 5 contains their seminal live album "Strangers in the Night". One of hard rock's most iconic live albums (alongside Deep Purple's "Made In Japan" and Thin Lizzy's "Live and Dangerous"), it's augmented here by an edited live "Doctor Doctor" and its B-side, the metallic "On With The Action". Strangers... was UFO's biggest success, but by the time it hit the stores the often unreliable Schenker was gone and the band fell into a steady decline. He'd form his own band, rejoin The Scorpions for an album and take part in a couple of UFO reunions, but neither he nor UFO would ever match the commercial and artistic success of the 6 albums included here. We'll present them one by one sometime in this blog, though I find myself in a dilemma about keeping the individual CD's or selling them/giving them away. I know I'm keeping "Force It" because of its historic "naughty" album cover - actually all the original albums' covers are of interest as they were designed by Hipgnosis, better known from their work with Pink Floyd and one of the best designers in the business.

***** for Doctor Doctor (single edit), Rock Bottom (Bob Harris session), Doctor Doctor (Live single)

**** for Give Her the Gun, Time on My Hands (Bob Harris session), Doctor Doctor (Live), Built for Comfort (Live), Space Child (Live), Rock Bottom (Live), On with the Action (Live single)

*** for Sweet Little Thing, Give Her the Gun (Bob Harris session), Oh My (Live), Give Her the Gun (Live), Cold Turkey (Live), Prince Kujuku (Live)