The UFO album by album thread.

I like the way you think. Man! I couldn't agree more. The title track from DWSP, along with Seems to Me are two of my favorite songs Phil Mogg ever recorded. I was actually quite disappointed when Kollman wasn't asked to be a permanent member of UFO when Michael gave his half of the name back to Phil. Vinnie is undoubtedly a great guitarist, but Jeff is a far superior writer, IMO, as well as a top-notch producer.

 

Yes, Martin's book is really good. I recommend his Lizzy trilogy, as well. Good stuff!

 

Yeah, I think Jeff Kollman would have been a much better fit than Vinnie Moore.

Funny thing though, I saw UFO with Kollman and he was awful! He was playing bass, filling in for Way I guess, who couldn't get a visa or something. The #1 thing I remember about him is that he was stalking around the stage throwing stupid poses and making stupider faces. I guess he was trying to overcompensate for the lack of Way's stage presence. Jason Bonham was on drums that show and he was even worse btw; totally plodding and hardly (if at all) doing any fills. Those guys constituted one of the worst rhythm sections I've ever seen. Ironically I do like both of them as musicians, just not on that night.

 

Before hooking up with Mogg Way, Jeff subbed for his buddy (and Cosmosquad bandmate) Barry Sparks, playing bass for MSG on a leg of a tour. Shane Gallaas (also from Cosmosquad) was on drums and since he's also guitar players, MSG was doing a 4-guitar rendition of Bijou Pleasurette that was incredible to witness live, according to a friend of mine. I remember someone on the Strangers In The Night forum commenting, "Michael Schenker's drummer is a better guitarist than I am!" Funny stuff!

Oddly enough, when Jeff returned home to the States, he had a voicemail asking about his interest in making a record with the guys from UFO. The two gigs were completely unrelated. Barry suggested Jeff to Michael as a substitute for a handful of dates while he fulfilled a previous commitment (because he knew he could get his job back from Jeff) and Mike Varney turned Phil on to Jeff's excellent cd, Into The Unknown, as they looked for a replacement for Schenker.

It's a shame that Chocolate Box doesn't have the UFO name on it because it stands up to anything they did with Schenker, IMO (with the possible exception of Obsession) and is at least a notch better than even the best of the Chapman era, I think. And all but the hardcores are oblivious to it.

 

Not doubting what you said about Jeff - I just can't imagine him doing that. He seems too dignified from what I know of him. He did tell me that his stint playing bass for MSG was just something he did for fun and to have the chance to go to Japan and meet Uli, who was on some dates, as well. Maybe he approached playing bass in UFO the same, Idk.

As for drummers, I much prefer Simon Wright to Jason, but Andy's return was good for the band, I think.

 

Good times, indeed! That stuff was the soundtrack to my teen years, as well. Actually, it's been so all along. We were spoiled rotten with rock in the 70s, weren't we?

 

I really dig how astute you guys are with this stuff. I wish I had joined this forum a long time ago. I've always thought that Ronson and Schenker had pretty much identical tone in those days. There is a somewhat rare Elton John recording of the song Madman Across The Water (from the 2-cd Elton set, "Rare Masters") with Mick that I really love. His tone is identical to Michael's classic Gibson-Crybaby in the sweetspot-Marshall tone. So raw and simple, yet, to my ears, never bettered.

 

How about Cherry for some standout bass playing? That song is built on Pete's bass riff and indeed, the song is mostly Pete's, music- wise.

 

Thanks for saying.
I agree that version of Madman is awesome and his tone is one of a kind.

 

Huge UFO fan! I was sort of late to the game and got into them in the last 5-6 years. A highly addictive band. Obviously the stuff with Schenker is elite level rock/metal. My favorites are probably Phenomenon, No Heavy Petting, Lights Out, Force It. Listening to Obsession and Wild Willing and The Innocent right now, both also fantastic! I think WWATI has to be the best post Schenker album. Also, I absolutely love the very first two space rock albums of the Mick Bolton years. What a great band, so glad I discovered these guys!

 

That version of Madman is also in 5.1 and is incredible. 360 degrees of Ronson.

 

F'n fantastic thread. Love it! I am in the middle of a huge UFO vinyl marathon and I must comment on the high sound quality of many of these colored vinyl reissues. I have most of the original pressings as well but I must say I am highly impressed with the reissues. Full, super detailed, and rich warm sound. The grey colored No Heavy Petting and white Force It are two of the best but they are all outstanding. I don't think I had one warp ithe whole batch of em and super quiet pressings as well. Does anyone know the details of who participated in the mastering/transfer of these? They did a great job.

 

Apologies for any redundancy, but I keep preaching the live at the electric ballroom show from 74. You'll love it!

 

Remind me which album that is on for bonus content? I have all of the deluxe CD's with the bonus stuff but wondering if I already have that on vinyl. And yes,my collection is far too large! LOL

 

Name that bass player .......

 

Paul Gray

 

Anyone ever hear the 1982 UFO self titled (first album) realeased on A.K.A. records? I was wondering on the sound quality as it is the only way to get a reasonably priced older issue of this one. I heard the new reissue of this is fairly dynamically crushed which is too bad.

 

That is a great show. I realized I had it on The Chrysalis years vol. 1 cd set.

 

Billy Sheehan

 

All I know is that the cd on Repertoire which comes in the minilp sleeve is bad. I really don't think this album will ever reveal itself as a sonic masterpiece but I'm sure my old Repertoire cd was much better sounding. Its probably my least favorite UFO album so I'm not that fussed but it's strange how Flying sounds so much better!

 

I'm listening to the Rockpalast discs for both UFO and MSG...while both bands are on fire, these CD's appear to be in MONO...

 

I realized that I already owned the album UFO live on the A.K.A. label and I like the sound of it. I pulled the trigger on a VG+ copy of the first album on the for around $20.

 

Late to the party, again, but I can't resist the temptation to wax melancholy on the glory that is Walk On Water!

Having been very fortunate to have a best friend (actually, more like a non-biological older brother) who had his finger on the pulse of great rock music, I was a bonafide Schenker nut before Force It was even recorded. I was ten when Rob brought Phenomenon over and the mesmerizing strains of Rock Bottom first dislocated my jaw.

Unfortunately for me, as all of my neighborhood friends were older by at least four years, I was left behind from many a concert trek to witness the majesty of 70s bands, such as UFO, Lizzy, Tull, Aerosmith, etc. By the time I was old enough to accompany them without my mother calling the cops, I made the choice not to go, as my buddies invariably spent the entire day of a show preparing with 12 oz. curls, endless bong hits and, more often than not, giant piles of booger sugar. I was terrified they would get in a wreck and I'd never see them again. This was nearly a weekly occurrence, as everybody and their dog did the annual album/tour thing in those grand ol' days. Thankfully, my fears never materialized, but I did miss out on seeing the cream of the crop of classic bands, which stings mightily. I am grateful to be here to feel the pain, however.

The point I'm getting to is that I never got to see UFO on Michael's first go-round, which was a deep wound for many years - one I felt could never be healed, until, in answer to a some never-uttered prayer, here they come again in 1995 with Walk On Water and a U.S. tour!!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Japan-only CD of WOW at Phoenix Records in Waterbury, CT (to this day, the greatest record store I have ever been priviliged to enter - their import section was 90% of the store!). Plopping down a gut-wrenching thirty-eight U.S. dollars, I raced home to fire it up, as I only had a cassette deck in my car at the time.

I had followed the band's entire career, slowly losing hope, especially during the Atomic Tommy era. I was somewhat heartened by HSADM, especially the inclusion of one Laurence Archer, of Grand Slam fame, since I was also into Lizzy, as most UFO fans seem to be. Having said that, I can't properly convey the glee that struck my heart upon hitting the play button. I was instantly floored by the opening riff of Self Made Man and the unbridled sonic pornography that followed. This was nothing short of the rebirth of one of the greatest bands in all of rock and I was beside myself with rapturous awe.

Having a particular affinity for the mix of heavy guitars and Hammond organ, Venus brought a stupified grin to my face. This was something relatively different for UFO and it works like a charm! The track also has some of Mogg's best lyrics in a large catalog of great ones: "Tell me now and I'll understand, Does Venus hold you in the palm of her hand? Has her blackness touched your very heart? She'll smile sweetly as your world falls apart." Sheer brilliance!

There seem to be mixed emotions about Ron Nevison's production style/skill, but I think he hit this one out of the park! The louder I play this CD, the better it sounds. I believe there's an intangible thing that Nevison brought to the UFO table: the ability to get the absolute best from the moody Schenker. This can't be fully quanitified, I suppose, but just listen to the records he helmed, as opposed to those he didn't, and the proof is in the pudding, as they say. In fact, IMO, if there's something Michael lacks in present day, it's a producer with the gravitas to tell Michael no or to coax a better take or stronger chorus melody. Not that Schenker's playing is the culprit, but the songs themselves lack the craftsmanship by which we were all so spoiled in years past. I can't shake the feeling that the downsized approach of modern times tends to work against someone like Michael.

Mogg has stated that recording Walk On Water felt kind of like a first album and the freshness herein bolsters his claim, as Stopped By A Bullet comes roiling out of the speakers with a bluesy acoustic riff that again breaks new ground for this seminal band. This is a tawdry tale of a young dude losing his virginity (and heart) to a stripper, told as only His Moggness can! The guitar work on this track is energetic and dazzling, with the stop/start aspect creating an exciting tension.

Darker Days features some really tasteful, grooving rhythm guitar that is arguably more interesting than the lead breaks. This track demands to be played LOUD!!!

Skipping ahead, perhaps my favorite track on the album is Dreaming of Summer, a song that I feel holds its own against any the band has recorded, save perhaps Love to Love, which occupies a space all its own, not only in the UFO archives, but in the larger rock pantheon, as well. There's a real honesty in this tale of "a love with no money" that makes me wonder if, in some way, it's autobiographical. Schenker laces the track with some of his most heartfelt and tasteful fills and, coupled with the empathy felt for the narrator, the main solo has a truly heartbreaking effect that makes my heart swell every time I hear it. The mournful tone of Schenker's Flying V and perfectly timed harmony lines add a wistful, elegiac beauty that is all too rare in rock music, especially today. This is the x-factor of Michael Schenker's genius as a musician; it's not rocket science or a reinvention of the wheel, but a case study in the power of melody to move the spirit. Schenker is nothing if not supremely tasteful, always serving the song and resisting any temptation to overplay, as many guitarists seem to. I could name a certain Swedish guitarist who could learn from this but, suffice it to say, real beauty is an elusive thing, yet often found in simplicity.

The two "bonus" tracks (hard to see them as such, considering there are otherwise only eight songs on hand) are re-workings of Lights Out and Doctor Doctor. Although not really necessary, these versions are simply smoking and worthy additions to the catalog. Doctor Doctor, in particular, conjures goosbumps with the multi-tracked intro as Michael lays down some gorgeous, crystaline lead lines over the ubiquitous intro. It's nice to hear this with such great fidelity.

The Japanese CD features the band members' spoken greetings to their faithful Japanese fans - kind of a silly thing, really, although I never tire of hearing Michael say, "Keep... ... ... onrocking!" Endearing in a uniquely Schenker way.

And, all too soon, it's over.

Though the band would record two more studio albums with Michael Schenker, before recruiting perennial shredmeister Vinnie Moore, UFO would never reach these lofty heights again, sadly. The odd thing is, if the current configuration of the group was a relatively new band, we'd probably all be over the moon about records like You Are Here or Seven Deadly, but when stacked up against the likes of Force It, Obsession and Walk On Water, well, perhaps it's a bridge too far.

By the same token, Schenker seems to have straightened out his personal problems and is happily pumping out new records with his Temple of Rock. By no means are these bad albums, but they can't help but pale in comparison to the magical mix of Schenker/Mogg/Way and yes, Paul Raymond, an often overlooked ingredient in the UFO kitchen, responsible for penning a gem or six himself.

I doubt I'm alone in wishing for these guys to circle the wagons one last time and beyond all hope, grace us with another Walk On Water.

Wouldn't that be something?

 

The charting device has just impaled itself... Outstanding.

 

Coming from you, TM, I'm honored.