As I was trekking through U.F.O. albums so as to be prepared for their gig in Edinburgh (Saturday 24th April at the HMV Picturehouse), I realised that although the band has a solid track record (no pun intended) in the music industry, few people from my generation are actually aware of its importance. Most of the famous heavy metal bands, such as Iron Maiden that we know today were either U.F.O. fans or were at least influenced by the music this band brought to life on stage and on albums.
Thus here I have compiled five album reviews across the ages of U.F.O. (another way of saying in chronological order). They are only five because that was the number of albums I could find legally. Also, reading or even writing twenty album reviews (which is the number of albums U.F.O. have produced over their years of existence) did not sound like a feasible (or even appealing) option, even if I had found all of them.
Lastly, before we begin, I must give many thanks to the Record Shack (Edinburgh) which I singlehandedly managed to bring to the condition of ‘out of stock’ in U.F.O. albums after my visit.
I attempted not to be biased while writing these reviews, as I was to pass the torch to you to what will hopefully lead to a very enjoyable musical journey.
 Phenomenon (‘74)
Label: Liberty
With songs like 'Rock Bottom' (6:33 minutes long) and 'Doctor Doctor', you can hear the guitar strings being hit mercilessly by ex-Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker, a man who was a master of his craft, perhaps even a magician while Phil Mogg proved himself capable of coping with the kind of vocals that have shaped metal music into the beast it is today. There is an almost AC/DC ring to this album, as if they were aware of the beer-loving storm of music brewing across the other side of the world. Of course, if you listen to Bon Scott's legendary 'T.N.T'. and then follow it with 'Doctor Doctor' or 'Rock Bottom', you will know that U.F.O. does indeed belong in that early metal era and genre. Albeit not as notoriously famous as AC/DC, these fellows did a lot in the way of carving the path for future metalheads. Rabble-rousing (and also a few mellow) tracks all round, but this album is not as appreciated in the industry as its successor, although it deserves equal praise. A good album to have.
Track listing:
1. My Oh My
2. Crystal Light
3. Doctor Doctor
4. Space Child
5. Rock Bottom
6. Too Young To Know
7. Time On My Hands
8. Built For Comfort
9. Lipstick Traces
10. Queen Of The Deep
 Lights Out (‘77)
Label: Chrysalis Records
This is undoubtedly the most famous record that U.F.O. have released. The chorus of 'Too Hot To Handle' is instantly recognizable, even if you don't know the band name. If you weren't a U.F.O. fan before the opening track, then you definitely become one by the end of the 3 minutes and 38 seconds. Michael Schenker's guitar on this album is just literally 'too hot to handle', especially during the solos he has in ‘Electric Phase’, ‘Just Another Suicide’ and the title track ‘Lights Out’. This is also one of the first U.F.O. albums with a keyboard part provided masterfully by Paul Raymond, who also took on the second guitar. On this album you can clearly see the range of U.F.O. styles from the epic ‘Love To Love’ to the dark and sinister topic of ‘Just Another Suicide’ that then leaps to epic electric guitar mastery in ‘Electric Phase’. Like the third track says: Try Me.
Track listing:
1. Too Hot To Handle
2. Just Another Suicide
3. Try Me
4. Lights Out
5. Gettin' Ready
6. Alone Again Or
7. Electric Phase
8. Love To Love
 Covenant (2000)
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Covenant opens with the haunting sounds of the introduction to 'Love is Forever'. Looking at the title, you would think it's a ballad ('love' being in the title usually is a hint). Truth be told, it sounds more like an alarm that cries 'get out while you can'; after all, when you listen to the lyrics, Phil Mogg warns:
"I look out through love's back door
I escape but not any more
Revelation help me see
I'm in the wrong place, the wrong place to be."
This does not, however, set the tone for the rest of the album, even as the theme of love reappears throughout; it is not always scorned. The varied line-up, with Aynsley Dunbar at the drums and Michael Schenker returning to the band before he took off once more, did little to improve the record. Although overall it could be seen as a good album in terms of musical composition, it is nowhere near as stellar or energetic as Lights Out or Phenomenon. Perhaps the chemistry between the guitarist and the vocalist was lost when the former left the band in ‘78; regardless of how technical the playing is, there is no electricity radiating from the speakers throughout this album.
Track listing:
1. Love is Forever
2. Unravelled
3. Miss The Lights
4. Midnight Train
5. Fool's Gold
6. In the Middle of Madness
7. The Smell of Money
8. Rise Again
9. Serenade
10. Cowboy Joe
11. The World and His Dog
The Bonus Disc included contains a live recording of the Covenant Tour in America, where the line-up was altered once again with Simon Wright at the drums and Paul Raymond back at the keyboards and guitar. Comparing the live recording to the first disc, you know that this is definitely a band that sounds and functions better in front of an audience.
Track listing (Bonus Disc):
1. Mother Mary
2. This Kids
3. Let It Roll
4. Out In the Street
5. Venus
6. Pushed to the Limit
7. Love To Love
 You Are Here (2004)
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Following Live on Earth (2003), which was a live performance recording, this album saw U.F.O. back with new material. Once again, this is a new line-up for UFO, with Vinnie Moore at the guitars. Many U.F.O. fans probably thought that fast and furious riffs had departed along with Michael Schenker in ‘78, but this album does not go wanting for technical intricacy. This is almost a return to what could be called the ‘glory days’, as the album gives a taste of what U.F.O. would sound like live – just that pure, unrefined, rock sound- albeit not with as much success as Lights Out did.
Track listing:
1. When Daylight Goes to Town
2. Black Cold Coffee
3. The Wild One
4. Give It Up
5. Call Me
6. Slipping Away
7. The Spark That Is Us
8. Sympathy
9. Mr. Freeze
10. Jello Man
11. Baby Blue
12. Swallow
 The Visitor (2009)
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
After 3 years of no albums since their release of Monkey Puzzle (2006), and although one member short as Pete Way battled it out with liver problems, U.F.O. returned from outer space with The Visitor. On release, they remarked on their website that "The parameters for our new tracks are that they have to work live." And this album has captured that. This is also why the band is touring so intensely this year (2010). With guitar riffs that are clear-cut and catchy, but also painstakingly (but not too drawn out) technical solos and well-chosen lyrics, this album proves that "this is the rock". Albeit the music is not as technically advanced as songs of old (for example ‘Electric Phase’ from the album Lights Out), it is raw enough to capture the thrill of hearing one of the pioneering bands of metal-rock. But like the song goes, you “can’t buy a thrill”, so buying the CD might not be enough… for live, extra-terrestrial rock, go to the U.F.O. website for their tour dates.
http://www.ufo-music.info/
Track listing:
1. Saving Me
2. On the waterfront
3. Hell Driver
4. Stop Breaking Down
5. Rock Ready
6. Living Proof
7. Can't Buy A Thrill
8. Forsaken
9. Villains & Thieves
10. Stranger in Town
Daph Karoulla
| 
