UFO

PAGE UPDATED IN 2023

Reviewed:

- UFO 1 (1970)

- UFO 2: Flying (1971)

- Phenomenon (1974)

- Force It (1975)

- No Heavy Petting (1976)

- Lights Out (1977)
- Obsession (1978)

- Strangers in the Night (1979, live album)

- No Place to Run (1980)
- The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent (1981)
- Mechanix (1982)

- Making Contact (1983)

- Misdemeanor (1985)

- Ain't Misbehavin' (1988, EP)

- High Stakes & Dangerous Men (1992)

- Lights Out in Tokyo - Live (1993, live album)

- Walk on Water (1995)

- Covenant (2000)
- Sharks (2002)

- You Are Here (2004)

- The Monkey Puzzle (2006)

- The Visitor (2009)

- Seven Deadly (2012)

- A Conspiracy of Stars (2015)

- The Salentino Cuts (2017)

UFO 1          1970          (Repertoire)

- Standouts: 'Boogie for George', 'C'mon Everybody', 'Timothy', 'Treacle People'

Think of UFO, and I'm almost certain you're picturing that classic hard rock band from the mid-to-late '70s, with Michael Schenker on guitar. I'll bet you even think of the 1985 Misdemeanour album before you do this debut album, and this whole early period for the band in general. Yeah, before UFO became the hard rock band we all appreciate and love, they were playing psychedelic space rock that had more in common with Hawkwind than what they would become when people actually gave a damn about them. It's no surprise then, that there's plenty of fans out there who don't particularly like the first couple of UFO albums. I'm sure there's also people out there somewhere who consider only these albums to be the true UFO, but if we're being honest, I don't think many fans rank UFO 1 as their favourite album in the discography.

Me personally, I've had 1978's Obsession in my collection since my school days, and I've been aware of the band's roots and just how different musically these early couple of albums were for absolutely ages. Thing is, I never actually got hold of and listened to them until I hit my 30s. And honestly, coming into them now after being a fan of almost everything else the band has been doing for many years, I actually quite like this disc! It helps that I've always liked a lot of acid rock, '60s psychedelia and also Hawkwind of course, but I can appreciate this album for what it is - and I don't think it's really fair to compare it to something like Obsession or Lights Out because of how radically different it is stylistically.

The album has a really rough, murky kind of production that would've sounded horrible when Michael Schenker joined and the band tightened their screws musically. But Schenker ain't on this record - some guy called Mick Bolton is (no, not the same bloke from Mott the Hoople). So no, don't expect blazing guitar solos and riffage. Instead you're getting some incredibly sleazy, spacey and drugged-up performances - and if that's the kind of jams you dig, then you're probably gonna enjoy this album. There's a few covers to be found - a space rock rendition of the '60s anti-war track '(Come Away) Melinda' and a surprisingly heavy version of Eddie Cochran's 'C'mon Everybody'. The Bo Diddley cover, 'Who Do You Love' however, is kinda cranky and dated even by 1970 standards.

I find a lot of the original material to be decent too for the most part. And even at this stage in time, Phil Mogg was present on vocals (and still sounds like Phil Mogg, mostly!), Pete Way was on bass and Andy Parker was on drums. Opener 'Unidentified Flying Object' is a pure space rock instrumental to set the tone of the record. 'Timothy' is a fun, upbeat cut, 'Boogie for George' is a foot-tappin' bluesy rocker with acid rock overtones and 'Follow You Home' is a decent enough example of what hard rock typically sounded like in the late '60s/early '70s. I like 'Treacle People' too; the kind of slow, sleazy acid rock to lounge around drinking beer too, late at night! 'Evil' is kinda cool too.

For obvious reasons, I can't exactly call this 'classic UFO'. I can't even recommend it to every UFO fan. But if you enjoy '60s rock and psychedelia like me, you'll probably like it. I tend to just separate this and UFO 2: Flying from the rest of the catalogue; some bands start off in a certain way before they really have a direction of where they want to go. Look at Judas Priest's debut Rocka Rolla for example; who would've thought that same band would eventually go on to record Painkiller?! Anway, give this one a chance if you're open to the fact UFO were once a very different stylistically band to what people generally know them as today.

Adam's rating: 7/10

UFO 2: FLYING          1971          (Repertoire)

- Standouts: 'Silver Bird', 'Prince Kajuku', 'The Coming of Prince Kajuku'

More space rock jams from the O.G. UFO era. So yes, Mick Bolton is still on guitars and the music's not exactly tight as a drum yet. This album only has 5 tracks in total, but 'Star Storm' lasts almost 19 minutes, while 'Flying' is freakin' 26 minutes long!! The short songs I like a lot though. 'Silver Bird' is an excellent opener that I enjoy very much. Starts off all moody and floaty, but it's also kind of proggy and full of tempo-changes. It has a very improvised, unstructured feel - but it's great for what it is. 'Prince Kajuku' is a bit of a sloppy stoner rock ditty, but a good 'un. To counter-balance this, 'The Coming of Prince Kajuku' is a surprisingly pretty and melodic little instrumental, before picking up the pace for a more exciting conclusion.

I must admit, I don't enjoy this album quite like I do the debut. The aforementioned lengthy 'Star Storm' is too long and unfocused for it's own good. I'm all for long and drawn-out jamming, but it has to actually go somewhere to be enjoyable, and not bore me like this one does. No offence to Mick Bolton (sorry mate!), but as a guitar player he doesn't have the chops for this sort of improv-style playing. 'Star Storm' has a bluesy feel a lot of the time, and kinda feels like a poor man's Jimi Hendrix, Band of Gypsys sort of vibe. Only it's not as good because despite all the wah-wah effects, Bolton can't play like Hendrix. He feels a bit amateurish in comparison. I'm not saying he doesn't cut it on the shorter-length songs, but he was the wrong man for this kind of thing. Look at fellow space rock legends Hawkwind, who at the same time as UFO were doing long space rock epics far better on tracks like 'You Shouldn't Do That' because there was a lot more going on musically within the band. 

And as for 'Flying', which I guess is meant to be the centrepiece of this record, is hit-and-miss - but at least I enjoy it more than I do 'Star Storm'. Phil Mogg actually does more on this track and sings more memorable passages this time - but he's still sandwiched in between lengthy instrumental arrangements, some of which are dull and tedious, others that are actually kinda cool and almost funky at times. To be honest, at 26 and a half minutes long - and being performed by a band who still couldn't play with the best of 'em at this point in their career - 'Flying' can be a bit of a slog to sit through. But I still like bits of it, so in my opinion it balances out to be average overall. I certainly don't feel like I've just sat through some kind of musical journey like I can only assume they wanted me to though.

It's not as good as UFO 1 then. Most of the songs on UFO 2: Flying are actually pretty decent - but given that there's only 5 of them, and the sucky, meandering 'Star Storm' takes up nearly 19 minutes of this record... well, that means the album's gonna take a significant hit when it comes to my rating of it. It doesn't help that the other stupidly long number, 'Flying', is just 'okay' in my books. I'm not sure where I stand with the production either. Pete Way's bass is ridiculously prominent in the mix, which I actually quite like. The guitar tones are lacking however, and a result the album feels less heavy than it's predecessor to me.

So yeah... I wanted to give this one a 6/10 at first, but considering the 3 songs I like best don't even take up a third of the album's playing time, it sits just above average for me. It's a shame really, because I do genuinely like the debut. I just think with UFO 2, they got a bit too ambitious with the songwriting and as a result the whole thing leaves me craving to stick on anything they'd record over the next few years instead. It's not a terrible album by any means, but I'll happily admit that I'm glad they sacked Mick Bolton and ditched the whole space rock/acid rock styles from hereon.

This one's worth it for the fans, but not much else.

Adam's rating: 5.3/10

PHENOMENON          1974          (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: 'Doctor Doctor', 'Rock Bottom', 'Oh My', 'Time On My Hands'

Pre-Phenomenon, UFO were a psychedelic space rock band that released two records that were very different to what people generally associate them with today, which is hard rock of course. Moreover, they didn't have German guitar hero Michael Schenker in the band until 1974's Phenomenon. So really, this record was the start of what is typically considered to be the classic lineup of Phil Mogg on vocals, Pete Way on bass, Andy Parker on drums, and of course, Michael Schenker on guitar.

Ironically, this CD isn't quite the scorcher you'd expect it to be; I mean, there are a couple of scorchers on here (which I'll come to later), but there's also some fairly tame, even laidback stuff on here. 'Crystal Light' for instance, is a solid acoustic pop rock song with some nice melodies, but a far cry from the hard rock that they'd soon become known for. I quite like 'Space Child'; it's nice and listenable background music, but again, it's hardly what I look for when I stick on a UFO record. Even though this song is largely acoustic-based, I will say that ol' Michael's electric soloing on it is never dull however. Album opener 'Too Young to Know' is a rocker alright, just not a very heavy one - even by 1974 standards. Considering we had an album like Montrose's totally kick-ass debut a year prior, this really is pedestrian by comparison.

I do think 'Oh My' and 'Time On My Hands' are decent all-round though. The former is nice and tight, fast rocker. The latter is yet another acoustic-driven song, but it's aged really well, and while it may not represent UFO's style all that well, the finger-picked guitar melodies are really nice. Weirdly, I get Mick Jagger vibes from Mogg on this one - but it's cool. Shame then, that the next track is a Willie Dixon blues cover, 'Built for Comfort', which doesn't fit in with anything else on this record whatsoever. It's not really terrible by it's own merit, there's just absolutely zero reason for it to be on this album. Same can be said for the pointless, slow-burning instrumental 'Lipstick Traces'. Closer 'Queen of the Deep' is something of a ballad with soft and harder parts, and while I do enjoy it up to a point, it's not exactly prime UFO.

But then there's motherfucking 'Rock Bottom' and 'Doctor Doctor', which absolutely blow EVERYTHING else away on this album - for different reasons! 'Rock Bottom' is an outstanding heavy rock song, which unlike many of the other tracks here, is actually heavy. It's also a Schenker spectacle, his blazing guitar riffs and uber-tight solos written all over it. It's actually insane just how good this track is next to any of the other songs that attempt to be even remotely heavy on the album. Well, aside from 'Doctor Doctor' that is. 'Doctor Doctor' is admittedly not as heavy as 'Rock Bottom', but Phil Mogg's poppy vocal arrangements combined with Michael's insanely catchy riffing just adds up to create one of those tip-top classic rock songs. It was the first UFO track I ever heard, as it was featured on the three-disc rock compilation Headbanger's Bible, which I bought when I was twelve or thirteen years old and trying to discover as much rock n' roll as I could. 

In conclusion though, this is an odd record. It has two of their best songs ever on it, but even so, the whole record doesn't know what it wants to be. It's not heavy enough to be considered hard rock, it's not acoustic enough to be soft rock... and then there's that random Willie Dixon blues cover thrown in because - well, I couldn't say. For those reasons, Phenomenon is a patchy, inconsistent album that I actually... like! Well, I don't particularly like hearing it in it's entirety, but individually I enjoy pretty much everything on here. For that reason (and the fact it has 'Doctor Doctor' and 'Rock Bottom'...), I have to score it somewhere within the 7/10 region. And let's face it, when is Michael Schenker ever boring?

Adam's rating: 7.6/10

FORCE IT          1975          (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: 'Let It Roll', 'Shoot Shoot', 'Out In the Street', 'Mother Mary', 'Too Much of Nothing', 'Dance Your Life Away', 'This Kid's/Between the Walls'

I always got the impression with Phenomenon that UFO still weren't entirely sure what kind of band they wanted to be, despite the fact they had Michael Schenker in the group, they had the songs 'Doctor Doctor' and 'Rock Bottom', and they were definitely finished with any of their space rock roots. On Force It however, they come into their own for the most part, and I'd argue that this is the first UFO record that really sounds like what people think UFO should sound like. You can hear this from the get-go with the classic 'Let It Roll', which is a fine example of what heavy metal in the 70's exemplifies. It's a fine, heavy, riffy opener with the band's signature style written all over it. 'Shoot Shoot' is great too, a little catchier though with more upbeat hooks on top of the heaviness. 'Love Lost Love' is similar as well, in that it features plenty of heavy, meaty riffage, but Phil's vocal arrangements are kinda poppy in nature, and the song as a whole sticks with you.

'Out In the Street' is a nice blend of pretty, melodic pop and hard rock. The piano work accompanies Schenker's guitars rather well, and in general, the instrumentation on this track actually reminds me of early Queen, in a way. 'Mother Mary' on the other hand, is much more metallic and definitely one of the heavier songs on this record. That said, it still has decent hooks - 'cos you know, metal wasn't always about growling vocals, breakdowns and robotic drumming. This too, is true of 'Too Much of Nothing', which is also heavy and full of driving guitar riffs. But the chorus is the stuff of singalong material - it's great. I love the heavy blues riffage on 'Dance Your Life Away'. It sort of has a boogie rock tempo that's a lot of fun, and the keyboards are only used when necessary. 'This Kid's/Between the Walls' has the best Schenker soloing of the entire album.

As good as this album is, it's not entirely perfect for me personally. I've never been all that keen on the ballad 'High Flyer'. I mean, it has some nice acoustic melodies, and Michael's solo is pleasant - but I don't particularly find it to be any better than the acoustic stuff we heard on Phenomenon. Just my two cents. And I must add that despite the fact Force It is the far more consistent record compared to it's predecessor, ironically I don't think there's a single track on here that betters 'Rock Bottom' or 'Doctor Doctor'. The production isn't as great as it could have been either, which is strange because I generally love the sound of most 70's heavy rock over any other era. Here though, the guitars are a bit too much on the low-end, and not at the forefront of the record which I feel is where they should be. I don't dislike the sound of the record as such, it's just somewhat lacking. 

Overall though, it's quite clear that this was a further step in the right direction for the band. There's plenty of classic cuts here, but I do think they'd go on to record even stronger material later in the decade. I have this one on CD and vinyl.

Adam's rating: 8.1/10

NO HEAVY PETTING          1976          (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: 'Natural Thing', 'I'm a Loser', 'Can You Roll Her', 'Reasons Love', 'Highway Lady', 'On With the Action', 'A Fool in Love', 'Martian Landscape'

This is the third album in the 'classic' UFO album run, starting with 1974's Phenomenon and ending with 1978's Obsession. The first thing you'll notice when listening to No Heavy Petting is the improved production. Yeah, I always thought Schenker's guitars were a little subdued on Force It, but on this album they have a much bigger, fuller sound. And that of course, is a good thing. 

And as for the songs, well, 'Natural Thing' is a fantastic opener. A huge slab of stormin' rock n' roll! It's among the best UFO opening tracks ever, in my opinion. The pop rocker 'I'm a Loser' is also some top-tier shit. Plenty of soft rock melodies mixed in with blazing Schenker lead guitars. When UFO do pop rock well, they do it with style and finesse. It may sound odd when I say that 'Can You Roll Her' manages to remind me a little of 70's Uriah Heep. Well, okay, it's not that odd. Both bands were two of the UK's biggest heavy rock imports of the 70's, but if you replaced the standard keyboard sounds from this song with the Hammond organ tones of the Heep, I could totally see this being one of their songs! Well, obviously Mick Box is no Michael Schenker when it comes to lead guitar playing, but still! Any comparison to 70's Uriah Heep is a good thing! As for 'Belladonna', well, it's a mellow acoustic ballad, but a good 'un. Not necessarily a favourite UFO ballad of mine, but definitely strong alright.

'Reasons Love' smokes! The riff sounds almost tremolo-picked to me - either way, it's tight as hell and barely anyone else in the 70's was doing the same thing. The solo is blistering. Probably my favourite track from this record, if you couldn't tell already. 'Highway Lady' is a fun, upbeat rocker - nothing overly special, just good old-fashioned rock n' roll. 'Nuff said. The dramatic 'On With the Action' is another great song, as is the simple pop-infused rock ditty, 'A Fool in Love'. Final track 'Martian Landscape' is a pleasant rock ballad with touches of space rock in it - a throwback to their early days? Well, I don't actually. I still don't have those first two space rock albums in my collection, but there's certainly a deliberate spacey kind of sound to match it's title.

Although No Heavy Petting is considered a classic these days, many critics seem to dub it the weakest of the five 70's LPs with Michael Schenker. I really can't understand why. For me, it's my second-favourite of this era behind Obsession. I feel it improves on Force It, and for whatever reason the songs overall just do more for me than what the much-beloved Lights Out has to offer. And it's certainly a much more consistent album than the directionless Phenomenon. So yeah, that's why I love this record. It was also just recently reissued (2023) and features plenty of added bonus tracks as well as a second disc featuring a 1976 live set in London.

Adam's rating: 9/10

LIGHTS OUT          1977          (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: 'Too Hot to Handle', 'Just Another Suicide', 'Lights Out', 'Gettin' Ready', 'Electric Phase', 'Love to Love'

Another year, another terrible album cover. I know Hipgnosis are a much-beloved art group by rock fans worldwide, but I still think they had their fair share of crappy album covers. As it happens, I never liked their work for UFO - sue me!

Thankfully, the music on Lights Out is a different story. Many people consider this to be one of, if not the best UFO studio album, and I can understand why - since I don't own the entire UFO discography however, I'm not sure I can call it my favourite. It begins with 'Too Hot to Handle', which is a stone cold 70's heavy metal classic. It's a nice and straightforward slice of kickass heavy rock, and I have little to no complaints regarding it. The same goes for 'Just Another Suicide', which isn't as depressing as it's title might suggest. It's actually an upbeat rocker with plenty of poppy melodies, and it's keyboard usage is done correctly, i.e. to make everything sound bigger, without taking away from the power of the guitars. Meanwhile, the title track is a fast-paced melodic hard rock classic, and I love it. I'm hesitant to call it 'proto-power metal', even though I'm tempted to.

'Gettin' Ready' is a strong and well-performed radio-friendly rock tune. Puts me in a good mood with it's mid-tempo groove and melodies that are easy on my ears. 'Electric Phase' is a sleazy number, and I hear some southern rock influence in there - particularly in Schenker's guitars. Yep, I dig it. I'm also a big fan of 'Love to Love', with it's almost proggy, epic kind of touches to what is basically a lengthy rock ballad. It's a fine way to go out. You know, I've always found it kind of weird that UFO were purely considered a hard rock/heavy metal act in the 70's. True, they were a lot of the time - but there's a long list of acoustic numbers, ballads, piano-focused tracks scattered throughout their 70's records. And even when they were trying to be heavy, you can't exactly put in the same ballpark as Black Sabbath or Judas Priest in the 70's. I always thought Thin Lizzy was a better comparison. By the way, this isn't a complaint, more like an observation.

Complaints? Meh, I can take or leave the ballad 'Try Me'. It's not that it's a bad tune - in fact, it's quite a pretty song, and Michael's lead fretwork is as great as you'd expect it to be. I just don't see why they decided to put it as early as they did within the tracklisting (it's track three). I'm not ready yet at this point! I'm not sure I can call myself a fan of 'Alone Again' either for that matter. This one has a weirdly folky tone, and doesn't really flow all that well with the rest of the songs. Of course, the reason for this is because it was originally a song by the folky/psychedelic rock group Love, in 1968. Makes sense. Last thing of note is the fact there's eight songs in total. I mean, this is often fine by me, but I've felt for a while that this record could've done with one extra track to push it to the forty-minute mark. 

Lights Out is an out-and-out classic alright, but it's not quite a gamechanger for me. Sadly, the only UFO album I owned as a teen was 1978's Obsession - maybe if I'd heard Lights Out all those years ago, it'd have made a bigger impact on me. As it stands however, this is a very well-crafted hard rock record, with some excellent pop melodies throughout - it's just not a masterpiece in my eyes (No Heavy Petting seems to do things slightly better for me, for some reason). Doesn't mean you shouldn't be finding a copy for yourself any time soon though!

Adam's rating: 8.5/10

OBSESSION          1978          (Chrysalis)
- Standouts: 'Only You Can Rock Me', 'Pack It Up (And Go)', 'Ain't No Baby', 'Lookin' Out for No. 1', 'Hot n' Ready', 'Cherry', 'You Don't Fool Me', 'One More for the Rodeo'

This was the first UFO album I ever owned - I guess I was about fifteen when I acquired it (it was definitely sometime towards the end of my school years), and while I did like Obsession, it wasn't an album that immediately won me over to the band in general. Basically, I had this album, but it took a few years before I actually bought any more of their stuff. I think the reason for this was because I had heard 'Rock Bottom', thought it was awesome, and expected Obsession (which is one of the most popular UFO albums next to Lights Out and the live LP Strangers in the Night) to sound like it multiple times over. It doesn't of course, nor do most UFO albums for that matter. They're usually kinda diverse. Either way, I span this one occasionally back in the day, but it wasn't a 'regular rotation' kind of disc.

As the years have passed however, I've began to enjoy Obsession and UFO a whole lot more. I don't have the entire discography in my collection, nor am I making it a priority to do so, but I'd say I have a decent amount of their CDs from multiple eras. And Obsession has only gotten better with time. For instance, next 'Rock Bottom', opener 'Only You Can Rock Me' may just be my favourite UFO track ever. What a fantastic way to kick things off. It certainly rocks alright, the chorus is massive, the riffs are huge, the solo is epic... what more do you want?! Phil Mogg and Michael Schenker at their best. 'Pack It Up (And Go)' rules too. Heavy as hell, thunderous drums - hard rock heaven. It's followed-up by the short, experimental instrumental 'Arbory Hill', which essentially serves as an intro to the heavy blues rock of 'Ain't No Baby'. This track is a perfect blend of punchy verses and melodic choruses.

'Lookin' Out for No. 1' is a rock-solid ballad; the song builds up slowly, but is also huge and powerful when it wants to be. Yet more credit goes to Schenker's leads on this one. 'Hot n' Ready' is a classy rocker full of irresistible guitar chops while 'Cherry' is another fine rocker that would have made a great single thanks to it's radio-friendly melodies. 'You Don't Fool Me' is a tasty slice of mid-tempo heavy rock, but alongside 'Only You Can Rock Me', it's 'One More for the Rodeo' that steals the show. Schenker's guitar playing throughout this cut is some of the coolest you'll ever hear from a 70's rock album. Such an awesome tune.

There seems to be some debate over which record is better - Lights Out or Obsession. For me, it's an easy choice (Obsession of course). I find that this entire album has a much nicer flow, and generally, the songwriting is just a tad more refined. It's not perfect - like the predecessor, it could maybe do with an extra song, and closer 'Born to Lose' is kind of a lukewarm way to conclude the album (excluding the guitar solo, which is fire). Aside from that, this one is probably my favourite UFO studio disc, of the one's I actually own anyway. It was also the last album to feature Michael Schenker - well, until 1995 that is. Michael went off to form MSG after this record, but UFO would soldier on without him.

Adam's rating: 9.2/10


STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT          1979          (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: Everything.

There aren't many bands I can think of whereby their greatest record is a live album, but UFO is definitely one of them. Yep, Strangers in the Night is a seminal, classic live record - just ask Slash and Steve Harris! This is pure hard rock mayhem, and I'd argue that many of these live renditions of the songs are the definitive versions. Example - I do like 'Love to Love' from Lights Out. It's a very strong proggy ballad, but the version you're getting on Strangers in the Night is phenomenal, and one of my favourites. It's absolutely epic, and Michael Schenker's playing is off the hook. Well, his playing on this entire album is off the hook. It's a shame that he'd already left the band before this thing even hit the shelves. Of course, there's also the eleven and a half minute 'Rock Bottom', with the endless soloing in the middle of the song - it goes on for so long that when the riffs come back, you suddenly realise that they're still playing 'Rock Bottom'! The intro to 'Doctor Doctor' is even more mellow and melodic here, and it only builds up the rest of the song in an even more exciting way. Yep, there's never a dull moment on this record.

For some reason, this disc didn't make it's way into my collection until I was well into my twenties (I think it was only four or so years ago when I got hold of my copy). It's one of those legendary releases that for whatever reason, I just never got around to actually buying until I was well into my twenties. Weirdly though, the Strangers in the Night version of 'Too Hot to Handle' has been engrained in my head since I was at school. Back in the iTunes days I had this rendition of 'Too Hot to Handle' on my iPod Classic. I think it was featured on one of those freebie CD's with Classic Rock, something I used to read a lot when people actually bought magazines. I guess it must've been some sort of live-themed CD.

I had a random thought come into my head when I was last listening to this. When these songs were recorded in Chicago and Louisville in 1978, UFO with Michael Schenker had only existed for five years!! It's not all that surprising if you were around at the time, and growing up with all these legacy bands - but it is a strange feeling to know that when most classic live albums like this one were recorded, the bands in question really hadn't been around all that long. When you're a millennial and were born several years later, legacy bands like UFO - who were already middle-aged by the time you were born - just seem like they've been around for literally forever. Sounds stupid, but it really is strange to think that at one point people were buying tickets that probably cost nothing to see legendary bands like this in their prime. I get that I probably sound like one of those "I was born in the wrong generation!" morons right now, but when it comes to live albums, how often do you see anything from the last decade appear in a list of greatest live records of all time?! In fact, what even happened to live albums?! Yeah they still exist, but no one ever seems to talk about live albums from any of the most popular bands of today. At least from what I can tell.

Erm, yeah. Strangers in the Night - buy it!
Adam's rating: 9.6/10

NO PLACE TO RUN          1980          (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: 'Lettin' Go', 'Mystery Train', 'This Fire Burns Tonight', 'Young Blood', 'No Place to Run', 'Anyday'

Schenker's gone, and in comes Paul Chapman on guitar. No disrespect to Michael, but Chapman holds his own here. No Place to Run is a more than worthy record that stands up against almost anything the band were doing in the 70's. 

Opening with the short instrumental 'Alpha Centauri', the band delve into the killer heavy metal platter that is 'Lettin' Go'. Then we're treated to 'Mystery Train', which begins with some bluesy acoustic playing, before transitioning into a heavy, almost southern rock-type number that sounds like it could have come straight off a Blackfoot album of the same era. It's pretty damn cool. Of course, I didn't actually know that 'Mystery Train' was actually a blues song originally from 1953 by Junior Parker, which would explain why it sticks out so much. 'This Fire Burns Tonight' is very good too. It's a rocker with pop sensibilities, and it's very listenable indeed - the same can be said for 'Young Blood', which was released as a single. Great, catchy track with plenty of nice guitar and vocal melodies. 'Gone in the Night' too, is a strong heavy ballad with some great soloing. The title track has Springsteen-inspired lyrics, but musically it leaves a taste of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which was going on at the time. I also like 'Anyday' a lot, which begins all moody and atmospheric, but quickly shifts into a big, anthemic rocker. 

One thing that makes No Place to Run a notable album in the UFO discography, is the fact it was produced by George Martin, who was of course famous for producing pretty much every Beatles studio album (excluding Let It Be). Funnily enough, many other people like to point out how he was the wrong man for the job, and that this album doesn't quite have the balls it deserves. I do like the low-end mixing, and on certain tracks like 'This Fire Burns Tonight' the guitar tones work. But for the most part there's definitely a distinct lack of distortion on the guitars. It's definitely not as heavy as it should be. Other missteps include 'Take It or Leave It', which is still a decent enough ballad, but it definitely makes the album sound as if it's losing steam when it does come on. Meh, 'Money, Money' is a bit underwhelming too, outside of the lead guitar work anyway.

Although a step back from Obsession and incredible live effort Strangers in the Night, this CD is much, much stronger than it could have been. Paul Chapman had apparently already filled in for Schenker in the past, so he knew exactly what he was doing - he fits the band like a glove. And even if George Martin wasn't the most appropriate choice of producer, you can't really go wrong with the songs themselves.

Adam's rating: 8/10

THE WILD, THE WILLING AND THE INNOCENT          1981          (Chrysalis)
- Standouts: 'Chains, Chains', 'Long Gone', 'The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent', 'It's Killing Me', 'Couldn't Get It Right', 'Profession of Violence'

This was the second UFO album with Paul Chapman, and I've always thought the band were taking advantage of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene during this period. Makes sense, what with all the new and heavy bands popping up in the UK at the time. All it means is that The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent has a slightly harder, heavier edge than the bulk of the 70's records, but still has those essential ingredients to let you know that this is still UFO. The first song, 'Chains, Chains' is excellent; heavy, driving riffage, classic Phil Mogg vocals and a memorable chorus. A rock-solid opener for sure. 'Long Gone' is faster, and also very metallic. But it still retains those signature UFO melodies to create yet another high-tier winner. The title track reminds me a little of the first Def Leppard album at times, which is a good thing. It's a fine heavy rock song with an almost anthemic quality about it. 'It's Killing Me' on the other hand, is more of a radio-friendly rock ballad. Maybe you could call it a power ballad, but it's not quite there. Either way, I like it.

Chapman's soloing on the heavy burner 'Makin' Moves' is awesome. Meanwhile, the piano touches to 'Lonely Heart' have a Bruce Springsteen quality about them (!!), yet somehow they work in this rock anthem's favour. This song still has enough upbeat riffing and great melodies to stand out as a highlight. 'Couldn't Get It Right' is yet another crunchy cut that sits somewhere between hard rock and heavy metal, while 'Profession of Violence' is a very nice ballad with some very dramatic, soulful lead guitar work stamped all over it.

In my original review, I gave this an 8.5/10. Seems nuts to score it in the same region as a fan-favourite such as Lights Out, which tends to be regarded as one of their best. Maybe I was being a little too generous, but I will say that I still think this album is in the same ballpark as most of their '70s classics. It may not have as many all-time classics on it, but I do find it to be more consistent than many of those 70's records, and I definitely prefer it to No Place to Run, which was very good in the first place. There's absolutely nothing on here that I don't get on with (except for that stupid piano and saxophone break near the end of 'Lonely Heart', and anyway, the rest of that song is great) and in general this is an album that holds it own against the Schenker-era as well as all the NWOBHM acts that were all the rage in the early 80's. It's just an extremely enjoyable hard rock album with a great sense of melody, that is easy to listen to from start to finish.
Adam's rating: 8.4/10


MECHANIX          1982          (Chrysalis)
- Standouts: 'The Writer', 'Somethin' Else', 'Back Into My Life', 'Doing It All for You', 'We Belong to the Night', 'Dreaming'

Apparently I own two copies of this album. I don't ever remember picking it up on vinyl, but it's in my collection, so there ya go. Anyway, this is another strong - if unremarkable - album from the underrated Paul Chapman era, sporting one of the laziest album covers I've ever seen. Was this thing put together in ten seconds?! Looks more like something Kraftwerk would've used if you ask me! Regarding the music though, track one, 'The Writer', is fucking great. An excellent heavy metal platter full of endlessly cool riffs, and erm, even a few moments of sax, which somehow doesn't kill the song stone-dead! Then for whatever reason, they decided to throw a cover song in - an old Eddie Cochran' rock n' roll number from the 50's, 'Somethin' Else'. To be fair, this UFO rendition isn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I get a kick out it, 'cos it's kinda fun if nothing else. The third track, 'Back Into My Life' isn't heavy in the slightest. It's a soft rock ballad, very 70's-sounding, and just occasionally I get a hint of Phil Lynott in some of Phil Mogg's vocal arrangements. I like it a lot, actually.

'You'll Get Love' is a solid, almost AC/DC-like cut. Not a lot to say about it really. 'Doing It All for You' blends melodic rock and heavy metal rather well. Is it a ballad? Yeah. Well, no actually. I don't know! I don't care. I just like this track! 'We Belong to the Night' is a fast, hard-hitting slice of rock n' roll while 'Let it Rain' has a strong sense of NWOBHM in it's riffs and guitar melodies. 'Terri' isn't the most exciting ballad they've ever recorded, but it's really not that bad either. I'd probably say 'Feel It' was filler if it weren't for the catchy vocal hooks, meanwhile 'Dreaming' is a no-nonsense, upbeat heavy rocker and a great way to wrap things up.

Mechanix has certainly grown on me more over the years. It almost feels like a 'part two' to The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent, and thankfully, the songwriting hasn't dipped in any way. Both these albums aren't exactly 9/10s for me; they're not masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination, but every time I hear them, I find it difficult to really majorly fault them. They're just very good hard rock albums that don't get enough attention when looking at the UFO discography as a whole. In short, I love them. Speaking of the UFO discography, I just looked on Wikipedia and found out that Mechanix is the highest-charting album in the UK that they ever put out, recaching number eight. Weird, because most people remember UFO for their 70's output. Even more weird is the fact that the best-selling UFO album in the UK is Making Contact, having been certified Silver.

Adam's rating: 8.3/10


MAKING CONTACT          1983         (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: 'Blinded by a Lie', 'Diesel in the Dust', 'A Fool for Love', 'No Getaway', 'Push, It's Love'

The Paul Chapman era is one of the most underrated lineups in rock history. Alright, maybe I am exaggerating a little, but No Place to Run, Mechanix and The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent are all great albums that hold their own against the Schenker classics. Obsession and Strangers in the Night will always be at the top for me, but those three aforementioned Chapman albums are much more streamlined and refined in comparison to the 70's output - in my humble opinion of course. By 1983 however, UFO released their fourth and final album with Chapman - Making Contact.

Well, like most UFO album openers, 'Blinded by a Lie' makes a pretty bold statement from the get-go. It's fast and melodic, and those 80's pomp rock-style keyboards should hold it back, but they don't! It's like a fine blend of UFO, Magnum and a lot of old-school heavy metal riffage - and it's great! 'Diesel in the Dust' is cool too, with it's bluesy hard rocking sound. Guess what? 'A Fool for Love' is a rock-solid pop rocker too. I love those Phil Lynott-style vocal melodies that Mr. Mogg does on this one. 'The Way the Wild Wind Blows' - I like this track as well. The multi-layered vocal arrangements work very well, and the guitar and keyboards play together in tandem nicely. Meanwhile 'Call My Name' is a poppy rock ballad that's easy on my ears. I like it, and I also dig the big soaring stadium rock number 'No Getaway'. The final track, 'Push, It's Love' is an upbeat rock n' roller, and a fun way to wrap things up.

There are some missteps here that I can't exactly forget about though. 'You and Me' is a synth-heavy ballad that is a pure product of the 80's. It's not aged well, nor is it up there with the best UFO ballads. But I don't outright hate it either - Chapman's reverb-drenched guitar leads are outstanding, and Phil sings it really well as always. So it definitely has some things going for it. I really don't like the anthemic singalong chorus to 'When It's Time to Rock', which is a shame because the rest of this track is great stuff. But I guess with a title like that, the chorus was always gonna make me cringe. Also, every time I hear the melodic 'All Over You', it seems to go over my head for some reason. It's not the kind of song that I feel the urge to skip, it just isn't memorable to me and I can't quite pinpoint why.

Comparing Making Contact to the other three Chapman albums, it's quite clear that this one's definitely my least favourite. The songs are mostly good, but the glossier 80's production doesn't always do them any favours. That said, there are more keyboard and synth tones on this ones, and they could have quite easily rubbed off the wrong way. Somehow though, they don't - so I can only give the band credit for that. And at the end of the day, I still enjoy the bulk of what this record has to offer. It's definitely underrated, just like all the Chapman-era LP's.

I've only had this album in my collection a few days. I've bought a bunch of post-70's UFO albums since I've revisited this post, and my version of Making Contact is featured in a two-CD package alongside 1985's Misdemeanor. I normally avoid these kinds of releases because I prefer to have individual packaging for all my CD's, but I got this one fairly cheap from eBay. The problem with a lot of the older UFO CD's is that you can either pay far too much for the 2009 remasters, or you can buy cheap-as-chips copies in cardboard sleeves. I hate these kinds of reissues. They market them as 'mini LPs', but in reality they're just made that way presumably to save costs by not packaging them in a jewel case or digipak. The main reason I avoid these kinds of releases is because they look shit on my shelves. You can't read the sides because the cardboard is so thin and flimsy. Fortunately I've managed to avoid picking up any of the UFO albums in this format thus far, even if I have been tempted by their cheaper pricing.

Adam's rating: 7.3/10

MISDEMEANOR          1985          (Chrysalis)

- Standouts: A few snippets of goodness along the way, but none of these songs are legitimately good.

Interestingly, the band actually split-up after Making Contact - until late 1984 that is, when Phil Mogg suddenly changed his mind and reformed UFO again, this time with Japanese-American guitarist Atomic Tommy M. Cool name. Shame this album kinda sucks though. Yes, Making Contact had noticeably higher keyboard/synth usage than past albums, but Paul Chapman's guitar work was as spot-on as usual, and I still like that record as a whole. On Misdemeanor however, the keyboard/synths are exactly the kind of thing you don't want on a UFO album! Yep, this album is cheesy 80's, synthesizer-soaked poppy hard rock. Plenty of other heavy British bands briefly went this way during the mid-to-late 80's. Saxon were guilty of it, with 1988's Destiny. Even the Tygers of Pan Tang had their moment with that god-awful Burning in the Shade album.

 

There are some good things about Misdemeanor. I can't really knock Tommy as a guitar player. I don't think he was the right man for UFO - he only appears on this album plus the 1988 EP Ain't Misbehavin', but you can't exactly slag him off for his playing abilities. The man can shred. I mean, he's not really the best fit for the band because he kind of overdoes it at times with his solos - but he can certainly play. I will say that there's a few moments here and there on this album that I like though. The chorus to 'One Heart' is memorable while the riffs in 'Mean Streets' and 'Name of Love' can be cool at times. Plus, I don't think I can ever criticise Phil Mogg's singing. He's one of the most underrated guys in the game, and even if the majority of the music here is really not good, at least he's almost always listenable.

Generally speaking however, most of these songs leave a bitter taste overall. It's albums like these that I like to describe as casualties of "Final Countdown syndrome", Final Countdown referring to the Europe album of the same name. You know exactly what I mean. A lot of metalheads like to claim that metal died in the 90's (which it sort of did regarding the mainstream, but definitely not in the underground), but you hear badly-aged 80's albums like Misdemeanor and it's no surprise that rock music suddenly became more stripped-down and back-to-basics a few years down the line. I fully understand why Nirvana and Pearl Jam were so popular by the early 90's. 'The Only Ones' is about as stereotypical as an 80's power ballad can get - and UFO were always good at producing ballads. The production doesn't work either. It has that 80's pop sound going for it, meaning the drums sound fake and tinny, the bass is almost non-existent and the guitars are way too trebly and polished. They sure don't have the raw, overdriven Marshall-stack sound you want from a heavy rock band. 

This album is an anomaly in the UFO discography. Luckily it's kind of a one-off; there aren't really any other UFO albums like this one. Plus, it's not the worst thing I've ever heard of this ilk. It's pretty bad, sure, but I don't hate it as much as I do those other examples I gave at the beginning of this review. Many of the songs might have a riff or melody that I can get into (or both), but none of them are actually solid through-and-through. UFO were jumping on a bandwagon, and like many other already-established hard rock and metal bands of the time who took the same route, it didn't pay off for them.

Adam's rating: 3.5/10

AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' (EP)          1988          (Metal Blade)

The same line-up that recorded the crappy Misdemeanour album also churned out this EP in 1988 titled Ain't Misbehavin'. Uhh, the same line-up minus Paul Raymond on keyboards that is - my 1989 Metal Blade CD copy has no keyboard player listed, and even on Wikipedia it has a question mark next to it. Maybe it was Paul Raymond playing on this disc after all, and he didn't want his name attached to the project after the embarrassing Misdemeanour?!

In terms of songs, the EP has 6 originally, but my CD has a bonus track called 'Lonely Cities (Of the Heart)' on it as well. Some of these tracks I kinda like. The EP starts off surprisingly well with melodic rocker 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place'. In no way is this tune classic UFO, but it has some nice hooks and I'd put it up there with any of the better moments from Misdemeanour. I know that isn't saying much, but that album did have some moments of decency. 'At War With the World' is pretty good too- a fun mid-tempo, riffy number with some fine vocals from Phil Mogg and accompanying backing vox. And 'Hunger in the Night' is a fairly competent melodic hard rocker too; it doesn't sound like the UFO you love them as, but it has a lot of energy and decent riffs to go with it. 'Easy Money' ain't half bad either. It has far more balls than anything from Misdemeanour. Well, except maybe the silly keyboards that briefly come in about half way, but otherwise I kind of like this one too. 'Rock Boyz, Rock' (possibly one of the worst song titles in rock history) is thankfully much better than it's title suggests. It's throwaway '80s hard rock, but at the end of the day it's harmless - maybe even fun depending on what sort of mood I'm in.

It's a shame about mediocre power ballad 'Another Saturday Night'. Some of Atomik Tommy M's (such a lame stage name...) lead guitar work is kinda nice, sure, but overall this track is forgettable '80s cheese that you've heard done better a million times by other bands. And if we're counting the bonus track, 'Lonely Cities (Of the Heart)', I don't like this one much either. Again, '80s rock cheese in every sense of the word. Don't get me wrong, there's genuinely good '80s rock cheese out there, but UFO typically do not, and should not fall into this category. And production-wise, this thing is shinier than Jeff Bezos' head. Not necessarily a bad thing given the nature of the music, just keep in mind that they haven't aged all that well because of it.

Honestly, Ain't Misbehavin' was a lot better than I was expecting it to be. As an EP, it's pretty good for the most part. None of these tracks are great, but most of them manage to be a fair bit better than what Misdemeanour had to offer. Giving it any more than a 6/10 seems way to kind however. I mean, I find most of this disc to be pretty enjoyable overall, but I'd only recommend it to dedicated fans or people who liked Misdemeanour that much. And I can only assume not many of those people exist. 

There's a digital deluxe edition version of this album with a bunch of live tracks from this era available on Spotify right now - and apparently it's getting a physical release in June 2024. Typical! It's May as I type this, and I scoured the internet for a reasonably-priced CD copy. In the end I found a guy in China on Discogs selling the 1989 Metal Blade reissue for about £12 including postage, so for that price I bought it. If I'd have done my research I would've just waited for the reissue, but what's done is done. I certainly don't like this EP enough to buy it twice.

Adam's rating: 6/10

HIGH STAKES & DANGEROUS MEN          1992          (Cherry Red/HNE)

- Standouts: 'Borderline', 'Primed for Time', 'Running Up the Highway'

By the end of the '80s, Phil Mogg once again split up UFO. But then in 1992, he and Pete Way reformed the band yet again. Schenker's still not back, in his place this time is guitarist Laurence Archer, this album - High Stakes & Dangerous Men - being the only studio effort he'd record with the band. 

Like almost every guitarist that's been and gone in UFO however, this guy is at least a virtuoso-level 6-stringer. You can hear that from the get-go on opener 'Borderline', which is a surprisingly bluesy hard rock number - but the solo shreds. Yeah, it's a nice way to begin this album. 'Primed for Time' is fairly enjoyable too; it's a relatively tame rocker structurally, but the closing guitar solo is lengthy and extremely shreddy once again. The problem is - and the same can be said for that 'Atomic Tommy' guy from the Misdemeanour album - Archer goes a little too far with his solos at times. Shredding guitar wankery is all well and good if it actually sequences itself alongside the rest of the instruments seamlessly, and matches the vibes of the overall music. But if it's just over-the-top, erm, shreddery just 'cos you can, it can be jarring. None of these songs are all that exciting musically, yet Archer goes apeshit with his solos at times that it just ends up annoying me some days (listen to the end of 'Back Door Man'...). Yeah, Schenker, Chapman and later on, Vinnie Moore, are all outstanding guitar players. But their solos are much more thought-out and well-crafted by comparison. Every note is there for a reason. Archer's playing is impressive from a technical perspective, sure, but nowhere near as enjoyable or memorable. If UFO had started their career with this kind of guitar playing (for example, like Alcatrazz), it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Still, there's a reasonable number of decent tracks here, even if none of them really come close to what the boys were mostly doing when Schenker or Chapman were in the band. 'Ain't Life Sweet' is a heavy and upbeat number that I get a kick out of, 'Burnin' Fire' has some nice bluesy chops on it and 'Running Up the Highway' is a competent enough arena-style hard rock cut. I also think the tight AOR-style ditty 'Love Deadly Love' is pretty good, if nothing else. 'Let the Good Times Roll' is still better than most Misdemeanour tracks too, if we're being honest. I guess all that OTT soloing is at least never boring, even if it is a bit silly.

Sandwiched between the better songs are mediocre ballads such as 'She's the One' and 'Don't Want to Lose You'. I mean, they're not bad - the latter even has some nice female backing vocals to accompany Phil Mogg. I wouldn't really label any song on this album as bad. But let's be honest here, you're not gonna be putting ballads like these in your Spotify UFO 'best of' playlist anytime soon. 'Back Door Man' isn't horrible or anything, but at the same time sounds kinda drained of life and energy, while 'Revolution' almost sounds like a Misdemeanour leftover. 

High Stakes & Dangerous Men has it's moments, but for the most part this is one for the serious fans only. Some good songs and a whole bunch of okay ones. Nothing majorly bad, but absolutely zero stone cold classics either. I was going to give it a 6/10, but the album just feels so tepid overall that I think it just falls short! I think Phil and Pete really needed Schenker back at this point. Archer wasn't the right man for the job. This CD may technically have been a comeback for them, but it wasn't the comeback the fans were hoping for.

Adam's rating: 5.8/10

LIGHTS OUT IN TOKYO - LIVE          1993          (Cherry Red/HNE)

This live disc actually came as a bonus CD with my 2022 reissue of High Stakes & Dangerous Men from Cherry Red/HNE. I was originally going to talk about in my review of said album, but Lights Out in Tokyo - Live was released as a standalone record back in 1993, and is available to buy separately, so it only seems fair to have it listed on this page as it's own thing.

Despite what I said about Laurence Archer not being the right man for UFO on the mediocre High Stakes album, he seemed to do things better from the live perspective. Simply put, I enjoy this CD much more than I do the studio effort - these being the only 2 UFO releases he would appear on. I mean, it helps that there's plenty of classic UFO 'bangers on here too - 'Doctor, Doctor', 'Too Hot to Handle', 'Lights Out', 'Rock Bottom', 'Love to Love'... you name it. By default, this live album was gonna be good because it has so many classic cuts plastered all over it. Again, Archer's playing style is notably different to that of Schenker, Chapman or Moore, but it is at least interesting to hear him put his own stamp on all those classic solos and riffs. He can still be a little too flashy at times if I say so myself, but I never tire of hearing 'Rock Bottom', 'Only You Can Rock Me' and everything else from that '70s period, regardless of who's actually playing on them. The band sound tight, Phil was probably middle-aged by this point but sounds as good as ever and Archer does a decent enough job of keeping those legendary tunes alive in the early '90s.

To be fair, most of those High Stakes songs sound better live too. It's probably a combination of all the extra stage energy, which transforms previously unexciting tracks like 'Back Door Man' and 'She's the One' into one's that actually grab my attention, and also the fact the album itself just sounds nice as far as live records go. 'Borderline' and 'Running Up the Highway' were also played, but those were 2 of the better songs from High Stakes anyway - so basically, I like them.

Don't go into this expecting Strangers in the Night part 2 - I mean, how many live albums from any band ever are as good as that one?! But Lights Out in Tokyo is still a fun live effort that does at least prove that the band still had it on stage back in the early '90s. Would I call it essential? No, but I do think the 2022 High Stakes & Dangerous Men reissue is all the more worth having because of Lights Out in Tokyo. I think I paid about £12 for a brand new copy from Amazon, and it's a nice package all in all. Yeah, the studio album isn't perfect, but the live album is entertaining from start to finish and the whole thing comes presented in a nice folding digipak with a detailed booklet full of notes and quotes from the early '90s period.

Adam's rating: 7.8/10

WALK ON WATER          1995          (Eagle)

-Standouts: 'A Self-Made Man', 'Venus', 'Pushed to the Limit', 'Stopped by a Bullet (of Love)', 'Running on Empty', 'Dreaming of Summer', 'Doctor, Doctor' (new version), 'Lights Out' (new version)

Schenker's back! And to be honest, most of the niggling annoyances of albums like Misdemeanour and High Stakes & Dangerous Men are now gone as well. Walk on Water begins in brilliant fashion with the big, groove-laden opener 'A Self-Made Man'. This track has some massive riffage from start to finish, but also plenty of melodic passages to keep things interesting - 'sorta like 'Let it Roll' from Force It, or 'Only You Can Rock Me' from Obsession. Great stuff. 'Venus' too, is a fine melodic rock number. Some nice keyboard usage to give a light, floaty feel in the background, and some tip-top acoustic and electric playing from Schenker. We're also treated another strong rocker in 'Pushed to the Limit'. This one is much more up-tempo and fun, and sounds like it could have easily come from any of Schenker's '70s efforts with the band.

'Stopped by a Bullet (of Love)' is full of all these really cool, bluesy finger-picked guitar licks, whilst also featuring some exciting lead guitar shreds. I'd like to talk about Phil's vocals at this point, but to be honest, he's just doing his thing as good as he always does. 'Darker Days' is a nice and straightforward, mid-tempo track with a heavy groove, while 'Running on Empty' (not a Jackson Browne cover!) is a very enjoyable acoustic/electric-driven cut. The latter is very cool in fact, with a very nice blend of catchy acoustic and electric guitar riffs and licks throughout, plus a very unexpected acoustic solo to hold the listeners' attention. I'll say that 'Knock, Knock' is a bit weaker than the bulk of the songs, as it feels a bit like by-the-numbers UFO - but with Michael back in the band, it's still entertaining enough for me to consider it good at the very least. I very much like 'Dreaming of Summer' too - it's a nice, spacey kind of melodic track with some great vocals, pleasant passages and a ballad-like feel overall.

Strangely, they also re-recorded a couple of their absolute classic signature tunes for this album, and threw them in at the end of the tracklisting. These are 'Doctor, Doctor' and 'Lights Out'. The new 'Doctor, Doctor' has the intro played on a piano now instead of a clean guitar, and somehow manages to work rather well. The rest of the song is played pretty much the same, only the production is much more modern by comparison, and matches the rest of this album of course. And Phil's voice has of course, developed over the years, but isn't necessarily any worse. In fact, I like his voice just as much on any of these '90s records and beyond just as much as I do any of his '70s performances. As for 'Lights Out', again, it's played very similarly to the original, only the production is once again more up to date and in-line with the new material. Normally I don't care much for re-recordings - especially when the songs in question were classics in the first place - but these 2 end up being really fun and I think even have some strengths of their own over the originals. 

My copy of this album is the 1997 Eagle reissue, which comes with 3 bonus tracks. The interesting thing about these songs are the fact none of them are actually UFO recordings, but rather side-project cuts from various different members of the band. 1 of them, 'I Will Be There', is a Michael Schenker Group number. To be honest, MSG is MSG, and if you're reading this page then chances are you're highly familiar with them and probably even a fan. Schenker's made shit loads of stuff with them, and found great success in the process. I have a couple of his records in my collection. The other 2 however, 'Fortune Town' and 'Public Enemy #1' had me curious from the beginning. 'Fortune Town' is a Mogg/Way track (they made 2 albums in the mid-'90s under this project if I'm not mistaken?), and just sounds like UFO to me in all honesty! So not bad at all then. 'Public Enemy #1' is a song from UFO keyboardist/rhythm guitar player Paul Raymond, from his side-project called, erm, Paul Raymond Project! This track has a very '70s hard rock feel if you ask me (a bit like Grand Funk Railroad or Foghat), despite being recorded in 1997 according to the booklet. It's heavy but very bluesy and I dig it. I think Paul sings on it, but can't find much information about it either.

On the whole, this is by far the best album they'd made in years. It helps that Schenker is back of course, but in general Walk on Water just sounds closer to classic UFO than anything else they'd done in a long time, and there's absolutely no reason to not highly recommend it. It's not necessarily one of their best albums, but you won't find a single duff number on here either.  

Adam's rating: 8/10

COVENANT          2000          (SPV)

- Standouts: 'Love Is Forever', 'Midnight Train', 'Fool's Gold', 'In the Middle of Madness', 'Serenade'

Another solid effort from the Schenker reunion-era UFO right here folks. Aynsley Dunbar stepped in on drums around this period too, interestingly. An immediate downside I noticed however, is when you stack it up alongside it's predecessor Walk on Water, and it's follow-up Sharks, the drums on Covenant sound rather thin and boxy by comparison. A mostly minor complaint, but it was something I took note of from the get-go. The first track's a good 'un though. 'Love Is Forever' has all the heavy riffs you could want, but also the trademark melodic portions that the band mesh together so well. 'Unraveled' is a decent hard rock number too, with more focus on heaviness and a driving tempo to go with it. There's something about it that reminds me a little of Blackfoot, but I can't really explain why. Schenker adds some cool AC/DC-style lead guitar licks on 'Miss the Lights', which is otherwise a fairly straightforward, but enjoyable rocker.

One of the better tracks this album has to offer would have to be the speedy, ballsy 'Midnight Train'. Sounds like prime UFO if you ask me. 'Fool's Gold' starts off very slow and melodic, with Phil sounding almost emotional at times - but it does shift into a much faster, upbeat track with tight riffs and a lot of power. Michael's shreddy solo is fire (as always), and it's definitely another favourite of mine from this CD. 'The Smell of Money' shines too, and it's mostly down to Schenker's effortless guitar chops. 'Serenade' is an appropriately-melodic number - not quite a ballad, but some very pretty melodies and the little flamenco-style guitar solo adds some diversity to the album that I for one welcome. I think 'The World and His Dog' is a strong note to conclude the album on too.

Any filler? Yeah, I guess so. 'In the Middle of Madness' is fine for the most part, but the riffs are a little uninspired and it just feels like they've done this kind of melodic rock better previously. Harmless, sure, but hardly standout UFO. The bluesy, mid-tempo 'Rise Again' is pleasant enough to listen to while it lasts, but I have a hard time remembering it once it's over all the same! Also, 'Cowboy Joe' - it's far from bad, but it's only the guitars that save it from pure mediocrity. The vocal arrangements and chorus are a bit dull in my opinion.

If you ask me, Walk on Water is probably the better album - but just barely. Covenant's production feels slightly off to me in terms of the drums, and I think they could've maybe trimmed a song or 2 from the tracklisting just to keep me drawn in from start to finish. Otherwise, this is still a pretty darn good record overall. It just falls short of true greatness, but is very much recommended all the same. The real neat thing about Covenant though, is the added bonus disc, which features 7 live tracks. Some classics on this disc that I never tire of hearing (e.g. 'Let It Roll', 'Love to Love', 'This Kids' etc.), but also a couple of tracks from Walk on Water ('Pushed to the Limit', 'Venus'). It looks as if all versions of Covenant were released with this extra CD.

Adam's rating: 7.8/10

SHARKS          2002          (SPV)
- Standouts: 'Outlaw Man', 'Quicksilver Rider', 'Serenity', 'Dead Man Walking', 'Shadow Dancer', 'Perfect View'

I don't remember exactly when I acquired this particular CD. I wanna say it was sometime when I was at college, because it was one of the first UFO discs I ever picked up. Seems a little unusual to have Sharks as one of my gateway albums into this band, considering it's not exactly one people talk about very often when discussing UFO. Not sure why, because whenever I hear it, it's actually kinda difficult to pick holes with. For starters, Michael Schenker actually reunited with the band in the 90's and stuck around long enough to record this album, making Sharks his final recording with UFO. And even though the man was apparently a bit off-the-rails around this period (from what I've heard anyway...), you'd hardly know it from how good his playing is on here, which is as good as ever. Also in the band around this time was notable drummer Aynsley Dunbar.

The first two tracks, 'Outlaw Man' and 'Quicksilver Rider' immediately grab my attention with their big, muscular riffs and hot guitar licks. Sounds like classic UFO if you ask me. Phil Mogg's voice has definitely aged a little by this point, but not necessarily in a bad way. He has a touch more gravel in his pipes, but he's adjusted his voice very well to fit the music. He sounds particularly great on the outstanding melodic rock piece 'Serenity', probably my favourite song on the album with it's fantastic hooks. I've gotta say, 'Dead Man Walking' is another cool melodic rocker too, especially those really nice picked guitar melodies.

Obviously the production at this point is much more modern and contemporary, but musically the mid-tempo 'Shadow Dancer' sounds like it could have come from the 70's with it's arena-like chorus, big riffs and nice use of keyboards. 'Someone's Gonna Have to Pay' is also decent with it's bluesy rhythm and almost improvisational feel. The riff gets kind of repetitive after a while, but Schenker's soloing on this track saves it from mediocrity. I also like 'Perfect View', which is jam-packed with both heavy and melodic riffs, and a very nice chorus. 'Crossing Over' is another enjoyable romp with Schenker's guitars yet again stealing the show. 

A forgotten gem, that's what this album is. It's not always great - 'Sea of Faith' has a memorable chorus, but the rest of the song is pretty generic and feels like the band in autopilot. 'Fighting Man' too, is a bit pedestrian compared to many of the other tracks here. I'm not entirely sure what the point of concluding this CD with the forty-three second instrumental 'Hawaii' was either, but it's not a big enough deal to negatively impact this album overall. Really, Sharks has basically everything you could want from a UFO album, and I prefer it to Covenant overall. So check it out of course. Unfortunately, it's out of print on CD and fairly pricey these days by the looks of things. Give it a listen on Spotify then, unless you have to own absolutely everything like me.

Adam's rating: 8/10

YOU ARE HERE          2004         (SPV)

- Standouts: 'When Daylight Goes to Town', 'Black Cold Coffee', 'The Wild One', 'Give It Up', 'The Spark That Is Us', 'Mr. Freeze', 'Baby Blue'

At this point in time, we have Vinnie Moore on guitar. Not a lot to say about him really - like Paul Chapman, he may not be the classic UFO guitarist we all think of first, but he's still a more-than-worthy replacement for Michael Schenker. As it happens, he joined the band after Sharks and is still there to this day. Also notable is the inclusion of drummer Jason Bonham - John Bonham's son and the kind of bloke who pops up in a lot of different bands and projects such as Black Country Communion, Foreigner and Sammy Hagar's more recent solo material.

Well, You Are Here starts off very nicely with 'When Daylight Goes to Town'. No, it's not a blistering way to kick things off by any means, but it is a strong mid-tempo rocker that's comparable to 'Outlaw Man' from Sharks. Moore's guitar skills are immediately noticeable from the get-go here (but unlike Laurence Archer or Atomic Tommy, he never overdoes it), Phil Mogg is in fine form and I also like Bonham's additional backing vocals. 'Black Cold Coffee' on the other hand, is a very tight, technical slice of heavy metal and I love it. The riffs are oh-so cool, and actually remind me a little of Extreme. But with Phil on vocals, it still has UFO's stamp of approval on it of course. 'The Wild One' is a classy rockin' anthem, full of great riffin', plus some shredding solos. I like the acoustic guitar usage on it too, it adds more depth to the tune. I really like 'Give It Up' too; it's a very upbeat and fun, anthemic rocker. 'Nuff said. I also dig 'Call Me', which is yet another heavy, driving number. You've heard it done before, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

The band do mix things up a little with 'Slipping Away', which is a more melodic track with lots of nice little electric and acoustic guitar licks. I wouldn't quite call it a ballad, but it's not far off. I also think 'The Spark That Is Us' keeps things interesting with it's slightly more modern rock feels, and overall kind of floaty, uplifting touches. 'Sympathy' is one of the heaviest tracks on the record, 'Mr. Freeze' has lots of melodic touches, as well as an absolutely blistering guitar solo. Meanwhile, 'Baby Blue' is a full-on ballad with some pretty acoustic guitar playing and nice keyboard backing. It does pick up when it wants to however, but is still very much a warm number overall. The album wraps things up with the mid-tempo 'Swallow', maybe the weakest cut overall but still a song that is 100% UFO and one that I never feel the urge to switch off. 

There's not a duff track to be found here whatsoever. Some are better than others of course, but the album's consistently good from start to finish. The production is tip-top, and while the music isn't exactly S-tier UFO, it's still a very well-performed and put together CD in the catalogue. I wouldn't quite put You Are Here in the same league as some of those mid-to-late '70s classics, but it's definitely up there with all of those underrated '80s efforts with Paul Chapman, and I enjoy it a tad more than I did the already-impressive Sharks. At this point in their career, a guy like Vinnie Moore is just as suited to UFO as Schenker. Another big thumbs-up from me.

Adam's rating: 8.2/10

THE MONKEY PUZZLE          2006          (SPV)

- Standouts: 'Hard Being Me', 'Heavenly Body', 'Some Other Guy', 'Who's Fooling Who', 'World Cruise', 'Good Bye You', 'Down by the River'

Spotify is weird. This album was readily available to stream a few months ago, as was 2012's Seven Deadly. Now they're gone. On the other hand, albums like Sharks and Covenant, which were missing for years - are now available. I mean, I have physical copies of all my UFO albums, but Spotify is extremely useful and convenient when I do decide to write this blog. YouTube it is then.

So anyhow, the track number 1, 'Hard Being Me', is a fun opener with Vinnie Moore providing all the slide guitar you could ever want. It's very much in-line with vintage UFO, so you can't help but love it. Phil is sounding older by this point in time, as you'd expect - but it's not necessarily a negative. He still sounds like Phil, just with a slightly different and more mature kind of charm regarding these later UFO records. 'Heavenly Body' too, is excellent. Although I can't exactly compare it to vintage UFO like I can 'Hard Being Me', this song is a more modern UFO with a much heavier, groovier kind of edge to the riffs and tune. Really cool. 'Some Other Guy' is once again, completely different musically from either of the previous couple of tracks. It's extremely bluesy with it's harmonica usage and also some fine organ work from Paul Raymond. Different, yes, but it's not totally unheard of to hear UFO do blues rock every once in a while. And I just dig this song, plain and simple.

Vinnie's playing shines on emotional rock ballad 'Who's Fooling Who', another standout for me. And they dip into blues once again with 'World Cruise', which gets my foot tappin' almost immediately once the tempo picks up. The guitar playing is just oh-so cool! Meanwhile, 'Down by the River' is another rock-solid retro rocker that keeps me hooked, and 'Good Bye You' is a fluffy melodic/AOR-type cut that is just easy listening all-round. 'Kingston Town' is a fine swansong to the album - maybe more modern-sounding again, but this only mixes up the variety of styles and I like that.

Simply put, this is just another great album. Even a structurally generic song like 'Black and Blue' has all these AC/DC-style guitar licks and yet another great solo, further solidifying my respect for Vinnie Moore as a guitarist. And 'Drink Too Much' treads dangerously close to being a full-on pop rock ballad (not necessarily a bad thing, I guess), but once again, Vinnie's endlessly soulful guitar lead playing keeps it fresh for me. In fact, the only song that I'd even dare stick the filler badge on is 'Rolling Man'... and even then I don't ever seem to skip it. And while I can't say I'm ever blown away by what the The Monkey Puzzle has to offer, nearly all the songs and overall flow of the album have just been executed really well. Vinnie is the standout musician here, but Phil has always been an awesome vocalist, while the rest of the band just keep everything in check from start to finish. Oh, and the production on the majority of these latter-period UFO discs (bar the drum sound on Covenant, which I still find a bit odd...) is always fine and dandy, this one included. Yeah, there's better hard rock albums out there by this band and others, but I can't think of many I like more from the 21st century.

I really enjoy the You Are Here album, but The Monkey Puzzle just about surpasses it for me. The songs can be shorter, as is the entire album (46 minutes as opposed to 52) - but it's because of this that it feels more streamlined and just better-rounded to my ears. Again, it's not one of the absolute best UFO albums you'll ever hear, but there's tons of variety throughout the record and I never tire of any of the songs because of this. 

So, should you buy it? Yes, yes and yes.

Adam's rating: 8.4/10

THE VISITOR          2009          (SPV)

- Standouts: 'Saving Me', 'On the Waterfront', 'Hell Driver', 'Villains & Thieves'

The Vinnie Moore era continues, and as for The Visitor, well, I like the way opener begins with the hard rock/bluegrass hybrid 'Saving Me', with it's slide guitars. Good stuff. I also the like slower, sleazy 'On the Waterfront'. It's not particularly heavy, but it has an almost Southern rock kind of attitude, and gives me strong 70's rock vibes with it's backing keyboards. 'Hell Driver' is a pure heavy rock affair. A nice, no-nonsense rocker in the classic UFO sense. Surprisingly enough, Vinnie Moore picks up his slide guitar again with another bluegrass-infused rock song, 'Rock Ready'. Again, I kinda like it. 'Living Proof' is better though, with it's heavy blues grooves. 'Villains & Thieves' is a retro blues rocker through-and-through while 'Stranger in Town' has a touch of Deep Purple about it.

At times however, the band do a sound a little tired on this album - I guess that comes with age. Ballad 'Stop Breaking Down' is serviceable, and Moore lays down a great solo - but for the most part it's lacking energy, and they've certainly written a long list of better ballads in the past. There's another 'sort of ballad' in 'Can't Buy a Thrill', and again, this track is perfectly tolerable, with plenty of nice melodies... but I just can't shake off the fact it has a noticeably tired feel overall! I can give the acoustic number 'Forsaken' a pass however, because it is acoustic after all.

The Visitor seems to have more blues influence on it than usual, which is fine. The thing that stops it being a great UFO album for me however, is the lack of any genuinely great songs. There's nothing on here that I didn't like or simply couldn't listen to, it's just a bit less exciting than usual. It doesn't quite click with me like a lot of the others do. Considering how long this band has existed for, I suppose they were simply maturing and not trying to be as energetic as possible by the late 2000's. Fair enough really. As I said though, I do like this album. There's nothing offensively wrong with it. When you hear it, you know you're listening to a bunch of pros perform a bunch of bluesy, hard-edged rock songs. Worth checking out if you liked anything else by this band, just don't expect prime UFO.

Adam's rating: 7/10

SEVEN DEADLY          2012          (SPV)

- Standouts: 'Fight Night', 'Wonderland', 'Mojo Town', 'Angel Station', 'The Fear', 'Waving Good Bye'

2012's Seven Deadly kicks off with a cracker; 'Fight Night' is built around some massive AC/DC-style riffage and a great vocal performance from Mr. Mogg. Track two, 'Wonderland' is a metallic, upbeat number with a very retro heavy metal feel to it. Vinnie Moore's solo on it is blistering. 'Mojo Town' certainly proves the band still have their 'mojo' (sorry). It's a mid-paced rocker that's built around some very heavy, groove-focused riffs. The female backing vocals during the chorus are nice too as they add more depth to Phil's own vocals. The blues is back with both the tuneful and melodic 'Angel Station' as well as the more intense 'Year of the Gun'. Other tracks I like include the harmonica-heavy, classic ZZ Top-style 'The Fear' and the soaring closer 'Waving Good Bye', which leaves me feeling warm inside.

There aren't any serious issues that plague Seven Deadly, it's a respectable late-career album in UFO's discography overall. But I can't help but shake the feeling that 'Steal Yourself' is filler. I just find this particular track to be a serviceable, but forgettable mid-paced cut. I kinda feel the same way about the ballad 'Burn Your House Down'. Again, not a bad tune, it's just that the band have a huge list of better ballads. And let's be real here - it's no Obsession or No Heavy Petting. But that's okay! I mean, how many bands formed in fucking 1968 can you name that have recorded and released anything original in the last ten or so years, let alone even exist as a band still?! The fact UFO were still going and putting out an album as good as this in 2012 is crazy. It's bloody brilliant, even.

I like this album more than The Visitor. That album had a little too much blues going for it - this one has it's fair share of blues-based rock on it too, but it also has more songs in line with classic UFO. Blues is fine an' all, I just don't want it dominating a UFO record. At this point I feel like I've been handing out 8/10s like there's no tomorrow, but UFO are one of those bands that really have put out a lot of great records. Seven Deadly is no exception.

Adam's rating: 8/10

A CONSPIRACY OF STARS          2015          (SPV)

- Standouts: 'Run Boy Run', 'Ballad of the Left Hand', 'Devils in the Detail', 'Messiah of Love'

Unless they release some sort of archive studio project, 2015's A Conspiracy of Stars was to be the final UFO album consisting of brand new studio material. We did get another studio album in 2017 (The Salentino Cuts), but that's a covers album... so I consider A Conspiracy of Stars to be the band's true swansong.

Well, this album slots in nicely alongside most of the other Vinnie Moore-era discs such as You Are Here, The Monkey Puzzle, Seven Deadly etc., and that's fine by me. I enjoy all those records. Beginning with 'The Killing Kind', we're treaded to a nice and to-the-point, hooky melodic rocker that is typical of late-career UFO. Phil Mogg sounds older of course, but like Ian Gillan he's moulded his voice to be suitable for the music in question - I'd say he's more soulful these days. 'Run Boy Run' is edgier, and hits you harder with it's heavier riffs. But it's also jam-packed full of those tasty Moore guitar leads, and is just a great song in general. The band dabble with blues rock once again on 'Ballad of the Left Hand Gun', which is a terrific number. Moore is probably the bluesiest six-stringer the band ever had, and although I feel 2009's The Visitor had a little too much blues on it, I do still largely enjoy it when Vinnie does this sort of thing. You've got cool slide guitars in this one. 

'Sugar Cane' is a fine song also. This track is a bit slower and more melodic, but it sounds like a bunch of matured pros just doing their thing, and doing it very well indeed. 'Devils in the Detail' is another solid tune; it sounds a tad tired and withered at this stage, but Vinnie's playing really keeps it afloat and the chorus is memorable. I like 'Precious Cargo' too. It's not what you call 'hard rock', but is full of some sublime clean guitar picking. 'One and Only' feels like an AOR number, and a nice one at that. Meanwhile, 'Messiah of Love' of one of the best tracks on the album with it's heavy, yet catchy riffage and fun vocal arrangements from Phil.

I don't have any major red flags to list here, but 'The Real Deal' isn't a favourite of mine. Vinnie carries this song, and if it wasn't for him it'd probably be quite boring in all honesty. Not horrible to listen to by any stretch of the imagination, just a bit dull. 'Rollin' Rollin'' isn't a terribly fun closing track either. And to be honest, although this album is almost always solid - occasionally great, even - it's not one of the more exciting records in the discography. Everything's polished and well-executed, including the top-notch production... the whole album certainly makes for an enjoyable listening experience overall. But it's definitely not go-to UFO for me, even if we're only talkin' about the Vinnie Moore era. It's not a particularly heavy album (which isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on how you like UFO) and could maybe do with a couple of harder-hitting or faster tunes in my opinion.

What you end up with is another good album within the extensive UFO discography. It's just a shame that considering the band disbanded in 2024, A Conspiracy of Stars is a little underwhelming as the band's final album (excluding The Salentino Cuts covers album). I still like it a tad more than I do The Visitor, but I think most of the other Vinnie Moore albums did it better than this. Still, even if I was left feeling somewhat disappointed by this album, as I said before, it's still a good 'un at the end of the day. Just not good enough for a band of this status!

...I still think it's worth owning a copy if you can find one though. 

Adam's rating: 7.2/10

THE SALENTINO CUTS          2017          (Cleopatra)

- Standouts: 'The Pusher', 'River of Deceit'

I don't think UFO owe any one of us a thing. They have a huge discography, and have released multiple studio albums throughout each decade, brought out many archive live releases and only stopped touring in 2022. We also sadly lost Paul Raymond in 2019 and both Pete Way and Paul Chapman in 2020. Phil Mogg suffered a heart attack in 2022 and they subsequently cancelled their farewell tour since Phil is no longer able to perform live. So I'd feel like a total dick if I were to throw a hissy fit and complain that the last record they ever made - 2017's The Salentino Cuts - is a letdown because it's a covers album.

So yeah, umm... this is a covers album then. I'll admit I don't have the greatest history with these things. There's very few out there I consider to be essential. Garage Inc. by Metallica is really cool, and there's a few others I like, but don't consider to be classics such as Undisputed Attitude by Slayer. But for the most part I find most covers albums are throwaway novelties; I'll listen to them a couple of times, maybe even somewhat enjoy them on occasion - but then almost never return to them when they're finished. Sadly, The Salentino Cuts is one of those for me. There's no downright awful renditions here - some are fairly enjoyable, like their take on Steppenwolf's druggy classic 'The Pusher', and even the way they UFO things up on the Doors' 'Break On Through (To the Other Side)'. The band's rendition of 'River of Deceit', originally by Mad Season (a song and band I wasn't too familiar with, despite knowing who all the members in it were), is also a nice one. I also think the Bill Withers soul classic 'Ain't No Sunshine' has been handled well too.

But for the most part this is a fairly pedestrian effort with little in the way of surprises save for the aforementioned Bill Withers cover, and that's only because of Bill's history as a soul/R&B artist. How many times has Mountain's 'Mississippi Queen' been covered?! Well, here's another one! And why would I ever need to hear another version of Montrose's 'Rock Candy', when the original is perfect and part of one of the greatest hard rock records of all time?

Meh. That's what this album is. Meh. It's far from one of the worst covers albums you'll ever hear - it's not like any of the songs are poorly performed or anything. And I always enjoy hearing Phil Mogg's voice - but there's absolutely no reason to actually own this thing unless you're trying to complete a UFO collection. That's the only reason I have it. It's disappointing that this was the final album they ever put out (Phil Mogg said just recently in April 2024 that the band has reached the conclusion), yes, but at the end of the day I can't be mad at them. Look at just how much great original music they've given us. I won't be listening to this again any time soon, but I sure as hell will be listening to a huge portion of the rest of their discography for the rest of my life!

Adam's rating: 5.1/10

Closing thoughts on this discography:

I definitely agree with the general consensus in that UFO's best era was their first stint with Schenker in the '70s. Obsession is my favourite studio album, and Strangers in the Night is one of the greatest live records of all time, in any genre. However, I will say that there's good stuff from almost every lineup in this catalogue. 3 out of the 4 Paul Chapman albums are classics, and there's decent stuff throughout the Vinnie Moore era and even the second period when Schenker re-joined the band in the '90s. Naturally, there's a few low-points - I don't like Misdemeanour, plus UFO 2: Flying and that covers album from 2017 are mediocre, but this is largely a strong discography with a lot of albums that are well worth having.