UFO
Strangers In The Night (Chrysalis ’79) Rating: A
Fans of memorable, melodic hard rock should run, not walk, to the nearest record store and splurge for this lavish 68-minute compendium of all that was great about hard rock in the late ‘70s. We get treated to a singer, Phil Mogg, who can really sing, his soulful vocals shining on slower paced songs such as “Out On The Street” and “Love To Love.” One listen to these keyboard laced power ballads should make you want to burn your Bon Jovi records immediately, if you haven’t already done so. The able rhythm section of Andy Parker and Pete Way can cook up an admirable groove, and Paul Raymond's keyboards add shade and color, but best of all is the work of guitarist Michael Schenker, who plays with a speed to spare, a theatrical sense of drama, and a keen grasp of melody. Still, though Schenker is the star, UFO were a band; a clutch of great group-written songs such as “Natural Thing,” “Only You Can Rock Me,” “Doctor Doctor,” “Lights Out,” and the 11-minute “Rock Bottom” attest to that, though some lackluster choruses and cheesy cliché-ridden lyrics occasionally mar this otherwise excellent record, which nevertheless works as a terrific “best of” the band’s best years (all of their studio albums from Phenomenon through Obsession are recommended as well). This scorching live album, one of the best live albums ever recorded, provided the career high point for this extremely underrated band, who never made it as big as they should have. Unfortunately, Schenker left UFO after this album to briefly join his brother in The Scorpions before embarking upon a journeyman-like career leading various bands bearing his namesake; UFO continued without him but unsurprisingly never had the same level of success.