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Rahul Profile
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Purple fan

Registered: 09-2003
Posts: 6181
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UFO - Strangers in the Night review


"Would you please welcome from England, U...F...O!"

If this album turns out to be rubbish, at least it can rest in the knowledge that it has a great intro from the announcer.

I have UFO's anthology, and it's terrible. They make Spinal Tap sound as complex as Van Der Graaf Generator, but I was informed by several sources that Strangers in the Night is a fabulous live album.

Always believing in giving albums and artists a second chance (see Physical Graf review), I purchased it, and have just stuck it in my CD player.

I think I have the Expanded Edition as it has 15 tracks on it. The thought of 15 UFO tracks on one disc fills me with fear, but I'm ready to be convinced otherwise.

So we start with Hot n Ready. Good sharp rocker, with excellent guitar. Decent opening. No Highway Star, but promising enough. This is a bonus track apparantly, added at the beginning for running order accuracy I'm guessing.

Some decent stuff on this. Michael Schenker's guitar playing has certainly gone up in my estimation. His playing on stuff like Love to Love and This Kids is exceptional.

I'm still not Mogg's biggest fan though. Can't really get into his singing. He lacks the vocal charisma of a Gillan, Dio or Halford. I find him to be a bit of a weak link in this whole affair. Natural Thing and Out in the Street are decent songs that sound bland under his ownership.

Only You Can Rock Me is a hoot, and so is Doctor Doctor, which sounds much better live than in the studio. And Michael's guitar playing saturates this album. He's the real star. He is scorching on Rock Bottom. Now there's a track I always hated, but this version is just magnificent.

Lights Out is great as well. For the first time perhaps, I'm beginning to like the famous UFO tracks that did little for me in the studio. Great bass, and Mogg is in his element this time too.

Good album. Good album. UFO are certainly a better live band than a studio one, based on this evidence, and this album crackles with energy. You can almost taste the sweat from the front row.

Not a masterpiece for me, but a good album. Some excellent guitar work, and frenetic bass playing, that sounds wonderful. But not a big fan of their songs in general, or Mogg's vocals. He's good, but nothing memorable.

Certainly an album worth having, and one I will play again, but my UFO exploration ends here! I have all the UFO I need on this disc I think! emoticon

Last edited by Rahul, 3/7/2006, 22:22


---
I climbed on the back of a giant albatross
What flew through a crack in the cloud
To a place where happiness reigned all year round
Where music played ever so loudly

3/7/2006, 22:19 Link to this post Send Email to Rahul   Send PM to Rahul
 
Big J Profile
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Purple fan

Registered: 09-2003
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


Phew!! emoticon
3/7/2006, 22:25 Link to this post Send Email to Big J   Send PM to Big J
 
Rahul Profile
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Purple fan

Registered: 09-2003
Posts: 6181
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


quote:

Big J wrote:

Phew!! emoticon



emoticon

I actually started giving a track by track description, until I realised their were 15 songs, and no one would read this stuff anyway!

Enjoyed that album mate. It's still on now, almost about to finish! Considering I hated UFO, the album has certainly done a lot to improve their standing in my mind. So it has done the trick! emoticon

---
I climbed on the back of a giant albatross
What flew through a crack in the cloud
To a place where happiness reigned all year round
Where music played ever so loudly

3/7/2006, 22:29 Link to this post Send Email to Rahul   Send PM to Rahul
 
Milan Fahrnholz Profile
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Registered: 09-2003
Posts: 17842
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


quote:

Rahul wrote:
I actually started giving a track by track description, until I realised their were 15 songs, and no one would read this stuff anyway!



Zep had also 15 tracks, so go ahead, BigJ waited so long for this so he´ll read it! emoticon
3/7/2006, 22:33 Link to this post  
 
Rahul Profile
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Purple fan

Registered: 09-2003
Posts: 6181
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


quote:

Milan Fahrnholz wrote:

quote:

Rahul wrote:
I actually started giving a track by track description, until I realised their were 15 songs, and no one would read this stuff anyway!



Zep had also 15 tracks, so go ahead, BigJ waited so long for this so he´ll read it! emoticon



I didn't realise Zep had 15 tracks, because each disc starts numbering from the beginning, and I didn't count! emoticon

---
I climbed on the back of a giant albatross
What flew through a crack in the cloud
To a place where happiness reigned all year round
Where music played ever so loudly

3/7/2006, 22:36 Link to this post Send Email to Rahul   Send PM to Rahul
 
Milan Fahrnholz Profile
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Purple fan

Registered: 09-2003
Posts: 17842
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


quote:

Rahul wrote:

quote:

Milan Fahrnholz wrote:

quote:

Rahul wrote:
I actually started giving a track by track description, until I realised their were 15 songs, and no one would read this stuff anyway!



Zep had also 15 tracks, so go ahead, BigJ waited so long for this so he´ll read it! emoticon



I didn't realise Zep had 15 tracks, because each disc starts numbering from the beginning, and I didn't count! emoticon



Know what you mean the vinyl is like:

Side 1: 3 tracks
Side 2: 3 tracks
Side 3: 4 tracks
Side 4: 5 tracks

 emoticon
3/7/2006, 22:40 Link to this post  
 
MachineHead 1 Profile
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Registered: 09-2005
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


quote:

Rahul wrote:

"Would you please welcome from England, U...F...O!"

If this album turns out to be rubbish, at least it can rest in the knowledge that it has a great intro from the announcer.



The "announcer" is actually UFO lead singer Phil Mogg

According to one music journalist Phil Mogg has similarities to Frank Sinatra - I'd agree maybe at times he can have something of Sinatra's tone - and other music journalists have commented that Mogg is one of the most talented and most original/best vocalists ever to grace rock music.

Certainly he's my favourite rock vocalist after Gillan and for me head and shoulders over the rest - I know you're not so keen Rahul and its all a subjective thing and personal preference either way - ye pays yer money and ye takes yer choice as they say.

Never found UFO to be anywhere remotely near Spinal Tap - more the complete opposite - again personal preference either way.

If you like Strangers In The Night and Schenker's playing you might well like Force It, Obsessions and Walk On Water - Schenker is to the fore in all of them. And follow up to WoW "Covenant" is available as a special edition together with a short US tour live cd with I think 6 live tracks from late 90's tour - 4 from the orginal classic era and 2 from WoW. "Covenant" also has some decent tracks and stuff like "Miss The Lights" might show Mogg in a different light - certainly clean crisp production - the lyrics seem to possibly refer to Paul Raymond? (son of his famous father as they say) and at that time departed from the fold.



---
From the moment I heard the opening strains of Highway Star... that was it!!!
Machine Head blew me away
In Rock blew my brains out

3/8/2006, 6:06 Link to this post   Blog
 
Big J Profile
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Purple fan

Registered: 09-2003
Posts: 6083
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


quote:

MachineHead 1 wrote:

quote:

Rahul wrote:

"Would you please welcome from England, U...F...O!"

If this album turns out to be rubbish, at least it can rest in the knowledge that it has a great intro from the announcer.



The "announcer" is actually UFO lead singer Phil Mogg



Eh? He's got an American accent.

3/8/2006, 6:50 Link to this post Send Email to Big J   Send PM to Big J
 
MachineHead 1 Profile
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Talker of Total Bollocks

Registered: 09-2005
Posts: 1340
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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


quote:

Big J wrote:

quote:

MachineHead 1 wrote:

quote:

Rahul wrote:

"Would you please welcome from England, U...F...O!"

If this album turns out to be rubbish, at least it can rest in the knowledge that it has a great intro from the announcer.



The "announcer" is actually UFO lead singer Phil Mogg



Eh? He's got an American accent.



You sure about that John! emoticon

Just had a quick listen again meself ...its Moggy alright - he always did slip into the transatlantic accent thing and always gave a nod to US lingo - check out his lyrics and how he says them, e.g. on Long Gone the lyrics are very US based terminology, and they do crop up throughout UFO's albums - as if pandering to the US audience - no bad thing right enough - and why not ye might say

Last edited by MachineHead 1, 3/8/2006, 6:58


---
From the moment I heard the opening strains of Highway Star... that was it!!!
Machine Head blew me away
In Rock blew my brains out

3/8/2006, 6:54 Link to this post   Blog
 
Big J Profile
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Purple fan

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Re: UFO - Strangers in the Night review


Doesn't sound like Mogg at all to me. Why do you think it's him? I've never seen mention of this in any reviews, or anywhere else.
3/8/2006, 11:17 Link to this post Send Email to Big J   Send PM to Big J
 


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