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earMUSIC [Release date: 20.09.24]
Michael Schenker boards the tribute train with an album mildly curious for the trend in that it is dedicated to his own output, albeit with a different band. UFO are, of course, the band in question. They released these 11 tracks across five albums between 1974 and 1978: Phenomenon, Force It, No Heavy Petting, Lights Out and Obsession.
The original tunes are all copper-bottomed classics and in their live guise make up nearly all of the landmark Schenker-era UFO album ‘Strangers In The Night’. (Interesting that the packaging here is intentionally very evocative of that collection’s Hypgnosis-designed sleeve artwork).
Neither can the premier league of guest artists assembled here be sniffed at. From Roger Glover and Biff Byford via Slash and Axl Rose to Joel Hoekstra, Adrian Vandenberg and all points in between. The core band are top-table too: Derek Sherinian on keys, Brian Tichy on drums, and Barry Sparks on bass.
So what of the reworked, re-imagined and re-recorded versions here then? Well, leaving aside any cynical debate about the validity of such endeavours, this is a thoroughly enjoyable album, with some real highpoints and surprising twists.
‘Natural Thing’ is rightly the only place to start, where Dee Snider nails a powerful vocal and Joel Hoekstra lays down a thick riff. The solos interplay well with each other and there’s a swing on the rhythm that gives a new perspective on a great track.
Joey Tempest handles ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ with professional aplomb, as you would expect, but this is a little too close to the original to send the pulse rate meteoric. ‘Doctor Doctor’ on the other hand, is given a Class A shot in the arm courtesy of Carmine Appice’s ridiculously infectious and powerful drum track.
There are an awful lot of versions of this song kicking around and I thought there were no more surprises to be wrung from the dependable crowd-pleaser, but Appice and Joe Lynn Turner – on fine form – have extracted the juice here.
‘Mother Mary’ is mighty. It brings the unmistakable sound of Slash to the fore, and the solos traded with Schenker are a joy. Erik Grönwall carries a refreshing power and range on the vocals that are not present in the original.
Derek Sherinian, whom I know best from exceptional work with Joe Bonamassa and Black Country Communion, is fantastic on ‘This Kid’s’, where we see a new depth and subtlety to the closing instrumental.
The organ work is simply thrilling (if such a thing can be said with a straight face!) and Schenker re-invents his solo brilliantly. But Biff Byford’s vocal on the first part of the track equals them. He changes the arrangements and inflections just enough to make it his own whilst maintaining the integrity and balance of the song’s structure. Love this.
When I read that Axl Rose had picked up the vocal duties on ‘Love To Love’ – maybe my favourite UFO track of all time, and easily amongst my Top 10 rock songs ever – I was trepidatious. A little more soul and a little more gravitas would have been better perhaps, but Axl’s gravelly tones work well enough. He finds character on this occasion, rather than histrionics, and it lets the majesty of the track shine through. Schenker and Sherinian do the rest.
Jeff Scott Soto and John Norum are really good on ‘Lights Out’, the latter crisp and sharp as a razor. But ‘Rock Bottom’ feels a little too tidy and clean. Kai Hansen is a very fine vocalist, but this doesn’t quite scale the heights of the ‘Strangers’ version. Maybe that was always expecting too much.
Turner and Appice hook up again for ‘Too Hot To Handle’, alongside Adrian Vandenberg and the result is a furious joyride, with Vandenberg and Schenker laying waste to all before them on the final solos.
‘Let It Roll’ has Michael Voss lending a hand and is one heaviest versions on view; and ‘Shoot Shoot’, with an excellent Stephen Pearcy on vocals, closes out the album.
A legitimate view is that this is just another covers album, offering no new music, no matter how much gloss is applied. The publicity, on the other hand, insists that these are new recordings for a new generation. I’d argue that they work for an older generation too – there is something different and compelling in many of these renditions and the quality of musicianship is very high. Either way, we can expect more. Apparently earMUSIC have commissioned Schenker for a series of three such albums! ****
Review by Dave Atkinson
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
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