UFO - Phenomenon (2008 Expanded Version)
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Free Music Notes for Phenomenon (2008 Expanded Version)
Free Music Review: 4.5 stars
Hit: 4 Stars
Phenomenon is a great listen. The strange thing about this album is that I feel Doctor, Doctor and Rock Bottom are 2 of the lesser songs(Rock Bottom less so). This is most likely due to how often I hear them and how great Rock Bottom is on Strangers In The Night. This CD is full of many other gems and unlike No Heavy Petting, does not weaken in the second half. Time On My Hands was always one of my favorites.
I found the extra tracks to be great but there are a couple of things that bother me:
1) Why not include the other Dave Edmunds produced tracks? According to the liner notes, there are other tracks that I am sure people would love to hear including another original - Rock N Roll Car
2) Why is Oh My (bonus version) partially credited to Michael Schenker when he was not in the band yet according to the liner notes. I can believe he had an influence on the final version though.
While on the subject, if one believes the liner notes, that an early version of Doctor, Doctor was recorded with Bernie Marsden (albeit with a different title and lyrics), why is he not given credit? and as stated above, why not included. Raw demos are often quite enjoyable
I already had the German bonus tracks so I really got this re-release because of Sixteen and Oh My (bonus). I really like the alternate version of Oh My.
The booklet included is great. The liner notes are very informative and I especially love the pictures of UFO with Bernie Marsden and Paul Chapman as the 2nd guitarist. I also found the Sounds review in the booklet amusing since it called the first two tracks awful - they happen to be favorites of mine.
Free Music Review: Perfect remastered product
Hit: 5 Stars
UFO is undeniably one of the best rock bands ever. Their well deserved top status is not for discussion.
This review is to indicate that the remastered quality of this CD is impeccable! You can play this CD loud and the bass' response is deep without distortions. Treble sounds are crisp and bright. Add that to the amazing extra songs and we get a treat I never expected would be possible. I cannot praise enough the excellent work that EMI / Chrysalis did. Thank you, justice is finally made!
Free Music Review: 3rd time I've bought this thing!
Hit: 4 Stars
Had it on LP, then a crappy sounding CD and now they finally did it right. Pick up all the expanded UFO records that are out now (Phenomenon, Force It and No Heavy Pettin). Obsession and Lights Out are coming soon! Not sure what they're doing about Strangers in the Night. If you don't own Strangers, stop reading this and get it now. You'll kick yourself for not having it sooner.
Check out Mighty High...In Drug City.
Free Music Review: Best Buy
Hit: 5 Stars
The earliest and probably the best buy of the three albums re-issued this year in my humble opinion. This is due to the package of bonus material which you may not have in your collection and which is stronger than the extra bits on "Force It" and "No Heavy Pettin". Again the music has not suffered and benefits from a more powerful upto date mix. One of the six must have 70's albums from the classic UFO line up. You won't regret owning another copy! Free Music Review: Maybe 'IRO' instead of 'UFO.'
Hit: 4 Stars
That would stand for 'Identified Rockin' Object.' From the first time I heard 'Lights Out,' I was a UFO fan. I wouldn't say exactly a diehard fan, but they were right up there. After hearing Lights Out, I did a little retro-scouting for the other UFO recordings and Phenomenon was probably the second UFO LP I owned.
They had been a very good band - in my estimation - all along. Since my familiarity started with 'Lights out,' there were two components that WERE UFO. Without one or the other, they were good, but only waving at the greatness they could achieve.
Original vocalist Phil Mogg is one of those components. His voice and just the way he phrases lyrics very quickly become an inextricable and extremely identifiable feature of UFO without which... Well, I can't imagine that part.
The other component wasn't an original member, but I think it was this release where Michael Schenker joined the band and quickly became an immediately recognizable and quite important part of UFO.
(That being said, Vinnie Moore ain't no slouch, either, and the new UFO stuff is picking up where the old UFO stuff left off.)
Anyway, this is all a roundabout way to get to the main point, which is that Phenomenon is a great recording. All songs are solid, and ANY release featuring the two songs 'Doctor Doctor' and 'Rock Bottom' is destined for greatness!
These reissues are a fantastic way for folks who may not have been around during the time of any particular artists' heyday to become quickly innoculated. The 'bonus tracks' generally included are just that - a true bonus. The CD release of Phenomenon is no different in that respect.
The only part that surprised me was that there are two bonus tracks here ('Sixteen' and 'Oh My') that were produced by Dave Edmunds. There's another artist who's been around for a while. And for an idea of whether or not he knows what he's doing, just take a listen to 'I Hear You Knockin' from the mid-sixties (I believe) all the way up to "I Knew The Bride" and a few subsequent quality releases that just don't seem to attract any critical attention despite how deserving they are.
Maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise though. The same 'malady' seems to afflict UFO. This release (Phenomenon) will show you exactly why they deserve an expanded spot in your music library, but they've slipped back into semi-obscurity as far as much of the press is concerned.
Getting this CD reminded me of how much I like the band, so I checked into them a bit further. I had no idea that not only did they release another CD in September of 2007 (Monkey Puzzle), but they're expected to start touring again in April of 2008.
Grab Phenomenon and you'll be checking to see when UFO is coming near enough to you to catch them live. Either of these (buying 'Phenomenon' or catching a live UFO show) will be acts I promise you won't regret.
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