The Rock Blog
My Years With UFO – Michael Schenker
For some reason, I didn’t really follow this guy, before, or once he left UFO in 1979. You can be a sensational musician, but that doesn’t mean everything you do meets the same standard. To me, the 70’s UFO band produced some high quality albums, that MSG for example, just didn’t. However, reading that Michael Schenker was to release an album of UFO classics, immediately grabbed my interest, and the limited edition ‘Transparent Green Vinyl’ was ordered without delay.
The inner sleeves give a Michael Schenker brief autobiography. Perhaps it’s just me, but it’s a little ‘arrogant’ in style. “I recorded ‘Force It’, released in 1975, for which I wrote most of the songs” – along with Phil Mogg, actually Michael. And so it continues in that vein.
Under the section ‘Other Memories And Facts’ – he states “1972-1979 was UFO’s only successful period”. May well have been their most successful time, but I’m not sure it was purely down to you, Michael? Anyway, on with the music:
Track Listing:
1. Natural Thing (No Heavy Petting) – feat. Dee Snider/Joel Hoekstra
2. Only You Can Rock Me (Obsession) – feat. Joey Tempest/Roger Glover
3. Doctor Doctor (Phenomenon) – feat. Joe Lynn Turner/Carmine Appice
4. Mother Mary (Force It) – feat. Slash/Erik Gronwall
5. This Kids (Force It) – feat. Biff Byford
6. Love To Love (Lights Out) – feat. Axl Rose
7. Lights Out (Lights Out) – feat. Jeff Scott Soto/John Norum
8. Rock Bottom (Phenomenon) – feat. Kai Hansen
9. Too Hot To Handle (Lights Out) – feat. Joe Lynn Turner/Adrian Vandenberg/Carmine Appice
10. Let It Roll (Force It) – feat. Michael Voss
11. Shoot Shoot (Force It) – feat. Stephen Pearcy
Let’s be clear, these are eleven great UFO tracks, and you could probably pick another eleven from the same era, to make volume 2. Whilst structurally, they remain true to their 70’s roots, they of course sound updated, and therefore have more of a ‘grunge’ sound. The guitars are bigger, bass and drums more defined, and even the keyboards play a bigger part – but don’t be put off by that, if you tremble at the thought of UFO having keyboards infiltrating their sound. They remain the minority party, but fit as they do in the original versions.
Michael Schenker is a guitar whiz, and the chunky riffs remind us he did write some pretty cool ones. But it’s his lead breaks that really bring out the air guitars in us, Flying V obviously, as they have lost none of their stunning quality. In fact, in the case of ‘Natural Thing’ he extends the original by some distance, presumably to showcase the interaction between himself and Joel Hoekstra – of more recent Whitesnake fame. It definitely enhances the track. ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Doctor Doctor’ remain fairly true to the originals, but here's my problem - the vocals just don't make the grade, for me. However, ‘Mother Mary’, always one of my favourite UFO songs, does stand out, because it is one of the few, where the vocals actually hold up. Erik Gronwall has a vocal style not a million miles from Mogg of old, so the fit works. The fact that Slash also adds some genius, is another major plus.
‘This Kids’ and ‘Love To Love’ are true to their originals, musically. Biff Byford and Axl Rose vocalise respectively, and are of course, hugely respected in the rock world, but again, they don't fit these songs. Will they get close to Mogg’s original with more listens?...not in a million years.
‘Lights Out’, a UFO classic, suffers again from a vocal point of view. Soto’s voice doesn’t match up to it….I wonder if Erik Gronwall demo’d any of these other tracks?
‘Rock Bottom’, forever a classic. On this album, over eleven minutes of musical genius. Once again, however, the vocals don’t quite match that genius. Kai Hansen, of Gamma Ray fame, provides them, but no mention of him adding his guitar work, so presumably Schenker didn’t want to share the magic….and why should he, this is brilliant!
The remaining three tracks, follow a similar vein. Musically, hard to fault but the vocals do not match Mogg’s original, more melodic style.
So, I think Schenker has a right to be proud, maybe even slightly arrogant, regarding his cont ribution to UFO during the 70’s (he did return for a spell, later, but no tracks selected from that period), but this album proves one other fact.…Phil Mogg made an equally important contribution, with the vocals, so to the point at the beginning of the review, Schenker was not the only reason for UFO's greatest period of success….let's also not forget, most of these songs have a writing credit of Schenker/Mogg.
Album Rating: 7/10. Musically, top marks. Vocally, disappointing.
= 1 - Deep Purple
The first thing to say about this album, is that it's really cool, it plays at 45rpm! So what's all this 33rpm rubbish for long players?? It's also available in many formats, the box set being by far the best, because you get many extras, and for collectors like me, it goes well with the other many coloured vinyl editions.
Deep Purple are one of my favourite bands, and have been for 50 years. Many ups and downs in that time, in my opinion, in terms of musical output. Band changes are well documented, and stories of who said what to whom also. My opinions on 'best' line up, and/or output, are maybe for another time, for now, I care about the present.
Almost unbelievably, this is their fifth album produced by Bob Ezrin, and musically it's arguably their best. It's also their first studio output with Simon McBride - something I've been looking forward to. I have one tiny, tiny complaint however....I think he could give Deep Purple more umph in their studio sound. Glover and Paice, probably the best bass and drum combo in rock music...so give them a bit more of a say. That's all...on with the review:
Track Listing:
Show Me
A Bit On The Side
Sharp Shooter
Portable Door
Old Fangled Thing
If I Where You
Pictures Of You
I'm Saying Nothin'
Lazy Sod
Now You're Talkin'
No Money To Burn
I'll Catch You
Bleeding Obvious
'Show Me' is a great start. It has a catchy riff, and there is some great interaction between Don Airey, and Simon McBride. It's our first taste of his lead work, and it sets a perfect tone. We then really get going with, what has turned out to be my favourite track - 'A Bit On The Side'. It's a great riff, ups the pace, has interesting lyrics, and each member plays a part. It's exactly what I want from a Purple song....including a frantic lead break. 'Sharp Shooter' must be having a dig at someone, and continues the upbeat feeling of the album. 'Portable Door' and 'Old Fangled Thing' are good Purple songs, and give Airey and McBride more license to demonstrate their skills.
'If I were You' is where we slow down, with a 'broken love', song. It works, and has a a tasty Orchestral arrangement, which adds quality to a decent song. We pick up again, with 'Pictures Of You', which I can't make my mind up about. It was a 'single', so has that catchy element, but I'm not sure it works for me. 'I'm Saying Nothin' is back to some interaction between Airey and McBride, and the lyrics suggest Gillan has been misquoted before, and now plays his cards close to his chest.
Another 'single', 'Lazy Sod' is next up. Is this a stab at those who think we don't do enough to save the planet? 'Now You're Talkin' is back to a more lively beat, and with Gillan's humorous lyrics, it's a second favourite for me.
The last three songs - 'No Money To Burn' is up tempo, but perhaps suffers from no outstanding moments. 'I'll Catch You' is where we slow down again, and it has deep feeling lyrics, with a very rousing lead guitar break - nice song.
The album closer, is probably the most diverse, and at almost 6 minutes, also the longest, track. Changes in tempo, and displays from all group members, of their superb qualities, both individually, and as a band, make this the most interesting track. I reckon in the olden days, they could have made this a 20 minute 'live' classic, on stage....remember those days anyone??
Deep Purple still write good songs, and you get a great vibe from their recent albums. =1 is Deep Purple today, and I like it a lot. Safe, yes, and they are obviously enjoying the Bob Ezrin years, so long may this era last....
Album Rating: 9/10. I'd just like the sound to hit me a bit harder.
Into The Light - The Solo Albums - Whitesnake
Let's get my little niggle out the way first. There's a certain confusion for me, in the fact that in the title it states "The Solo Albums", yet David Coverdale reprints all the art work with "Whitesnake" as the artist, insisting in the notes, that as far as he is concerned, they are Whitesnake albums? No they are not! They were solo albums when they came out, and they are still solo albums now. Bizarre.
Next, I am reviewing the 6CD Deluxe Set, because it contains so much more than the separate vinyl editions. The vinyls contain just the remixes, whereas the Deluxe Set also includes remasters, plus unreleased demos and "alternates", together with a 60 page hardback book, and a poster.
Before reviewing the albums individually, I will state at this juncture, that these three albums are probably amongst the best solo albums I've ever heard. They were great when they were originally released, in my view haven't aged, and still sound great today. The 2024 remixes almost sound like new versions (actually, a couple are), and in most cases do improve on the original mixes. So, with these points in mind, I'll take each album in turn, dealing with the remixes, as the remasters do improve the original mixes, but it's the remixes where the differences are quite major:
Whitesnake
Released after his stint with Purple, Coverdale was still displaying that 'Purple vocal'. A little harsher in many songs, but the songs themselves, on this album, gave some greater scope to his talents, such as 'Blindman', and 'Peace Lovin' Man' for example:
Track Listing:
Lady
Blindman
Goldies Place
Time On My Side
Peace Lovin' Man
Sunny Days
Hole In The Sky
Whitesnake
Celebration
Sunny Days (Original)
Love Me In The Morning
I Will Love You
Moment In Time
It Would Be Nice
There Was A Time
Why?
I Still Love You
The remix stays fairly true to the original vocal, but is much clearer in the mix. Musically, is where the differences are most noticeable. There is a much more punchy feel right from the opening track 'Lady', and into the stunning 'Blindman', which also became a Whitesnake (the band) classic, on 'Ready an' Willing. It's a great ballad, building to a climatic ending, truly demonstrating Coverdale's 'blues to rock' vocal talents in one five and a half minute burst. 'Goldies Place' has a 'funky' feel, with a classy bass line, and soulful backing vocals. 'Time On My Side' rocks it back up a little, and wouldn't have been out of place on a later Whitesnake album. 'Peace Lovin' Man' is back to Coverdale at his soulful best. Stunning vocals, with backing vocals that really should be mentioned as a major contributor to these solo albums, because they add so much soul and depth. The saxophone break, is equally soulful, and this remains one of my favourite songs on this album. 'Sunny Days' is a chirpy rock and roll number. There is actually an acoustic demo version on this CD, with differing vocal arrangement, which is fab! The second best love song Coverdale has ever written 'Hole In The Sky', is next and does differ noticeably, from the original, towards the end, and it doesn't do the song any harm. Again, a very bluesy song, sung with passion. Love it. The track 'Whitesnake', is clearly Deep Purple influenced, and the vocal reflects that. The album tracks conclude with 'Celebration'. This is funky Coverdale meets Rose Royce! Definitely got that party feel, and is again displaying diversity that was perhaps bursting to get out. The additional demo's (8 of them), are Coverdale and an acoustic guitar, labelled 'Young Lad's Blues - DC's 1968 Home Demos'. Coverdale found these, and decided it was good to add them....good decision. Apparently he sounded like this when he was only 16 or 17!
NorthWinds
In 1978, Coverdale produced this beauty! It is a great album, and this 2024 remix musically enhances it in a positive way. If I'm being massively picky, the vocals are slightly less 'warm'. They seem 'distant', whereas the original and the remaster, keep the vocal to the front, which gives them that warmth. However, everything else about this album is brilliant!
Track Listing:
Keep On Giving Me Love
Sweet Mistreater
NorthWinds
Give Me Kindness
Queen Of Hearts
Only My Soul
Time & Again (Strings Version)
Say You Love Me
Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth
Breakdown
Time & Again (Piano Version)
Time & Again (Strings Only)
'Keep On Giving Me Love' is a powerful opener. (To those of us old enough to have bought the original first issue of this album, it wasn't the opener, the title track was). That raw edge has gone from Coverdale's voice. It's still powerful, and bluesy, but it has matured, and that gives this album the edge over 'Whitesnake'. 'Sweet Mistreater' is next up. Not on the original album, and it's inclusion here is strange, because it doesn't enhance the album, so it could have been added on the end perhaps? I find myself wanting the next track, 'Northwinds'. Now this remains one of my favourite songs Coverdale has ever written. A ballad filled with soul and bluesy feel, my slight gripe about the vocal mix, is evident here. Vocally, it's lost a little warmth, and the synth has been pushed back, so the remaster version is the one I prefer here. Shame, but still a great song. 'Give Me Kindness' is R n B with a chant like feel, a Coverdale and backing singers almost 'praising the Lord' kind of vibe.
'Queen Of Hearts' is back to the rockier feel, and with the lead break, could have been a Whitesnake (the band) number. It's perhaps surprising that only 'Blindman' ever made it to group status. 'Only My Soul' is back to Coverdale at his soulful best, and then we have the greatest love song ever written (obviously that's only my opinion). 'Time & Again' is a thing of beauty. The original version, with electric piano, probably still just wins out, but here we are presented with the strings version, and acoustic piano version. As well as the song writing skill, this song displays just how brilliant Coverdale's voice was, at its height. No one could have sung this even on a par. (Maybe Paul Rodgers, but even he wouldn't have bettered it.) Where do you go after this? You write another great song 'Say You Love Me'. It's getting very 'lovey', but these songs weren't together on the original album, but great songs fit anywhere. As the title suggests Coverdale is pleading for the woman of his desire to commit her undying love for him. The theme might not be original, but listen to the vocals, the saxophone, the lead guitar and the emotion, and there's plenty to enjoy.
'Shame The Devil Tell The Truth', again, not on the original album precedes the 'final' track. Same as Sweet Mistreater, it could have been left to the end, as an optional extra.
'Breakdown' is a well documented song, Coverdale wrote to explain how he felt during the Deep Purple days, and why he opted out. I think there's the acknowledgment in more recent times, however, what a huge break DP gave him, so this closing 'complaint' was probably only true of its time. Its an 'angry' rocker though, and is a suitable closer.
However, on the remix, it isn't the closer, because we have 'Time & Again' (piano) and (strings only) versions to finish off.
Into The Light
The most recent solo album, from 2000, this is Coverdale sounding the fully matured vocalist, having been through the bluesy version of Whitesnake, and emerging from the '1987', made for MTV version. In the early 90's, he'd worked with Jimmy Page, not entirely successfully, and then reinvented Whitesnake for a short time, he was probably taking 'stock' of where he was. He then produced this masterpiece, which may not have had me right at the start, but grew on me over a number of plays, until it reached a height, close to the two previous releases:
Track Listing:
She Give Me
River Song
Don't You Cry
Love Is Blind
Slave
Cry For Love
Living On Love
Midnight Blue
Too Many Tears
Don't Lie To Me
All The Time In The World
Wherever You May Go
Yours For The Asking
Let's Talk It Over
Because it's release was that much later, the remix is not as dramatically different from the original, except for the three additional tracks. Having said that, again musically there is a punchier sound, which enhances the original.
The general theme is rockier, and it is more Whitesnake, than solo, but as previously detailed, he'd just come through the most 'successful' period of the band, and that formula was probably difficult to give up. So from the opener 'She Give Me', the pace is much faster, and heavier than the first two albums. 'River Song' is more of a ballad, but the influence of lead guitar, and Coverdale vocal mannerisms, reminiscent of those Whitesnake MTV days, are there. 'Don't You Cry' in fact, could have been on 'Slip Of The Tongue'. It has that catchy 'power rock' hook, similar to 'The Deeper The Love'. 'Love Is Blind' is back to the more soulful side, and the string arrangement is beautiful. It's only a short relapse though, because 'Slave', 'Cry For Love', and 'Living On Love' are back to pure rock and roll. Coverdale showing he still had one of the best blues/rock voices in the business. 'Living On Love', 'Midnight Blue', and 'Too Many Tears', are three class rock ballads, and continue to showcase the huge vocal range he possessed. We return to raunchy rock, with 'Don't Lie to Me', which is taken from a Whitesnake session, surely? The first of the additional tracks is 'All The Time In The World'. A slower rocker, with a catchy hook line, don't know why it didn't make it originally. What was the final track on the original, 'Wherever You May Go' is up next. Another love ballad, with stunning vocal arrangement, and the track benefits from the remix, bringing the musical arrangement forward - nice. The final two additional tracks vary in quality. The first, 'Yours For The Asking' is decent enough, but unspectacular. However, 'Let's Talk It Over' is an 8 minute gem. It left me wondering why it wasn't included on the original. Some people fear any song over 4 minutes, and perhaps this is why it didn't make the cut. But it may not go off into many different directions, but vocally it's as good as most, with it's range, and when all said and done, it's a David Coverdale solo album, it's the voice that's the main draw? Anyway, we have it now, on this excellent Deluxe Box Set.
The CD containing additional remixes/Demos, and stuff isn't something to get carried away with. It starts with a couple of interesting versions, but most tracks are just instrumental. So I say again, it's Coverdale 'The Solo Albums', and these mostly have no vocals.
Total Deluxe Box Set Rating: 10/10 - Despite that final CD of additional stuff, which you can just leave in the box, this is one great box set, containing 3 fabulous albums, and an informative book. You need this, if you dig David Coverdale.
Luck And Strange - David Gilmour
According to a short documentary on YouTube, this is his best work "since Dark Side Of The Moon", so says the man himself. It is certainly a David Gilmour album, and as with much of his solo material, these songs wouldn't be out of place on a Pink Floyd album. That isn't a criticism, it perhaps proves what an influence he had on the groups' material. He may not have been the 'main' songwriter, in Floyd, but he sure must have had huge input to those songs he is not credited on. So, on to this new offering:
Track Listing:
Black Cat
Luck And Strange
The Piper's Call
A Single Spark
Vita Brevis
Between Two Points
Dark And Velvet Nights
Sings
Scattered
We start with a very laid back one and a half minute guitar intro, entitled 'Black Cat'. I never quite get these short intro tracks, but its very Gilmour laid back style, before getting into the title track, which seems to reminisce about the 'old days' of growing up (sadly I remember some of it too). Again, it's laid back (a common theme), and the guitar work is exemplary, with haunting vocals. 'The Piper's Call' is a little more up tempo, and has a catchy hook. We also get a more 'aggressive' lead break...well, as 'aggressive' as David Gilmour gets, but still high in quality. Uncertain times ahead, seems to be the theme of 'A Single Spark', with chorus backing vocals (including daughter Romany Gilmour - who plays a large part on the entire album). The lead, with orchestral backing, is sublime. 'Vita Brevis' is a 46 second interlude...again, not sure why, but it is Latin for 'Life Is Short', so I understand why the track wouldn't be any longer at least! Romany Gilmour takes lead vocal on 'Between Two Points', and whilst the song isn't the most challenging on vocals, she does have a sweet, clean voice, which suits her Father's musical style with ease. Not unreasonable to think she may appear on future albums. The lead, to end the song, is again definitely David Gilmour, and just wonderful. Lovely song. 'Dark Velvet Nights' seems to talk about marriage "Engraved on gold rings or some other love token", and if I had to pick my least favourite song, this would be it. Doesn't seem to go anywhere. Just the words, and then ends. But I'm sure there's sentiment in there, for the artist. 'Sings' is going back to a nostalgic look. Wanting to go back to when life seemed untroubled, "Those rosy days of black and white". Even though it does also mention the power cuts...yes, I remember those too! 'Scattered', concludes the album, and points out that time is endless, but we aren't. A sobering thought to finish on. Both Acoustic, and electric lead on this one, with orchestral backing, building to a crescendo, then leaves us with the haunting lyric "Time is a tide that disobeys, and it disobeys me. It never ends." It is again, a beautiful song, and ends the (vinyl) album with a certain poignancy.
On the CD you get two additional songs - 'Yes, I have Ghosts', and interestingly a thirteen minute version of 'Luck And Strange', which is the original 'Barn Jam' version, including Richard Wright, which is where this song came from, a Jam some years ago. Vinyl may be the best format, but sometimes we lose out.
Album Rating: 9/10 - Point deducted because I wanted the two additional tracks on vinyl too! It's a classy album, and I love it. If you are a Floyd fan, there isn't a reason in the world why you wouldn't love this.