![]() ![]() ![]() It’s a live album that can’t match the heights of their seminal 1978 double live album “Strangers in the Night”, but then very few live albums can. Extended versions of ‘Love to Love,’ the classic guitar work outs on ‘Doctor Doctor’, and ‘Rock Bottom’, are played with gusto and class, whilst the newer material sits comfortably alongside. ![]() “Lights Out in Tokyo” was recorded on 20th June 1992 at Topkyo’s Club Citta, and captures UFO on fine form, mixing several tracks from “High Stakes & Dangerous Men” with a decent selection of their older, classic songs. It would only be right that the UFO headed to Tokyo, where the band pre-Michael Schenker were incredibly popular, to record their third live album. Full of melody as well as that hard edged tinge, “High Stakes & Dangerous Men” is a fantastic album which sits hidden in their catalogue, but which is now receiving a welcome revival. Songs such as ‘She’s the One’ and ‘One of Those Nights’, both melodic singalong rockers, the thumping opener ‘Borderline’, which works as the ideal first track, and the bluesy swagger of ‘Ain’t Life Sweet’, with Archer adding some delicious slide work all stand alongside their other works.Įlsewhere, the typical UFO class shines through on the likes of ‘Running Up That Highway’ and ‘Backdoor Man’, both highlighting that, in his day, no-one could touch Phil Mogg in the vocal stakes. Archer plays some stunning guitarwork from start to finish, on an album that mixes Hard Rock in the UFO style with the more commercial Rock songs that the band have always been able to deliver with a flourish. For the latter pair, this was their only recording with UFO, but it’s a fine release and both should be rightly proud of their involvement. One such album is 1992’s “High Stages & Dangerous Men.” The first album in a decade to feature original bassist Pete Way, the line-up for this surprisingly good release was completed by ever present vocalist Phil Mogg, drummer Clive Edwards and guitarist Laurence Archer. But due to family commitments, there is a chunk of music that the band released that I’m not hugely familiar with. I’ve seen them many times over the years and have booked tickets to see them in Athens on their final ever show. I first saw them on April 6 th, 1983, in St David’s Hall, Cardiff. Love To Love-live 12.UFO – High Stakes & Dangerous Men / Lights Out in Tokyoįew UK Hard Rock bands hold such a place in my heart as UFO. ![]() Almost completely overlooked stateside, Lights Out is a lost gem. Lights Out holds up well its subtleties are worth mentioning because the band always make it a point to rock hard and the playing is always on. Expressive and bluesy with a tone nearing perfection, even the more pedestrian tunes are made worthwhile due to a Schenker solo. Then, of course, there's the matter of Michael Schenker's deservedly lauded lead guitar. Not enough can be said either about UFO's standout individual performances, particularly Phil Mogg's street level vocals, which no doubt greatly influenced Joe Elliot and Paul Dianno. "Gettin' Ready" and an oddball Love cover, "Alone Again Or," also showcase the band's sensitive ambiguities, never compromising the group's overarching hard edge. On Lights Out, all three of these traits come together in powerful fashion, most notably on the space rocker-cum-ballad "Love to Love," where a ridiculously heavy intro gives way to flourishing poetics. Within a Euro-blues framework, the classic lineup that lasted from Phenomenon through Strangers in the Night incorporated challenging dynamics, epic balladry, and a more than occasional sensitivity. Limited double album on green vinyl with gatefold cover and 4 bonus tracks Despite a few generic moments, Lights Out is probably the best studio document of what elevated UFO above the '70s hard rock fray. ![]()
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