1070. Motörhead / Sacrifice. 1995. 3/5

Being an old school hard rock or metal band in the 1990’s became a hard and tough slog, what with the onset of grunge and by extension groove metal and nu-metal. Few of the well-established bands of this genre went through this decade without some sort of change to their own musical direction as a result of what was happening in this regard. Some succeeded despite it, others found it was probably a mistake to follow it. Sacrifice always felt like an attempt to experiment in this fashion, and is either a success or not depending on your own tastes to the revolution.

There seems to be a genuine attempt to move ahead with a ‘modern’ sound on this album, which I guess I can appreciate the reasoning of. The problem I have is that on Bastards they were fighting the grunge movement, and did so by moving back towards the sound that made them the band they are. It didn't sell overly well when it was released, and perhaps this also contributed to deciding to go with an updated sound. For me though a lot of it falls flat here because of that. I didn't - and don't - want to hear Motörhead doing groove metal. I want to hear Motörhead doing Motörhead, which for the most part this album isn't.
The opening salvo of “Sacrifice” and “Sex & Death” starts the album off on a reasonable setting, though even from this early stage you are aware of the changes that have crept it. It is the next three songs where big changes are afoot. “Over Your Shoulder” and “War for War” both share the same guitar distortion sound, but more than that it doesn’t change throughout the song. The grunge feel on “Over Your Shoulder” is incorporated into “War for War” which then brings a groove metal feel with it. Such then is the plight of “Order / Fade to Black” where apart from taking on the 1990’s fascination of slow and grunge-ridden guitar riffs also mixes in pieces of the song where they speed it up to a more likely Motörhead speed, but such is the constant change through the song that it is hard to like.
“Dog Faced Boy” is a better song on the album at a good speed and utilising a better effect on the guitars and song. “All Gone to Hell” also makes me feel better about what is coming out of the speakers. “Make ‘Em Blind” and “Don’t Waste Your Time” try to be more like the late 80’s band we know, especially the latter song that utilises rockabilly guitar and piano all thrown into the mix to bring the rock sound back to what Lemmy enjoys best.
“In Another Time” returns to the guitar sound of the earlier tracks, while “Out of the Sun” finishes the album in style with the Phil Campbell solos on this song the most Motörhead solos on the whole album. It actually reminds you that this IS a Motörhead album and not a 90’s knockoff. All of the tracks are short, sharp, belligerent songs, which means that you don’t dwell too much on the fallibility of much of the album which perhaps is for the best.

Apart from the noted trouble the band had with guitarist Wurzel on this album, such that this ended up being the last album he was a part of, this was a comedown for me after the repaired excellence of Bastards. Comparing that to this for me is a chalk and cheese moment. There are moment here that feel worthy of being a part of the extended legacy that the band has made for itself, but there are too many moments where I am left wondering where they saw themselves going at this part of their career. Better was to come once they had rediscovered their roots.

Rating: “And all our yesterdays are now undone, out of the sun”  3/5

1069. Motörhead / Nö Sleep at All. 1988. 4.5/5

The mid-to-late period of the 1980’s decade was a time of rebuilding for Motorhead. Problems with record companies during the time meant that the distribution of the albums they recorded was always hampered, and with the ever-evolving style of music also becoming a factor, the relevance of the band to the next generation was also proving to be a tough call for the band. The band continued to record and tour, and it became the band’s live shows that were their saving grace at this time, as crowds continued to turn up to watch and sing along to the classic songs the band had produced during the late 1970’s and into the early years of the 1980’s.
No matter what fans of the band thought about the material that was being released on the studio albums throughout the majority of the decade of the 1980’s, there was still little doubt that as a live band Motörhead was still the ace in the pack (slightly pun intended). The band’s groundbreaking live album “No Sleep Til Hammersmith” is still regarded as one of the best live albums ever in the heavy metal genre, and it had covered the best of the band’s material up to its release. By the time we had reached 1988 however, there were new albums and newer material that had not received this treatment, and with the band at a crossroads in regards to album sales, there is little doubt that a new live album would have had the accountants eyes spinning. The disagreements between the band and its label continued as a result of this however. The band had wanted to release the song “Traitor” as the live single from the album, whereas their label overruled them and decided to release the money hoarding favourite “Ace of Spades”. The band refused, and thus those singles printed were unable to be released. This, along with several other matters, had the band fighting to get out of its contract for the next three years, something that stalled any further releases from the band in that period. It was not he first nor last time Motorhead had these kinds of problems, and it made for a stressful time for all involved.

Given this version of the band had been mostly responsible for the newer material that the band had recorded, it was only logical that they like to be recorded in the live environment. Motorhead had already done Hammersmith, and most live albums at that time had similar recording locations. Motorhead decided against that, and this album was recorded at the Giants of Rock Festival in Finland in 1988, something that the Finns lapped up by buying the record in large quantities when it was released. The band also made the decision that this album would be 90% new material, songs that had been written and recorded since that first epic live album was released. And for that makes this a much better album than it would have been with a 50/50 mix. Obviously, they had to include a couple of the great songs in their setlist for the concert, and what better ones to include than “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill”, both of which are killer versions here. The remainder of the setlist and therefore the album tracks are songs taken from the recent albums of release at the time.
What is immediately noticeable is that the newer songs all sound immensely better live than on their studio versions, and it made me wonder that perhaps with a little less rush and a bit more time to get the songs in the right framework that perhaps those couple of albums would have been better. Both of those albums where the majority of these songs come from, “Orgasmatron” and “Rock n Roll”, suffered from the short time span allotted to them being written and recorded, and listening to those songs here you get a much better picture of how they SHOULD sound. Still, beggars can’t be choosers, and there is no doubt that for me songs such as “Doctor Rock”, “Traitor” and “Dogs” are infinitely better on this release than their original studio release. I really enjoy them here, and the band does a great job in bringing the live interpretation to the stage. I am less impressed with “Just Cos You Got the Power”, song that turned up on the B side to the single release of “Eat the Rich”. It drags on far too long for a Motorhead track and doesn’t have the same energy that the other songs do here. It was misplaced. For me it is on a similar level to “Metropolis” which appears as a bonus track on some editions of the album. It has never been a favourite of mine.
The second half of the album is just as good as the first half, with terrific versions of “Eat the Rich” and the powerful “Built for Speed” leading into a cracking version of “Deaf Forever”. This is the best part of a live album, showcasing not only the older well-known songs but showing that the newer material still stands up great on stage. I feel fortunate that I discovered these songs before hearing them on this live album, as they possibly would have been destroyed for me if I had been used to their live versions before hearing the studio versions. Speaking of older material, the album concludes with brilliant versions of “Killed by Death” and “Overkill”, making for a terrific live album in the process.

We’ve been over this ground before but let's do it again. When you get a live album, it should almost always be a 5/5 experience, because you should have the band’s best songs in their perfect environment. “No Sleep at All” is no different from that template. The fact that almost every song here has not been released on a live album before makes it a perfect companion piece to the brilliant “No Sleep til Hammersmith” because there are only two repeat tracks, and they are both brilliant anyway. And as I’ve mentioned before, it showcases just how good the material is from those much maligned Motorhead albums “Orgasmatron” and “Rock n Rock”, because all of the versions here (apart from that B side) are sensational. The album showcases this terrific foursome, the version of Motorhead when they had two guitarists, in their best light. Both Wurzel and Phil Campbell play off each other nicely hear and are great to listen to. Phil Taylor still has his best foot forward on drums, and Lemmy is in top form throughout.
I, for some reason or another that I can’t recall now, didn’t listen much to Motorhead live albums, I tended to stick with the studio material that I knew so well, so it wasn’t until later on that I listened to the (now many) live album catalogue. And while everyone agrees “No Sleep til Hammersmith” is their pinnacle, this album really isn’t that far behind. When I first got it, I played it a lot, firstly because the versions of the songs here are awesome, but also because it IS an era that gets passed over, and this album proves that it isn’t anywhere near as ordinary as is sometimes spoken of.
There had been a varying reception for the previous four Motörhead albums prior to this, and given that most of the material on this live album is from those albums, you can expect that its reception would also be varied. I think it is the perfect example where a live album can introduce people who may have only gotten this album for “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill” to newer songs that they mightn’t know, and allow them to discover just how good the new material (some of it at least) is, and perhaps go back and have another listen to it. Apart from my stated hesitation for a couple of tracks I think this is a belting album and is the perfect addition to Motörhead’s discography, given it doesn’t just repeat what had come before on “No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith”, it complements it perfectly.

1068. Motörhead / Rock 'n' Roll. 1987. 2.5/5

Ten years on form their eponymous debut album and Motörhead had seen the highs and they had seen the lows. Whereas the first five years after that debut release had been filled with big crowds and high adrenaline songs that forced their way into the public perception, the following five years had been dominated by band changes, genre changes and perhaps the feeling that the younger bands in the market were starting to go past them both musically and in popularity. Whether or not they needed to stay relevant was perhaps only a part of the question. Certainly the best way to regain any lost ground was to put out an album that recaptured the imagination of their fans and kept their music out there in amongst the growing torrents that included thrash metal and hair metal. To be honest, Rock 'n' Roll got swallowed in the stampede.

At a time when bands with as varied music selection such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi were storming the charts and airwaves, Motörhead’s new album was lost in the tidal wave. In fact, the only way I had any idea that it was out in the market was from the single “Eat the Rich”, which had its video playing on the music video shows at the time of these other band’s videos. It actually became something of amusement for myself and my mates through the lyric:

“Come on baby, eat the rich,
Put the bite on the son of a bitch
Don't mess around, don't give me no switch,
C'mon baby eat the rich
C'mon baby eat the rich”

The problem being was that this created mirth and laughter rather than fist pumping and head banging. And once I heard the album, this is what it lacked all the way through. The album is titled Rock 'n' Roll but did it contain anything that was really exciting for the punters out there wanting to listen? When I first got it, I was comparing it to Master of Puppets, Somewhere in Time, Hysteria, Slippery When Wet, Girls, Girls, Girls and Dream Evil. All very different albums of different genres of metal and hard rock, but each of them lapped this album, and left it fumbling in their wake.

30 years later, and though I can now listen to it without having to compare it to the other albums I was listening to at the same time, it still hasn’t grown on me any more since. The up-tempo vibe is a positive, but there is very little in the way of a hook or a grab to drag you into the album and give you a counterpoint to use to find real enjoyment. “Eat the Rich” is the only song I can really say stands out for me on the album, and that is only because of that video and that lyric from all those years ago. Thankfully it wasn’t the end for the band, because there are still very worthwhile albums that followed this down the track, but this one has never been one of them for me.

Rating: “Crossed the ocean in a silver bird, flying into another world”. 2.5/5

1067. Motörhead / Orgasmatron. 1986. 3/5

It was a turbulent time for Motörhead through the middle part of the 1980’s. The band had lost guitarist Eddie Clarke, who had been replaced by Brian Robertson and who had then been dismissed himself after the tour following the previous album. This led to long term drummer Phil Taylor also handing in his resignation, and along with now no longer having a record contract they were tough times for a band that was being nominated as a major influence on every new heavy band coming into the market. By the time the smoke had cleared Motörhead had not one but two new guitarists along with a new drummer, and the album that came to fruition from all of this was Orgasmatron.

Given the differences in style that seemed to cruel the last album to the ears of fans and critics, you can probably understand the direction that this album went in. The addition of two guitarists increased the wall of noise coming out of the stereo speakers, and while it isn’t necessarily a fuller sound it most certainly is a different guitar sound again. In some songs it comes across as similar to many Motörhead classics, but in other places the phasing and distortion and pedal effects make themselves present right in the front of the mix. The title track and closing song “Orgasmatron” is one of the best examples of this. Not only is the tempo dropped to a slow crawl, the guitars are distorted and twisted and creating what is a unique sound for a Motörhead song, while Lemmy intones about his thoughts on the hypocrisy of religion, politics and war. It is unusual when you first hear it, and it does take some time to get used to it, but once you do it is enjoyable. “Doctor Rock” is a more straight forward rock song that the band likes to play, though is another where I find the unusual format hinders my liking of the song. Add to this “Claw”, which not only integrates the same sort of song arrangement but then has Lemmy screaming the title throughout the final third of the song. I still feel that on Another Perfect Day Lemmy’s vocals never sounded better. Here though, and especially on these two songs, it feels that he’s deliberately trying to steer clear of that, and to me it is an overreach.
There are some great classic tracks here though, even if most of them have been forgotten over the years by some fans. The opening track “Deaf Forever” is a beauty, cranking along in old school Motörhead style that is a pleasure to listen to. “Nothing Up My Sleeve” and “Ain’t My Crime” also get the album off to a great start. “Mean Machine” is one of the better songs and yet I have always felt that it could have been better, that it just lack a spark that could have lifted it even more. The opening to side two of the album is excellent, with the opening riff of “Built For Speed” reeling back in the doubters and producing a headbanging action with immediate effect. This is followed by “Ridin’ With the Driver” which is also at the right tempo and energy to keep the album moving, and then finished off with the aforementioned “Doctor Rock” and “Orgasmatron”.

This album is a grower, and like most of the albums Motörhead released in the 80’s and 90’s sometimes you have to be in the right mood to appreciate them. Another Perfect Day sounded great from all aspects but the songs didn’t quite resonate. On Orgasmatron the sound is perhaps closer to the base Motörhead sound but is still different enough to stand apart. I am still about 50/50 as to where this stands with me overall. As a first outing for the second coming of Motörhead the band it does promise more than it probably delivers in the end.

Rating: “March or croak, flame and smoke, burn forever in eternal pain”. 3/5

1066. Motörhead / On Parole. 1979. 2.5/5

As all fans will know, this album was the originally recorded, going-to-be-debut-album from Motörhead, that was shelved by the record company because they feared it was not going to sell. It was from this that, a year later, most of this material was re-recorded on another label and released as the eponymously titled debut album. Following the success of this and the follow up album, there was an obvious cash-grab available for this and so it was released to the public without the band’s endorsement. I guess that is the music business for you. Still, in a day and age where it is regular business to release demo versions of songs from albums for the public to listen to, this becomes an interesting exercise in comparing two close eras of the band.

These original recordings had Larry Wallis on guitar, and a fairly different recording and mastering from what occurred on the debut album. Whereas the sound on Motörhead utilises a heavier sound and with more influences steeped in the punk evolution, here on On Parole the sound of the songs is actually quite clean, and much more in the style of rock than any harder variations of the genre. The lyrics certainly may not be of a similar softer standard and they probably still keep this apart from the usual rock song anthem quality, but the difference in the music in there for everyone to hear. In the end it doesn’t change things dramatically, as the good songs are still good here, though it does perhaps leave the lesser songs with a higher mountain to climb. The other major factor apart from the cleaner sound is the guitar. While Wallis is serviceable here, he is not in the same class as Eddie Clarke and his ability to own the song. If nothing else, the change of guitarists following the non-release of this album initially improved the band no end.
Five of the songs here made the final cut when the debut was re-recorded, and they are the best songs on show. They were the three songs that Lemmy was involved in writing – the legendary “Motörhead”, as well as “The Watcher” and “Lost Johnny” – the song co-written by drummer Phil Taylor, “Iron Horse/Born to Lose”, and the Wallis penned song “Vibrator”. Some of the others featured on B-sides and other small releases while some would have vanished from the face of the planet if this hadn’t been released in the long run.

Whether or not you believe this should be considered as a part of the full Motörhead discography – personally I don’t include it – it does provide a glimpse of what may have been, and just what a difference a bit of tweaking can do with a band’s sound. As a moment in history it is probably worth more than as an individual release.

Rating: “On iron horse he flies, on iron horse he gladly dies”. 2.5/5

1065. Motörhead / No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith. 1981. 4.5/5

It tends to follow in a band’s career that once you have released three or four studio albums the band is comfortable enough in itself and in its craft that it decides the time has arrived to release a live album. Why? Well a live album shows the real talent of the band, the ability to relate to their audience, and the ability to showcase the songs they have spent time on in a studio and examine just how they sound in the live environment, which is where a band spends most of its life. And so it was with Motörhead when they brought out this album No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith.

No doubt Motörhead was always a live band. I say this not having had the pleasure to see them live, but they built their reputation on loud raucous shows which is what enabled them to get a record deal in the first place. So the usual problems with recording a live show now come to pass. Firstly, to try and transfer the energy and sheer belligerence of a live show onto vinyl and not lose the impact, and to have a great set list that will showcase the very best that the band has to offer.
So how does No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith stack up? On the first point it is difficult for me to judge not having seen them live to compare, but to my ears this sounds great. The band sounds great, the mix is right, and the crowd noise is at the right level, not overbearing the songs not in the background. It is noticeable the lack of banter from the band between songs, but perhaps that just got taken out in the editing process.
In regards to the set list, that’s another matter. The band had the best songs from four albums to choose from, not only for their touring list but for what they wanted to put on this album. And many of them are their very best. The opening blazing of “Ace of Spades” into the rocking “Stay Clean”. The speed of “The Hammer”, the spitting of “No Class” and the excellence of “Overkill”. The tribute of “(We Are) The Road Crew” and the great finish of “Bomber” and “Motörhead”. All of these songs are terrific. But then the middle gets a little dreary with “Iron Horse” and “Capricorn” and “Metropolis”. Surely “Damage Case” had to be in there? Still, those three songs do sound better live than I would say they do on the studio versions, but for me they just pull this back a little from greatness.

As a live moment in time, capturing the band at one of their theoretical peaks, this is a great listen, and it doesn’t muck around either, 40 minutes from start to finish. It perhaps cannot fully reflect the greatness of Motörhead as a live band, but it comes as close as you are going to get.

Rating: “Another beer is what I need, another gig my ears bleed”. 4.5/5

1064. Wolfsbane / Live Fast, Die Fast. 1989. 3/5

Back in my youth, I became aware of a band called Wolfsbane through metal magazines such as Hot Metal and Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, comparing their early music to other bands I was favourable to at the time. Certainly the lead singer looked very similar to Bruce Dickinson did at the same time with the same long straight hair. Still, with so many other bands taking my fancy I didn’t feel an urge to check them out. Then in 1994 Bruce had left Maiden, and they actually hired that same lead singer, Blaze Bayley to take his place! Wow! But despite how much I enjoyed most of the material that came from those two albums I still didn’t feel any need to check out Wolfsbane. On his departure from Maiden I was pleasantly surprised by Blaze’s first two solo albums with his new band, as they had a great edge to them. Still, no Wolfsbane. Then he released his double live album As Live As It Gets, and one of the songs he does here is “Steel” which I enjoyed thoroughly. Blaze announces that it is an old Wolfsbane song (albeit from their EP All Hell's Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson's Place!). Okay, maybe I need to check them out after all.

Wolfsbane’s first album Live Fast, Die Fast is a mixture of fast and slow, of heavy and mild, of good and bad. I don’t think I ever got around how much in places that this band sounds like Van Halen, and certainly Blaze’s vocals at this time have much in common with David Lee Roth’s. Whether or not they were looking for such similarities I don’t know, but they are obvious to most. It was also an interesting time to release an album like this, which feels like it is a hair metal album about five years too late in the whole scheme of the music world. Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer were dominating with their sound, while the Seattle grunge sound was right around the corner. More than anything else, this always sounds like a fun album, that the band itself is enjoying itself, which is half the battle won.
For me the biggest problem with this album is the differing styles and mood of the songs contained on it. This is what stops me enjoying it more. Both “Man Hunt” and “Killing Machine” are the best of the upbeat songs and the best examples of the heavier side of the album. The single “I Like it Hot” that produced a video that showed the band prancing and partying around in hijinks is one of the fun songs on the album, the ones that you’ll either enjoy because they don’t take themselves seriously or dislike because they don’t take themselves seriously. Much of the rest of the album is stuff that was probably enjoyable back in the day for about six minutes, before being cast aside or ignored in favour of anything else that was being released at the time. It really is full of the sexual innuendos that much of the hair metal movement candied up their songs with during the mid-1980’s, and while that works on some levels with those major bands it leaves me a little flat on this album. No doubt this is a result of not having listened to the album when it was released, for the reasons listed above, but moving back in time it is not these songs that hold up the best. It is the more powerful band tracks such as “Man Hunt” and “Killing Machine” that best express the talents of the band.

The musical reasons why Wolfsbane never really took off in a big way are hear for you to hear on their first album. Despite the promise of a great guitar sound and a solid rhythm section and a front man with some good pipes, the writing itself leaves a bit to be desired. It’s a better than average entrance to the album release stage but without any real hooks to drag you in time and again.

Rating: “Burning through the peace and the quiet. I don't want soft music!” 3/5

1063. Motörhead / Motörhead. 1977. 3.5/5

I wonder how many people there are out there whose first ever experience with the band Motörhead is their actual debut album, also entitled Motörhead? I know it wasn’t mine. That was the privilege of the Ace of Spades album like I’m sure it was for many. Indeed it wasn’t for many years that I finally got around to getting a copy of the album and actually listening to it and discovering just what kind of a start the band had made back in the day. And while many people seem to have differing opinion in regards to its quality, I’m not sure I agree.

There’s little left to the imagination by the lyrics of most of the songs. Lemmy’s concordance with drugs is right there for everyone to see in songs such as the title track “Motörhead” and “White Line Fever” and “Keep Us on the Road”. So too in the classic “Iron Horse/Born to Lose”. It is a cavalcade of lyrical exposition, and no doubt would have given a lot of parents at the time some concerns (I guess in the long run it probably would now too). The Larry Wallis penned “Vibrator” is also straight forward in what is being sung about. They mightn’t be writing poetry here but then the Beatles did the same thing, just about girls. Didn’t they?
Motörhead has a uniqueness about it, which is played out perfectly on this first album. The three piece, consisting of Lemmy on bass and vocals, Fast Eddie on guitar and Philthy Taylor on drums, are the epitome of a three piece band. They are loud, raucous and constantly in action. No time to simply strum while your partner solos away in a three piece band, each one of the members has to be contributing at all times to keep the songs moving, and they do that perfectly here. And the uniqueness of each individuals sound is so prevalent here that it sets up the following albums to exploit that. Clarke’s ringing guitar sound, Lemmy’s ‘nang-a-nang’ bass lines and Taylor’s perpetual drumming are classically highlighted here. Sure, the mix and sound mightn’t be A1 in quality, but isn’t the rawness of the material what helps make this album – and indeed the band – what it is? To be fair I think the opinions of those that pass this off because of production issues are overrated. This is part of what makes Motörhead the band they are, a grungy gravelly musical exposition. “Keep Us on the Road” is the perfect example of how I see the band in those days. Whenever I hear the song I can almost see them in that pub environment, crowd squeezed in and loving the band as it sounds.

Given that the album was recorded mostly over a 24 hour period, before a few days were added to help expand the material, this still sounds great today, despite what some experts may tell you. I love the fact that it sounds like a band firing on all cylinders in an effort to get as many songs recorded in as short a time as possible. Certainly the band must have sounded different in a live environment than they do on this album, but that’s what makes this so enjoyable, because it’s laid down in a couple of takes and that’s what you get. Better was to come there’s no doubt about that, but as an opening performance this still has plenty to enjoy.

Rating: “We began at the beginning, moving high and moving fast”. 3.5/5

1062. UFO / Strangers in the Night [Live]. 1979. 5/5

There’s always something magical about a live album. It’s where you get to hear exactly what a band is like in the environment that they are meant to be in. Let’s face it, you can make just about anyone sound good in a studio where you can overdub and cut and paste and play a section a thousand times over until you get it right. A live album is where there is nowhere to hide, and you have to be on to showcase how good you actually are. And on “Strangers in the Night” this is exactly what UFO do.
UFO had retooled and re-thought their music after the release of their first two albums, and with the addition of Michael Schenker on guitar had become a more hard rock based band than a synth based band. The addition along the way of Paul Raymond who could double on both rhythm guitar and keyboards gave the five piece all the weaponry they needed to become one of the best live bands in the world at the time.
One the back of their seventh album, and a run of five albums that are still considered the best the band released, UFO recorded several gigs on their US tour run to put together as a live album. What then followed was the perfect reflection of UFO’s career to this point in time. It has their most bombastic elements, it has their best songs. More than anything it showcases how terrific this band must have been in the live setting, and how each part of the band was so intrinsic in making the sound that was UFO. And unlike their individual studio albums along the way, here there is not a weak moment. It is pure unadulterated UFO.

I knew a few UFO songs from a Michael Schenker anthology double album I had bought a few months earlier before I found this double vinyl in my favourite second hand record store, and bought it on the spot. I didn’t know the band or its music very well but I knew Schenker and that he had been in this band, so I was keen to get home and give it a listen. It didn’t take long to realise that I had come across some real gold, and album that to this day I still get excited about whenever I put it on or hear it at a friend’s house.
From the outset there is so much to love here. The brilliant guitar riff to start off “Natural Thing”, the perfect segue and the harmony vocals of Mogg and Way in “Out in the Street”, and then into the classic UFO tracks “Only You Can Rock Me” and “Doctor Doctor”. The magnificence that is the live version of “Love to Love” with Mogg’s wonderful vocals and the brilliant guitar of Schenker stealing the show. Then there is the bombastic version of “Lights Out” that is as heavy a song that UFO perform which is followed by the extended version of “Rock Bottom” to allow Schenker to further showcase his brilliance on the guitar. Between this come all of the other hits that UFO had written up until this time, and nothing misses out. It would be difficult to come up with any weak points, or of any other songs that could replace those that are on this album already.
In a way this album ruined the studio albums of UFO for me once I got around to getting them, because I knew these songs perfectly by the time I heard them, but I knew the live version of the songs not the studio versions, and quite simply the live versions are far superior than their studio cousins. So when I started getting the early albums and listening to them I found that they didn’t quite have the same energy and momentum that the songs showed on this album. Over time of course that faded and I was able to enjoy them as much as any other of their work, but there is never a time that I put this on that I don’t love everything on this so much more.
The CD version has added back in two songs that start the concert, “Hot and Ready” and “Cherry”, and also reordered the playlist so that it is closer to what UFO played on this tour. I would normally have said “that’s great!”, but now for me it ruins the flow of the album just a little, because you miss that great start of the guttural guitar riff that leads into “Natural Thing” that for me was the perfect start on my vinyl copy. Now you don’t get to hear that until track five, and the album lacks a punch as a result.
I have often on this podcast made mention of the fact that I sometimes have trouble with live albums that chop and change the running order of the concerts they have been taken from, that as a preference I would like to have the songs in the order they were played at the gig, rather than what did happen quite a bit during the 1970’s, where the order on the album was changed to have the songs fit better on the vinyl. This for me is not one of those instances. Because I owned the vinyl version first, I am so used to that running order when I listen to it, that I have a lot of trouble with the order that is on the re-released CD version, which has the tracks back in almost concert running order. The opening four tracks on the vinyl – “Natural Thing”, “Out in the Street”, “Only You Can Rock Me” and “Doctor Doctor”, which is Side A of the first of the double vinyl – is the only way to listen to these songs.
The band is on fire, and each of them is just terrific on this album. Paul Raymond being able to switch between the organ and keyboards onto rhythm guitar to add a fullness to the live sound is fantastic and invaluable in the live environment. Pete Way on bass fills the bottom end out nicely, while Andy Parker’s drumming is fantastic. Phil Mogg’s vocals are superb, and he gives these versions of their songs a great kick. The star for me is still Michael Schenker, who despite his own feelings on the versions of the songs offered here again proves what a maestro he was with his instrument in his hands. His solos still steal the show on more occasions than not. His soloing on “Love to Love” is extraordinary, and the riffs throughout on “Lights Out”, “Doctor Doctor”, “Natural Thing” and “Only You Can Love Me” are superb. But “Love to Love” is something special. The combination between the synth keyboard and guitar, the beautiful bass of Pete Way and drumming of Andy Parker, and Phil Mogg’s vocals make this live version of this song superior in every way from the studio version.

I mentioned earlier that I had heard the Michael Schenker Group early albums while in high school, and then I picked up a Schenker best of double LP at Illawarra Books and Records in my first year of uni, and first came across a few tracks from UFO. Not long after this, I found this album in the same second hand store, and bought it immediately. And I have honestly not stopped playing it in the 36 years since that day. As soon as I heard the first side of the first album, I was hooked. Trapped. Ensconced. It was Schenker who grabbed me – but how can you ignore the rest of the band? Each of them was just as instrumental to their success as their lead guitarist. I had this taped on a C90 cassette and it remained in my car for years, an easy go-to when I got in to drive somewhere and needed some musical company.
Not everyone will agree with me, but with the departure of Schenker from the group during this tour, UFO lost some of its lustre. They released plenty more albums, many of which are very good, but none of which could touch the pure joy and amazement of this live album.
There have been some brilliant and unforgettable live albums released over the years. Think Iron Maiden’s “Live After Death”, think Slayer’s “Decade of Aggression: Live”, think Deep Purple’s “Made in Japan”. For me, this is the equal of those albums. It is truly one the great live albums released by hard rock and heavy metal bands, and for me it is the pinnacle of this band’s career, a defining moment that not only showed off their excellence but sadly proved to be the end of their golden years with the moving on of Schenker to other projects.

1061. UFO / Obsession. 1978. 2.5/5

UFO the band had been busy over the middle years of the 1970’s decade, putting out several albums and building a respectable following throughout the world. On previous albums they had managed to mix some brilliant songs that still resonate when played with some material that feels a bit lacklustre and of a lesser quality than the absolute top shelf stuff. Much the same can be said of Obsession which capped off the period with an ambivalence that could be said to be harsh on one hand but fair on the other.

I’ve always felt that there was only one heavy hitter song on this album, and it happens to be the lead track, “Only You Can Rock Me”. It remains the one song that stands out from the crowd on this release, and is still instantly recognisable whenever it is played today. The fact that it signals a lowering of the boom once it is over is what is troubling about this album.
As for the rest of the songs, I think they can be categorised pretty swiftly into two groups, the good and the average. It turns out that the majority of the good songs have Michael Schenker as a co-writer, whereas the majority of the average songs do not. Into the former group of good songs you can list tracks such as “Pack It Up (and Go)”, “Hot and Ready” and “Cherry”. Each of these has a better tempo, a slice of Schenker shredding on guitar and great Phil Mogg vocals. These songs follow my idea of the better UFO songs more closely than those in the average group, songs like the three end tracks on Side A of the album in “Arbory Hill”, “Ain’t No Baby” and “Lookin’ Out For No. 1”. “Arbory Hill” is a Schenker short guitar instrumental that serves no real purpose on the album and doesn’t lift anything. “Ain’t No Baby” and “Lookin’ Out For No. 1” fall too much on the side of soft rock ballad. I never cease to be disappointed when I listen to this album and hear these two songs again. “One More for the Rodeo” is probably one of the better tracks again, but I’m not sure if this is only because it is sandwiched between “You Don’t Fool Me” and “Born to Lose”, which even for AOR songs are stretching the friendship just a little too far.

This album was the final one that Michael Schenker played on for UFO for almost fifteen years and it was going out with a whimper rather than a bang. While the band is competent here, the music just feels as though it is going through a recycling process and that they were beginning to strain out the hard rock side of the songs and fall into the comfortable AOR radio sound instead. That being the case, I am happy to leave that right here.

Rating: “Who’s taking time out, who’ll take a shot now”. 2.5/5