UFO (UK) - Phenomenon (LP, Chrysalis, 1974)

RATING: 7/10

This is when UFO really got their party started. Not that everyone would agree with that, you know: the departure of original axeman Mick Bolton in early 1972 was not at all easy for the band to come through, and a fair percentage of music fans still feel the early incarnation of this much-loved flying saucer was the best of all - an assessment I don't really agree with, but everyone's entitled to their own opinions of course. More than a departure, the final goodbye of Mick Bolton (not the same guy involved with Mott the Hopple, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Linda McCartney's "Wide Prairie" LP, just to avoid any confusion) was close to an alien abduction really, as he pretty much vanished off the face of the Earth when it comes to music: as it transpires, the talented guitarist opted to settle down after his run with UFO was over, with no further appearances in any other bands of note. It seems he did a bit of guitar tech work for Michael Schenker Group back in the early '80s, and some say it was also the case during UFO's "Mechanix" era, but that's pretty much it as far as I know, which is a bit of a shame really. Whatever the case, I enjoy the work he did with UFO in the early days, and I'm glad those albums are receiving a fair bit of love at long last. Hope the guy is still enjoying a nice life in whatever activies he dedicated himself to after his brief stint with the rock 'n' roll universe was over.

After trial runs with Larry Wallis and Bernie Marsden, the nucleus of Mogg-Way-Parker decided to invite German guitar hero Michael Schenker (from Scorpions) to join the fun. The kid was something of a child prodigy really, having made his first live show at age 11, and recording Scorpion's "Lonesome Crow" when he was only 16 years old. Scorpions were an opening act for UFO in Germany (a country where the British band was quite successful from the start) and, though being a mere 18-year-old and still unable to speak English, the youthful Schenker was tempted by UFO's offer and ultimately decided to embark. As you all know far too well by now, there couldn't have been a better choice, as Schenker was a decisive feature in metamorphosing UFO's sound and taking the band to a whole different level of popularity.

Although their collective talents are not fully developed just yet, "Phenomenom" (their first record with Chrysalis, a label that would provide them a much needed backing for over a decade) brings to the forefront all the things we learned to immediately recognise and love on UFO's trademark sound - most of it already present in the group's formula from an early stage, but surely not that prominent up to this point. The space rock days (that would mostly be confined to their "Flying" LP, to be fully honest) are not completely gone just yet, but now UFO are determined to be a more succint, straight-to-the-point hard / heavy band to make you shake your head and sing along, though surely keeping much of the subtlety and will to experiment from their first records. Let's say UFO is no longer willing to explore the Milky Way or something, opting to adopt a much more down-to-earth, street-level approach to music - and it works, there's zero doubt about that.

'Intense' always have been, in my humble opinion, the perfect word to describe Schenker's playing: the man can attack the strings of his guitar like a demon, but his riffing and soloing never lack emotion, and this is the exact formula that made him one of the most inspiring guitarist in 1970's heavy rock. Pete Way and Andy Parker are more than happy to provide a tight backing for their youthful monster of a guitarist, and Phil Mogg's unmistakable voice was growing stronger with every release. Still, "Phenomenon" lacks something in the songwriting department, as Schenker and Mogg (both sharing the lion's share of composition from an early stage) were probably still getting used with each other, I suppose - something they seemingly never fully did, at least on a personal level, but oh well. It shows even on an all-time classic like "Doctor Doctor": unlike the exciting live staple of later years, the original studio version sound almost like a (very promising, admitedly) unfinished demo here, with some "oooh the mess I'm in" thrown in to fill the gaps in the lyrics. It's clear that this particular song would only fully mature in the grind of the live environment, which is to say something about just how good these guys worked together upon a stage (but that's a subject for the future, when some of the multifarious live releases from UFO come our way).

It's only a minor criticism, mind you, so let's not take the significance of such small imperfections too out of proportion. Songs such as "Too Young to Know", "Oh My" (one of my personal favorites here) "Queen of the Deep" and "Time on My Hands" may not be as powerful as the stuff soon to come, but are pleasant examples of concise, easy-to-enjoy hard rock songwriting, whereas "Crystal Light" and "Space Child" are nice semi-ballads with a melancholic touch that don't overstay their welcome at all. Even an album filler, like instrumental semi-ballad "Lipstick Traces", does have an undeniable bit of charm. And if most of "Phenomenon" may fall short of being truly memorable, there's at least one tune here that is an undisputed classic for the ages: "Rock Bottom" is EASILY one of the finest guitar riffs I've ever heard, and I mean it! What a bloody awesome tune, and an everlasting testimony of UFO's ability to write engaging, ground-breaking hard/heavy music.

Though not exactly a huge success in terms of sales (a 7'' single based around "Doctor Doctor" flopped like a lead baloon, for instance, though the song itself is now widely regarded as a classic rock anthem), "Phenomenon" clearly struck the right chord with the heavy/rock scene of its time: the tours grew longer (and more lucrative), the crowds were larger, and places like homeland England and the USA were showing a lot more interest on whatever those lads had to say next. With their abilities as a unit growing stronger with every gig, soon UFO would burst forth with a series of very significant releases - none threating to set the world on fire on terms of sales, but nonetheless truly important pieces in the exciting puzzle of heavy rock music.

Phil Mogg (V), Michael Schenker (G), Pete Way (B), Andy Parker (D).

01. Oh My (Schenker, Mogg, Way, Parker) 2:26
02. Crystal Light (Schenker, Mogg) 3:47
03. Doctor Doctor (Schenker, Mogg) 4:10
04. Space Child (Schenker, Mogg) 4:01
05. Rock Bottom (Schenker, Mogg) 6:32
06. Too Young to Know (Way, Mogg) 3:10
07. Time on My Hands (Schenker, Mogg) 4:10
08. Built for Comfort (Dixon) 3:01
09. Lipstick Traces (Schenker) 2:20
10. Queen of the Deep (Schenker, Mogg) 5:49

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!

KRYPTON (ROM) - Făra Teamă (LP, Electrecord, 1990)

RATING: 8/10

After an acceptable enough debut with "30 Minute", Krypton (this time spelled with the 'Y' that would become ever-present from now on) had to endure a lot of internal turbulence, resulting in an almost complete reshuffling of the band. The most drastic absence would undoubtely be Eugen Mihăescu (G), band leader and songwriter, that moved to Germany to study Music at the University of Köln - and to make a personal escape from Romania's dictatorship, I'd wager. Surprisingly, Krypton managed to survive this massive loss, with bassist Dragos Docan assuming the reins of the venture and nearly reinventing the band as a whole. In an effort to create something of an aura around themselves, the outfit decided to adopt especially designed stage clothes (something unique in Romania at the time) and to play a different kind of music, more attuned with the heavier stuff going on at the other side of the Iron Curtain. From all this, came "Făra Teamă" - not only my favorite album from all Romanian Metal, but also one of the most important LPs ever released in that country.

It was a time of changes in Romania, and "Făra Teamă" was totally engulfed by the essence of those days. Written a short while before the destitution of local dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the lyrics were to be submitted to the approval of the censorship department of Securitate - something that never happened, fortunately, as revolution took the streets right on time. The recording sessions began shortly after the end of the communist regime, and the firegun held by drummer Razvan Lupu at the front cover was lent by one of the soldiers who were guarding the streets during those troubled days.

"Făra Teamă" was the first rock album released in Romania after Ceausescu was gone, an impressive enough feat to secure a very special place in Romania's history. But Krypton's second LP deserves a listen not just because its historic background. Actually, it is a goddamn bloody good album - something that the weak production and not-remotely-interesting artwork may try to hide, but don't let yourself be fooled. The opening song, "Nemuritori", tell no lies about what's to come, building upon a simple yet creative song structure to deliver a extremely listenable slice of hard/heavy music with a memorable chorus. Really impressive. The following songs are more or less the same thing (thank God), adding some subtle classical influences to make things even more interesting. In fact, songs like "Sint Doar un Nor" and "Capriciu 4" are not that distant from what Helloween would do with Andi Deris in later years - surely with not the same level of musicianship or prowess, but still reaching very respectable results.

The band sounds really tight. Even though his bass was mixed a bit too high for my liking, Dragos Docan shows how good a musician and composer he is, writing nearly all the songs on his own. Razvan Lupu is a strong drummer, while Manuel Savu fulfills the difficult task of filling Eugen Mihaescu's shoes leaving very little room for any criticism. Valentin Stoian does a commendable job on the keys as well, but I guess that singer Gabriel "Gurita" Nicolau gets the most enthusiastic thumbs-up around here, as he towers high above the lackluster vocals of "30 Minute" and delivers a sharp, dynamic, very impressive performance throughout this album. He is still considered one of the finest singers Romania ever had and, listening to this LP, it gets very easy to understand why.

All eight songs are pretty good. OK, "Am Crezut in Ochii Tai" (the inevitable ballad) may not be as great as the other songs, but its four-and-a-half minutes are perfectly listenable, not ruining the listening experience to any great extent. Apart from the aforementioned "Nemuritori", my favorites would be "Cheama-ma" (a very catchy hard rocker which was a huge sucess in Romania at the time), "Incearca Sa Crezi" (nice chorus), "Inima de Fata" and, most of all, the outstanding title track, maybe the best song I ever heard from a romanian Metal band. The uplifting message of the lyrics fell right into place for a country still discovering its freedom, and it's not an overstatement to say it became something of a rock anthem in Romania - a status that is still valid to this day, and I don't think will ever be disputed.

The line-up responsible for "Făra Teamă" would not stay together for long, though the first major change (the return of Eugen Mihaescu) wasn't exactly a letdown in any sense. You can hear a glimpse of this revised line-up in a compilation named "Rock '92 Volumul 1" (1992), recorded during the creatively-titled Rock '92 festival in Bucharest. They deliver a sterling, highly enjoyable live version of "Făra Teamă", and I would definitely love to hear the full set they played that night, though I reckon the master tapes are probably long lost by now. The band's profile in Romania was so high back then that they had little problem embarking on "Lanțurile", an ambitious rock opera that still stands as one of the most remarkable (if not musically faultless) releases ever crafted by a Romanian rock band. While I take my time to write a worthy review to such a significant record, I'd strongly suggest you to give the charming "Făra Teamă" a few spins, as I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I remember how excited I was when I found an active link to download it, and I wasn't disappointed in any sense, as I still listen to it from time to time and it always sound good and fresh. What a find, my friends. Give yourself a present and find it, too.

Gabriel “Gurita” Nicolau (V), Manuel Savu (G), Dragos Docan (B/V), Razvan Lupu (D), Valentin Stoian (K).

01. Nemuritori (Immortals) (Docan) 4:03
02. Incearca Sa Crezi (Try to Believe) (Docan) 3:25
03. Sint Doar Um Nor (I'm Just a Cloud) (Docan) 4:15
04. Cheama-ma (Call Me) (Docan) 4:57
05. Capriciu 4 (Docan) 3:48
06. Am Crezut In Ochii Tai (I Believed in Your Eyes) (Docan) 4:47
07. Inima de Fată (Heart of a Girl) (Savu / Docan) 3:07
08. Făra Teamă (No Fear) (Docan) 4:11

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!

KRIPTON (ROM) - 30 Minute (LP, Electrecord, 1988)

RATING: 6/10

To most rock bands in communist Romania, having an album-recording career was more a matter of chance than design. With every cultural move under strict control by the regime's Securitate (an organ that acted both as political police and censorship bureau) and a single state-sanctioned record label for all of the country (Electrecord), you'd have to cut your teeth in a vastly underdeveloped live circuit before holding any aspirations of getting your songs recorded (by national radio, in most cases, as there weren't any record facilities you could book or anything), and there would still be quite a way to go before being allowed by the dictatorship to have your songs pressed on vinyl. With all that said, Bucharest's hopefuls Kripton (still spelled with an 'I" instead of the 'Y' of later efforts) sure worked had to get there, including a prestigious slot on Cenaclul Flacara, a cultural event with music and poetry (something of a primitive local version of Loolapalooza, perhaps?) that would make regular tours all over Romania. 

The group made its debut on vinyl in 1985, with no less than four songs on the "Formaţii Rock 7" compilation - a yearly release that would highlight the most promising rock acts of the country, though the 'rock' tag should be taken with a pinch of salt here. Their sound was a bit closer to indie/new wave rock back then, though there were perceivable elements of prog and a healthy dose of heaviness added to the mix - a formula that sounds quite oddball at times, but yields mostly interesting results in this particular case. It was a promising start, but it took nearly three more years until Electrecord finally offer the boys the chance of a proper LP to call their own, and their style of choice had changed significantly in the meantime. Eugen Mihăescu (V/G/K) took full responsibility for songwriting duties, and with a little help from his friends Dragos Docan (B), Cristian Sandu (G) and Nicolae Dinescu (D) he came out with "30 Minute". True to his word, the LP runs for exactly thirty minutes, and shows that Kripton wanted to fight hard - if not exactly heavy - for its chance to shine.

Let's make it clear: "30 Minute" is a pleasant enough hard rock album. Not the most exciting and breathtaking piece of sheer creativity ever written, that's for sure - and not the heaviest music ever commited to vinyl as well. Still, it has its moments, with some good heavy rocking riffs and reasonably well-crafted songs, although Mihăescu's voice is less-than-impressive, to be honest. He does a good job on guitar, though, and the other guys don't let us down on the instrumental side of things - especially Dragos Docan, still shy on the composition front, but already delivering the goods as an efficient and resourceful bass player.

"Prietena Mea" is an adequate enough opening track, whereas "Treizeci de Minute" (nearly a title-track) and "Ploaia" are truly nice, dynamic songs well worth of a listen, especially the latter, my favorite tune on the album by quite a margin. "Fetele Cu Ochii Verzi" and "Poveste Cu Un Clown" seem to have been significant hits in Romania back on the day, but they sound a bit too derivative and uninteresting to my ears, even though the first one is a fair enough attempt to create an Whitesnake-style hard rocking ditty and may be serviceable if you're in the right frame of mind. Of the remaining songs, I think that "Ora Tarzie" is a nice choice to close proceedings, with a whistlable chorus and a good guitar lead, but "Adeseori" (the one who sounds closer to Kripton's original input) and "Tatiana" won't set any pulses racing, I'm afraid, both rating pitifully low on my personal Metalomether.

All things considered, "30 Minute" is a record that plays safe and avoid making any waves, that including some pretty generic, light-hearted lyrics - something that is perfectly understandable when you consider that a more 'dangerous' or 'risqué' approach could prompt Securitate to not only pull the plug on their career, but also send some of the guys to jail. Nevertheless, it's a bit surprising that they would continue their career with albuns such as "Fara Teama" and "Lanturile", as Kripton's first offering is more than comfortable to sail on accessible waters - as they would do in a bafflingly unashamed way not so many years later, but let's leave this touchy subject for another moment. Whatever the case, "30 Minute" is quite an important release for Romanian's rock legacy, an album that left its mark and paved the way for many exciting (and musically very relevant) things to come. Thirty minutes of your time - that's what this album asks, and I reckon it's fair enough.

Eugen Mihăescu (V/G/K), Cristian Sandu (G/V), Dragos Docan (B/V), Nicolae Dinescu (D).

01. Prietena Mea (My Girlfriend) (Mihăescu) 2:40
02. Treizeci de Minute (30 Minutes) (Mihăiescu) 3:26
03. Ploaia (Rain) (Mihăescu) 4:20
04. Adeseori (All the Time) (Mihăescu / Virgil Carianopol) 4:00
05. Fetele Cu Ochii Verzi (Girls With Green Eyes) (Mihăescu) 3:46
06. Poveste Cu Un Clown (Story of a Clown) (Mihăescu / Stefan Doinas) 3:55
07. Tatiana (Mihăescu) 4:08
08. Ora Tarzie (Late At Night) (Mihăescu) 3:50

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!

UFO (UK) - Live (LP, Decca, 1972)

RATING: 7/10

Given that the early albums from UFO ("UFO 1" from 1970 and next year's "UFO 2: Flying") didn't exactly skyrocket to the top of English and American charts, the Beacon label wasn't exactly enthusiastic about offering the lads a contract extension, which meant the band were left with no firm financial backing for a while. The departure of original axeman Mick Bolton in the early days of 1972 was also something of a shock, and it's fair to say that the group's future was effectively in doubt by this juncture. As many bands do when faced with similar adversities, UFO kept plugging in regardless, bringing Larry Wallis in to perform guitar duties and playing as many gigs as possible wherever a venue would have them.

Despite the modest sales figures of their first two LPs, UFO had a strong following in some specific countries, most of all Japan - so it was only natural that Stateside (the label that distributed UFO's music for the Japanese market) opted to issue a live LP, taken from a concert at Hibiya Park in Tokyo on September 25, 1971. Originally released under the name "U.F.O. Landed Japan" shortly before Christmas 1971, the LP came to be known as the more straightforward "Live" once it was issued in Germany by Decca sometime in 1972 - a packaging that is surely the more recognizable version, being the template for countless reissues ever since. With that in mind, let's just call the album "Live" from now on to avoid any confusion, though acknowledging that it originally came out under a different guise.

It makes for an interesting listen nowadays, that's for sure, as it shows that the distinctive features one can hear in UFO's early studio offerings were also discernible (though in slightly different terms) when they were upon a stage back then. The instrumental sections are very prominent, the band as a whole being much more keen to jam and improvise than on later live recordings. To be frank, the mood around here is very much the mood of 1970s' live rock performances in general: expanding, exploring and rearranging songs rather than simply reproducing it more or less like the studio versions. And it's quite fascinating to hear UFO playing in such a jam-oriented style, especially when you consider that they would adopt a much more strict, no-nonsense approach for most of their live endeavors in years to come. Fortunately, the enthusiastic nature of the band's live delivery seems to have been a constant, being a much-welcomed feature in all of their concert releases through the years - and there are quite a few, you know, and they're all very good, you know.

Recorded while Mick Bolton was still in the band, most songs taken from that night's setlist are from UFO's first album - an understandable option, no doubt, as I suppose it would be hard to fully recapture all the oddball "UFO 2: Flying" ambiences upon a stage. Curiously, the best song from "Live" is the only one taken from their second studio effort: "Prince Kajuku" sounds extremely intense here, the natural extra energy of a live performance adding lots of heaviness to the whole thing - and man this riff kicks ass!  It's also the track that sounds closer to their "Strangers in the Night" period, so perhaps my special liking to it is not a mere coincidence.

Also worthy of mention is "Follow You Home" (they one they ripped off from The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", if you remember the review for "UFO 1"), where they show some pleasing sense of humor by including excerpts from... "You Really Got Me" from The Kinks! Maybe it was a way to acknowledge the coincidence, or else it was the whole idea all along; in any case, it was a spirited move, improving the otherwise unspectacular song with a lighter, playful (and very much welcome) atmosphere. There's even a song that never appeared on any other record from the band, before or ever since, a Paul Butterfield cover called "Loving Cup" - not a truly memorable rendition to be honest, but also far away from any sort of letdown. The sound quality is nice throughout, the band's musicianship is tight and, though some songs are a bit longer than they should ("Boogie for George" gets boring halfway through, for instance), "Live" fulfills its mission without any major hiccups, being a good album to have around if you're interested in UFO's formative years and 1970's heavy rock music in general. 

You see, finding a fitting substitute to Mick Bolton took UFO way more time than originally expected. Larry Wallis left the group after a mere eight months of service (he would later enjoy productive spells with Pink Fairies and Motörhead), being replaced by then-unknown Bernie Mardsen later in 1972. The guitarist took part in a European tour early next year and got as far as to record a handful of demos, but the Mogg-Way-Parker nucleus concluded Bernie (a future member of Babe Ruth and Whitesnake) wasn't really what the band needed, and made their way to Germany to recruit the youthful Michael Schenker (then a mere 18-years-old) from Scorpions in June 1973. Now under the auspices of Chrysalis Records, UFO was soon to become the entity we all know and love, but let's not rush things, right? See you in the next review, bye bye \m/

Phil Mogg (V), Mick Bolton (G), Pete Way (B), Andy Parker (D).

01. C'mon Everyody (Cochran, Capehart) 4:30
02. Who Do You Love (McDaniel) 9:39
03. Loving Cup (Butterfield) 5:22
04. Prince Kajuku / The Coming of Prince Kajuku (Way, Mogg, Parker, Bolton) 8:30
05. Boogie for George (Way, Mogg, Parker, Bolton) 11:42
06. Follow You Home (Way) 6:28

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!

UFO (UK) - UFO 2: Flying (LP, Beacon, 1971)

RATING: 7/10

There are at least two different (and equally valid) points of view to be taken while reviewing this album. You can set your mind to what was the state of heavy music in the early 1970s, without taking into great consideration all that UFO was about to do in later years - a decision that will surely help you to appreciate what this album have to offer (maybe even getting as far as to consider it UFO's finest moment, as a small, but significant number of fans actually do). And you can listen to the music herein while comparing it to the classic albums with Michael Schenker performing guitar duties - and this very long record (the "One Hour Space Rock" warning on the cover isn't just a figure of speech, you know) will dwarf considerably, possibly sounding a lot more like an ill-fated piece of pretentious experimentation rather than anything else. Whether you decide to give "UFO 2: Flying" a fair chance or not, I guess it was natural for a band with such a name to flirt with space rock a bit, and Pete Way (B), Phil Mogg (V), Andy Parker (D) and Mick Bolton (G) did not take the whole interstellar route halfheartedly, you see.

It's a reasonably widespread (and perfectly understandable) notion to consider the phase with Mick Bolton on the guitar as a unit, but I'd say it can cause the casual listener some sort of confusion, as this LP brings to the limelight a very different musical entity from its predecessor, the bluesy/boogie proto-metal "UFO 1" (1970). This sophomore record is the kind of album that takes time: you can't just put it on as background music, you gotta give it some dedicated attention in order to fully appreciate it (or else you can be fully engaged on a LSD trip, which is going to be a entirely unrelated journey of course, but you know what I mean). Being partial with a fair bit of Hawkwind or Eloy in your spare time will surely be helpful, though ignoring everything else that was recorded by UFO before giving this one a spin may be a more challenging task for most first-time listeners. Personally speaking, I reckon you should really give this one a try in any case, as "UFO 2: Flying" is a mostly pleasant record after all.

For the diehard heavy rockers among you, "Silver Bird" and "Prince Kajuku" tend to be the more relatable tracks around here, as both showcase an interesting heavy edge - specially the latter, carried along by a memorable riff and that turned out to become a live favorite until at least the mid 1970s. "Star Storm" and "Flying", on the other hand, are the ones where the "space" quality takes over "rock", with the group doing their utmost to create absorbing soundscapes via lengthy instrumental suites and the occasional use of sound effects and reverberation.

Sometimes it sounds loosely put together, to be honest (you have to be very much into it to fully appreciate "Star Storm"s ambiences midway through, for instance), and it's undoubtedly difficult to create an one-hour-plus musical adventure without any filler material in places. Almost all of the five tracks could be a few (or many) minutes shorter without losing anything substantial in the process, which is in itself a testimony of how we're nowhere near a world-beater with this one. Still, it works quite effectively most of the time, and I think it has a lot to do with the tight, busy instrumentation: where "UFO 1" sounded a bit too rough-edged and rudimentary for its own good, "UFO 2: Flying" is cohesive and solid, and most of its textures are the evident result of conscious effort, rather than hit-and-miss experimentation. It's all very spacey for sure, but the 'rock' element is always there as well; you can let yourself fly (ahem) with the music, but you'll always feel you're being taken somewhere rather than just randomly floating in zero gravity or something.

It's puzzling to wonder what UFO would have become if Mick Bolton had stayed in the group - which wasn't going to be the case as we all know, as he opted to eject himself out of the group's starship in early 1972. Maybe we would be dealing with an experimental, sci-fi oriented progressive rock band rather than the hard/heavy monster we all know and love, who knows? Or else we would live in a world where UFO were little more than an early 1970s curiosity, with obsessive collectors falling over themselves to buy scarce original copies of a seldom-seen, never-reissued LP... Oh well, one can fantasize until the wells run dry, but we live in a dimension where the nucleus of Mogg-Way-Parker felt that improving their original heavy-rocking sound was a better investment than betting their chips on the space rock niche, and gave up all hopes of traveling beyond the Solar System in order to adopt a more down-to-Earth, easily recognizable hard rock sound. I'm entirely convinced the change was all for the best but, judging for this sample, UFO would still be worthy of attention if things were a bit different, I suppose.

Phil Mogg (V), Mick Bolton (G), Pete Way (B), Andy Parker (D). All songs by Way, Mogg, Parker, Bolton.

01. Silver Bird 6:56
02. Star Storm 18:55
03. Prince Kajuku 4:01
04. The Coming of Prince Kajuku 3:57
05. Flying 26:29

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!

UFO (UK) - UFO 1 (LP, Beacon, 1970)

RATING: 6/10

UFO's quest for world domination started with this humble LP from 1970, a low-budget album recorded in almost live-in-studio fashion and released by a medium-sized record label. But the roots of the story behind this huge (if not comercially ultra-successful) entity lie in a previous outfit called Hocus Pocus, formed in 1968 and already featuring the recognizable line-up of Phil Mogg (V), Mick Bolton (G), Pete Way (B) and Andy Parker (D). It was pretty much UFO under an early guise, you see, and it makes sense to add this period to UFO's timeline, as they would only adopt their alien-influenced household name after signing with Beacon Records in late 1969, as something of an homage to the London club where they played countless times and were finally spotted by the label's representatives.

Those were still formative years for heavy rock music as a whole, you see, and it's perfectly understandable that the music here featured isn't exactly analogous to the hard/heavy input that would earn them a healthy and convoluted career in later years. It's heavy enough already in a sense, but way more in a Blue Cheer approach of heaviness if you know what I mean, with many bluesy/boogie overtones and some distinct psychedelic influences. Therefore, one must have in mind that this is not archetypal UFO by any stretch: what you're going to get is proto-metal stuff, produced by a band willing to explore some then recently-opened musical avenues, but also a bit insecure about what would exactly be the roadmap to follow.

The basslines of Pete Way are in your face here, showing how hugely influenced by John Entwistle he is, which is not a bad thing at all, of course. Phil Mogg's voice would surely mature with time, but one can easily hear the promise in songs such as the ballad "(Come Away) Melinda", one of the finest moments IMO. Andy Parker and Mick Bolton do their job in a less spectacular manner perhaps (though Parker is the driving force behind the passable "Who Do You Love?"), but the band sounds tight and catchy most of the time. Still, the production values do very little to disguise the occasional rough edges of the performance, something that may surely be unpleasant if you're unwilling to take the context of the recording that much into consideration.

"Boogie for George" and Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody" would be sucessful singles in the Japanese charts, and both are adequate, although a little bit too simplistic for my liking, if I'm to be point-blank honest here. Interestingly, the main riff of "Follow You Home" is a total rip-off from The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", in such a glaring fashion that I sincerely hope UFO were never sued for that! Some songs here featured are quite nice, with "Evil", "Shake it About", opening instrumental "Unindentified Flying Object" and the aforementioned "Melinda" being good examples. But listeners must be aware that most tracks are a bit too rudimentary (and with far too throwaway lyrics) for their own good, and I'm afraid nearly half of the compositions didn't stood that well the test of time.

Despite its shortcomings, "UFO 1" made quite an impact in places like Germany and most of all Japan, prompting the group to tour the Land of the Rising Sun quite extensively from an early stage. This recognition was very important to originally keep them on the road, as the LP caused little to no reaction in its two high-profile targets, England and USA. It's not a record you should buy whatever the price, mind you, but everyone has to start somewhere, you know, and this humble slice of wax works as a nice document from an era when heavy metal, as we all came to know and love, was still taking shape.

Phil Mogg (V), Mick Bolton (G), Pete Way (B), Andy Parker (D).

01. Unindentified Flying Object (Way, Mogg, Parker, Bolton) 2:19
02. Boogie for George (Way, Mogg, Parker, Bolton) 4:16
03. C'mon Everyody (Cochran, Capehart) 3:12
04. Shake it About (Way, Mogg, Parker, Bolton) 3:47
05. (Come Away) Melinda (Hellerman, Minkoff) 5:04
06. Timothy (Way, Mogg, Parker, Bolton) 3:28
07. Follow You Home (Way) 2:13
08. Treacle People (Bolton) 3:23
09. Who Do You Love (McDaniel) 7:49
10. Evil (Way) 3:27

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!

BOOMERANG (USA) - Boomerang (LP, RCA Victor, 1971)

RATING: 8/10

This is the one and only album from this now-obscure American bunch, formed by singer/keyboardist Mark Stein after the first of many break-ups of Vanilla Fudge. Without delving too deep into the reasons for the split, fact is that the lads were at loggerheads with each other, and their typical, organ-heavy psych/prog song was losing ground to the more direct, guitar-driven sound of contemporaries such as Mountain, Sir Lord Baltimore and Grand Funk, who seemed to be more of the flavor of the time in the USA. When his colleagues Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice decided to jump ship in order to form Cactus, Mr. Stein and his bandmate Vince Martell (guitar) tried to keep Vanilla Fudge sailing on at first, enlisting James Galuzzi (D, ex-Dino and the Cavemen) and Sal D'Onofrio (bass) to fill the blanks. But it was a short-lived endeavor, and when Vince Martell decided he wasn't that willing to soldier on after all, Stein felt the time was right to try a different approach. Keeping the services of Galuzzi, the singer/keyboardist recruited Jo Casmir (B/V) and guitar wonder Richard Ramirez (who had only 16 years of age at the time of recording), and word soon spread around that a new venture named Boomerang was born.

If you expect to hear the psychedelic heaviness of Vanilla Fudge, you may be heading for a slight disappointment - not that they disregard their former style completely, but it's clear as day that Mark Stein wanted his new project to be a diferent beast altogether, moving towards a dynamic hard rock sound not at all dissimilar to what groups like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin were developing at roughly the same time (and not much of a surprise that is, as Stein was good friends with several Zep members and had many strong connections in the British rock scene). It didn't took him long to sign the dotted line with RCA, and the debut LP from Boomerang was at the shops before 1971 was over - a record that the contemporary rock scene really should had paid more attention to, if you ask me.

The opening track, "Juke it", is sure to bring a smile to any self-respecting heavy rock fan in a matter of seconds, with a strong (and heavy as hell) guitar-organ interplay that Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord would be proud to call their own. The band is tight, the musicianship is remarkable, and, being little more than a kid at the time, Richard Ramirez plays with a blend of dexterity and ingenuity that is no less than jaw-dropping given his age. Stein's singing is top notch throughout, but he's clever enough to allow Casmir (a very good singer in his own right) ample access to the mike stand as well, their duets during the subtle semi-ballad "Fisherman" being an instant highlight. The alternate singing in the excellent rendition to Inez and Charlie Foxx's "Mockingbird" is perhaps even better, with Casmir sounding a lot like Glenn Hughes (an extraordinary high praise in my book, you can rest assured of that) and the whole band allowing their soul influences to take rein for great effect. Every single song works beautifully, and the 4-piece move with great confidence from the solid rockers ("The Peddler") to the more subtle material (as in the really moving ballad "Brother's Coming Home", a poignant and not-remotely-overdone homage to the veterans from Vietnam), with a few surprises (such as the acoustic intro and the backmasked guitar solo during "Hard Times") to keep every listener alert and interested throughout. The only bad thing about this album is that it's pitifully short (only seven tracks in little more than 30 minutes), but you can always play it all over again as soon as it's over, you know.  

The cruel fact that Boomerang's eponymous LP just didn't sell is truly a life's great mystery (the prominent "featuring Mark Stein" sticker seemingly doing little to help matters), the public's reception being so unspectacular that the prospect of a USA tour to promote it never got past the planning stage. Still, the band somehow got as far as laying down tracks for a second release before RCA concluded there was no reason to keep it going and finally opted to pull the plug on them. Though it was never officially issued (and, according to Mark Stein himself, most probably never will), bootleg versions of this tentative sophomore album have been circulating for a long while now, and it's not that difficult to locate mp3 files of it if you know where to search. I won't make any effort to write a full review of it (as it is, in its current form, little more than a collection of unreleased songs), but let's say the material shows the band doing something of a detour towards blues rock, sometimes being strongly reminiscent of acts such as Savoy Brown. It's an interesting development, and most songs are nice enough, but it lacks some of the punch and charming enthusiasm of their innaugural LP, and I honestly don't think they were heading for world domination had it been released as originally planned. Whatever the case, Mark Stein unceremoniously disbanded Boomerang in 1973, taking something of a sabbathical from the music scene before resurfacing as a member of the Tommy Bolin Band. He was also a feature in some of the many reunions of Vanilla Fudge, including the most recent - and successful - one, that started in 1999 and is still going strong to this day. Of the other members, only Richard Ramirez (now signing as Rick Ramirez, perhaps to avoid any confusion with a certain serial killer, you see) kept plugging in, releasing records with bands such as Striker, Bruzer (where he was joined by drummer Vinnie Appice) and the Pamela Moore Band - none of those, unfortunately, attaining the level of adulation his guitar playing damn sure deserved.

In the years that followed Boomerang's demise, Mark Stein (though acknowledging the quality of some songs in particular) opted to dismiss the whole thing as little more than a period of experimentation, something he did to kept busy while trying to reassess his career after the great success - and sudden downfall - of Vanilla Fudge. I kinda can see where he's coming from, you know, but I politely beg to differ, as I think Boomerang were a great heavy rock band that could have really got somewhere under different circumstances. It's not only about the music, as we all know, and some stars must be aligned in order for a band to make it big, which simply wasn't the case around here. Still, I would be very proud of Boomerang's sole LP if I was in Stein's shoes, and those of you who enjoy some heavy music as it was done in the early 1970s should really take this one home if you ever see a copy of it coming your way.

Mark Stein (V/K), Jo Casmir (V/B), Richard Ramirez (G), James Galuzzi (D).

01. Juke It (Galuzzi, Stein, Ramirez)

02. Fisherman (Stein)

03. Hard Times (Galuzzi, Stein, Ramirez)

04. Mockingbird (I. Foxx, C. Foxx)

05. Cynthia Fever (Galuzzi, Stein, Ramirez, Brennen)

06. Brother's Coming Home (Stein)

07. The Peddler (Galuzzi, Stein, Ramirez)

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!