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The Monkey Puzzle
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SORRY... NOT ONE OF THEIR BETTER EFFORTS
Review date: 2008-09-09 Rating: 6 out of 10
Like most fans - been there with UFO worn the t shirt etc.
Perhpas they are pushing it beyond their sell by date, as this album doesn't work for me.
Firstly Phil's vocals, it's only when you listen intently you can recognise it's really him, his voice is just going,going gone. Sad I know but after all these years, it's just not up to scratch. It's growling in parts.
Secondly, the song quality is way short of more recent (last 10 years) albums. There just sounds like too many fillers here. They miss Schenkers writing, as when Mogg/Schenker write siongs they really know how to do them.
So, look it's not a bad album but way down the ranking compared to the others.
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Reviews
UFO - but nowhere near as we know it
Review date: 2007-12-01 Rating: 2 out of 10
A huge disapointment.
Been into UFO since early 70's and have everything they've ever released. But this is dreadful. UFO songs were always tuneful, well crafted, and tuneful again. In contrast, most of the songs on here are tuneless, not well crafted at all, and tuneless. An example is "Hard Bein Me" - as tuneless as tuneless gets. It must have taken a few seconds to write. A whole load of nuthin.
Like many, I love albums like Force It, Lights Out, Obsession, SITN, and Walk On Water. I also like much of the Chapman era stuff, and Now You Are Here with Moore was superb as well. Not forgetting the early pre-Schenker stuff with Mick Bolton who was also superb in an entirely different way to the mercurial magical genius Schenker.
I rate Vinnie Moore very highly as a guitarist. But he seems to go through the motions here. On the "Now You Are Here" album he contributed loads of memorable tuneful passages. But on this album it is 'going through the motions tuneless rubbish'.
Phil does alright for his age, but the sands of time are catching up with him on a number of places on this album.
The album seems to have been hurriedly put together. The tunes and the craftsmanship have gone. Except for the occasional glimmer. "Black and Blue" is more like the old ctachy tunes UFO. And also "Who's Follin Who" is ok. And that's it. The rest is pure tuneless rubbish.
What a shame.
An Extraordinary Album
Review date: 2007-05-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is a superb album and probably the best studio offering since the seminal The Wild, Willing and The Innocent. Having struggled with the second Schenker era, and owning but not really loving Covenant and Sharks, the arrival of Vinnie Moore has made this group into a fantastic collection of musicians. It's hard to believe that Mogg is now almost 60. His voice seems to get better with age and his phrasing on this album, mixed with his whisky induced new gravely voice, is an absoutle joy. Mr Parker back on drums (following Jason's understanable promotion to Foreigner) has almost brought back the classic Strangers line up. However, the real jewell in the crown is Vinnie Moore. What a guitarist, what a songwriter. This boy has got it all. If you know what you're talking about on the guitar side (ie if you play yourself to a reasonable standard), then you will understand exactly what I am talking. His sweep arpeggios are amazing, not overused, and always within the context of a more conventionally constructed solo. Best track on the album is the absolute classic Black and Blue. I would love to see that done live. But then there are fantastic pieces all the way through. Kingston Town, the album closer is incredibly well connstructed - two songs in one really. The ballads are reminisent of the No Place to Run Era, and the opener Hard Being Me is a storming bluesly based crunch fest with some lovely pentatonic soling. Mogg's lyrics never cease to amaze me. When he really makes the effort, as he has on this one, he goes from serious love songs (Drink to Much) to hilarious lines such as "I've got a woman with the magic touch - she's half crazy, she's half dutch". Brilliant. Just buy the album.
Got The Monkey Off My Back
Review date: 2007-02-09 Rating: 10 out of 10
I can't understand why anyone would consider this album a regression from "You Are Here". I think this is a fabulous album much better than "You Are Here" and their best since "Walk on Water". The material is very strong and fresh with a definite bluesy feel. Just check out "Hard Being Me", "Down by the River", "World Cruise" and "Some Other Guy" (personally I would have preferred a harmonica solo rather than Vinnie's first guitar solo on the latter). All the tracks are really good and earthy, from the heavy guitar sound of "Heavenly Body" to the more conventional UFO ballad style numbers like "Who's Fooling Who" and "Drink too Much". In fact I like all the songs with perhaps the weakest "Kingston Town" still palatable.
I saw them live in Nov '06 and although the gig was great I was disappointed they only played "Drink too Much" from this album. I would much prefer them to play this new material and dispense with some of the older tunes unless Vinnie starts playing the solo's a little more accurately.
I have to admit that I am really comfortable with this line up and the rock `n' roll craftsmanship produced on this album. I am playing this all the time in the car so "out with the old and in with the new" so to speak. As a kid I was one of the die hards where anything produced without Michael Schenker on lead just wasn't UFO. Whilst that was still my favourite era I don't under estimate the brilliance of Phil Mogg and Pete Way anymore which is still alive and kicking. Now much wiser and wrinklier than these two I have finally got the monkey off my back!
It's UFO but not as I know it..........!!!!!!
Review date: 2006-11-10 Rating: 6 out of 10
Let me start by putting this review in perspective. I have just arrived back from a four day trip to Scotland - one thousand miles round trip, a total of about fifteen hours driving. I took ONLY one cd with me "The Monkey Puzzle", bought the day before my trip on the back of the storming reviews on Amazon.
I have followed UFO for the last quarter of a century ever since the Tommy Vance friday night rock show playing of SITN. They were the first band I saw live and I have seem them blow every other band away. I have also almost cried as Phil forgot words and (more recently) when Mr Schenker struggled to hit the right notes on his flying V. If you saw the gig at Manchester, trust me, you will know how bad it was.
Saying that I rate Phil as one of the best (unsung) songwriters of the last twenty five years. I have bought just about everything they have made and Phil and Pete have always been the glue that bound the band together.
After buying this album on the back of the reviews on this site I spent ages trying to work out why it just wasn't doing it for me. I played this cd back to back hour after hour and am still not exactly sure why I believe that it is not as great as everyone else seems to think - although I have some ideas.
Firstly, I can only describe some of the songs as "light weight" or even "soft". I am not sure whether this is down to over production, the way the songs have been mixed or the fact that when you look at the credits, they were all recorded seperately. For me UFO have always worked at their best when playing as a band,with lead and rythym guitar - I still rate the partnership between Tonka, Paul and Neil Carter (where are you now)? On this album the rythym guitar seems to be way back in the mix (overshadowed sometimes by the keybords)resulting in my humble opinion in a lack of power.
"Hard Being Me" is a great intro to the album and the nearest song to a rocker as I can find on this cd. It is typical UFO and works really well. Then the change happens. "Heavenly Body" has one of the heaviest guitar riffs on the album but I find the verse and chorus difficult to separate. Good solo and here you can hear the solo backed up by another guitar. If you need the first really good example of what I mean with the guitars listen to the first part of Vinnie's solo on "Some Other Guy". The only thing backing it up is Pete on the bass - then listen to the change in feeling when the rythym guitar kicks in. Miles better." Who's Fooling Who" has a great intro which builds and when the first verse starts it actually sent shivers down my spine - there's real tension there. Then the whole feeling of the song changes with a really light weight chorus!" Black & Blue" is another of the songs that seems to start well and then becomes repetitive and the ending just seems down right strange - it just drifts until Phil finishes with "my baby's in flight"."Drink to Much" and "Goodbye You", well, I have never been a big ballad fan but I just skip these tracks."World Cruise" again starts very promisingly but again the verse and riff just seem very soft and needs turning up to 11. "Rolling Man" reminds me of "When Daylight Goes to Town" from "You are Here" but again just drifts and gets a little repetitive with "come on, come on". Finally, Kingston Town" again starts with a really good lick, good verse and then the chorus goes all light weight and spoils it...!
I really wanted to enjoy this album especially as I bought it on the back of the reviews on this site. Whilst not brilliant it still has enough UFO to get me to play it. But, it is not as good as "You Are Here".
There is no doubting the talent and experience within the band but this album could be so much more that it is. It will be interesting to see the tracks performed live........!
Product Details/Specifications
Artist(s):
UFO
Recording label: Spv
Manufacturer: Spv
EAN: 0693723977928
Binding: Audio CD
Release date: 2006-09-25
Universal product code (UPC): 693723977928
Number of discs: 1
Disc 1 Tracks:
1. Hard Being Me
2. Black And Blue
3. Heavenly Body
4. Some Other Guy
5. Who's Fooling Who
6. Drink Too Much
7. Down By The River
8. Rolling Man
9. World Cruise
10. Kingston Town
11. Good Buy You
Publishers: Spv