UFO? Gee, the last thing I even remotely liked by these guys was "The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent" (1981). The few snippets I heard from later albums like "Mechanix" (1982), "Making Contact" (1983) and "Misdemeanor" (1985) failed to entertain me. To me UFO was a relic from the past. A cherished relic, but a relic nonetheless.

Now their latest record "You Are Here" has arrived, and what do you know. Not only have Phil Mogg and Pete Way recruited some ‘young' talent with Jason "Son of John" Bonham and Mike Varney shredmeister Vinnie Moore, this album also marks the return of their old pal Paul Raymond. It starts with "When Daylight Goes to Town", a blistering mid-tempo rocker that brings to mind the classic UFO sound we know from great albums like "Force It"(1975) and "Obsession" (1978). Phil Mogg's voice has taken on a bluesier edge reminiscent of Paul Rodgers and David Coverdale. The rest of the album is a bit of a mixed bag.

Rockers like "Black Cold Coffee" and "Give It Up" are nice and heavy but somewhat lacking in the songwriting department. And a semi-ballad like "Slipping Away" strays uncomfortably close to cheese territory. Hey, these are the guys who wrote classics like "Only You Can Rock Me", "Ain't No Baby" and "Doctor, Doctor". I can't help having high expectations.

UFO's at it best when they're in epic mode, such as in the brilliant "Spark That Is Us" and the three album closers "Jello Man", "Baby Blue" and "Swallow". This is the UFO I like to hear; soaring melodic hard rock with lots of dramatics. And although I'm not a fan of the guitar gymnastics on his regular solo albums Vinnie Moore proves to be a worthy addition as well. The few times he actually lets loose on tracks like "Wild One" and "Mr. Freeze" are actually quite enjoyable. I'll probably be stepping on a few toes here but Michael Schenker's not missed at all.

"You Are Here" is not entirely successful and personally I doubt UFO will ever release something as great as "Strangers In The Night" (1979) again, but at least it's good enough for me to say they've managed to postpone their expiration date a bit

- Van Hoften

OFFICIAL SITE: www.ufo-music.info

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