UFO - Only You Can Rock Me

For well over a decade I have been listening to UFO’s greatest hits, and in that time my favorite song of theirs has always been “Only You Can Rock Me.” The version of “Only You Can Rock Me” on the version of my copy of UFO’s greatest hits, is a live version, a very good live version. It was not until some time, very recently when I picked up a copy of “Obsession” (1978) that I finally heard the studio version of “Only You Can Rock Me.” It must have been close to fifteen years I have been listening to that live version, and only after listening to “Obsession” did I fully realize the truth, that I had never heard the studio version before. It was beautiful. As good as that live version is, there is something about the refinement of a well written song being properly recorded in high quality. It was a tranquil moment for me.

UFO was founded by Phil Mogg, who has functioned as the lead singer, primary song writer, and sole consistent member of the band. Like other legacy bands that would not yield to time Mogg has kept the dream alive despite numerous line of changes and two two-year hiatuses. To date UFO has released twenty-two studio albums, that is a serious commitment by Mogg and worthy of respect, I have listened to several, but nowhere near all of them.

My introduction to UFO had a winding path to it, which starts with the Scorpions.

Everyone knows who Rudolf Schenker is; at least everyone should know who Rudolf Schenker is. He is guitarist and founding member of the Scorpions along with lead singer Klaus Meine. Not everyone is as familiar with Rudolf’s younger brother Michael.

Michael Schenker worked with his big brother on the first two Scorpions’ albums “Lonesome Crow” (1972) and “Fly to the Rainbow” (1974), but after that he wished to branch out, concerned he would end up living in his brother’s shadow. Rudolf, being a great guy, at least from what I know of him, was very supportive of Michael going his own way. Michael would return to the Scorpions briefly in 1979 to work on the album “Lovedrive” this is one of the few Scorpion albums I do not know very much about, so I will have to look into that soon, as I am surprised to learn Michael returned at all.

Michael Schenker’s first stop after leaving the Scorpions was to join up with UFO. It is these albums that include Michael that I am most familiar with. It is these albums that UFO is most famous for. In total Micheal Schenker was involved in eight UFO albums over the course of two tenures, the first five, the ones I know, from 1974 to 1978, and three later from 1995 to 2002, I am not familiar with those.

After his first stint with UFO Michael would end up working on his quasi solo band Michael Schenker Group (MSG), however his work with UFO is what he is best known for.

There is something of a cult following for Michael. His popularity has maintained itself over time, but like most people, I really only know him for those early UFO albums, and a little bit because of those early Scorpions albums. I often feel bad typing out something like that, like I should know better, but there is a reason why most of us only know that part of his work, that reason is that it is really good. I feel even worse going on about Michael when Phil Mogg is the true leader of UFO and probably deserves more attention and praise.

“Obsession” would be the last album Michael worked on with UFO, before his temporary later return, and in recent listens it has been the one I have given the most attention. As stated “Only You Can Rock Me” is my favorite UFO song, and it being the first track on this album, makes “Obsession” a good candidate for my favorite UFO album.

There is an interesting game of steps of separation that exists in classic rock that can lead us to somewhat forgotten gems. The Scorpions are huge and likely to be remembered forever, and with that guitarist Rudolf Schenker will be immortalized, but his brother, less successfully but similar to talent, will the advantage of being remembered by association and then for his great work. UFO, a band clearly worthy of compliment gets recalled because of Michael, and Phil Mogg gets noticed as the workforce singer and song writer he is. That is how this discovery happened to me, and it only encourages me to dig deeper.

I am filled with questions, like what was UFO like before and after Michael Schenker? How good is MSG? And hey, Graham Bonnet was the lead singer on the album “Assault Attack” and I just a review explaining how his band Alcatrazz was a primarily forgotten classis. Another degree of separation with a similar story.

Writing reviews like this are challenging, because there is some much I am still discovering, but it is also a major source of enjoyment in my live. UFO, five good albums that I know, “Only You Can Rock Me” is really great, I could have just said that for now, but I cannot because there is so much more to take in, and I look forward to it.

Oh, and by the way, “Only You Can Rock Me” is really good. So, good I am willing to ramble on about a band I do not know very much about, just to share with the world how good of a song it is. Phil Mogg sings not only well but at a pace where he nearly overlaps himself, and I do not know if a recording trick is being used or not, because that live version I am so deeply familiar with he creates the same affect. Michael has a great, but short solo, and all in all it is a quick punchy song. A straight forward, high quality rock song, exactly the sort of thing I love.

Until next month, keep on rocking in the free world.

- King of Braves

Alcatrazz - Island In The Sun

Graham Bonnet has had a very interesting music career. I do not very much about Bonnet’s early work, but as I understand it, he was initially an R&B singer, this revelation struck me as odd, because it clashes with I know of the man. Bonnet had a radical turn around in his music career when he was recruited by Ritchie Blackmore to be part of Rainbow; and this is how I know who Bonnet is. However, for reasons unknown to me Blackmore wanted to move on without Bonnet, but once Bonnet had a taste of rock and roll he wanted more. Thus, he created Alcatrazz, his own rock band.

The initial lineup of Alcatrazz included highly talented Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. This is important to note, because Malmsteen is something of a god to some. Many metal elitists consider Malmsteen one of the greatest guitarist of all time, which is likely directly related to the fact that most people have never heard of him. I find Malmsteen to be a bit too much, from what little I have heard of his solo work he has tremendous raw talent but lacks discipline; but to be fair to the man, I should reiterate, that I have only scratched the surface of his music arsenal. The point is Alcatrazz had a young Malmsteen, before his ego made him difficult to work with, perhaps at his rawest, perhaps at his best.

So, it is 1983 and the stage is set for a new powerhouse rock band to hit the scene, and Alcatrazz gives us their best album “No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

“No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll” is one of those forgotten relics. It was a successful album insofar that it was positively received at the time and sold reasonable well, but it was never a big hit and time has dwindled its notoriety. However, a cult following has remained and there are those who remember Alcatrazz fondly, and rightfully so. While Alcatrazz has other albums, it is the common consensus that this first album is their best.

This is a common story that music critics like me like to tell. An album most people have never heard of by a band just as few are familiar with is tragically forgotten and goes on as grossly underappreciated. “No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a very good album and the opening track “Island in the Sun” is a fantastic song, and no one I know knows about it, so by default it is grossly underappreciated.

For their debut single “Island in the Sun” Alcatrazz really leaned in to the whole “Alcatraz” theme. The song “Island in the Sun” is on the surface is a song about wealthy poets exiled to an island prison. The music video is shot at the island prison for which the band is named after, Alcatraz, and depicts the incarceration of the band and their dreams and effort to escape, to an island in the sun. Even the album name relates to the prison them. I suspect something more is going on in Bonnet’s words, but I have not been able to figure it out yet. Maybe it is a critique about the music industry and how it “imprisons” its own creators? That may be a reach.

More importantly, is the combination of Bonnet’s voice and Malmsteen’s guitar. I do not know what notes Bonnet is even hitting or how he is doing it, or how he is capable of holding them so long is beyond my talents or knowledge. For a self trained singer, Bonnet is equal parts talented and unique. Meanwhile Malmsteen shows off all the reasons he has a religious like following. His solo is the highlight of what is an otherwise already fantastic song.

I like “No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll,” it is a good album from start to finish, but if I am to be perfectly honest, only the first track gets replayed repeatedly on my playlist. I have heard the other two albums of Alcatrazz and they are solid, but the only album of theirs I made the effort to track down and purchase is the first, “No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

Bonnet would go on to be in many other bands and have a respectable solo career, all of which are rock and roll based, or I think so anyway. He had this long career of hard work and varied success, and the peak of his popularity is forever linked to Alcatrazz and it’s debut album.

Malmsteen would go on to act dysfunctional in a number of other bands but his raw talent would see him through to a successful solo career where he is now worshiped. We have Alcatraz to thank for bringing him to the front of things and certainty to the front of my own attention.

For these reasons alone “No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll” is worthy of remembrance, but the greater reason is the quality music within, espically “Island in the Sun.”

- King of Braves