Phenomenon [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: UFO
Engineer: Mike Bobak; Mike Bobak
Producer: Leo Lyons; Dave Edmunds; Jeff Griffin; Leo Lyons
Distributor: Caroline Distribution

Notes: UFO: Phil Mogg (vocals); Michael Schenker (guitar); Pete Way (bass); Andy Parker (drums). Recorded at Morgan Studios, London, England. Personnel: Phil Mogg (vocals); Michael Schenker (guitar). Audio Mixer: Peter Mew. Audio Remasterer: Peter Mew. Liner Note Author: Neil Jeffries. Recording information: Morgan Studios, North London, England; The Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England. Photographer: Hipgnosis [Design Group]. Up until their 1974 album, PHENOMENON, England's UFO had issued several albums that did little to expand their cult fan base at home, let alone worldwide. But through an early-'70s tour with German metallists the Scorpions, they finally found the missing piece to the puzzle--guitar wizard Michael Schenker. UFO convinced Schenker to leave the Scorpions (which wasn't an easy task, since his older brother Rudolf was a member), and their '74 release sounds like a band reborn. Schenker's stellar playing seems to have lit a fire under the compositions, many of which rank amongst UFO's all-time best--namely the soon-to-be live show-stoppers "Doctor Doctor," and "Rock Bottom" (as evidenced on UFO's classic STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT live set). PHENOMENON set the stage perfectly for such future hit UFO releases as LIGHTS OUT and OBSESSION. Guitarist Michael Schenker's impact upon UFO's career cannot be overestimated. Before the German teenager's arrival (he was only 19 when he jumped ship from the Scorpions), the British rockers' early albums of half-baked space rock had been completely ignored everywhere but Japan. But with Schenker on board, the group's sound would receive a well-needed attitude injection, veering toward the Anglo-hard rock style that would make them famous. That is not to say that their first collaboration, Phenomenon, was an instant home run. Quite the contrary, as the band seemed a tad wary of giving Schenker's more aggressive style complete freedom to roam, reining in the budding guitar hero just enough to stunt the impact of promising rockers like "Oh My and "Too Young to Know." Likewise, "Time on My Hands" and "Crystal Light" are bogged down in excessive acoustic guitars, while "Space Child" shows glimpses of their failed space rock past. And one need only look at standout track "Doctor Doctor" for further proof of the group's uncertainties. Later a mandatory concert staple, and still beloved as one of the fans favorite songs, the original version featured here doesn't even have what you'd call finished lyrics, and packs none of the fire eventually immortalized by the absolute monster performance captured on 1979's Strangers in the Night. In fact, the only moment in which Phenomenon truly ignites is during the positively scorching "Rock Bottom," already a Schenker tour de force even here. Ultimately, Phenomenon amply manages to hold its own, but only hints at what was still to come. [The 2007 reissue adds a non-LP single ("Give Her the Gun"/"Sweet Little Thing"), a previously unreleased track ("Sixteen"), a live version of "Doctor, Doctor" and two demos produced by Dave Edmunds.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Q (3/95, p.122) - 3 Stars - Good - "...The mix gives Mogg the limelight with Schenker riding free on a barrage of thrusting salvos....[PHENOMENON] cut[s] a fine, upbeat swagger, central to everything that was anathema to the arrival of punk rock..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.121) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Schenker was a new, modern guitar hero whose crunching riffs and clean solos reinvented UFO as a cutting-edge hard rock act." Record Collector (magazine) (p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 -- [C]atchy, riff-laden rockers topped off with Phil Mogg's bluesy howl and Schenker's searing guitar wizardry."

UFO were a British hard rock band who, during the course of their long career, dabbled in blues rock, space rock, metal, and AOR. The band is often cited as a key influence on the NWOBHM. Formed in 1969, UFO pirated away a young Michael Schenker from the Scorpions. The then-fledgling guitar hero graced some of the band's most well-regarded albums, and is credited with helping UFO define their signature sound, before rejoining the Scorpions in the late '70s. The '80s were not kind to UFO, though the band's classic line-up (including Schenker) did re-form for an album and shows in the mid '90s.

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