UFO

Covenant

THIS CD IS BETTER THAN WALK ON WATER!

Review Score:

(8/10)
I've had some good laughs this week reading the ridiculous 'negative' reviews here about 'Covenant' and all this garbage about how much worse it is than 'Walk on water' and 'one of the worst UFO CDs. YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING, RIGHT? I've got news for you. 'Walk on water' is the most OVERRATED UFO album of all time! Just because it was the 'reunion' everyone has to hold it up as some kind of masterpiece. Sorry, 'Obsession' was a masterpiece, not 'WOW'. Let's not throw that 'masterpiece' word around so liberally. 'Walk on water' had its moments, but seriously, 'Covenant' is so much better in so many ways I can't even begin to compare the two. Ron Nevison's production on 'WOW' was way too clean and polished for this band.

I've been a UFO fan since 1977, a guitarist since 1972, and for all these yahoos to smite 'Covenant' as 'lame' indicates a serious lack of musical sensibilities. I listened to 'WOW' a half dozen times and filed it away as UFO 'lite'. 'Covenant' makes my playlist on a regular basis, (even more than the new one 'Sharks', which also gets better reviews than 'Covenant') not only for the great songs, riffs, hooks, and Schenker's usual exemplary 'solo' output, but for the fact this CD seriously grows on you and reveals nuances with each playing. Every song is great, unlike "WOW" which had maybe 3 really outstanding cuts. I think a lot of people didn't give 'Covenant' a chance. And negatively comparing Ansyley Dunbar to Andy Parker is just absurd. They're both good, both have their own style. But the fact is Dunbar is still great, but Parker's days are long over. Andy Parker's drums on 'WOW' were simple. Why? Because he's out of practice. The guy has been a businessman since he split from UFO in 1983! You don't play, you lose the chops. He did a serviceable job on 'WOW', that's all, but nothing like the creativity on 'force it' and the early albums. And the absence of Paul Raymond on 'Covenant' is a good thing in my book. UFO started out as a 4 piece without keyboards and they never lacked because of it. This isn't a keyboard band - it's a guitar band.

I do agree that the inclusion of the live CD is a joke, because we all have heard a million live versions of these same songs for the last 20 years. I almost wish UFO would ban their old catalogue for a few years, it's so overplayed. Or at least play all those other great songs like 'Love lost love' and 'Highway lady' for a change. I mean it's not like they couldn't completely replace their present live set. They've got enough quality material to play 5 fresh sets. I think Phil Mogg should join MSG and then go on tour. Now that would be a show we haven't seen. I would love to hear the old MSG catalogue sung by Phil. But I digress.

Buy 'Covenant', take some time to 'listen' to it, and ignore the buffoons who slam it. These people are not UFO fans. Sure, UFO's best days are behind them, because not even MSG in its prime could match albums like 'Lights out', 'Force it', or 'Obsession'. (I'm not mentioning 'Strangers in the night' as a classic because it's a LIVE album simply comprised of songs from their PREVIOUS CLASSIC albums. Everyone always talks about 'Stranger's as some kind of pinnacle. Hello??? It's a LIVE album with not even one new song on it! And each song on it is almost exactly the same as the studio version, down to every solo, except for maybe 3 songs.)

Comparing 1995-2002 UFO to 'classic 70's' UFO is like comparing anything the Stones have done in the last 30 years to 'Beggers banquet', 'Let it bleed', 'Sticky fingers' and 'Exile on main street'. It's impossible. Every band has their peak. UFO peaked in 1978, but they still have more than enough left over to compete with the lameass bands of 2002.

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