One of UFO's Most Overlooked Albums!
Chappa | Olympus Mons, Mars | 07/12/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The year 1983 marked the end of an era for the band as singer Phil Mogg decided it was time for a rest so UFO was put on hold. Some time later in mid 1985 Mogg would resurrect the group one more time with a new line-up although keyboards/rhythm guitar player Paul Raymond who had first joined the group back in July '76 making his studio debut on 1977's "Lights Out" would return briefly to record the come back album "Misdemeanor" (released in late '85 in UK/early '86 in the US). Meanwhile as the 1982 Mechanix tour drew to a close, founding member Pete Way (bass) decided to leave but the band carried on without a replacement for the "Making Contact" recording sessions which happened between August and December of 1982 using three different studios in London with the four remaining members: Phil Mogg (vocals), Paul Chapman (lead/rhythm guitar - also took over bass duties), Neil Carter (keyboards/rhythm guitar/backing vocals) and Andy Parker (drums). Mick Glossop was chosen to handle production duties not Gary Lyons as the back cover says, that must have been a printing error.
The first thing to point out is that the absence of Way (always an integral part of the songwriting process) left a gap but here a great new songwriting team emerged: the Mogg/Carter formula! Carter provided a lot of excellent ideas while this time Chapman only co-wrote three songs.
The guys from UFO like to start their albums in pure hard rock fashion and "Blinded By A Lie" (Mogg/Carter) is no exception! Chapman came up with a mean staccato riff for the chorus. The song also showcases a slightly new direction featured throughout the LP with Carter's keyboard work being much more prominent in the mix. Chapman plays one of his best ever solos in the middle. His soloing technique developed a lot during his four year stint with the band and at this point he was still growing as a lead guitarist incorporating some two-handed tapping and fast descending four point layovers (recalling the soloing technique of Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth) which give the solo a neo-classical feel. Not quite like Randy Rhoads but close!
"Diesel In The Dust" (Mogg/Carter) is taken at a slightly slower pace but the riffing and the singing make the song memorable. There's a bit of dual bass drumming from Parker in the middle! Track number three "A Fool For Love" (not to be confused with the similarly titled song "A Fool IN Love" from the "No Heavy Petting" album!), also written by the awesome Mogg/Carter partnership shows the band's more pop based sound. The intro with Mogg singing only to some electric guitar arpeggios gives the song a slight alternative rock feel. The chorus is really catchy and there's also an excellent melodic solo from Chapman. Before the fade out, Carter added some background vocals that enhance the chorus considerably!
An atmospheric ballad titled "You And Me" follows. It's one of the band's best! Carter completely dominates here using a string-synth set up with Chapman showing up for the solo. Mogg gave a stellar vocal performance! The last note goes straight into the anthemic "When It's Time To Rock" (Chapman/Mogg) which became a minor radio hit at the time and it's the album's longest song clocking at about five minutes and a half. Chapman originally intended this tune to reach the magnitude of the classic "Rock Bottom" however, the final product came out rather different but still great! The chorus is the most memorable aspect here but towards the end Chapman plays some smoking leads while he also contributed an harmonized lead guitar line in the middle.
The rest of the album follows in a similar fashion with high quality songwriting throughout. One of my favorites is the poppy hard rock of "Call My Mane" with yet another brilliant vocal performance from Mogg. Other interesting moments come in "The Way The Wild Wind Blows" where Carter provides a bagpipe like synth texture in the chorus plus an infectious fast riff on the verses, the moody intro arpeggios in "No Getaway"; Chapman's third and final songwriting contribution to the LP, and the fast-paced three-minute closing composition "Push, It's Love" featuring some notable bass lines from Chapman.
Bonus Tracks:
"Everybody Knows" (Chapman/Mogg) - This is a gem! Originally released on the b-side of the "When It's Time To Rock" single. It is a catchy pop/hard rock number with fine band interplay plus the usual cool vocals from Mogg!
The live takes of "Blinded By A Lie" (recorded on March 25, 1983 at Oxford) and "When It's Time To Rock" (recorded on March 26, 1983 at Birmingham Odeon) feature bass player Paul Gray (who would also play on the 1986 comeback album "Misdemeanor" as well as the 1988 EP "Ain't Misbehaving") and they sound pretty good but I thought the studio takes were superior. Still they are worthy additions to the LP.
In my opinion "Making Contact" is one of the band's most underrated albums that I think more people should hear!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later..."
Great hard rock from a classic band.
Michael P. Dobey | colorado springs | 09/04/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Ufo is one of the greatest and most influential hard rock bands of all time. Their output from 1972-1983 was impressive and important.
At this point they were about ready to take a break. And this was the last of the great period for them until michael schenker returned in 1995 and "walk on water" came out. Every release since then has been excellent as well. But "making contact" was at the end of the first great period. There are some classic tracks mixed with some good tracks. This doesn't really have really weak songs on it unlike the next three studio releases: "misdemeanor", the ep 'ain't misbehavin" and 'high stakes and dangerous men" which had some good songs on them but no real classics like 'diesel in the dust" or 'when it's time to rock" or 'blinded by a lie" which are on this cd. The ballads too are better than on the next three releases too. As a UFO fan I wasn't unhappy with this release when it hit the racks back in the 1980's. But the next three while I enjoyed them they just weren't up to this level even.
And for good reason this is a good cd with great music on it. To me it's not as good as everything from 1972-1982 though but it's still a great disc to own and listen to. The bonus tracks on this edition add to the enjoyment as well. By any standards this is good disc with some classic songs and it's well worth owning. It's alot better than what was to follow until 1995. Not counting live discs.
"
UFO, Making Contact
Mark F. Smith | Scottsdale, Arizona, USA | 08/12/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album simply rocks out. If you like straight forward hard rocking, British rock from the 70's/80's you can't go wrong with this masterpiece from the ledgendary British hard rock group UFO. The lead guitar work alone is non-stop in your face and blend that with Phil Mogg's awesome smooth (not raspy) rock voice and you've got an album that's sure to please all the British hard rock fans of the 70's/80's. If you get a chance to see them live,..don't pass it up,..they are amazing."
