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UFO: The Best of a Decade

Melodic Hard Rock

4.0/5.0

SPV/Steamhammer
www.ufo-music.info
www.spv.de
Review: Craig Hartranft,  08.02.2010

So many transitions. UFO has been there. Do you wish for the classic UFO line-up circa late 70's or something with Michael Schenker? Or maybe the Nineties redux with the same? Or maybe your first experience is with Phil Mogg and guitar hero Vinnie Moore in the 21st century. Well, The Best of the Decade is the latter.

This is the current UFO: heavy on blues rock with tons of melody and hooks. Is this representative arena rock that made them famous more than 25 years ago? Longtime fans stay steady. Not entirely. The Best of the Decade is the best of UFO in the last ten years, and it’s a perfect picture of this great band in this day. And, yes, Baby Blue is included! But also the terrific Daylight Goes to Town, Hard Being Me, and Mr. Freeze.

While this is a fine representation of current UFO, I think it could have been better. Two CDs should have been offered. The first should have been a greatest hits of the last 10 years from the studio. The second disc could have been a live set that includes both the best from the last decade but also those seminal songs for which UFO is famous. This would have been better than mixing the live numbers in with the studio pieces, as the disc now stands.

But this would have been only a bit problematic since the focus is on the Mogg/Moore era. Remember there are only three albums in the past decade sans Schenker. So there's nothing from Sharks or Covenant here. It makes sense that they would throw in some live chops, and I'm assuming they must be from the live CD/DVD Showtime, to round things out. So then this compilation is more like 'the best of 60 percent of a decade'. Also noteworthy is the fact that Pete Way is missing from the cover shot and the album credits (or at least in the promo material I received).

Nevertheless, this is classic and current UFO. I dig it and so should you, especially if you’re a fan.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

The Best of the Decade is the best of UFO in the last ten years, and it’s a perfect picture of this great band in this day. Recommended.

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