UFO
Strangers In The Night

The Ufo, one of the greatest bands of the "Hard Rock Era" after producing excellent works, notably the legendary "Phenomenon", decided to release what I personally consider their best record. A live album. One of the most explosive live albums in rock history.

It's 1979, and this "Strangers In The Night", which captures their best songs recorded at various concerts across the U.S.A., finally enshrined them in the genre's Olympus. This was also thanks to the technique of one of the greatest guitarists in history, the famous Michael Schenker. "Strangers in The Night" is a furious, incandescent, and pyrotechnic hard rock concentrate with spectacular and astonishing solos. A record that captivates the listener track after track without them even realizing it. The addition of Paul Raymond's keyboards only enhances the fantastic atmosphere present in the album. The songs, except for a few, are similar to those on their studio albums but have that typical ferocity of live performances from the era.

The album kicks off with one of their most captivating tracks, "Let It Roll", which advances wildly, making it impossible not to move your head to its chorus. Then it moves through sweet and atmospheric ballads ("Love To Love") and explosive rock and roll tracks whose riffs and solos resonate like bombs in the listener's head ("Natural Thing", "Only You Can Rock Me", "Out In The Street"), featuring certain choruses made for singing at the top of your lungs. It then progresses to the strong pieces after the irresistible and cadenced lashing of "This Kids". Following yet another interlude of banter with the audience from Mogg, the warm and agitated crowd (very lucky were those present there without knowing they'd be recorded on such an album) shouts at the first introductory notes of one of my favorite hard rock songs, "Doctor Doctor", which turns out more powerful, rough, and disorienting than the original, with Schenker stunning us with his dizzying solo. This is followed by another great track, a semi-ballad, the touching "I'm A Loser" with a devastating emotional impact, to use an understatement. It resumes at breakneck speed with a track of almost heavy metal power and impact, the compelling and sinister "Lights Out", another trademark of our favorites. Then there's the much-awaited "Rock Bottom" which stands among the album's peaks. This track is extended by a full three minutes compared to the version on "Phenomenon" thanks to the different intro and the much longer, fiery, and effervescent solo. The album concludes with another classic, the bluesy and fast, "Shoot Shoot".

After nearly 75 minutes of listening, you get the sense of having listened to one of the best live albums of the 70s, perfectly representing those years filled with powerful guitar riffs. With this work, the Ufo managed to carve out a place in the genre's history worthy of the most renowned names.

PHENOMENAL.