Customer Reviews

Lights Out

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this because it has been remasterd as well as 4 added 'live' tracks. This CD is worth the price just for the live version of the song 'Lights Out'!! It is the exact same performance of the video clip that`s on the UFO DVD 'Too Hot to Handle'--that live video clip gives you an visual and audio appreciation of how good UFO and Michael Schenker were live back in the late 70`s and it is a GREAT performance!! And the exact same audio clip that`s included on this CD is audibly even better--the overpowered Marshall amp that Michael Schenker is using will 'explode' thru your speakers and you will hear the subtle use of his 'wah wah' pedal during his first solo [which he absloutely 'rips'!!] as well as the following 'chorus' etc!! And most likely, once you hear it, you will use the 'repeat' function on your CD player!

So if you are a fan of UFO and a fan of Micheal Schenker then buy this CD as there are some great 'studio songs' on it that demonstrate the creativity and different styles of this talented band along with the addition of the 4 'live' tracks that gives you some great 'live' UFO!! And as I already wrote, the 'live' version of 'Lights Out' is 'blistering' esp. the 2 guitar solos by Schenker!

BTW 'You Tube' has the video clip of this live 'Lights Out' performance so check it out if you haven`t yet seen it as I feel it is Michael Schenker and UFO at their very best! Also it is part of the UFO DVD 'Too Hot to Handle' which is also a 'must own' to any UFO fan!

The UFO catalog has been put out on CD so many times. This is the 3rd time I've bought this album (LP, CD and now this remaster) but they finally got it right. It sounds great and the booklet has lots of great photos.

There are 4 great live bonus tracks from the Roundhouse, 1976. I have the "On With The Action" live CD that's also from the same venue, same year but none of the tracks overlap which is nice. Hopefully they'll put that show out in it's entirety (it has Schenker playing "Boogie For George").

Check out Mighty High...In Drug City

i still love this album 32 years after it,s release in 1977.the lights out line up was the best they ever had no disrespect to paul chapman,i liked the chapman era albums no place to run,wild willing and the innocent,..and some of mechanix.lights out is an enjoyable diverse collection of songs.my favorites are too hot to handle,electric phase,lights out,gettin ready and love to love!this line up of ufo created 2 more great albums,obsession and the excellent live strangers in the night!!i wish this line up had continued longer than it did.this album is a must for michael schenker fans and ufo fans!!!

I was looking forward to this , and although the bonus tracks are live at least two of them are songs we never heard live (release wise). Gettin' Ready is probably my favorite song on the album , next to Just Another Suicide. So it is a treat to hear it live . I never have been able to see them live ( I was only Seven when lights out was released). If EMI
decides to release the "Paul Chapman" era albums as well , I will definitely purchase them.

The remaster rocks!! The bonus stuff rolls!! It's like listening to this stuff for the first time again only better because you know something great is waiting for you.

After announcing their debut album Phenomenon with sprints of heavy and light guitar metal, putting it all together for one seminal album with Force It and then slightly running dry with No Heavy Petting which was still a good record anyway, UFO, in 1977, say goodbye to keyboardist Danny Peyronel and entered both keyboardist/guitarist Paul Raymond to the mix. Teaming up with producer Ron Nevison most famous for his works with commercial rock, they created UFO's in studio album classic - Lights Out. Opening up with boogie anthem Too Hot To Handle which is one of te only songs along with (on occasion) the title track here, Doctor Doctor and Rock Bottom you're able to hear on radio the song is what UFO is all about and what made them great. A fericious piece of party metal it is probably one of their best songs. UFO were always known for restraint and slight hints of diversity here and there but on no other occasion do they so than on this album. Just Another Suicide with it's orchestral and acoustic layering makes for another star song shows a huge leap of growht in writing. Try Me is an interesting ballad one that doenst quite sit alongside Out In The Street, Crystal Light, Belladona and the undiscovered gem Time On My Hands but it's still not a weak track. Lights Out returns the album to top notch form, spewing out another high voltage piece of amplified rock. Schenker dishes out truely one of his most accomplished solos in this song and the live version appearing on Strangers further extends it in parts making it awe inspiring indeed. Getting Ready is a great more laid back track that doesnt take any momentum away as does Electric Phase another rarely mentioned nugget in the catalogue. One of the most interesting point of notes about this release is their cover of seminal yet also underlooked late 60's outfit Love's masterpiece Alone Again Or which opened their highly acclaimed yet undersold timeless album Forever Changes. It's an odd cover to say the least but in the end it's great knowing someone was listening to the very underrated Frisco band. The record closes with one UFO's first real dives into epic balladry: Love To Love. Where UFO's ballads were cool, mellow chunks of 70's breath catchers, they were melodic and punctuated by Schenker's mindblowing guitar harmonies, yet this song is one of the few UFO songs where you really notice how incredibly beneficial the keyboards is. They add a total depth to this track that makes it an astounding performance with flourshing lyrics from Phil Moog. The song, like all former UFO tracks done on the 1979 live Strangers In The Night, takes on a life of it's own. So while the previous 3 outings offer plenty of great and rare 70's metal and ballads the prodction while...raw...is never a bad thing...Nevison finds a way to make this album sound brilliant without commercial. Though UFO's ultimate place in rock is their live album this is a close second.

I was so impressed with the recent Remaster of Obsession that I decided to replace the old Lights Out CD with this release. The sound quality is improved, but the extra tracks and extensive liner notes are what make this an absolute steal for the price. There are but a handful of times I felt justified in "making the upgrade" but in this case I wholeheartedly recommend doing so.

Lights Out is the 1st of 3 albums (Light's Out, Obsession, and 1995's Walk on Water) recorded by what is considered the classic lineup of UFO with vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Michael Schenker, bassist Peter Way, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Paul Raymond, and drummer Andy Parker. The new comer then was Paul Raymond who replaced keyboardist Danny Peyronel. Raymond's proficiency at both guitar and keyboards added versatility to the sound of UFO.

Light's Out has a lighter and more progressive rock sound than its predecessors (Force It, No Heavy Petting) and successor (Obsession) of the 1st Schenker era. The title track is the only one that can be called heavy metal. Most of the songs are more of the arena rock genre that was popular in the day. There is no new unreleased material for the bonus tracks on this album. The bonus tracks are four live versions of the tracks on this album.

On the plus side .. UFO was very under-rated during their peak years (mostly due to poor support/publicity from their producers and label) but anyone that ever gave them a chance was happy that they did, This is an awesome album from start to finish - every song! And the remastered versions sound great. (and to think I orignally purchased this on 8-track when it came out!)
If I were to have anything even remotely negative (and I use that term loosely) .. while the bonus/live tracks are nice to have/hear, I think they could have been better if UFO had been a little more creative with them for a live concert version as opposed to being very similar to the originals. The members of UFO were so talented that they could have really spiced things up had they mixed it up a little for the crowd - opportunity missed.
All in all .. you cannot go wrong with this album!!!

This is in my opinion the best UFO record made, if you like these guys you have to have this one in your collection, every song is good