Customer Reviews

Monkey Puzzle

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't understand why anyone would consider this album a regression from "You Are Here". I think this is a fabulous album much better than "You Are Here" and their best since "Walk on Water". The material is very strong and fresh with a definite bluesy feel. Just check out "Hard Being Me", "Down by the River", "World Cruise" and "Some Other Guy" (personally I would have preferred a harmonica solo rather than Vinnie's first guitar solo on the latter). All the tracks are really good and earthy, from the heavy guitar sound of "Heavenly Body" to the more conventional UFO ballad style numbers like "Who's Fooling Who" and "Drink too Much". In fact I like all the songs with perhaps the weakest "Kingston Town" still palatable.
I saw them live in Nov '06 and although the gig was great I was disappointed they only played "Drink too Much" from this album. I would much prefer them to play this new material and dispense with some of the older tunes unless Vinnie starts playing the solo's a little more accurately.
I have to admit that I am really comfortable with this line up and the rock `n' roll craftsmanship produced on this album. I am playing this all the time in the car so "out with the old and in with the new" so to speak. As a kid I was one of the die hards where anything produced without Michael Schenker on lead just wasn't UFO. Whilst that was still my favourite era I don't under estimate the brilliance of Phil Mogg and Pete Way anymore which is still alive and kicking. Now much wiser and wrinklier than these two I have finally got the monkey off my back!

The Monkey Puzzle is the kind of album that UFO fans all over the world had hoped for, dynamic, melodic, rocking unstoppably from the very first note and with a lot of details that make listening to UFO's latest recording a genuine pleasure.

Vinnie Moore got out his slide guitar `Hard Being Me' and sparkles with virtuoso guitar solos, some of them garnished with two-part sections. Then there are intricate e-piano and organ sounds `Rolling Man' and passionate harmonica passages `Some Other Guy', as well as Phil Mogg's unmistakable vocals and an energy that is typical of UFO. "You can feel on The Monkey Puzzle that this band rocks as a unified whole and that we get on without words when it comes to our music," Phil Mogg explains. "Without running down previous UFO line-ups it's been a long time since we had a team as strong as this one.

Vinnie contributes his youthful energy and amazing guitar technique, and in Andy's return we've seen the reappearance of a musician who has always been very important to the band's original sound."

I'll leave the song-by-song reviews to others and I'll just state that UFO have come out with a well produced album that sounds great. The drums, guitars and vocals all come through nicely and will be a joy to hear on any system. This is their second album w/o Schenker ( 'Walk on Water' was rather pedestrian and that was with him gracing the 6-strings) and I for one don't really care that he's no longer affiliated with the band. Vinnie Moore does a superb job...period. As technically gifted as he is, Mr. Moore with his current and past work w/ UFO has NOTHING left to prove.
Well done UFO..you folks know exactly what is needed in this otherwise musically drab environment. Keep up the exemplary work.
Other 70's and 80's rockers need to take a listen and realize that it's not just the songs that matter but also the overall sound quality (including the mix). Some of us have an ear and really care for that "well produced sound" and a badly recorded album like Rush - Vapor Trails for instance, makes an otherwise enjoyable album...a coaster.
Cheers to you all and happy listening.

As a long time fan of UFO from the 70's this second album with Vinnie Moore on guitar was one I was looking forward to also for the fact that the original drummer, Andy Parker, has rejoined the band. This is a good, solid UFO album. If you compare it to the old Schenker albums you'll be disappointed. It is, however, better than the last two Schenker albums, Sharks, et al. The addition of Moore was a breath of fresh air to the group's overall sound and the "You Are Here" album was the best of the group's recent efforts. The more I listen to "The Monkey Puzzle" the more I enjoy it. If this CD is judged on its own merits, it is a good, solid classic rock CD. However, if it is compared to their efforts of the late 70's, which happens with a lot of these groups making comebacks, one will be disappointed. Listened to objectively, this is a quality, melodic hard rock CD. The better tracks are the first two, "Hard Being Me," and "Heavenly Body," and "Black and Blue." My only criticism would be that there are too many ballads on it.

I'll never understand how these guys have managed to miss out on serious airplay here in the US. Without a doubt UFO is one of the best bands out there. The songs are a perfect mix between melodic and hard rocking.

For those who think that the only true UFO is the version of the band with Michael Schenker should take a moment to listen to The Monkey Puzzle. Vinnie Moore is a standout, and standup, guitarist who really makes these guys shine.

The Monkey Puzzle is one of those releases that makes me feel great about the state of music.

As a UFO fan for 30 years or more, this release was one that I was really looking forward to this year. I was especially excited that andy parker is back behind the kit. No offense whatsoever to jason bonham, but I never thought that his drumming style fit UFO very well. andy's more straight-ahead pounding groove style fits UFO so much better and his influence is all over this album which is a good thing. I also think that the guitar playing is excellent. vinny Moore has always been a gifted guitarist, but one can really tell that he is now figuring out how to make his considerable chops mesh with the UFO sound. He now only shreds when necessary and is injecting far more feel into his playing than on previous UFO albums. the band is definitely firing on all cylinders and the music is fantastic and nicely varied. It pains me to say this, but it is Phil Mogg's singing style that is the weak link on this album. Now, don't get me wrong, the man still has incredible pipes. he still sings with plenty of power and hasn't lost much of his vocal range at all over these past 35 or so years. the problem is that, for some reason, he has gotten into the habit of contorting his mouth to the point where his lyrics are nearly unintellegible at times. Maybe he is doing this to somehow squeeze the high notes out of himself, but either way, I think that this detracts greatly from his performance. If he took a step back he would realize that he still has the vocal range to let it rip without twisting his mouth all up. Okay, I'm sure that most of you would consider this to be nit-picking and that is a fair argument. I'm just saying that this mush-mouthed delivery that Mogg has going right now is enough to knock my rating down to four stars. As for standout tracks, my faves are "Hard Being Me", "heavenly body", "Rolling Man" and "Kingston town." I think that this band has plenty of gas left in the tank and this album proves it. Phil just needs to trust his pipes more and not try to compensate for a deficiency that, to my ears, is not there.

Continuing where they left off with YOU ARE HERE, UFO has released another gem. I would say this is even better than there last offering. Andy Parker coming back into the fold has given the album more of a UFO feel. There really isn't a bad song on this album. Vinnie Moore is the best guitar player they have had since Schenker and is more stable. Paul Raymond and Pete Way wrote 4 of the 11 tracks on the album and there contribution cannot be understated. This is truly a cohesive unit again and I look forward to them being around for a long time. With all the crap that is out today, it is truly refreshing to see a band that can still deliver after all these years. GET THIS ALBUM

It's never good news when the first good song happens to be track #7 (Down by the River) out of a total 11 tracks. This outing has some fine moments (World Cruise, Rolling Man and Down by the River), but not quite enough to leave me satisfied because I know UFO is still one of the best hard rock bands in the world today.

I'm a huge UFO fan, but I'm massively dissapointed with this album, especially after so many favorable reviews. Indeed, Tommy Newton's sound and production is stellar, but the lads failed to compose some genuinely great tracks, as UFO is always capable of. I must say Andy Parker's drumming sounded pretty well, but again, I cannot quite get over the lack of spark in the songs.

I saw UFO live last year (2005) and they rocked like never before, yet I feel seriously disappointed with this release. Still, The Monkey Puzzle remains as one of the best hard rock releases of this year, although I don't think the potential was well capitalized upon this time. Better luck next time... UFO will still be one of the best all-time top rock bands.

well not being a fan of ufo and very new to this group, i would say this album and you are here are definite good medium range rock. not many surprises, but the kind of good rock to me where you can never really say your not in the mood to listen to. Lots of rock/metal i need to be in the mood to hear. This album is one that no matter where i am, no matter what time it is, this album is never a bad choice. A definite crowd pleaser. Vinnie Moore does have talent, but with that said, in my opinion there are far better. But overall, this album not the best i've ever heard, but does get a definite thumbs up.

These guys have done nothing but get better with every album they've ever made and this one keeps right on getting better. With them together agin in this lineup, what else could you expect? Their sound is just so tight, I never have been able to figure out why this band wasn't ever WAY more popular. Should be classified as legends, not just stars!