With countless live
UFO sets issued over the years, is yet another one absolutely necessary? Before the denim jacket-wearing jury had a chance to decide, along came yet another live
UFO release, the double-disc One of Those Nights: The Anthology. Instead of presenting a single gig in its entirety, you get an extended taster of two separate performances -- March 1979 in Midland, TX and June 1992 in Tokyo, Japan. And while both performance contain a healthy helping of
Michael Schenker-era material, without the notorious peroxide-haired guitarist in attendance, both pale in comparison to the definitive
UFO live effort, 1979's Strangers in the Night. Granted, both
Paul Chapman and
Laurence Archer hand in their best replications of
Schenker's six-string skills on such tracks as "Pack It Up and Go" and "Lights Out" (respectively), but it definitely lacks the spark made when a certain German musician led the
UFO attack with his Flying V. And oft-woefully out-of-key backing vocals don't help matters either (as heard on "Hot N' Ready" and "Cherry"). By 1992, many had left
UFO for dead, but longtime members
Phil Mogg and
Pete Way were ready to give it another go with a slimmed-down four-piece version of the band, and a new studio set, High Stakes and Dangerous Men, which is also included here. Despite
grunge bands instantly making most '80s-era metal an out-of-touch beast,
UFO sticks to their guns on such tracks as "Borderline" and "Burnin' Fire." Certainly not the worst
UFO studio effort ever, but then again, certainly not the best. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
