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From page 74 of Classic Rock Magazine October 2003
Cover of October 2003 issue.
‘Big Apple Encounters’ (Majestic Rock Records)
Michael Schenker And Pete Way
‘The Plot’
(Majestic Rock) Recorded live in New York in 1975, ‘Big Apple Encounters’ (★★★★★) is a fascinating insight into a band on the brink of greatness. It’s intriguing to hear fledgling anthems such as ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘Shoot Shoot’ and ‘Rock Bottom’ – songs that would be so well-known in later years.
Thankfully there are few vestiges of UFO’s dreaded space rock past here, and it’s amusing when endearingly cynical singer Phil Mogg struggles to pronounce the name of the ‘Phenomenon’ album in some rambling pre-song banter.
Guitarist Michael Schenker was a relative UFO new boy in ’75. But on ‘The Plot’ (★★★ ★★), a modern-day joint venture, he acts like a father figure to UFO bassist Pete Way.
There are some fine moments, notably the Skynyrd-tinged ‘Wild Wild Things’, but it’s sad to also hear a few too many drab, bar-room boogie workouts. Way’s vocal technique sounds like Bon Scott crossed with Arthur Mullard, while Schenker is typically slick and proficient.
Way once told me that his only real talent was to gambol around on stage and thrust his guitar down people’s throats. Self-deprecation aside, at least he hasn’t completely lost, er, the plot.
Geoff Barton
