I don’t think that I’ve really made full acquaintance with a UFO album since the somewhat disappointing Walk on Water in 1996. Since then the group has resembled a bit of a soap opera with a revolving door membership. For this effort Andy Parker returns to the drum stool in place of Jason Bonham who is now in Foreigner. 

I have to say that the first word that springs to mind listening to The Monkey Puzzle is class. This is a classy, confident CD by a band who really seem to have their act together. Each track has its own identifiable sound and there are a diverse range of tunes on offer. In different turns there are bluesy songs, AOR, hard driving rock, ballads – something for all connoisseurs of quality classic rock. Perhaps it lacks immediacy but I’m that over time the songs will worm their way into the listeners’ heads and maybe it lacks a standout track that in bygone days would have been a single, however, in 2006 the problem of releasing a single doesn’t really affect heritage acts. 

Hard Being Me gets the album off to a flying start. It’s a bit of a chugging blues type song which sees Phil Mogg in fine voice and guitarist Vinnie Moore in almost tasteful restrained mode. This is a feature of the album as a whole. What I like about Moore as a guitarist is that he plays the song rather than show off. That is somewhat rare I tend to find and is good to hear and somewhat surprising as he made his name as a solo artist.  There’s a statement of intent there as Phil Mogg tells us that, “we ain’t about to quit … the band is back in town.” This tune is almost worth the price of admission on its own and is followed by the bluesy Heavenly Body which, I feel is the weakest track here but is still a goodie and then Some Other Guy which made me note how warm the production feels here. It a nice big sound, uncluttered and inviting and made this listener feel all fuzzy. 

Who’s Fooling Who and Black and Blue keep the quality high and the latter in particular has a hook that once it grabs you it doesn’t let go. Drink too Much is an affecting (I assume autobiographical ballad) whist World Cruise sees UFO in acoustic mode just to add some variety to proceedings. 

For me, the real strength of the Monkey Puzzle lies in the last few tracks which are universally excellent. It probably takes being grown up to make music so grown up and well made and there in lies the problem for UFO and their contemporaries. It doesn’t rally matter how good the CD is, there won’t be any mainstream airplay, the great mass of the populace won’t even know this record exists and outside of the core fan base  The Monkey Puzzle will go unnoticed which is a great shame as this is a very fine recording.

'The Monkey Puzzle' is released via

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Track List

Hard Being Me
Heavenly Body
Some Other Guy
Who’s Fooling Who?
Black And Blue
Drink Too Much
World Cruise
Down By The River
Good Bye You
Rolling Man
Kingston Town

Line Up

Phil Mogg - Vocals
Vinnie Moore - Guitar
Paul Raymond - Guitar/Keyboards
Pete Way - Bass
Andy Parker - Drums