Last year CleoRecs released a special version of UFO‘s ”Walk On Water” on two-vinyl: the album on 12” LP and a bonus 7” including new versions of the band classics ‘Doctor Doctor ’95 version’ and ‘Lights Out ’95 version’. Both vinyls deliver a better dynamic range than the original CD release which always has sounded a bit ‘cold’. In our opinion, the sound and the way ”Walk On Water” was produced belongs to a vinyl LP pressing.
However, many fans doesn’t have LP / vinyl turntable, so now CleoRecs is making available this fresh remaster on CD format. The resulting sound quality is an improvement from the previous CD releases.
”Walk On Water” was first and only released in Japan in 1995, marking the return of German guitarist Michael Schenker to the band, as well as the comeback of keyboardist Paul Raymond and founding drummer Andy Parker. This is UFO’s classic line-up, and it shows.
UFO cut eight original tracks for ”Walk On Water”, just the way they did in their glorious era. We see it as a plus, as the less material you jam into an album, the better the odds that the filler would be extracted and thrown to the side.
Schenker returned with a ferocious, edgy performance after his more commercial ’80s LPs and MSG with Mc Auley, and the whole band feels energetic as well.
The standouts on the album are “Pushed To The Limit” which in our opinion ranks amongst one of Schenker’s most memorable riffs from his storied career.
“A Self-Made Man” is another track that showcases Schenker’s aggressive play. “Venus” and “Dreaming of Summer” gives Phil Mogg an opportunity to shine with his poetic charm.
While a lot changed in the musical scene since this UFO line-up recorded together and at the time of this release grunge dominated the charts, ”Walk On Water” is a strong outing that certainly gave the fanbase what they had been longing for.
It would be unfair to compare ”Walk On Water” to the ’70s UFO classics. You can’t relive the past. Overall, ”Walk On Water” can stand on its own as a solid hard rock record with plenty of riffs, fiery solos and lyrical wit to make this a worthwhile listen experience.
As a bonus, ”Walk On Water” includes re-recordings of classics “Doctor Doctor” and “Lights Out.” More often than not this kind of re-recording thing is totally unnecessary and the result is less than pleasing. Not here… these new recordings served to showcase that UFO hadn’t lost anything at all.
Tracklist:
01. A Self-Made Man (2023 Remaster) (06:23)
02. Venus (2023 Remaster) (05:20)
03. Pushed To The Limit (2023 Remaster) (03:50)
04. Stopped By A Bullet (Of Love) (2023 Remaster) (04:36)
05. Darker Days (2023 Remaster) (05:39)
06. Running On Empty (2023 Remaster) (05:10)
07. Knock, Knock (2023 Remaster) (04:21)
08. Dreaming Of Summer (2023 Remaster) (07:03)
09. Doctor, Doctor (Re-Recorded - 2023 Remaster) (04:28)
10. Lights Out (Re-Recorded - 2023 Remaster) (05:13)
UFO – Walk On Water (2023 Remaster), MP3+FLAC
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