Title: UFO: Showtime
Released: 2005
Genre: Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Artist: Phil Mogg (v), Pete Way (b), Paul Raymond (g) (k), Jason Bonham (d), Vinnie Moore (g)

Description:

During the world tour for the album 'You Are Here' UFO filmed a concert in May 2005 at the Pumpwerk Wilhelmshaven in Germany. Now 'Showtime' will be released for the first time on Blu-ray, including a fantastic acoustic session which was recorded at the Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany. More bonus material, like making of and history interviews, are also included and you can see the last performances with the band of drummer Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and Pete Way who had to leave the band due to health reasons soon after.

Most UFO fans consider the only real lineup to be when guitarist Michael Schenker decides to grace the band with his presence. And truth be told, this is a valid point - the group's best work seems to occur whenever the unpredictable guitarist is present, whether it was in the '70s (1977's Lights Out, 1979's exceptional Strangers in the Night) or his mid-' 90s re-entry (1995's Walk on Water). But shortly after the dawn of the 21st century, Schenker decided to jump ship once more for his solo career, and the band was left with the decision of "to be or not to be." What resulted was probably UFO's most interesting and strongest non-Schenker lineup ever, consisting of mainstays Phil Mogg (vocals), Pete Way (bass), and Paul Raymond (keyboards, guitar), as well as such renowned "newcomers" as Vinnie Moore (guitar) and Jason Bonham (drums). 2005 saw the release of the zillionth UFO live set, Showtime, which does a fine job of showcasing this latter day lineup. The double-disc CD (which was also issued as a DVD under the same title) focuses primarily on the classics, including such standouts as "This Kids," "Love to Love," and "Lights Out" - despite a vocal flub by Mogg on the latter track. But the recent material included from 2004's You Are Here is surprisingly strong - "When Daylight Goes to Town" (which sounds quite similar to Van Halen's "Best of Both Worlds") and "The Wild One." While it's not, of course, going to top the aforementioned Strangers in the Night - a near impossible feat - Showtime proves that there may be life after Schenker after all. --Greg Prato

Tracklist:
• Live Concert Wilhelmshaven Pumpwerk, Germany May 13th 2005
01. Intro
02. Mother Mary
03. When Daylight Goes To Town
04. Let It Roll
05. Out On The Streets
06. This Kidds
07. The Wild One
08. Fighting Man
09. Only You Can Rock Me
10. Baby Blue
11. Mr. Freeze
12. Love To Love
13. Too Hot Too Handle
14. Lights Out
15. Rock Bottom
16. Doctor Doctor
17. Shoot Shoot
• Peppermint Park Studio Session, May 26th 2005:
01. Pack it up and go
02. Try me
03. Love to love
04. Slipping away
05. Cherry
06. Profession of violence

Issued: Germany | Steamhammer
Duration: 1:36:18