When it comes to contemporary reviews and album sales, "High Stakes & Dangerous Men" will never be regarded as one of the year highlights from 1992, but the good response from most of those who had a chance to listen to it must have been quite reassuring for UFO, a band still struggling to find their feet after a series of studio failures and never-ending line-up changes during the second half of the 1980s. Understandably reticent to take huge risks, the lads decided to keep things going with a safe bet: a live album recorded in Japan, one of the few places where their popularity never waned and they were always sure to be warmly received, no matter what. Augmented by touring keyboardist Jem Davis (ex-Tobruk), this persevering flying saucer managed to put together a decent CD release with "Lights Out in Tokyo - Live" - and though I'm not really excited to write about non-classic live albums most of the time (even moreso when you consider the sheer number of such releases in UFO's discography), let's just type a few words about it, so the Lawrence Archer chapter may be complete around here.
Quite confident about their latest compositions, the outfit delivers nice renditions of no less than five songs from the previous CD, with "One of Those Nights" and "She's the One" (a song that, being slightly unremarkable in its studio version, fares unexpectedly well in the live environment) being particularly enjoyable. The overall atmosphere is pretty relaxed and entertaining throughout, and you can clearly hear that the five musicians here involved were happy with their roles and enjoying the night. It must have been nice to be in the audience, and the very respectable production values manage to capture the good vibe quite effectively. If you're a fan, this is a CD worth picking up when the opportunity arise, and don't be afraid to spend a few bucks on it, as it will surely be glad to find a nice shelf to call home.
There would a few worries on the horizon, though - and most of it must be credited to Lawrence Archer, I'm afraid. Don't get me wrong, it's not like his performance was laughable or disastrous or anything. But it's just too damn clear that, if he was more than comfortable with the songs he wrote himself, filling Michael Schenker's shoes in concert was a whole different (and very difficult) challenge for him. In crucial songs like "Only You Can Rock Me" and "Doctor Doctor", his riffs and solos are no more than adequate; in more subtle and intense numbers like "Love to Love" (you're all going a bit too fast on this one, lads), he just can't achieve the required standards, unfortunately. A particularly worrying situation appears on "Rock Bottom", where he just can't play the main riff as he should, delivering some sort of reinterpretation which is just downright annoying. Sorry about the criticism, I really don't want to be rude or anything (I love you, Mr. Archer, believe me), but this is one of the most fantastic riffs in the entire history of heavy rock: you just GOTTA play it right, exactly how it was recorded, no room for "creativity" here!
The pauses halfway through the songs (where the lads attempt some semi-jazzy improvisations for some unfathomable reason) are also completely disposable, and adding a softer session in a tune like "Lights Out" is something that should be banned by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, no less. Though not enough to really spoil the listening experience, these shortcomings were unequivocal evidence to the fact that UFO still had some ground to regain if they wanted to fully recapture their former glory. And they seem to have understood, as they would almost immediately promote some serious changing in the ranks - a resshuffle that would surely fulfill the wet dreams of many a hardcore fan. Both Archer and Edwards would be the casualties, but I guess it was unavoidable really, and I sincerely hope they still keep some good memories from these days: they sure had an important role in pushing UFO to the right direction, and I'm sure all fans are really grateful for that.
Phil Mogg (V), Lawrence Archer (G), Pete Way (B), Clive Edwards (D), Jem Davis (K).
01. Running Up the Highway
02. Borderline
03. Too Hot to Handle
04. She's the One
05. Cherry
06. Back Door Man
07. One of Those Nights
08. Love to Love
09. Only You Can Rock Me
10. Lights Out
11. Doctor Doctor
12. Rock Bottom
13. Shoot Shoot
14. C'mon Everybody
Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!
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