Best if taken in context with "Walk on Water" and "Sharks"

A lot of complaining going on by people who want Schenker and Mogg back together and when they do, well, let the complaining continue, because no one is ever happy or satisfied until they get what they can't have. Phil Mogg probably has lyrics to this effect, as I find his lyrics to be quite thought provoking, intelligent and, yes, mature. That is to say, that I am not going to hold his age against him. No way. If he is living longer and playing harder than you, then perhaps you should take note. He may have said it louder and clearer on "Walk on Water" (messy divorce-time album if ever), but there is still that ATTITUDE (with some clever flourishes of humor) and there is STILL Schenker (who still manages to astonish with just his pinky finger). "Covenant" is by no means disappointing (and here is the point I want to make), but a perfect companion to "Walk on Water" and "Sharks". I have had the great fortune of re-discovering UFO thru these three discs in, like, a span of one month. So I am in UFO-heaven and finding it hard to resist. It's nice to hear thoughtful, provocative and, here is that word again, intelligent, rock n roll. So my advice, if you have made it this far, is listen to "Covenant" in the context of UFO's Mogg/Schenker realignment of the late 90's/early 00's. Its quite a rock-out/kick a** affair. PS: "Love Is Forever" and "Cowboy Joe" are some of UFO's finer tunes in my book.

Better than they say! Inconsistant but worthy!

Everyone seems to want to compare this to "Walk on Water," which is indeed a better album. That being said, we can now discuss "Covenant" intelligently.

Gone is drummer Andy Parker, replaced by veteran journeyman Aynsley Dunbar. Paul Raymond (keys, guitars) is also gone, which is a shame -- but remember, he wasn't an original member of the group. UFO started as a four-man outfit. So frankly, for me, these changes are negligable.

"Covenent" is somewhat inconsistant in my mind. It contains a few of UFO's best songs -- it also contains some of their worst. And while the production values here aren't as strong as "Walk on Water," they are not nearly as bad as some here are making them out to be.

Consider "Fool's Gold." This is UFO at its finest and reminds me a little bit of "Love to Love." It starts out as a gentle ballad with some of singer Phil Mogg's most touching lyrics. Soon, however, as is UFO's want, the song changes tempo and becomes a balls-to-the-wall rocker -- led by some of guitarist Michael Schenker's most incindiary work.

I also like "Serenade," which features a great riff -- catchy, yet original. Phil sings the hell out of this and I noticed he sounds as good as he did back in the "Force It" days. Check out Schenker's solo here -- sonically stunning.

The opening track is awesome as well -- "Love is Forever." This one is classic-sounding UFO and I could imagine them opening their show with this bone crusher.

There are plenty of missteps -- as other critics have pointed out. "Cowboy Joe" is pointless and forgettable, and "The World and His Dog" is a real head scratcher and a disappointing way to close out the CD.

Of course, there is the second CD -- a live collection of songs from their last tour. This is terrific... sonicly crisp and well mixed. While the older songs ("Mother Mary," "Let It Roll," etc.) are not quite up to "Strangers in the Night" standards (hey, what is?) -- the disc does contain several live versions of tunes from "Walk on Water" and that alone makes this a "must have" for all UFO fans. Specifically, it has scorching renditions of "Venus" and "Pushed to the Limit."

This is a very fine 2-CD set, and if you're a big UFO fan, or fan of 70s-style hard rock 'n' roll, it's a must for your collection. But because it is a 2-CD set, the price is a little higher than it normally would be and that may be what is really ticking off some of the critics here.

Ignore those hang-wringing naysayers and give this one a chance. Play it on a high-end system and play it loud. You'll be happy that you bought it and annoy your neighbors all at the same time. Now, that's rock 'n' roll!

UFO still got the magic touch

Most UFO fans were thrilled with the excellent "Walk on water", and the reunion of the classic line up seemed like a prayer that had been answered. Phil Mogg and Michael Schenker have not been the best of friends over the years but they sure have a certain chemistry that creates magic. Some people believe that "Covenant" (2000) is not a worthy album and that it sounds like the songs are left-overs from the "Walk on water" sessions. That is so wrong!

As the opening "Love is forever" kicks off, there's no doubt what-so-ever that UFO have done it again. The blend of the hard and heavy with the soft and melodic shows song writing and performance in absolute world class. With "Unraveled", UFO give us a modern approach with influences from vintage classics like "Mother Mary" and "Natural thing". Both "Miss the lights" and "Midnight train" are strong rocker that bare resemblance to early UFO. "Fool's gold" is a song that starts as an average ballad but develops into a steamy rocker with a very good chorus, while "In the middle of madness" is a melodic piece and maybe the album's most catchy tune. "The smell of money" is another track that combines the fast and furious with the slow, while "Rise again" sadly not thrill me in any way and is perhaps the album's low mark. In "Serenade", Mogg & Co have managed to write another original song that sure has an very appealing and moving approach and this number is clearly one of the album's highlights. "Cowboy Joe" is average UFO, and the closing "The world and his dog" can not be considered as one of one UFO's finer moments. Maybe this album is not equally great as "Walk on water", but to say that it contains of left over material is not fair. I think this is a strong UFO album and in comparison to other rock acts it's without doubt a pleasant encounter.

The second disc is a live set of seven tunes, and if the chosen tracks are best choices might be discussed. The sound is a bit thin, and since I usually have a hard time seeing the purpose of live albums I do not get particularly excited. The song listing on the cover is out of order and that's disturbing.