An amazing album from a band led by a man in his 70s. Phil sounds terrific and it's full of very strong material. A contender for my favourite album from this year, for sure.
Been following Phil since 75. I’d certainly put this in his top dozen. And with a back catalogue as good as Phil Mogg’s … that’s one hell of an achievement fifty years later!
Hi Pete, just to say, great review of a really good album, but just to make a wee correction: Laurie Mansworth, who does backing vox, is a Mister, not a Miss, and was the guitarist in NWOBHM band More and formed AIRRACE with Jason Bonham, Keith Murrell et al. Just so you know! Cheers, keep up the great work!
I totally concur with Pete on the general overview of "Mogg's Motel"; a really SOLID and noteworthy release. I didn't think that Neil was playing that much leads, but if that's the case as Pete has stated, very impressive, indeed. Although the majority of the album is written by Phil and Tony Newton, Neil manages a few co-writes as well with the first single, "Sunny Side of Heaven" and it's one of the top numbers featured on this set. Agree with Pete again on tracks such as "Face of an Angel", "The Princess Bride" and "Weather" being standouts as well. This record caught me by surprise a little and it's great to know that Phil is still at it and even better and interesting that Neil has chosen to stay on and collaborate and contribute with Phil. 👍👍
This surprised me, the last few UFO albums were good but seemed they had settled into that groove. So when I saw this I expected a laid back story telling album. Far from it this is a great rock album.Wonder were it’s come from as UFO could have done something like this over the years. Maybe Neil and Tony’s influence, or maybe Phil feeling refreshed and recharged.Really liked the female backing vocals too. Would like a few live dates with most of this album and few deep, maybe Neil Carter era UFO songs thrown in.
I saw the first two video releases and really liked them!! I tend to agree that the last few UFO albums were good, but not standouts. This one looks like what I was expecting from UFO.
I personally feel that bringing Vinny Moore into UFO was a business decision, as he had a high profile in the states and would probably sell a few more tickets. I felt that the albums the band produced with Vinny were pretty middle of the road and lacked the fire of the line ups with Schenker and Chapman. Moggs motel is a true return to form for Mr Mogg and seems to have given him a new lease of life. A very enjoyable listen .
If anyone wants to listen something really special in the vain of the good old UFO Schenker era, shredding, rocking as should be, not in safe mode...give a listen to the 2 extraordinary albums of Mogg/Way... Hoping there were more of this. So enjoyable and rocking heavily. The guitarists are on fire. Much better that the rest of the Vinnie Moore era. True, Moore on these UFO albums was wasted a bit, not bad, but, he never shined through these years but was in safe mode, maybe it was the bands choice, who knows. Still... nevertheless, two very good albums surfaced, You Are Here and The Visitor with a proggy twist. The others, two bluesy for UFO standards...
Doctor Eddie Ganja Here I first Discovered UFO 1974 On Don Kirshnwrs Rock Concert Always loved Phil Moggs voice top 5 favorite Vocalist This is a Great album has Neil Carter from The No Place to Run album Love UFO always will
Can't keep an old rocker down... I had a listen to the videos and it sounds great and it sounds like he is still having fun. You can't tell he is 76 and had a heart attack a couple years ago. The band sounds very solid also.
I think that this is a great new release from Phil and his current bandmates. I also like this more than the Vinnie Moore UFO albums, but I still get enjoyment from that era of UFO. I'd disagree about the sentiment that was made in this video about the guitar work on the Vinnie UFO albums not being memorable, as his solos were some of the higher points of those releases, and shouldn't be diminished. Obviously Vinnie had to write in a specific way appropriate for UFO yet in the realm of his writing style as ripping Mind's Eye type of shredfest solos and songwriting was not going to mesh properly. That being said I also liked the vocal tracks from Vinnie's post UFO release Double Exposure more than what he recorded with UFO, as it came across as more natural. So everyone moving onto new projects is beneficial to everybody, as well as the music listener.
Got this one after someone on SoT mentioned that it was coming out...Never been a fan of UFO but I did like Edge Of The World & Chocolate Box (Mogg-Way) plus Mogg and The Sign Of 4's Dancing With St. Peter (to me the best of those 3 albums). So I kinda expected to like this - and I do! 10 of the 12 tracks are keepers. Nice flutes on "Harry's Place" - kinda out of place/surprising relative to the rest of the tracks here but I like it - breaks up the album. In a similar vein the final track "Storyville" - a slower tempo - doesn't quite fit the rest of the music but I like it. Could actually be my favorite track on the album - UFO fans might well disagree. Overall I'd say one of the better new albums of 2024... My version of the album doesn't include track #13 = "Taylors Woods", a nice instrumental, that's included on Bandcamp so not sure if that's a bonus track that only comes with a special version of the album
Hey Wolf. I know...I know. I haven't been around much. I will be coming back to commenting at SOT somewhere around the first week of December for favorite albums of 2024. That said, I've listened to the first 3 or 4 songs off of Moggs Motel and liked what I heard so that CD will be arriving here on Sunday. I didn't listen to the whole album as I like some surprises when I recieve the actual CD with all of the goodies like artwork and the little pamphlet that you almost always get that includes lyrics. How have you been? Will you be around at SOT in December?
It's More In The Vein Of Phil's "$ign Of 4" Project With Jeff Kollman Than Any Of The Vinnie Moore "UFO", I've Got The Entire UFO & Related (Michael, Pete, Paul, Tonka) Catalog & That's Cool But Anything That Phil Sings On & Fronts Is All Just A Different Variation Of UFO To Me So Anything/Everything Is All Catalogued Under "U" LOL !!!!
Barnyard Studios,...Steve Harris' home studio..drummer. Joe Lazarus is a relative of Harris,...Tony Newton was also in the excellent. band Dirty Deeds,...as was Richie Faulkner,but then just called...DEEDS,..Tommy is from the band GUN,,Newton,Lazarus,and Gentry are all from Voodoo Six..Why couldn't. UFO sound this good,2004-2017,.one clue..,one person whose name rhymes with "bore"...Moggs new band is on fire....Unlike Pete,I think the sequence is fine of the songs,great production I love the keyboard. intros ,and layers,..the one between Princess Bride and Other Peoples Lives is almost identical. to the one connecting. Long Gone and The Wild ,The Willing & the Innocent, from the W.W.&T.I. of 1981..its the same guy!! Carter. is spectacular on here,..all the songs almost connect,...I love albums like that,....Tinker Tailor sounds like a Pete Way song,...love Shane,..great chorus , ..Storyville ,beautiful ballad,. (about Moggs wife)a good companion to Seems To me,..off 2002's underrated $ign of 4,..aPPLE pie is like Mogg/Way.1999 underrated classic,there is a Mogg/Way-$ign of 4 sound to a few,.songs.....Weather.$o4,...Wrong House is flat out hilarious,..a home invasion gone terribly wrong,..(dont break into Phils house)Princess Brides beautiful guitar/key intro(Schon,/G.Moore sounding) then into thick metallic riffs ,...10 out of 10,...spectacular CD,bet I've played it 30 times,...sounds excellent in the car,...BRAVO,..Sir Phil
Great album from the mighty Moggsta ........ You're taking your mistress out for a 'romantic' night , where do you stay ... at Gillans Inn or Moggs motel ..... decisions , desicions 😆😆😆
Just listened to the album. Nothing really stood out. I kinda liked a couple songs, but the rest was stale and seemed over produced. Big UFO fan though
As a great fan of Phil and UFO I am pretty disappointed by the album. Just cannot get into it, seems overproduced as well. Apart from 2 or 3 tracks I find the album quite pedestrian and bland.
Check out the album here: ufoofficial.bandcamp.com/album/moggs-motel
Great to see Phil Mogg back with a new album and with a great
band of musicians behind him thanks again Pete.🎶🎤🎸🎸🎹🥁🎶
Great to hear Phil is healthy & back at it!
Shockingly good! Phil's best music since Making Contact, in my opinion.
An amazing album from a band led by a man in his 70s. Phil sounds terrific and it's full of very strong material. A contender for my favourite album from this year, for sure.
Been waiting on this one . Moggs Motel might be the.......
Been following Phil since 75. I’d certainly put this in his top dozen. And with a back catalogue as good as Phil Mogg’s … that’s one hell of an achievement fifty years later!
I knew Phil couldn't stay retired. He's a quality musician. I'm so glad to see this album turn out the way it did.
Good album😃👍
Hi Pete, just to say, great review of a really good album, but just to make a wee correction: Laurie Mansworth, who does backing vox, is a Mister, not a Miss, and was the guitarist in NWOBHM band More and formed AIRRACE with Jason Bonham, Keith Murrell et al. Just so you know! Cheers, keep up the great work!
This is a great album. Great to hear Phil back. Best from him in years
Old UFO fan here... two thumbs up for Mogg s motel!!
R.I.P. Paul Di'anno
Yes RIP Paul
I totally concur with Pete on the general overview of "Mogg's Motel"; a really SOLID and noteworthy release. I didn't think that Neil was playing that much leads, but if that's the case as Pete has stated, very impressive, indeed. Although the majority of the album is written by Phil and Tony Newton, Neil manages a few co-writes as well with the first single, "Sunny Side of Heaven" and it's one of the top numbers featured on this set. Agree with Pete again on tracks such as "Face of an Angel", "The Princess Bride" and "Weather" being standouts as well. This record caught me by surprise a little and it's great to know that Phil is still at it and even better and interesting that Neil has chosen to stay on and collaborate and contribute with Phil. 👍👍
Really enjoying this one, much more than I expected to - "Other People's Lives" and "Princess Bride" are my current favorites.
This surprised me, the last few UFO albums were good but seemed they had settled into that groove. So when I saw this I expected a laid back story telling album. Far from it this is a great rock album.Wonder were it’s come from as UFO could have done something like this over the years. Maybe Neil and Tony’s influence, or maybe Phil feeling refreshed and recharged.Really liked the female backing vocals too. Would like a few live dates with most of this album and few deep, maybe Neil Carter era UFO songs thrown in.
The more you play it the more it grows on you and by far way better than the last few UFO releases.
Great album ! very consistent with some great tracks 👌🏻👍🏻
I saw the first two video releases and really liked them!! I tend to agree that the last few UFO albums were good, but not standouts. This one looks like what I was expecting from UFO.
Really good album. So glad that Phil keep doing music after UFO stopped.
One of my fave releases so far this year.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found Vinnie Moore a bad fit for UFO.
Horrible choice
I actually liked Vinnie in UFO
Great Album. Was hoping you would review it.
I'm in. Sounds like my kind of music
I personally feel that bringing Vinny Moore into UFO was a business decision, as he had a high profile in the states and would probably sell a few more tickets. I felt that the albums the band produced with Vinny were pretty middle of the road and lacked the fire of the line ups with Schenker and Chapman. Moggs motel is a true return to form for Mr Mogg and seems to have given him a new lease of life. A very enjoyable listen .
I think that Moggs Motel is right down the street from Becks Guitar Shop. I'll check this one out, for sure.
LOL I totally thought something similar
Phil and Band sound amazing. I agree this is much better than about the last 15 years of UFO.
Just picked this one up. Neil Guitarter is the man!🎸
If anyone wants to listen something really special in the vain of the good old UFO Schenker era, shredding, rocking as should be, not in safe mode...give a listen to the 2 extraordinary albums of Mogg/Way... Hoping there were more of this. So enjoyable and rocking heavily. The guitarists are on fire. Much better that the rest of the Vinnie Moore era. True, Moore on these UFO albums was wasted a bit, not bad, but, he never shined through these years but was in safe mode, maybe it was the bands choice, who knows. Still... nevertheless, two very good albums surfaced, You Are Here and The Visitor with a proggy twist. The others, two bluesy for UFO standards...
.... and also the excellent $ign of 4 album ... just great ... CMcG,Aberdeen,Scotland
My favorite album this year
EASILY!!!!!!!
Played this today while mulching the leaves. Pretty good album Pete.
Buenísimo album,grata sorpresa!
Hi that is some awesome art work of that album cover see Christine at the Moggs Motel.
Played this 3 or 4 times in a row when I first got it.
Great record
I buy a lot of albums and I think this one has a great chance of being my album of the year
Doctor Eddie Ganja Here I first Discovered UFO 1974 On Don Kirshnwrs Rock Concert Always loved Phil Moggs voice top 5 favorite Vocalist This is a Great album has Neil Carter from The No Place to Run album Love UFO always will
Love this album!!!!
I agree with you 100% The Vinnnie More years had no chemistry with UFO.
Can't keep an old rocker down... I had a listen to the videos and it sounds great and it sounds like he is still having fun. You can't tell he is 76 and had a heart attack a couple years ago. The band sounds very solid also.
Great album.
I think that this is a great new release from Phil and his current bandmates. I also like this more than the Vinnie Moore UFO albums, but I still get enjoyment from that era of UFO. I'd disagree about the sentiment that was made in this video about the guitar work on the Vinnie UFO albums not being memorable, as his solos were some of the higher points of those releases, and shouldn't be diminished. Obviously Vinnie had to write in a specific way appropriate for UFO yet in the realm of his writing style as ripping Mind's Eye type of shredfest solos and songwriting was not going to mesh properly. That being said I also liked the vocal tracks from Vinnie's post UFO release Double Exposure more than what he recorded with UFO, as it came across as more natural. So everyone moving onto new projects is beneficial to everybody, as well as the music listener.
I love this album
I agree about the Vinnie Moore era ufo except for the album you are here.
Moog did a few solo albums in between UFO.
Got this one after someone on SoT mentioned that it was coming out...Never been a fan of UFO but I did like Edge Of The World & Chocolate Box (Mogg-Way) plus Mogg and The Sign Of 4's Dancing With St. Peter (to me the best of those 3 albums). So I kinda expected to like this - and I do! 10 of the 12 tracks are keepers. Nice flutes on "Harry's Place" - kinda out of place/surprising relative to the rest of the tracks here but I like it - breaks up the album. In a similar vein the final track "Storyville" - a slower tempo - doesn't quite fit the rest of the music but I like it. Could actually be my favorite track on the album - UFO fans might well disagree. Overall I'd say one of the better new albums of 2024...
My version of the album doesn't include track #13 = "Taylors Woods", a nice instrumental, that's included on Bandcamp so not sure if that's a bonus track that only comes with a special version of the album
Hey Wolf. I know...I know. I haven't been around much. I will be coming back to commenting at SOT somewhere around the first week of December for favorite albums of 2024. That said, I've listened to the first 3 or 4 songs off of Moggs Motel and liked what I heard so that CD will be arriving here on Sunday. I didn't listen to the whole album as I like some surprises when I recieve the actual CD with all of the goodies like artwork and the little pamphlet that you almost always get that includes lyrics.
How have you been? Will you be around at SOT in December?
Pretty good album👍
It's More In The Vein Of Phil's "$ign Of 4" Project With Jeff Kollman Than Any Of The Vinnie Moore "UFO", I've Got The Entire UFO & Related (Michael, Pete, Paul, Tonka) Catalog & That's Cool But Anything That Phil Sings On & Fronts Is All Just A Different Variation Of UFO To Me So Anything/Everything Is All Catalogued Under "U" LOL !!!!
Other people's lives is brilliant.
Killer album. 4/5
Masterpiece. And it doesn't sound like UFO. The chemistry in this band is amazing. 13 great songs. With the car from "Christine" on the cover.
I'm still randomly singing "Apple Pie" off the album a week after hearing it, so it passes the "memorable" test for me.
:-)
Good album 👍
Barnyard Studios,...Steve Harris' home studio..drummer. Joe Lazarus is a relative of Harris,...Tony Newton was also in the excellent. band Dirty Deeds,...as was Richie Faulkner,but then just called...DEEDS,..Tommy is from the band GUN,,Newton,Lazarus,and Gentry are all from Voodoo Six..Why couldn't. UFO sound this good,2004-2017,.one clue..,one person whose name rhymes with "bore"...Moggs new band is on fire....Unlike Pete,I think the sequence is fine of the songs,great production I love the keyboard. intros ,and layers,..the one between Princess Bride and Other Peoples Lives is almost identical. to the one connecting. Long Gone and The Wild ,The Willing & the Innocent, from the W.W.&T.I. of 1981..its the same guy!! Carter. is spectacular on here,..all the songs almost connect,...I love albums like that,....Tinker Tailor sounds like a Pete Way song,...love Shane,..great chorus , ..Storyville ,beautiful ballad,. (about Moggs wife)a good companion to Seems To me,..off 2002's underrated $ign of 4,..aPPLE pie is like Mogg/Way.1999 underrated classic,there is a Mogg/Way-$ign of 4 sound to a few,.songs.....Weather.$o4,...Wrong House is flat out hilarious,..a home invasion gone terribly wrong,..(dont break into Phils house)Princess Brides beautiful guitar/key intro(Schon,/G.Moore sounding) then into thick metallic riffs ,...10 out of 10,...spectacular CD,bet I've played it 30 times,...sounds excellent in the car,...BRAVO,..Sir Phil
Thought Phil had retired or was that just from UFO and touring? Main thing is it sounds like it's worth buying.
I see the vinyl version is only obtainable in the USA and Canada. Big mistake, Phil.
ROCK BOTTOM!
"Neil Catarder" 😂
Great album from the mighty Moggsta ........ You're taking your mistress out for a 'romantic' night , where do you stay ... at Gillans Inn or Moggs motel ..... decisions , desicions 😆😆😆
Good album but its not bran new, 6 september release😉😉
Just listened to the album. Nothing really stood out. I kinda liked a couple songs, but the rest was stale and seemed over produced. Big UFO fan though
I didn't like it 😕
As a great fan of Phil and UFO I am pretty disappointed by the album. Just cannot get into it, seems overproduced as well. Apart from 2 or 3 tracks I find the album quite pedestrian and bland.