Obsession 2024 Edition

Obsession is almost too good to be true.I bought the remastered Japanese import from Amazon and I'm listening to it today for the first time. I'm blown away.Not only is the production and digital remastering incredible, but the song selection is as mesmerizing and magical as you'll find anywhere. This is, without a doubt, one of the finest hard rock albums ever recorded!Growing up, I was more familiar with Lights Out (1977), Force It (1975) and Phenomenon (1974). I listened to those albums on occasion, but lost track of UFO shortly after Lights Out.For the record, Lights Out contains one of my all-time favorite tracks ("Love to Love") but no less than FIVE of UFO's best songs call Obsession home: "Only You Can Rock Me," "Lookin' Out For No. 1," "Hot 'n' Ready," "Cherry," and "Born to Lose" -- and not a single track of the other six is a dud. Virtually this entire CD could be called a "greatest hits" package!Originally released in 1978, and featuring one of the most recognizable and bizarre Hipgnosis covers of all time, Obsession was arguably UFO's high-water mark. Guitarist Michael Schenker bailed after Obsession and second bannana guitarist Paul Raymond filled in for No Place to Run (1980), which was the beginning of the end of the classic UFO line-up and sound.Obsession is a feast for the ears, with lots of blistering, squeaking guitar, classic Phil Mogg vocals, crisp drumming from Andy Parker, solid songwriting and bass playing from Pete Way and some great contributions from Paul Raymond.Although this is undoubtedly a total band effort, it's probably Michael Schenker that shines brightest on Obsession -- which is something I hate to admit given his surly personality and widely reported dismal treatment of his band mates.Schenker's playing runs the gamut, from pleasant, almost Medieval acoustic licks ("Arbory Hill") to take-no-prisoners riffing on "Pack It Up," "Ain't No Baby" and "Hot 'n' Ready.""Ain't No Baby," another of my favorite tracks, is a rock-solid track that begins slowly and sweetly...then kicks into high gear with a growling, bottom-heavy riff and some truly remarkable and melodic background vocals on the chorus. Brilliant.Obsession is UFO at their absolute best. No fan of melodic hard rock should be without this album. I can't believe I was without it for nearly 25 years!

If it weren't for Shenker I would not be the guitar player that I am today! Let it roll was what I heard first then I was hooked on Shenker!! You gotta love his picking technique besides his in your face tone and the solo's were different every time! Love the mighty Shenker👍👍👍!

UFO at the top of their game. I have recently been listening to my collection of UFO classics. The entire collection is excellent,however, I feel this and "lights Out" are the most consistent. Every song is notable. If you like powerful, catchy, hard driving rock with the perfect mix of melody and power, then this CD is for you. This CD rewards multiple listens. Indeed, I appreciate it more now than I did twenty-eight years ago, when I first purchased it and the sound of this remastered version is a vast improvement over the earlier CD reissue.

The sound quality isn’t that great for a remastered cd but it is what it is.

Micheal Schenker guitar playing at his prime. Versatile band, showing raw power and blinding guitar skills, yet also displaying their diverse ability to to compose soft, melodic songs that speak to you. Buy it. They dont' make music like classic UFO anymore.

Originally had the album in VINYL back in High School. One of my favorite bands and needed a copy of one of the greatest rock songs "Pack it you and Go"

Love this record,but wheres the 180-200 gram version?? BRING IT!!!

The Exclamation Point on Michael (the Phenom) Schenkers 1st stint w/ the Band! Melodic Masterwork!

Todo perfecto

awesome album a must have for ufo or scorpion fand

in questo caso non si è trattato della confezione,ma di un cd che sembra uscito dall'edicola ed appartenente a qualche collana raccolta dei classici del rock.....ma vabè

This IS, in my opinion, the BEST Hard Rock studio album of all time (although the Wild, The Willing, And The Innocent, runs it fairly close).Everything came together at the right time, and this is a band at the height of it's powers. The performance, the songs (every one is great, no "fillers"), the arrangements (the strings on tracks like "Looking Out For Number 1" are done to perfection), and the production are all perfect!Although this album, and the "Strangers In The Night" live album to follow, would be the last to feature Michael Schenker on guitar because of the friction in the band, you wouldn't know it to listen to this masterpiece!Any young guitar player, could do no better than to listen to this as an example of how to play great rock guitar within the context of a band, both rhythmically, and melodically. Schenker's playing, particularly on this album, was a massive influence on my own playing.Schenker is "ON FIRE" on this, and would cement his position as one of the most exciting and talented rock guitarists ever. He sprinkles his "golden haired genius" all over this album, from the power rock of "Only You Can Rock Me" (one of their best ever tracks, in my opinion) to the melancholic brilliance of "Born to Lose", he plays like a man possessed, but then do the whole band.Phil Mogg never sounded better, and Pete Way has a strong influence on the writing. One writer described UFO many years ago, as a perfect blend of "muscle and melody", and that describes this album to a tee. I've been listening to it regularly for over 30 years, and it still sounds "fresh' and "exciting" to me, the years (it was released in 1978) have not "dulled it's powers".Although the band would continue after Schenker's departure, it would never be quite the same again.People claim that the band should have been "huge", and never quite reached their full potential, and that's probably true. Success is all "relative" anyway, and you could say that was also true of another favorite band of mine, Thin Lizzy.However, if you are going to be remembered as a "truly great" band, even years down the road, it might as well be for peaking with this perfect album, and the live one that was to follow. That's not a bad legacy in my book!I'd give it 10 STARS if I could, it's THAT good!!!!

Die Qualität ist Top.Leider fehlt die Ecke links oben,aber so wurden die Platten eben früher aufgehängt.So kann ich diese Scheibe nicht in meiner ersten Reihe präsentieren.Es Zählt die Musik.MfGAndreas Poburski