UFO - Actual Sightings Recorded!
By Martin Popoff

"It's the agreement, isn't it? Will the guitarist disappear? Will the bass player remain standing by the end of the set? Will UFO do this new tour coming up? Everything is very tentative, but I think we have a formal agreement that we're going to do it. Hopefully we'll all be standing by the end of it."

So begins an irreverent and amusing Phil Mogg, prompted by a question on the title of the band's latest album Covenant. And such has always been the case with this band of notorious imbibing in-fighters. But fortunate for us, a new UFO album has been hatched and European touring is off to a wobbly start. "The tour is looking good," Phil warns. "We just might pull this one off."

Of course, this is all in support of the band's second Schenker/Mogg collaboration in five years (er, that's actually good in this case), Covenant finding Schenker in an oddly non-Schenker-ish mood, writing less European and more rock 'n' roll.

"Well, Walk On Water we did after a long parting," explains Mogg. "It was like 15 years since we had played together with Michael. I think it's a very different album. I think Covenant is more UFO-ish. With Walk On Water, it was a bit like getting together and 'getting to know you' (sings the song), so there was stuff on thereÉ it was interesting to do, but I think Covenant is a bit more 'us'. There's no great plot with Michael, where he is or what he's doing at the time. As far as writing goes, I'll get a bunch of material from him and another bunch from Pete and sift through that and find the best thing or the easiest thing for me to sing to (laughs), or kind of what's working at that moment."

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