UFO

Criminally ignored on classic rock radio (and Deep Tracks for that matter) UFO has been around for over 40 years and led by Phil Mogg in various configurations and lineups.  The early UFO with Mick Bolton on guitar shows them to be very comical as if they were trying to do the same freaky deaky music that Hawkwind was doing, only Hawkwind did it 10 times better.  Fun fact is that did you know that the first UFO album came out on Motown?  The first one was on Rare Earth, Motown's rock imprint.  Outside of that, nothing to really hear here move on.  Fuel 2000 cherry picked the more tolerable and less annoying (plus a helping of bonus tracks from new guitarist Michael Schenker which gives it a better rating than it should) for An Introduction To UFO.  The future was looking much brighter.

After two albums and a forgotten live debacle, UFO moved over to Chrysalis Records and issued Phenomenon and with Schenker replacing Bolton, moved from bad space rock to a more convincing blues rock style although they're still feeling their way.  With a FM classics with Rock Bottom, Doctor Doctor and Oh My the future was bright.  Force It was better with Mother Mary, Shoot Shoot and Let It Rock becoming rock anthems.  Denny Peyonrel joined on keyboards on the next effort No Heavy Petting (misspelled as Heavy Petting on the CD version) and three albums in, UFO showed a more rocking attitude.

This was UFO's glory years and soon after their albums sold more and more. Peynorel (can't spell his name) was replaced by Savoy Brown's Paul Raymond.  I always had reservations about Lights Out, a step down from No Heavy Petting but it's a good record with the title track, Too Hot To Handle (to which a DJ at our high school dance played three times in one night) and the prog rock Love To Love standouts.  And for the first time, they had a decent producer in Ron Nevison who would stay on for the next album Obsession and the live Strangers In The Night.  Obsession was slightly better than Lights Out and Only You Can Rock Me and Cherry were the highlights.  Strangers In The Night is their live classic and Nevison's sound makes you part of the crowd.   Although the band was enjoying their found success, Mike Schenker decided to leave and was replaced by Paul Chapman   Chapman was no stranger to UFO, he performed live with them in 1974

UFO came back stronger than ever on No Place To Run (1980) produced by George Martin (The Beatles) Letting Go and a good remake of Mystery Train.  In looking back, the albums with Chapman on it may have been the most consistent work of UFO's career. The Wild, The Winning And The Innocent (1981), Mechanix (1982) and Making Contact (1983) all hard rocking affairs and even though members came and went (Neil Carter in for Raymonde on The Wild, Paul Gray (Eddie And The Hot Rods) replacing Pete Way on Making Contact) the sound never changed despite each record selling less and less.  The Best Of The Rest is a very good overview of the Chapman era to which he left after Making Contact and joining Pete Way in Waysted for one album. Chapman would later join Gator Country a band featuring Molly Hatchet ex members in the 2000s.

Once Chapman left, UFO went into a dark period making a couple of subpar hair metal albums.  Misdemeanor may have been a credible hair pop metal album but for a band like UFO it was their worst since the Mick Bolton years.  Tommy McClendon was more of a flashy whammy bar specialist guitarist but by then Phil Mogg was the last original UFO member on board although Paul Raymond did come back. With that album, UFO said goodbye to Chrysalis and went to do Ain't Misbeavin' an album of leftovers from Misdemeanor  but  the leftovers sounded better than the real thing.  Which isn't saying much.

Fast forward a few years later, the albums between Ain't Misbeavin and Walk On Water I have not heard nor intend to.  Walk On Water was a surprise since it had the return of Mike Schenker on guitar and the rest of the Lights Out era band.  It's is their best album in years with Self Made Man and Knock Knock my faves.  The lineup was short lived again, Andy Parker left and Aynsley Dunbar took over on drums.  Another move to another label (Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records where he would add his two cents worth) and two more decent records ensured before Schneker took his guitar and ran home one last time.

I guess the fourth era of UFO begins with Vinnie Moore taking over. This reminds me of when Steve Morse took over for Richie Blackmore in Deep Purple, nothing much was to be expected but Morse has been a 20 part of Deep Purple whereas Moore has been holding down the UFO axe job for 10 years.  You Are Here is interesting for Jason Bonham playing drums but by the time The Monkey Puzzle came out, Andy Parker came back to provide the beats.  While this era has some highlights the big problem was that Mogg was losing his vocal range, not as bad as Bob Dylan mind you but very noticeable.  It's also strange to note that Jason Bonham, not much of a vocalist himself provided backing vocals to some of the music off You Are Here. For the most part it just seems as the Moore era UFO, it feels like that they're riding on past glories.

But before that, with a few missteps (Misdemeanor)  UFO managed to have one of the best outputs in classic rock, moreso of their 70s and 80s albums and even Walk On Water.  The Essential UFO and Best Of The Rest  are nice anthologies and highlights.  Buyer beware on the Vinnie Moore years. Conspiracy Of The Stars is the latest and take it for what's it worth. UFO 10 years after Vinnie Moore joined up and he holds his own but he could use the Phil Moog vocals of the 70s rather than 40 years later and too much wear and tear on the vocals.  Hot N Live is Rhino's plunging into the archives for two discs of the Michael Schneker and Paul Chapman years.  Not exactly essential unless you want to hear Chapman's 80s periods and a forgotten Danny Peyonel on keyboards on a late 75 early 76 tour.  And  Neil Carter comes on to replace Paul Raymond in 1982 and former Eddie And The Hot Rods bassist Paul Gray relives Way on the last 3 numbers (from 1983). Hugh Gilmour's liner notes are as dumb and half assed as they come. (He even misspells Kenosha Wisconsin on the notes).  A nice counterpart to Strangers In The Night for those with an extra 30 dollars burning in their pocket.  For the rest, we'll take the memories.


Ratings:
UFO (Rare Earth 1970) C-
UFO 2 aka Flying (Rare Earth 1971) C-
An Introduction To UFO (Fuel 2006) C
Phenomenon (Chrysalis 1973) B+
Force It (Chrysalis 1975) A-
No Heavy Petting (Chrysalis 1976) B+
Lights Out (Chrysalis 1977) B-
Obsession (Chrysalis 1978) B
Strangers In The Night (Chrysalis 1978) A-
No Place To Run (Chrysalis 1980) A-
The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent (Chrysalis 1981) B+
Mechanix (Chrysalis 1982) A-
Making Contact (Chrysalis 1983) B+
Misdemeanor (Chrysalis 1985) C
Best Of The Rest (Chrysalis 1989) A-
Ain't Misbeavin' (Metal Blade/Enigma 1988) C+
Walk On Water (CMC International 1995) A-
Essential UFO (Chrysalis 1996) B+ 
Covenant (Shrapnel 2000) B+
Sharks (Shrapnel  2002) B
You Are Here (SPV 2004) B-
The Monkey Puzzle (SPV 2006) C+
The Visitor (SPV 2009) C
Seven Deadly Sins (SPV 2012) C
Hot N Live-The Chrysalis Live Anthology 1974-1983 (Chrysalis/Rhino 2013) B
A Conspiracy Of Stars (Steamhammer 2015) NR