UFO (Band)
UFO is a British hard rock band, founded in London in 1969. Her achievements and best-known songs are from the mid 1970s, when the former Scorpions member Michael Schenker in the band played lead guitar.
- 4.1 Studio albums
- 4.2 compilations
- 4.3 Live albums
Band History
The beginnings
UFO was founded in London in 1969 under the initial name ' Hocus Pocus '. Founding members were singer Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker. Shortly after the founding of the band's name was converted according to a London club in 'UFO '.
1970 titled debut album by the band name on Decca Records was published. The style of this first album was - similar to the early Deep Purple - assign more the hard boogie. In addition, borrowings from psychedelic and space rock were present. However, the biggest success of the album was tapped as a single Eddie Cochran cover, " C'mon Everybody", which is partly still played on the band's concerts as an encore. The second album Flying, however, contributed in some versions of the programmatic subtitle One Hour Space Rock and presented the band at their most psychedelic side. Outstanding was the long playing time of almost an hour, and very long, partly psychedelic and improvised -sounding songs like "Star Storm" or the title track.
The most successful the first two UFO albums in Japan, so the band in 1971 undertook a tour there. Result of this trip was the live album UFO Lands In Tokyo, which outside of Japan under the simple title UFO Live, appeared.
The Schenker - era
Nevertheless, the band, the style seemed too limited, which is why Mick Bolton left the band in 1972 and this had now looking for a new guitarist. First one took place in Larry Wallis a replacement for Bolton. Then there was Bernie Marsden, was denied the front of a concert tour by the Federal Republic of Germany because of a forgotten passport entry. Opening act of UFO at these concerts were the Hanover Scorpions. In this tour, the band on the 17-year- old Michael Schenker was attentive, who appeared as a guitarist with UFO in the sequence. He was then brought to the end of 1973 because of its playful ability as a new member instead of Marsden in the band. Immediately after his inclusion in the band toured Schenker to England to participate there on the new album Phenomenon. This album was released in 1974 Chrysalis Records and offered a much more resembling the former Hard Rock style, which benefited from the competent solo guitarist and composer Schenker. Classics of this album are " Doctor Doctor " and "Rock Bottom".
With the entry of Michael Schenker, the band was able to consolidate their style in the following years and be successful in commercial terms. 1975 and 1976 published the album Force It and No Heavy Petting, which caused an increase in popularity of UFO. However, the final breakthrough came with the 1977 album Lights Out, which reached number 23 in the U.S. Billboard charts. In addition, had gone to this album Paul Raymond as second guitarist in the band, which incidentally also served as keyboardist and thus expanded the range of sounds from UFO. However, at this time already occurred first personal tensions between Phil Mogg and Michael Schenker. 1978 but was released the album Obsession, which could not repeat the success of its predecessor in the U.S., but in the UK number 26 on the charts and reached with the single " Only You Can Rock Me " contained another classic. The live album Strangers in the Night 1979 became, however, the biggest success of UFO and reached number 8 in the UK album charts, a Top 10 ranking. Soon after this album is plagued by drug problems Michael Schenker separated because of differences with singer Phil Mogg of UFO. Schenker founded then after a brief return to the Scorpions his own band, the Michael Schenker Group, MSG shortly.
UFO in the early 1980s
In Paul Chapman, who was briefly a member of the band in 1974, UFO quickly found a replacement for Michael Schenker. The first album of this phase, No Place to Run in 1980, when the Beatles producer George Martin sat at the controls, reaching number 51 on the Billboard charts and number 10 in the British charts. UFO obtained at this time, especially in their home country cult status among the followers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. They also made the 1981's album The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent enthusiastically. While the record sales were declining in the U.S., they moved to the home country of the band.
The album Mechanix 1982 flopped in the U.S., while it again became a hit in the UK. Bassist Pete Way during the same year, joined briefly Ozzy Osbourne and founded a few months later Fastway first and then Waysted. His successor was the later of bassist David Lee Roth and Mr. Big, Billy Sheehan. Paul Gray of the punk band The Damned superseded for the farewell tour 1983 Billy Sheehan. In the same year the album Making Contact appeared. The album was a relative flop in the UK, as for the first time in the era with Paul Chapman were missed the Top 20. The Welsh and Neil Carter shared the bass parts on this album, which was too focused on American AOR rock.
Two years lasted from 1984, the trial of the singer Phil Mogg put together a new band under the name UFO. The album Misdemeanor fell with the old fans of the band as well as through the rest of the audience.
The troubled reunions and beyond
Only in 1992 were Pete Way and Phil Mogg each other again and decided to let UFO reappear. With Laurence Archer on guitar and Clive Edwards on drums, the comeback album High Stakes & Dangerous Men and in the same year the live recording of Lights Out in Tokyo originated. The new material represented a throwback to the 1970s, making the public interest in the band revived. In 1993, finally came to a reunion of the successful Schenker - Mogg - Way - Raymond Parker occupation of the 1970s. Having been in this line-up the album Walk on Water was released in 1995, however, the old tensions between Schenker and Mogg recurred. Even during the world tour Schenker left the band, so that UFO again faced ruin.
Under the name of ' Mogg / Way' Phil Mogg and Pete Way worked until the end of the decade, two more albums before boarding in 2000 Schenker back in the band. This year, the Covenant album was recorded and released. In 2002, the album was released Sharks. Both albums were enthusiastic about the Schenker - cast the critics again, however, Schenker once again showed little willing to continue to cooperate with the band. At this time, the Paul Chapman era underwent a late appreciation when the album The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent in the list of " Top 300 - The best albums of all time" took the magazine Rock Hard Place 127.
To avoid the ambiguous status donor in the band occupied the band in 2003 the guitar items with Vinnie Moore. And was selected as a drummer in the band in the same year Jason Bonham. In this occupation in 2004 was again the traditionally oriented album You Are Here. On the tour for this album, the band cut on 13 May 2005 with her appearance in Wilhelmshaven, which was published in early 2006 under the title of Showtime on CD and DVD. Meanwhile, Bonham withdrew from the band and was replaced by original drummer Andy Parker. The band is still active and tours regularly. Also at the Wacken Open Air 20th anniversary in 2009, they went on.
In November 2013 it was announced that Pete Way, who no longer participated since 2008 for health reasons to gang activity, was suffering from prostate cancer.
Style
The music is influenced by Michael Schenker UFO electric guitar. As an accompaniment to singing, he plays mostly power chords, his solos are characterized by great precision at high speeds. Paul Raymond plays the rhythm guitar and keyboard, the latter, however, except for the ballads, musical stands in the background. Bassist Pete Way accompanied with rather simple bass playing. Drummer Andy Parker also used the double bass in contrast to other early hard rock bands. The band members use the amplifier brand Engl, the drums comes from Premier percussion.
Gallery
Pete Way
Vinnie Moore
Paul Raymond
Andy Parker