UFO is a British rock band that was formed back in 1969. This is not only a rock band, but also a legendary group. Musicians have made a significant contribution to the development of the heavy metal style.
For more than 40 years of existence, the team broke up several times and gathered again. The composition has changed several times. The only constant member of the group, as well as the author of most of the lyrics, is vocalist Phil Mogg.
The history of the creation of the UFO group
The history of the UFO band began with The Boyfriends, which was created in London by Mick Bolton (guitar), Pete Way (bass guitar) and Tick Torrazo (drums).
Even more interesting is that the musicians constantly made adjustments to the name of the group. The names alternated one after another: Hocus Pocus, The Good the Badand the Ugly and Acid.
Torrazo was soon replaced by Colin Turner. Later vocalist Phil Mogg joined the band. With changes in the composition, a new name appeared. From now on, the musicians perform under the creative pseudonym UFO in honor of the London club of the same name. Even before his first appearance on stage, Turner was replaced by Andy Parker. This is how the "golden composition" of the UFO group was formed.
Talented musicians gathered in the UFO group. Therefore, it is not surprising that the prestigious label Beacon Records soon became interested in the band, with which the band signed a contract. Interestingly, Andy Parker had to wait until he came of age, because his parents refused to sign a contract, and the label did not have the right to work with underage citizens.
In the fall of 1970, the band presented their debut album, which was called UFO 1. The compositions that were included in the collection were recorded in the hard rock style, with the addition of rhythm and blues, space rock and psychedelia.
Surprisingly, the record was not liked by the inhabitants of the USA and Great Britain, but in Japan the debut collection was met with a storm of applause. A year later, the band's discography was replenished with the second studio album UFO 2: Flying.
Be sure to listen to the tracks Star Storm 2 (18:54) and Flying (26:30). The musicians have not changed the corporate style of sound. The album UFO 2: Flying was popular in Japan, France and Germany and did not show much interest in the rest of the world.
In 1972, the band presented their first live album, Live. No wonder it's only released in Japan.
UFO's transition to hard rock
After the release of the debut live album, information appeared that guitarist Mick Bolton was leaving the band. Mick's place was taken by the talented Larry Wallis. True, he could not stay long inside the team. The conflict with Phil Mogg was to blame.
Mick's place was soon taken by Bernie Marsden. In the same year, the group signed a contract with the Chrysalis label. Wilf Wright (one of the directors of the company) became the manager of the team.
In 1973, during a tour of Germany, the musicians met the soloists of the popular band Scorpions. They were shocked by the playing of guitarist Michael Schenker. The frontman of the UFO group offered Michael to join their team on very favorable terms. The guitarist agreed.
This stage was also interesting because the band began recording songs with producer Leo Lyons, the former bass player of Ten Years After. Soon the group's discography was replenished with the Phenomenon disc, which officially appeared on the shelves of music stores in 1974.
The compositions already clearly sounded hard rock with catchy guitar solos by Schenker. Despite the high quality of the tracks, not a single song from the new album charted. In honor of the release of the new album, the band went on tour and invited guitarist Paul Chapman to take the place. After the end of the tour, Paul Chapman left the musicians.
The peak of the popularity of the group UFO
In 1975, the musicians presented their next album, Force It, to fans. This collection is also known for the fact that keyboard instruments sounded for the first time in it. Musician Chick Churchill is to be thanked for this.
Force It is the first compilation album to hit the US charts. The album took an honorable 71st place. The musicians went on tour and invited keyboardist Danny Peyronel (a member of the Heavy Metal Kids) to help.
A year later, the band's discography was replenished with the fifth album, which was called No Heavy Petting. The record was not as successful as the previous album. In the US chart, the collection took only 161st position.
In the same year, the composition of the group changed several times. Instead of Danny Peyronel, the keyboardist was Paul Raymond, who came to the UFO group from the Savoy Brown team. To record a new album, the musicians invited a new producer. They became Ron Nevison.
Soon the fans were enjoying the tracks of the new album Lights Out. The album was released in May 1977. The compilation took 23rd position in the US and 54th position in the British music charts.
The musicians went on a big American tour. And after the tour, it became clear that Michael Schenker had left the band. Later it turned out that the musician began to have serious problems with drugs and alcohol. In order not to interrupt the performances, Michael's place was taken by Paul Chapman, who had previously collaborated with the UFO group. The musician played in the band until 1977. Then it became known that Schenker returned to the group.
In 1978, the album Obsession was released in the music world, which took 41st position in the United States of America and 26th position in the UK. Authoritative music critics called this collection the best album of UFO's discography.
Schenker lasted exactly one year. In 1978, the band's frontman announced that Michael was leaving the band forever. There were several reasons in the press for leaving - the growing conflict with Phil Mogg, drug problems, a busy tour schedule.
Schenker left shortly before the release of the double live compilation Strangers in the Night. The record peaked at number 7 in the UK and number 42 in the United States. This is one of the best live albums in the world.
The collapse of the UFO team
Michael's place was taken by Paul Chapman, already beloved by many. The soloists of the group were not completely sure that this was the right choice. In particular, Paul Raymond spoke frankly about the fact that he does not consider Paul a worthy musician. He suggested that producer Wilf Wright find someone better.
Raymond was even more shocked when he learned that Eddie van Halen wanted to take Schenker's place. Eddie made a reservation that he did not come to the group only because he considered himself much worse than Schenker.
In this composition, the musicians began recording a new disc. At this time, the place of the producer was taken by George Martin, who received a “portion” of recognition while working with The Beatles.
Martin and the soloists of the group as a result were dissatisfied with the work done. The compilation No Place to Run, which was released in 1980, turned out to be soft in sound compared to the band's previous work. The composition Young Blood took 36th position in the UK, and the album took 11th position.
In support of the new album, the musicians, out of habit, went on tour. After a number of concerts, the line-up changed again. Paul Raymond made a difficult decision for himself - he left the team.
Paul Raymond said that his departure was justified by different views on music and the further development of the band. Paul's place was taken by John Sloman. The musicians once played with Chapman in the Lone Star band, and shortly before he joined the UFO band, the musician played in the band Uriah Heep. But Sloman also stayed in the group for several months. He was replaced by Neil Carter, former lead singer of the Wild Horses.
In 1981, the band's discography was supplemented with the compilation The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent. The album was produced by the soloists of the group UFO. Some keyboard parts were recorded by John Sloman.
The new collection is slightly different in sound from the previous records. Considerable attention should be paid to the composition Lonely Heart, in which the saxophone played by Carter sounds divine, and the lyrics are influenced by Bruce Springsteen.
The UFO group was incredibly productive. In 1982, fans were enjoying the tracks on the new Mechanix compilation. The album was produced by Gary Lyons. Despite the fact that the record took the honorable 8th position in the British chart, the musicians were dissatisfied with their result.
At that time, the musicians of the cult rock band had everything: money, fame, popularity, recognition of millions of fans. Despite all the “trump cards” of star life, most musicians suffered from alcohol and drug addictions.
Conflicts within the team grew. It soon became known that the group decided to leave the one who stood at its origins. It's about Pete Way. Way was disappointed with the last collection. He did not like the sound of keyboard instruments.
Making Contact hit record stores in 1983. The bass guitars were especially good. You should pay tribute to the game of Neil Carter and Paul Chapman. Soon the band went on a big tour with Billy Sheehan on bass.
This tour turned out to be a "failure". No, the playing of the musicians, as always, was excellent. The situation was aggravated by heroin addiction. After one of the concerts in Katowice, Chapman and Mogg began to sort things out with the help of their fists.
As it turned out later, this conflict was still a “flower” compared to what happened at the concert in Athens. On February 26, vocalist Phil Mogg suffered a nervous breakdown while performing Too Hot to Handle. Phil cried loudly on stage and then went backstage.
The musicians apologized to the audience. They left the stage in order to persuade Phil to return and continue the performance. When Mogg and the rest of the crew took the stage, the audience pelted them with bottles. It was a "failure". The team decided to break up.
In the spring there was a farewell tour with Paul Gray as bass player. The last few shows were held at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. Recordings of the performances can be found in the compilation Headstone - The Best of UFO.
After the farewell concert, the musicians dispersed. Paul Chapman moved to Florida. Soon he created a new project DOA. A little later, Paul became part of Pete Way's Waysted team.
Neil Carter has received an invitation to be part of Gary Moore's team. Andy Parker joined Scarlett, and a little later moved to Way and Chapman in Waysted.
Phil Mogg moved to Los Angeles. There, the vocalist auditioned for Yngwie Malmsteen and George Lynch. Fans have placed bets on a UFO reunion, but the musicians have given no sign of "life".
The revival of the UFO group
Soon Mogg met Paul Gray, who in 1983 was just listed in the ranks of the Sing Sing group. The musicians decided to create a common project. Initially, they performed under the creative pseudonym The Great Outdoors. Tommy McClendon and drummer Robbie France soon joined the band.
But the musicians were not recognized under the new name, so they decided to work under the "promoted" name of UFO. In 1984, the team went on a small two-week tour.
In 1985, the band's discography was replenished with such an expected new album, Misdemeanor. The album peaked at number 74 in the UK and number 106 in the US. Fans couldn't ignore that the sound of the tracks had changed. Now the musical compositions were more reminiscent of stadium rock of the 1980s.
Almost immediately after the presentation of the collection, the musicians went on a big European tour. During the tour, the team had a problem. In 1986, Paul Raymond announced that he was leaving the project. On this day, bass player Paul Gray played keyboards.
To "finish off" the tour, David Jacobsen was invited to replace Paul Raymond. Paul told reporters that he was forced to leave the group due to serious problems with alcohol.
In 1987, the group's discography was replenished with a mini-album, which was called Ain't Misbehavin'. The musicians recorded the collection during a European tour. Despite all the expectations of the soloists, the album was not popular.
Then there was a constant change of composition. Tommy McClendon was the first to leave the band. Soon his place was taken by Mike Gray. A year later, it became known that Paul Gray and Jim Simpson were no longer part of the British rock band. The place of the mentioned musicians was occupied by guitarist Pete Way and drummer Fabio Del Rio.
The talented Mike Gray left the team next. He quickly found a replacement in the person of Rick Sanford, and then Tony Glidwell. In December 1988, UFO announced its breakup.
UFO new members
In the early 1990s, Phil Mogg tried to resurrect the legendary band UFO. In addition to Phil, the composition was headed by:
- Pete Way;
- guitarist Lawrence Archer;
- drummer Clive Edwards.
In 1992, the band's discography was replenished with a new disc. We are talking about the collection High Stakes & Dangerous Men. Session musician Don Airey was invited to record the collection.
Fans did not seem to notice the efforts of the musicians. The collection passed by the "ears" of music lovers and did not hit any of the popular charts. Despite this, the musicians went on tour, taking Jem Davis with them.
Around the same time period, the musicians released the live compilation Lights Out in Tokyo. The sale of the record was in 1992. During the tour, the musicians visited St. Petersburg, where a misfortune happened to Phil Mogg - he fell off the stage and broke his lower limb.
A year later, the classic composition of the UFO group of the late 1970s met - Mogg - Schenker - Way - Raymond - Parker. Mogg wanted to see Paul Chapman in the line-up, but his presence was a big question.
After that, Mogg met Michael Schenker. The musician offered to record a new studio album, so Mogg invited the rest of the members of the so-called "golden line-up" of the UFO group.
In the same period of time, the musicians signed an important agreement. It talked about the fact that musicians have the right to use the pseudonym UFO only when they perform on stage with Phil Mogg and Michael Schenker.
Soon it became known that the musicians started recording a new collection. The album was produced by Ron Nevison. In 1995, music lovers saw an album with the loud title Walk on Water.
In addition to the original compositions, the compilation contained re-recorded versions of the UFO Doctor Doctor and Lights Out classics. In Japan, the album took an honorable 17th position. But, to the great surprise of the producer, the collection did not enter the top either in the US or in the UK.
Soon the team left Andy Parker. Andy's departure is a necessary measure. The fact is that he inherited his father's business. The musician was forced to put an end to his musical career. Parker's place was taken by Simon Wright, who previously performed in the groups AC / DC and Dio.
Early 2000s
In 2002, the musicians recorded a new album, Sharks, on the Shrapnel Records label. The album was produced by Mike Varney.
The album was warmly received by fans. And everything would be fine, but during the tour in support of the collection there was another unpleasant incident related to Schenker.
Michael once again disrupted the performance in Manchester. This time, the musician kept his promise, saying that he would no longer appear in the band. Drug addiction did not let Schenker go. Soon he said goodbye to the stage forever.
In 2006, the band's discography was replenished with the collection The Monkey Puzzle. Loyal fans have heard that the sound of the songs has changed a bit. In addition to the usual sound of hard rock and heavy metal, the collection contains elements of blues rock.
In 2008, due to visa problems, Pete Way was unable to participate in the UFO tour of the United States of America. The musician was replaced by Rob de Luca. In 2009, Pete decided to leave the band forever. The reason for leaving was the poor health of the musician.
On the new compilation, The Visitor, bass guitar was performed by Peter Pichl. The album entered the UK charts. This was a huge surprise for the musicians.
UFO's 20th anniversary studio album is titled Seven Deadly. The collection went on sale in 2012. Interestingly, the record took 63rd position in the UK chart. And three years later, the band's discography was replenished with the collection A Conspiracy of Stars, which took 50th position in the British chart.
In 2016, information about the release of a new album appeared on the official page of the group. The Salentino Cuts compilation was released in mid-2017.
UFO group today
In 2018, vocalist Phil Mogg told reporters that UFO's 50th anniversary tour, which took place in 2019, would be his last as the band's frontman. Phil said that the team can continue to continue creative activities. He will be glad if the musicians find a replacement for him.
The lead singer of the legendary rock band explained, “This is a decision I made a long time ago. The last few performances could have been my last, but I didn't have the strength to say goodbye to the stage. I don't want to call this a farewell tour, but in any case, 2019 will be the last time I perform for the fans."
In addition, Mogg added that he "picked the right time for the farewell tour" and that "these will be the last shows in the UK. We will play some gigs in other countries where we have been warmly welcomed before. We'll also get ahead of the questions from the fans - the tour will be small outside of the UK."
In 2019, it became known that Paul Raymond died of a heart attack. A few weeks later, the soloists announced that Neil Carter, who had originally replaced Raymond, would join UFO before the end of the farewell tour.
In 2020, it became known that the UFO team will go on a big European tour. Phil Mogg rejoined the musicians. Despite their age, the musicians are ready to delight the audience with a bright show and performance of their favorite hits. The current line-up includes:
- Phil Mogg;
- Andy Parker;
- Neil Carter;
- Winnie Moore;
- Rob de Luca.
