The UFO Discography And Listening Party Thread

[TAC]

To get into the Vinnie era I would have to buy records blind, or wade through Spotify, and it just didn't seem worth it.  I like Monkey Puzzle, and the one that followed, I told you that, but not having the live stuff to sort of place it in the bigger picture is a detriment to that era of the band, IMO.   

Yup, and that's what I'm saying. Even Tommy McClendon and Laurence Archer got live albums. The one with Archer is amazing!



I just think it would resonate more if we had more live material.

[TAC]

Lesley West passed away the other day. Michael Schenker always mentions West in interviews and hold him in the highest regard. I went to Michael's website tonight to see if he had posted anything. Sure enough...

My Dear Lesley West,

You were my Hero.
What you did with your Lead Guitar Playing was out of this World and You were the kindest Man I have known.
Such a Lovely Character with so much Love.
I am so sad that You are gone but I know that You are in a better place now.
Enjoy Heaven and keep me with You in Spirit.
I am looking forward to meet You again when my time comes.
We will make Heavenly Music together. See You then.
I will never forget You my Hero. I am Your little Brother.
Thank You for what You have done for me.
Rest In Peace my Dearest Friend.
All my Love to You and all my Condolences to Your Loved Ones.
From the depth of my Heart.

I Will Always Love You,
Michael Schenker
XXX



That is some serious homage.

[TAC]

In Memoriam


Pete Way


August 7, 1951 – August 14, 2020










We have pretty much covered Pete Way musically in this thread. Pete Way, along with Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg, have been so meaningful to me in my musical life. The Waysted albums in the 80's, specifically the EP and The Good The Bad The Waysted contain some of my favorite music I've ever heard. And with UFO, well, I wouldn't even know where to start.



I do want to mention his book, as it was sourced quite a bit in this thread.



I've read a lot of rock n roll autobiographies. I really found this one to as real as it gets. Pete Way was an alcoholic, drug addict, even a heroin addict. He had an ex girlfriend that OD'd and died. He had a wife that OD's and died. And to his credit, one thing he never does in his book is feel sorry for himself, or ask for sympathy. He takes total responsibility, and I can respect that. Unfortunately, after reading it, I didn't feel bad for him. At all. But by all accounts, he was never nasty, never an asshole, and considered quite generous and a good soul. I don't think he and Neil Carter ever saw eye to eye, but that's about it.




Some shots:








As with Paul Chapman, I only got to see Pete Way live once when Waysted opened for iron Maiden in 1987. Pete was way on the other side of the stage, but had a big crowd in front of him. Me, I had Paul Chapman about 20 feet away!












In the past few years, Pete had formed the Pete Way Band. He gave up the bass duties and was the singer. Unfortunately, it's kind of cringe worthy. Apparently he has an album in the can, produced by Mike Clink. I'll be all over that when it come out for sure.


After a number of years without contact between UFO and Pete Way, in the summer of 2019, they were both booked at the Sweden Rock Festival. By all accounts, they had a wonderful clearing of the air.


It's funny, but for years, I would always have the same thought when turning on my computer. I'm going to turn it on to find out Pete Way died. That's weird. He's survived a heart attack, liver damage, cancer, but ultimately wouldn't survive falling down his own stairs.

[wolfking]

Lesley West passed away the other day. Michael Schenker always mentions West in interviews and hold him in the highest regard. I went to Michael's website tonight to see if he had posted anything. Sure enough...

My Dear Lesley West,

You were my Hero.
What you did with your Lead Guitar Playing was out of this World and You were the kindest Man I have known.
Such a Lovely Character with so much Love.
I am so sad that You are gone but I know that You are in a better place now.
Enjoy Heaven and keep me with You in Spirit.
I am looking forward to meet You again when my time comes.
We will make Heavenly Music together. See You then.
I will never forget You my Hero. I am Your little Brother.
Thank You for what You have done for me.
Rest In Peace my Dearest Friend.
All my Love to You and all my Condolences to Your Loved Ones.
From the depth of my Heart.

I Will Always Love You,
Michael Schenker
XXX



That is some serious homage.

Jesus, that's deep.  I thought of Schenker when I saw he passed as he mentioned him in that great 3 minute interview where he's slamming the Scorpions and Rudolf.  To my shame, I've never heard Leslie West and reading the people that have paid their respects makes me even more ashamed. 

[wolfking]

Great post in regards to Pete Way Tim.  He died by falling down his own stairs?  Jesus! 

Tim, I'm curious, with guys like Schenker, Way and Gary Moore so influential to you, did you never get around to playing an instrument?

[TAC]

Great post in regards to Pete Way Tim.  He died by falling down his own stairs?  Jesus! 

I had posted this interview when he died, but his wife went on a podcast and discusses all of the issues he had related to the fall. He actually fell down his stairs TWO months before he died. It's an awful story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WWWlixxSjY


Made me think that maybe Bruce Dickinson's ex wife maybe suffered a similar fate..'you know a tragic accident at home."

Tim, I'm curious, with guys like Schenker, Way and Gary Moore so influential to you, did you never get around to playing an instrument?

Yes, I played the drums. My biggest influence on that was Andy Parker. My parents really couldn't afford a nice drumset when I was a teenager, but my cousin who had moved left me his set for a couple of years and that's what I played on. Even jammed with a couple of bands as a kid.

I bought my current drumset when I got divorced in 1995. It was the first damn thing I did!
I don't play it hardly at all. It was always too loud when the kids were young. But I ain't getting rid of it no matter how much dust is on it.


I have tried guitar countless times and I just can't figure it out. At all. I have known plenty of guys that have tried to help me. I even tried bass when I was a kid thinking that would be easier. I just couldn't figure out notes, chords, finger arrangements, etc... I could play Bringin' On The Heartbreak on bass, but that's as far as I ever got.


I'm sure I just need to sign up for the GuitarDojo! 

[ProfessorPeart]

Pete's death and the outpouring of love and respect to him is what made me finally dig into UFO and pull the trigger on the UFO boxset. Then this thread came along right on its heels. The rest is history. It led to an avalanche of new music for me.

[TAC]

It's funny how things time out.

[wolfking]

Get back on those drums Tim and we'll start our own UFO cover band. 

[TAC]

 

 

[wolfking]

 

And with both of us in the band we can call ourselves 'Too Hot to Handle.'

[Podaar]

 

And with both of us in the band we can call ourselves 'Too Hot to Handle.'

More like, 'Born to Lose'

[TAC]

You have 4 albums to catch up on.

[wolfking]

 

And with both of us in the band we can call ourselves 'Too Hot to Handle.'

More like, 'Born to Lose'

Ouch.

[wolfking]

Checking some Leslie West, and this is brilliant.  This song Schenker mentions in that same interview I mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVG7eQ1TcNo

[TAC]

Wow! Fantastic.

I feel a rabbit hole coming!

[wolfking]

This one is a hoot too, they are absolutely fucked out of their mind.  Great viewing.  This particular song of course I know but I think may be the only Mountain/West song I know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwql7NyQI4k

[TAC]

That is one of the tracks on The Salentino Cuts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDE0b-_occ8

[TAC]

Here ya go, Kade!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK7YQ0uhiyg

[wolfking]

That is one of the tracks on The Salentino Cuts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDE0b-_occ8

HA, didn't even catch on to this.

Not bad.  I laughed at Phil's tough guy voice at the start.  Vinnie does really well here too.  He restrains himself nicely and adds to the song nicely.

[wolfking]

Here ya go, Kade!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK7YQ0uhiyg

Schenker is an awe watching him play.  Like he's in a trance.  He really idolized this guy.

[ProfessorPeart]

Here ya go, Kade!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK7YQ0uhiyg

Schenker is an awe watching him play.  Like he's in a trance.  He really idolized this guy.

While air-humping his guitar.

[wolfking]

Here ya go, Kade!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK7YQ0uhiyg

Schenker is an awe watching him play.  Like he's in a trance.  He really idolized this guy.

While air-humping his guitar.

Lol.  Best of both worlds.

[Stadler]

This one is a hoot too, they are absolutely fucked out of their mind.  Great viewing.  This particular song of course I know but I think may be the only Mountain/West song I know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwql7NyQI4k

I can only IMAGINE how loud it was in that studio.  Holy crap.   (The guy on the left, by the way, was in Frehley's Comet with Ace Frehley).

My favorite Mountain song is Nantucket Sleighride.  What a vibe.    I've not heard ANYONE speak of Leslie West in anything less than glowing terms. 

[Lowdz]

Always loved Nantucket Sleighride. It was used as the theme tune for a news programme back in the 80s in the UK so that’s how I initially knew it.

[TAC]

This one is a hoot too, they are absolutely fucked out of their mind.  Great viewing.  This particular song of course I know but I think may be the only Mountain/West song I know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwql7NyQI4k

I can only IMAGINE how loud it was in that studio.  Holy crap.   (The guy on the left, by the way, was in Frehley's Comet with Ace Frehley).

Yes, but I thought Scarlett was post Comet. I'd seen him with Ace a couple of times.  He may have been in an early Comet version though, I'm not sure. Looks like he was in Mountain during the Comet years.

[Zoom E]

Checking some Leslie West, and this is brilliant.  This song Schenker mentions in that same interview I mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVG7eQ1TcNo

Wow, that is really impressive. Just checked out Nantucket Sleighride and that was really good too.

I only knew Mississippi Queen from the radio and that wasn't my thing so I never checked out Mountain any further.

[wolfking]

Checking some Leslie West, and this is brilliant.  This song Schenker mentions in that same interview I mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVG7eQ1TcNo

Wow, that is really impressive. Just checked out Nantucket Sleighride and that was really good too.

I only knew Mississippi Queen from the radio and that wasn't my thing so I never checked out Mountain any further.

I've watched this vid a couple more times, it's absolutely unbelievable.  What a live performance, his solos on this are immense.

[wolfking]

This one is a hoot too, they are absolutely fucked out of their mind.  Great viewing.  This particular song of course I know but I think may be the only Mountain/West song I know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwql7NyQI4k

I can only IMAGINE how loud it was in that studio.  Holy crap.   (The guy on the left, by the way, was in Frehley's Comet with Ace Frehley).

My favorite Mountain song is Nantucket Sleighride.  What a vibe.    I've not heard ANYONE speak of Leslie West in anything less than glowing terms.

I'll check that tune out Bill.

[wolfking]

I'm still planning on doing a top 20 or 25 UFO song list too.  It will kill some time until the new MS album.

Just realised I still have to listen to Revelation.

[TAC]

I went back and forth about a In Memoriam Leslie West post.

I posted Michael's comments. That will suffice. I've never gotten into Mountain. Never tried, honestly. But I'll go back and check some out.



I should put together some lists too.

[TAC]

So...

We've basically made it to the end of The UFO Discography And Listening Party Thread. I've alerted Chad to put us to Completed status.

I had been asked to do the UFO Discography Thread a number of times in the past, but I didn't want to just wing it. I didn't just want to make a list of albums followed by "Cool album" or "I like it" styled comments.
I wanted to hopefully provide a bit more than that. That is why I was so hesitant to actually start it. How could I do this band justice? How do I treat the Michael Schenker albums? As you all saw, they are all intertwined.

I started an outline while recuperating from hernia surgery back in 2017. I thought how am I going to get through this. A rough outline sat for a few years. That is until the day I found out Paul Chapman passed away. I don't know why it hit me....but it just did. It was then that I said to myself...LET'S DO THIS!

I knew I could get through the UFO discography. But what do I do about Schenker. His second album is my favorite studio album of the entire bunch. I thought maybe do the old stuff and then highlight a couple here and there. That felt like a disservice, honestly. And what about the Waysted albums that were so important to me? 
It's a UFO thread dammit-I told myself.
But I can't leave the other stuff out-I then reminded myself.

In the end, I decided to do the whole fucking thing. It's the only thing I knew how to do. Come for the UFO, and listen to the other stuff if you want to.

I was always worried about the Vinnie Moore Era. It's a bit anticlimactic. If that's how I feel about it, how can I expect everyone else to hang. We did lose a few people towards the end, but if they find some time to ultimately check it out, I hope they post about it. It's a totally different vibe that has taken me a long time to put in its proper place in the ban's history.


I know a few people fell behind. That's cool. There was a shitload to chew on here. When you ultimately get around to it, post in the thread and we'll...talk about it. That's what it's all about. Sharing music...reliving old memories and creating new ones.


I am humbled and grateful for everyone's participation. It was way more than I ever expected honestly. You guys (and gal) really made it worth it.


Four months, SEVENTY fucking albums!

You guys rule!




Tim

[wolfking]

Thanks Tim for doing this, it seriuosly has been a relevation for myself and I've discovered so much thanks to you.  I've discovered what an incredible band UFO are and the magic of Schenker has come to light for me.  I can't thank you enough for the music you've opened me up to.  I'll post all my purchases thanks to this thread a bit later, there's been a few.

[TAC]

Kade, thank you to you as as well. Your participation really helped drive me through all of this.




We will have a new Schenker album in a few weeks which will of course, be covered!

[ProfessorPeart]

Kade and I throughout this thread:





I'll update my purchase list as well. Not today, but in the next few.