When I pass away, and they perform a Rock And Roll autopsy on me, on my brain they'll find Dream Theater. In my heart, they'll find Iron Maiden. There's a good chance they'll find Alice Cooper on my liver..
But on my soul..well, that's where they'll find UFO.
I turned 13 in September of 1981. It was the same month I entered the 8th grade. But it was also the same month that MSG, the second album from The Michael Schenker Group was released. My local rock radio station would every now and then play On And On from the album. For some reason, I was captivated by it. As soon as I heard that airy keyboard intro, courtesy of Paul Raymond, I was paralyzed. It's a simple hard rock song, but still elegant. Paul Raymond's fluttering keyboards in the chorus was noteworthy, but the guitar/keyboard outro was so addicting. I got the cassette for Christmas that year.
The next winter, in early 1983, my travel hockey team played in Nova Scotia. We all went to the mall one day, and I bought a metal Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin pin. The Zep pin is notable because on my other (home) team, there was a kid whose mother was in real estate. She took over a house and with it, a large album collection. I was talking about Michael Schenker in the locker room and must've mentioned UFO at some point. This kid pipes up that he his mother had 2 UFO albums from this house. So we worked out a trade. I gave him that Led Zeppelin pin that I had bought in Canada, and he gave me the vinyls of Obsession and Strangers In The Night.
Musical life changed. By Christmas of 1983, I had gotten the entire Phenomenon -Making Contact run. I was 15.
I spent more time listening to UFO in the 80's than any other band. I had friends that liked them. I had a gf that liked them. They were basically the only thing in my car for years. But more than anything, their music resonated with me. At their core, their songs are about living your life. Sure there's adventure and mayhem. But they sparked an interest within me that I've frankly never outgrown.
I started writing this thread a couple of years ago while recovering from a hernia operation. I basically shelved it, but when I heard the news of Paul Chapman's death, I decided that now is the time. I liked Paul Chapman. He was cool.
We're going to cover a lot of ground here. We'll look at Michael Schenker's discography, and I will cover the Waysted albums of the 80's. They are some of my favorite albums, so I hope you don't mind indulging me.
Here are the links to the UFO studio discography. Some are on Spotify and some are on Youtube. This thing will have some pace to it, so I like to make the links available in the OP.
UFO 1 (1970)Flying (1971)Live (1971)Phenomenon (1974)Force It (1975)No Heavy Petting (1976)Lights Out (1977)Obsession (1978)Strangers In The Night (1979)No Place To Run (1980)The Wild The Willing And The Innocent (1981)Mechanix (1982)Making Contact (1983)Misdemeanor (1985)Ain't Misbehavin' (1988)High Stakes And Dangerous Men (1992)Lights Out In Tokyo (1992)Walk On Water (1995)Mogg/Way-Edge Of The World (1997)Mogg/Way-Chocolate Box (1999)Covenant (2000)Sharks (2002)You Are Here (2004)The Monkey Puzzle (2006)The Visitor (2009)Seven Deadly (2012)A Conspiracy Of Stars (2015)The Salentino Cuts (2017)As you will find out, UFO has had a ton of members. But there's a basic core set of players that runs throughout.
Let's meet some of the main characters in our story.
Phil Mogg
Phil Mogg was born on April 15, 1948. He is the singer for every UFO album. Phil has a distinct voice and is able to play many characters with it. He can be soulful, a story teller, a hell raiser. There's no formula on connecting with a vocalist, but I connected with Phil Mogg from day one.
Pete Way
Pete Way was born on August 7, 1951. He sadly passed away on August 14, 2020, at the age of 69.
Pete would almost revolutionize how bass playing would be performed. I think he's sneaky underrated, technically, but he was a real showman. Not content to stand by the backline, Pete took his playing to the front of the stage. You can see Pete Way in Steve Harris, Nikki Sixx, and Rick Savage. Pete was a legendary rocker, who lived the lifestyle to the fullest, however, he was loved by everybody as he was always friendly. Pete played with UFO from ints inception up through 1982's Mechanix. He rejoined for 1995's Walk On Water and stayed on through 2006's The Monkey Puzzle.
Andy Parker
Andy Parker was born on March 21, 1952. Andy was a rock for the band on and off the stage. Even in UFO's crazy days, there is not much said about Andy, other than him being a solid guy all the way around. I love his drumming, and while he will never be confused with Neal Peart, he is solid as hell. Andy played with UFO from its inception through 1983's Making Contact. He did play on the 1995 Reunion album Walk On Water, and rejoined the band for good on 2006’s The Monkey Puzzle, manning the drum stool to this day.
Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker was born in Germany on January 10, 1955. He was a mere 18 years old when he recorded Phenomenon, his first with the band. Michael would leave the band during 1978's Obsession tour, but after Strangers In The Night was recorded. He would return for the three reunion albums. Michael, to me, is my favorite guitar player, along with Gary Moore. Michael's playing touches nerves I didn't even know I had. If anyone is not real familiar with Michael Schenker, then you're in for a treat.
Paul Raymond
Paul Raymond was born on November 16, 1945. He passed away on April 13, 2019, at the age of 73, from a heart attack. Paul played rhythm guitar and keyboards. He joined UFO for 1977's Lights Out album, and left after 1980's No Place To Run. After appearing on 1985's Misdemeanor and 1995's Walk ON Water, Paul would rejoin the band for good with 2004's You Are Here.
Paul Chapman
Paul Chapman was born on June 9. 1956. He passed away on his 66th birthday on June 9, 2020. He had lost his wife and suffered a stroke in the previous year. His death was the catalyst for getting this thread done.
Paul would have brief stints with UFO in the 70's as a touring guitarist before taking over when Michael Schenker left. Paul would play on 4 albums from 1980-1983, affectionately known as the Chapman Era. There are many that actually prefer the Chapman Era to the Schenker Era.
Vinnie Moore
American guitarist Vinnie Moore was born on April 14, 1964. Vinnie had carved himself out a great solo career as a guitarist before joining UFO for 2004's You Are Here. He has remained with the band ever since.
I will start the albums tomorrow after work.
So without further ado:
"Would you please welcome from England"
Topic: The UFO Discography And Listening Party Thread (Read 142428 times)
