The UFO Discography And Listening Party Thread

[wolfking]

Coming up with a top list is harder than first thought.  This band has really made an impression that it's making it impossible to leave songs out.

[wolfking]

I should have asked Tim if he minded me running down a top list based on the discovery due to this thread.

[TAC]

GO FOR IT!!!!!!!

Can't wait to check this out.

[wolfking]

Oh shit, you've changed the thread title.  No turning back now.    I'll post the first few here at work today when I can.

[Stadler]

I just saw the new title.  When's the list coming?   

[wolfking]

Now...

I've made no secret that I've known a bit of UFO for years, but never got stuck in.  That changed thanks to Tim and this thread and discovering everything from them has been a breath of fresh air, and one of the greatest discoveries I've had in a long long time.  I always have a bit of a hot take on most things it seems.  I always like different things from bands and always like to have an open mind.  This list was very difficult to come up with.  Truthfully, the top 10 was the easiest and then it got hard from there.  10-30 could cover so much of their catalog, you can place songs in and out and never lose anything.  20-30 was especially difficult.  The list went from 20, to 25 to 30 as there's a few songs I wanted to mention regardless.  I'm not sure how exciting this will be for you long term fans and this is a pretty fresh list.  It may change over time but I think is a solid 30 songs that represent this band for me.

I'm doing these first few from work so I'd love to listen along as I'm writing to add more thoughts but this will get us started;

30. The Writer (Mechanix)

I wasn't a big fan of this album truthfully.  It does need more listens but it was a little underwhelming.  However, this song is fantastic.  That riff at the start is totally my style and the groove is nice.  The whole tone and atmosphere is definitely my thing and I wish the rest of the album was more like this.  Great Chapman solo and I LOVE the sax, that's one aspect that's all class IMO.  Great song, great rocker.


29. Long Gone (The Wild, The Willing, The Innocent)

This one only came into my list the last couple of days.  It has that melody that made me go back and listen again and it grew on me pretty quickly.  That melody is superb and the chorus too is just a addictive.  Really great solo from Chapman here, he rips it up.  I really dig the outro too, nice touch.  The live version from Rockpalast is cool too.


28. Wonderland (Seven Deadly)

One of the more rocking songs from the Vinnie era.  This style as we know is rare during that era so this one stands out nicely for me.  I love that Judas Priest type riffing there, very solid.  I love the lyrics here too, love the monkey references and 'winos and black albinos' gets me everytime.  The chorus is pure old school UFO and Vinnie absolutely shreds here.  The key change into his solo is monstrous.  Great, rocking song.  Man I do wish they did more hard rock stuff like this in their later career.


27. Diesel in the Dust (Making Contact)

This one has a really nice mood to it.  It has a great vibe and the riff is simple but addictive.  I like Phil here, he sounds great for the style and he's in his storytelling mode he does so well.  The chorus is superb.  The "Ted Mckinley' line leading into the rest of that chrous has such a smooth melody and sticks in your head.  It maintains that nice laid back atmosphere too.  I think this is aptly placed as the second song of the album too.  It's a great follow up to Blinded.


26. I'm A Loser (No Heavy Petting)

I think I stated when we were running through this album and maybe beyond that I didn't understand the love for this song.  I think it was Bill or Prof that even said this was their fav UFO song?  That blew my mind, but this one has grown on me, a lot!  The mood of it is unique and I get Pearl Jam vibes from it which I've made known about a lot of early UFO.  I dig the lyrics.  The 'sleep on the couch' part is oh so good.  That's a wonderful couple of lines and the melodies are awesome.  The chorus melody is excellent too.  Phil sounds great as you hear the desperation of the subject matter in his voice.  I can see why this would be a fav UFO song.  It's totally not my style, so that shows how good it is just missing out on the top 25.  Hmm...maybe it should have been higher thinking about it now.

[ProfessorPeart]

I believe this might be what you are thinking about:

I'm A Loser is a Top 3 UFO track for me.

Huh, interesting.

I have never mentioned a favorite track, but off the top of my head, I could go Rock Bottom or A Self-Made Man without really thinking. I go back to those a lot.

[wolfking]

I believe this might be what you are thinking about:

I'm A Loser is a Top 3 UFO track for me.

Huh, interesting.

I have never mentioned a favorite track, but off the top of my head, I could go Rock Bottom or A Self-Made Man without really thinking. I go back to those a lot.

Looks like it mate.  Thanks.

[TAC]

I have never mentioned a favorite track, but off the top of my head, I could go Rock Bottom or A Self-Made Man without really thinking. I go back to those a lot.

You can go after Wolfking.

[ProfessorPeart]

Don't know about that. I'm lucky that I can come up with a top 5 albums for a year. You bring in songs, and I might have an aneurysm. It's one of the reasons I quit fantasy football. I suffer from analysis paralysis.

[wolfking]

Don't know about that. I'm lucky that I can come up with a top 5 albums for a year. You bring in songs, and I might have an aneurysm. It's one of the reasons I quit fantasy football. I suffer from analysis paralysis.

   Fantasy for Aussie rugby league over here has literally controlled my life for the last five years.  I am always less active here during my winter as fantasy is ruling my life.  I've wanted to quit but had my best year yet last year so that's out of the equation.  It's crazy hey.  So much time, wasted energy and even sleepless nights for something that has the same significance as a speck of dust in the air.

[TAC]

26. I'm A Loser (No Heavy Petting)

I think I stated when we were running through this album and maybe beyond that I didn't understand the love for this song.  I think it was Bill or Prof that even said this was their fav UFO song?  That blew my mind, but this one has grown on me, a lot!  The mood of it is unique and I get Pearl Jam vibes from it which I've made known about a lot of early UFO.  I dig the lyrics.  The 'sleep on the couch' part is oh so good.  That's a wonderful couple of lines and the melodies are awesome.  The chorus melody is excellent too.  Phil sounds great as you hear the desperation of the subject matter in his voice.  I can see why this would be a fav UFO song.  It's totally not my style, so that shows how good it is just missing out on the top 25.  Hmm...maybe it should have been higher thinking about it now.

What I really love about 70's live albums, and why I think they're so popular,  is that they bring an energy and vibrance that's often missing from the studio versions. Think KISS Alive, Frampton Comes Alive, Unleashed In The East. And Live And Dangerous, and of course Strangers In The Night.


Live albums also create a certain ambiance as well, especially in the quiet moments. In my early days with Strangers, I'm A Loser jumped out at me for a couple reasons. Paul Raymond's keyboard intro and keys throughout, and of course Michael Schenker's solo. I loved the vocals, words, the fantastic solo, and then the little extra solo to close it out. Oh, and some 70's double bass drumming. I just thought it was amazing.


I remember getting No Heavy Petting and I couldn't wait to hear the studio version. The first difference was the nice acoustic opening. But that solo was still totally powerful.

And the other thing that I really love about NHP is Phil's voice. There's just something about it. It's raw, but musically raw, if that makes any sense. There's an innocence about it, but yet a confidence in those weird experience lyrics. I've always thought this was what has always made Phil great, especially early on.

27. Diesel in the Dust (Making Contact)

This one has a really nice mood to it.  It has a great vibe and the riff is simple but addictive.  I like Phil here, he sounds great for the style and he's in his storytelling mode he does so well.  The chorus is superb.  The "Ted Mckinley' line leading into the rest of that chorus has such a smooth melody and sticks in your head.  It maintains that nice laid back atmosphere too.  I think this is aptly placed as the second song of the album too.  It's a great follow up to Blinded.

I'm glad to see this song made the cut. This is a song I personally underrate. But when it's on, I totally dig it. I love the solo section, and the music underneath where the band is totally together.

[wolfking]

I think it was the live version of Loser actually that made it open up to me and fully appreciate it.

And yeah, Diesel has a certain charm about it.  Great song.

[wolfking]

I'll try and pound through a batch every couple of days.  Even one or two a day might be easier and more fun to keep some chatter going until the new MS comes out.

[Stadler]

Live albums also create a certain ambiance as well, especially in the quiet moments. In my early days with Strangers, I'm A Loser jumped out at me for a couple reasons. Paul Raymond's keyboard intro and keys throughout, and of course Michael Schenker's solo. I loved the vocals, words, the fantastic solo, and then the little extra solo to close it out. Oh, and some 70's double bass drumming. I just thought it was amazing.

I think I know just what you mean, and I agree.  I don't know if this is what you're thinking of, but there's a moment on Kiss Alive! on the beginning of side four, when you hear the crowd, the echo of the room, and the acoustic part of Rock Bottom starts, and you almost feel you're at the show.  I get the exact same feeling on what is side two of Strangers In The Night.  There's a similar moment on All The World's A Stage, too.   

There's a reason those albums are still widely regarded over 40 years later, even with the rumors and rumblings about "studios" and "retouching".

[TAC]

Live albums also create a certain ambiance as well, especially in the quiet moments. In my early days with Strangers, I'm A Loser jumped out at me for a couple reasons. Paul Raymond's keyboard intro and keys throughout, and of course Michael Schenker's solo. I loved the vocals, words, the fantastic solo, and then the little extra solo to close it out. Oh, and some 70's double bass drumming. I just thought it was amazing.

I think I know just what you mean, and I agree.  I don't know if this is what you're thinking of, but there's a moment on Kiss Alive! on the beginning of side four, when you hear the crowd, the echo of the room, and the acoustic part of Rock Bottom starts, and you almost feel you're at the show.  I get the exact same feeling on what is side two of Strangers In The Night.  There's a similar moment on All The World's A Stage, too.   

There's a reason those albums are still widely regarded over 40 years later, even with the rumors and rumblings about "studios" and "retouching".

Yup, and speaking of All The World's A Stage, it's that version of In The End that makes it one of my favorite Rush songs.

[wolfking]

I was actually listening to Unleashed in the East yesterday too.  Holy shit!

[Zoom E]

Diesel in the Dust and I’m a Loser are right up there for me too. Great songs.

[wolfking]

Diesel in the Dust and I’m a Loser are right up there for me too. Great songs.

It's great to see appreciation for this excellent song.

[Lowdz]

Diesel in the Dust and I’m a Loser are right up there for me too. Great songs.

 

I love I'm A Loser.

[wolfking]

Another classic Schenker interview by the looks;    I'll listen to the whole thing later but this excerpt it funy.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/michael-schenker-on-eddie-van-halens-guitar-playing-i-was-blown-away-by-what-he-did/

"The weirdest thing is actually VAN HALEN was supporting UFO at the Starwood [club in Los Angeles]," Michael said (see video below). "I was 19 years old, I guess. That would have been '74 or '75. I heard that some people were saying a phenomenal guitarist was there, but it was five years before they broke out with 'Van Halen I', which, even though I'm not listening to any music for the last 50 years, sometimes [you would] hear things coming out of speakers everywhere. And when I heard Eddie, I went, like, 'Wow! This is amazing.' But I didn't know that he actually was doing the tapping technique. Because I was always wondering how on earth he got such a smooth guitar sound. Everybody was doing tapping later, and trashed Eddie. Just like they did with me — they copied my style; people copied my style; 80 percent of all guitarists in the '80s — and trashed my style too. But I always come up with something fresh, so I'm always a step ahead anyway.

"But with the tapping that was so extreme, it was, actually, in the end, it appeared to be easy to do for overnight success," he continued. "So there was thousands of guitarists going to guitar school, learning tapping to be a star in one or two years. Well, that shows that tapping is not all, and actually doesn't create much emotion.

"But the thing with Eddie Van Halen, he had rhythm [and] style," Michael added. "And by the way, Rudolf [Schenker, Michael's brother and SCORPIONS guitarist] told me that he actually heard something Eddie did earlier, because it looks like Eddie was actually a bit influenced by me. There was a melody line or several things that he did that sounded like me, and people were actually saying, 'Wow! It sounds like Michael Schenker.' But the thing is he took it — in the next five years — so far forwards that I was blown away by what he did. And his drummer, his brother being a drummer, so it's in the family gene that his sense of rhythm, his sense of melody, his sense of sound, tone quality, the way he actually entertained was so complete. He's the best."

[TAC]

I actually got through the first 10 minutes or so of that interview last night. I hadn't gotten up to the EVH part.

In the beginning he calls Ronnie Romero ..Ronnie James..

[wolfking]

I actually got through the first 10 minutes or so of that interview last night. I hadn't gotten up to the EVH part.

In the beginning he calls Ronnie Romero ..Ronnie James..

He seems like my kind of guy.  "I don't know or care who the fuck you are or what your name is, just sing my fucking songs. 

[Lowdz]

I actually got through the first 10 minutes or so of that interview last night. I hadn't gotten up to the EVH part.

In the beginning he calls Ronnie Romero ..Ronnie James..

He seems like my kind of guy.  "I don't know or care who the fuck you are or what your name is, just sing my fucking songs. 

Is that why you're not in a band? 

[wolfking]

I actually got through the first 10 minutes or so of that interview last night. I hadn't gotten up to the EVH part.

In the beginning he calls Ronnie Romero ..Ronnie James..

He seems like my kind of guy.  "I don't know or care who the fuck you are or what your name is, just sing my fucking songs. 

Is that why you're not in a band? 

Haha, you may be onto something there.

[wolfking]

Two more;

25. Hunger in the Night (Ain't Misbehavin')

I could see why the album along with Misdemenor would have gotten shit, but I enjoyed both of them and the production on AM over Misdemenor made it a bit more enjoyable for me.  This song inparticular grabbed me straight away.  This is an excellent rocker.  Great groove and vibe.  Phil sounds great, love him on the pre chorus for starters and the chorus rips.  I love the backup vocals and Phil's more adlib restrained vocal lines, it's a great contrast.  The solo too is some non-apologetic shred too from Tommy and I like it.  Great song, worthy of it's place in the top 25 for mine.  I still want to track this one down on CD.

24. Darker Days (Walk on Water)

This one was a real grower.  The riff is nice and crunchy.  I wasn't thrilled with the verses at the start, and with the Jesus line it does have that christian rock feel IMO.  The hero of this song is the wonderful chorus.  I grew to appreciate the verses and the contrast to the chorus is really quite good.  The lyrics in the chorus are wonderful;

Darker days surround me now I'm older
Longer nights freeze me it seems colder
Darker days they will take me under now
So help me please

Wow, excellent.  Schenker's soloing on this one tops it off, some nice improv as usual from him.  Tim mentioned that this song could have come straight from Obsession and you know what, that's fucking spot on!

[TAC]

Two more;

25. Hunger in the Night (Ain't Misbehavin')

I could see why the album along with Misdemenor would have gotten shit, but I enjoyed both of them and the production on AM over Misdemenor made it a bit more enjoyable for me.  This song inparticular grabbed me straight away.  This is an excellent rocker.  Great groove and vibe.  Phil sounds great, love him on the pre chorus for starters and the chorus rips.  I love the backup vocals and Phil's more adlib restrained vocal lines, it's a great contrast.  The solo too is some non-apologetic shred too from Tommy and I like it.  Great song, worthy of it's place in the top 25 for mine.  I still want to track this one down on CD.

You opened my eyes a bit to this song. I still don't think it's great, but I do have a new appreciation for it. The beginning of the solo sounds like Alex Lifeson from Grace Under Pressure, but I love the guitar at the very end, a little sort of outro.

24. Darker Days (Walk on Water)

This one was a real grower.  The riff is nice and crunchy.  I wasn't thrilled with the verses at the start, and with the Jesus line it does have that christian rock feel IMO.  The hero of this song is the wonderful chorus.  I grew to appreciate the verses and the contrast to the chorus is really quite good.  The lyrics in the chorus are wonderful;

Darker days surround me now I'm older
Longer nights freeze me it seems colder
Darker days they will take me under now
So help me please

Wow, excellent.  Schenker's soloing on this one tops it off, some nice improv as usual from him.  Tim mentioned that this song could have come straight from Obsession and you know what, that's fucking spot on!

Great tune! Nice choice. What really makes that chorus special is Paul Raymond. He blends so nicely with Schenker and really sets the mood.


Yeah, I get a total Obsession vibe from this the way Schenker weaves in and out. A sort of You Don't Fool Me feel.

[wolfking]

 

[TAC]

https://youtu.be/nUBbP2jSi9E?t=1


 

[wolfking]

Great solo compilation that.

[devieira73]

Following your ranking, wolking, I really love your very detailed analysis and your insight as a guitar player. And I love our love for Making Contact and our consideration for Ain't Misbehavin! 
I'm curious if Between a Rock and a Hard Place will make your cut... personally I love this song.
Darker Days I've always felt a bit more like Lights Out than Obsession, because of the mix of acoustic guitar on the main guitar riff (I'm right about this?). But, hearing again, the constant soloing by Schenker on this song really reminds his approach on Obsession.
That's why I like to read the comments on this thread, they really open a lot of new things that I didn't pay attention before, really cool!

[wolfking]

Following your ranking, wolking, I really love your very detailed analysis and your insight as a guitar player. And I love our love for Making Contact and our consideration for Ain't Misbehavin! 
I'm curious if Between a Rock and a Hard Place will make your cut... personally I love this song.
Darker Days I've always felt a bit more like Lights Out than Obsession, because of the mix of acoustic guitar on the main guitar riff (I'm right about this?). But, hearing again, the constant soloing by Schenker on this song really reminds his approach on Obsession.
That's why I like to read the comments on this thread, they really open a lot of new things that I didn't pay attention before, really cool!

Thanks for your kind words dev!  Yeah I love talking music and what's going on.  Haven't done that too much with this list but will try and breakdown more as we go.

[devieira73]

In the beginning he calls Ronnie Romero ..Ronnie James..

That's why I guess:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmWYrhIYhEw
I loved this one!

[TAC]

It's not available here yet!

[TAC]

I saw this one though that I'd never seen.

Michael talking about writing Rock Bottom..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqnn2EboT9s