Ufo Hotseat 1.0

Four CD live archive box set from the British Hard rockers. Let It Roll features rare and previously unreleased concert performances by the classic line up of Schenker, Mogg, Way, Raymond and Andy Parker. 55 digitally remastered tracks.

This five-disc set collects all of the post-Michael Schenker albums that the British hard rock outfit released for the Chrysalis label in the 1980s, including No Place to Run (1980), The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent (1981), Mechanix (1982), Making Contact (1983), and Misdemeanor (1986). Like its 1973-1979 sibling, each disc on The Chrysalis Years (1980-1986) is stocked with live recordings, rare tracks, alternate takes, single edits, and extensive liner notes, making it a must-have for longtime fans.

The first two albums by UFO featured an odd mix of crisp, focussed songs alternating with meandering electric guitar-led soundscapes. Flying starts off with perhaps their best of the former category, "Silver Bird." This story of a primitive islander seeing an airplane for the first time begins with a pleasant little acoustic guitar melody and builds into a soaring full-band musical expression of the wonder of flight. The next cut, all 19 minutes of it, conjures up the vaster expanses of space. To complain that "Star Storm" rambles is to miss the point; sometimes Michael Bolton's guitar is used as a pure sound effect rather than to convey any kind of rhythm or melody, and if you're patient, then listening can be an enjoyable, even absorbing, experience.

One of the most revered and oft-overlooked bands to emerge from the fertile '70s English hard rock scene, shape-shifting space metal veterans UFO have issued their fair share of compilations, but this ten-piece box set from Rhino leaves little to the imagination. The Complete Studio Albums 1974-1986 includes the records Phenomenon (1974), Force It (1975), No Heavy Petting (1976), Lights Out (1977), Obsession (1978), No Place to Run (1980), The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent (1981), Mechanix (1982), Making Contact (1983), and Misdemeanor (1985) in their entireties.

Following the breakout success of Phenomenon and Force It, UFO had finally ascended to the first division of British hard rock. And after hiring a second guitarist and keyboard player in Danny Peyronnel, Schenker and Mogg led the group back into the studio to record their fifth album, No Heavy Petting…

Vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker formed the British space metal outfit UFO in 1969. Originally known as Hocus Pocus, the group, which took the name UFO in honor of a London club, debuted in 1971 with UFO 1…

This deluxe reissue not only reintroduces the original EP in all its glory but also treats fans to a selection of bonus tracks, including vintage live performances and other rarities that showcase UFO’s dynamic live energy and musical evolution. The artwork has been revamped with an even sexier front cover image.
Recorded in the wake of the band’s electrifying 1987 tour in support of their ’85 album Misdemeanor, this EP marked the final collaboration between UFO frontman Phil Mogg and the virtuosic Japanese-born guitarist Atomik Tommy M. Much like its predecessor, Ain’t Misbehavin’ goes full throttle from beginning to end with Mogg matching his vocal prowess to the pyrotechnic playing of guitarist Tommy alongside superstar bassist Paul Gray (The Damned) and former Magnum drummer Jim Simpson. The brilliant lead off track, “Between A Rock And A Hard Place,” ranks up there with some of the band’s best rockers.

UFO's Obsession was to be their last studio record with star guitarist Michael Schenker. It did indeed contain lots of prime metal cuts, but some of the material ultimately fell flat. "Only You Can Rock Me" kicks off the album with a fun and carefree feel, while the funky "Pack It Up (And Go)" contains some John Bonham-like drumming courtesy of Andy Parker…

Recorded on a shoestring budget, UFO has several challenging sonic moments. The uneven mixes and amateur performances that some listeners might find quaint or innocent could be distracting to others. In their pre-Michael Schenker days, the British band made a much more experimental noise that reflected psychedelic as well as R&B influences pitched with a dark resonance. This swirling mish-mosh barely suggests the early British metal of the group's commercial pinnacle that was still years off when they released their eponymous debut. Blue Cheer, early Black Sabbath, and maybe a little bit of the Who (mostly derived via bassist Pete Way's meandering, over-saturated basslines) all come to mind on standouts like "Boogie," "C'mon Everybody," and "Follow You Home."