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UFO- any fans?


Segue Myles
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I now work in a job role that involves me spending a lot of time sitting in an office. I am SAVED by the Planet Rock radio station supplying my day with modern and classic rock and metal. A few days ago, they played Megadeth and afterwards played a track by Black Stone Cherry. Its a fun station, focused not just on hits but obscure bands and album tracks.

 

One of the songs they play fairly often is Love To Love by UFO. It blew me away, and it wasn't til the second or third time it played I managed to catch the name of the band.

 

So, that sent me down a rabbit hole. For the first time in years, I play the radio. And it lead me to Deep Purple deep cuts, UFO and I'm appreciating Black Sabbath more and more as well!

 

But UFU, what a great band! I think of them like Savatage as a band that has all the goods to be massive, but somehow just missed out on true superstardom. 

 

Any fans here?

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I think it was Tony R and . . . somebody else (?!) who were discussing Strangers in the Night in a thread, so I downloaded that and was really impressed!  My favorite track was "Natural Thing," but "Love to Love" was a good one, too.

 

I did go on to listen to a couple of the studio albums, but nothing else quite moved me in the same way, but I consider UFO one of my TRF-inspired finds. Good basic hard rock.

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4 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

I think it was Tony R and . . . somebody else (?!) who were discussing Strangers in the Night in a thread, so I downloaded that and was really impressed!  My favorite track was "Natural Thing," but "Love to Love" was a good one, too.

 

I did go on to listen to a couple of the studio albums, but nothing else quite moved me in the same way, but I consider UFO one of my TRF-inspired finds. Good basic hard rock.

I definitely feel they are a little more than "basic", but in the same breath I would not call them innovative either. But yeah, I think they have much to offer a rock and metal fan! 

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Just now, Segue Myles said:

I definitely feel they are a little more than "basic", but in the same breath I would not call them innovative either. But yeah, I think they have much to offer a rock and metal fan! 

 

Yeah, let me hasten to add that I don't mean "basic" in a pejorative way; what I mean is something more like "their music does not need to be shunted into some sub-category of rock (heavy metal? ur-hair metal? NWOBHM? Blues rock? etc., etc.) but just _is_ hard rock" but that's hard to fit in a sentence!

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Just now, Nova Carmina said:

 

Yeah, let me hasten to add that I don't mean "basic" in a pejorative way; what I mean is something more like "their music does not need to be shunted into some sub-category of rock (heavy metal? ur-hair metal? NWOBHM? Blues rock? etc., etc.) but just _is_ hard rock" but that's hard to fit in a sentence!

Gotcha! 

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I enjoy the Schenker-era of the band (Phenomenon to Obsession) as much as pretty much any other band, save someone like the Beatles.  The Chapman-era is a little more spotty, but if you're looking for a straightforward hard rock band without excesses, the Schenker-era is very tough to beat.  I would liken them to classic Lynyrd Skynyrd if you stripped away the Southern vibe.

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3 minutes ago, Rick N. Backer said:

I enjoy the Schenker-era of the band (Phenomenon to Obsession) as much as pretty much any other band, save someone like the Beatles.  The Chapman-era is a little more spotty, but if you're looking for a straightforward hard rock band without excesses, the Schenker-era is very tough to beat.  I would liken them to classic Lynyrd Skynyrd if you stripped away the Southern vibe.

We can agree on the Beatles too then. 

 

As for the LS comparison, that actually makes a lot of sense

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Been listening to UFO since Force It was released (July '75) .... 'Good basic hard rock' ???? .... nah ........ light years better than that.

 

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15 hours ago, treeduck said:

I've never heard of them! Or their influential guitarist Michael Schenker. Who is he?

They appeal to metalheads. Its no surprise you don't know them 😂

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8 minutes ago, Mithrandir said:

I listened to "Phenomenon" today and while it's solid rock and roll, it just doesn't connect with me.

 

Solid rock n roll, nothing special to me.

 

didn't wanna crash the party but i'm with you.  I never got the fuss.  Just came across as a band my elder family members loved that never did much for me.  it is solid rock yes and well played at that but not outstanding enough for me to care.

 

Mick

Edited by bluefox4000
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10 hours ago, bluefox4000 said:

 

didn't wanna crash the party but i'm with you.  I never got the fuss.  Just came across as a band my elder family members loved that never did much for me.  it is solid rock yes and well played at that but not outstanding enough for me to care.

 

Mick

 

10 hours ago, Mithrandir said:

I listened to "Phenomenon" today and while it's solid rock and roll, it just doesn't connect with me.  I enjoyed about half of the songs.

 

Solid rock n roll, nothing special to me.

Deep down I know I shouldn't agree with these posts

 

:ninja:

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6 hours ago, goose said:

 

Deep down I know I shouldn't agree with these posts

 

:ninja:

You can still like them and agree with the negatives. 

 

I think they have excellent albums and songs, but no real musical identity. And that's okay, a lot of great music from the seventies and eighties is a joy just because it rocks.

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3 hours ago, Segue Myles said:

You can still like them and agree with the negatives. 

 

I think they have excellent albums and songs, but no real musical identity. And that's okay, a lot of great music from the seventies and eighties is a joy just because it rocks.

Before you write UFO off as just 'solid rock and roll' on the strength of listening to Phenomenon, I would suggest you listen to Force It quickly followed by Lights Out.

Lights Out is one of the greatest rock albums of all time ..... Solid? ... Indeed! Sensational? ... too bloody right!! Every bit as good as anything the '70s had to offer, and miles better than most of the '80s crappola.

Edited by zepphead
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1 hour ago, zepphead said:

Before you write UFO off as just 'solid rock and roll' on the strength of listening to Phenomenon, I would suggest you listen to Force It quickly followed by Lights Out.

Lights Out is one of the greatest rock albums of all time ..... Solid? ... Indeed! Sensational? ... too bloody right!! Every bit as good as anything the '70s had to offer, and miles better than most of the '80s crappola.

Oh I've listened to Phenomenon through the Obsession, plus the deluxe edition of Strangers In The Night. Also played the first two albums, which were very different. 

 

I love them!

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1 hour ago, zepphead said:

Before you write UFO off as just 'solid rock and roll' on the strength of listening to Phenomenon, I would suggest you listen to Force It quickly followed by Lights Out.

Lights Out is one of the greatest rock albums of all time ..... Solid? ... Indeed! Sensational? ... too bloody right!! Every bit as good as anything the '70s had to offer, and miles better than most of the '80s crappola.

You lose me on that last phrase, :smile:, but totally agree that Lights Out is one of rock's classic albums.

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26 minutes ago, Rick N. Backer said:

You lose me on that last phrase, :smile:, but totally agree that Lights Out is one of rock's classic albums.

 

27 minutes ago, Rick N. Backer said:

You lose me on that last phrase, :smile:, but totally agree that Lights Out is one of rock's classic albums.

I suppose it's down to an age thing .... by 1978 I was 20 so all my real music heroes came from the '70s where there was a wealth of fabulous rock music.

I found the '80s rock scene much more underwhelming .... far too much emphasic on genres ... are they rock? are they metal? are they neo-prog? etc etc.

In the '70s genres were not so important. I listened to Rush, Purple, Priest, Sabbath, Rainbow, Floyd, Yes, Tull, UFO, Lizzy, Motorhead et al ..... but it was all ROCK!!! 

So forgive me if I was a bit rude about  '80s music ... blame it on old age lol!! :old:

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1 minute ago, zepphead said:

 

I suppose it's down to an age thing .... by 1978 I was 20 so all my real music heroes came from the '70s where there was a wealth of fabulous rock music.

I found the '80s rock scene much more underwhelming .... far too much emphasic on genres ... are they rock? are they metal? are they neo-prog? etc etc.

In the '70s genres were not so important. I listened to Rush, Purple, Priest, Sabbath, Rainbow, Floyd, Yes, Tull, UFO, Lizzy, Motorhead et al ..... but it was all ROCK!!! 

So forgive me if I was a bit rude about  '80s music ... blame it on old age lol!! :old:

No need to apologize.  We're about a decade apart if my math is correct.  I'm a firm believer in the idea that your musical taste is roughly formed between the ages of 13 and 23, give or take.

 

The mirror image of your point explains why, for example, I don't really like too much prog.  By the time I was 13 in 1980, the prog bands were largely gone.

 

CAVEAT for the pedants:  Yes.  I know there are people who were born after me who love prog.

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45 minutes ago, Rick N. Backer said:

No need to apologize.  We're about a decade apart if my math is correct.  I'm a firm believer in the idea that your musical taste is roughly formed between the ages of 13 and 23, give or take.

 

The mirror image of your point explains why, for example, I don't really like too much prog.  By the time I was 13 in 1980, the prog bands were largely gone.

 

CAVEAT for the pedants:  Yes.  I know there are people who were born after me who love prog.

Yeah ... I have a friend who is 11 years older than me ..... anything other than jazz is a bridge too far for him lol!! 

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I think it was either "Doctor, Doctor" or "Only You Can Rock Me", that first introduced me to the band back in the late 70s. So much so that I borrowed the album - Strangers in the Night - from my school buddy, and played it to death on my stacked hi-fi system with headphones maxed all the way to 11!

 

Before then I thought Thin Lizzy's "Life and Dangerous" was the best live rock album I had listened to at that time, but after hearing Schenker caress his Flying V on Lights Out, I realised that "Strangers..." was the ultimate live album for its time.

 

 

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Strangers in the Night is a very good live effort! However if we are talking Schenker, I'll go with MSG One Night at Budokan! Just for the record, Chapman period UFO is just as good or better than Schenker UFO!

Edited by malm_51
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