UFO are an English hard rock band from London. Formed in 1968 under the name The Boyfriends, the group originally consisted of lead vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way and drummer Tik Torazzo. [1] Torazzo was replaced by Colin Turner then by Andy Parker and the group became known as Hocus Pocus, and by October it was renamed UFO.
The final lineup of the band included original members Mogg and Parker, plus lead guitarist Vinnie Moore (since 2003), bassist Rob De Luca (since 2008), and keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Neil Carter (from 1980 to 1983 and since 2019).
The band were formed in 1968 as the name The Boyfriends by Phil Mogg, Mick Bolton, Pete Way and Tik Torazzo. [1]
The latter was replaced in January 1969 by Colin Turner and the group was renamed The Ugly. [1]
In August, Andy Parker joined and the group became known as Hocus Pocus, and by October it was renamed UFO. [2]
Bolton left in early 1972, shortly after the release of the band's first live album Live . [3] He was briefly replaced by Larry Wallis, who was later fired by Mogg and replaced in November by Bernie Marsden. [4] In June 1973, Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker substituted for Marsden on a German tour, and later joined as a full member. [5] Paul Chapman was added as a second guitarist following the release of Phenomenon in 1974, although he would leave the following January after failing to turn up for a show. [6] Danny Peyronel was added as the band's first keyboardist in 1975, featuring on their fifth album No Heavy Petting . [7] [8]
In July 1976, Peyronel was replaced by Savoy Brown's Paul Raymond, who also contributed rhythm guitar to the band. [9] Due to increased problems stemming from his alcohol abuse, Schenker quit UFO after a show in October 1978, with Chapman returning to take his place shortly after. [10] Raymond left two years later and was briefly replaced by John Sloman, before Neil Carter took his place midway through the recording of The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent . [11] Way left UFO after the release of 1982's Mechanix , [12] with Chapman and Carter recording bass for Making Contact . [13] Billy Sheehan was brought in to perform on a European tour in early 1983, [12] with Paul Gray taking over from late February until the end of the tour in April. [14] Upon the conclusion of the tour, UFO decided to disband. [15]
Mogg reformed UFO in late 1984 with returning bassist Gray, new guitarist "Atomik" Tommy McClendon and new drummer Robbie France. [16] [17] By early 1985, France had been replaced by Jim Simpson and former keyboardist Paul Raymond had returned to the band, with the five-piece releasing Misdemeanor later in the year. [18] Raymond left the band in July 1986 and was replaced by David Jacobson for the rest of the year's touring cycle. [19] McClendon was replaced by Myke Gray in late 1987, [20] and in early 1988 original members Pete Way and Andy Parker returned to the group. [21] A new lineup of the band including guitarist Rik Sanford and drummer Fabio Del Rio began working on a new album later in the year, [22] and after brief stints with Tony Glidewell and Erik Gamans on guitar, UFO broke up for a second time in 1989. [23] [24]
UFO returned for a third time in 1991, with Mogg and Way joined by guitarist Laurence Archer, drummer Clive Edwards and, later, keyboardist Jem Davis. [25] In 1993, Schenker, Parker and Raymond returned to reunite the 'classic' lineup of the band, releasing the album Walk on Water in 1995. [26] Simon Wright replaced Parker in 1995. [27] Schenker left to promote his debut solo album Thank You in 1995, returning in 1997 to support the European release of Walk on Water. [28] The guitarist quit suddenly after a show on April 24, 1998, with Wright and Raymond following soon after; due to an agreement signed by the band members, Mogg and Way were unable to use the name UFO without Schenker, and briefly considered renaming the group Lights Out. [29] However, the pair continued collaborating under the moniker Mogg/Way. [2]
After a two-year hiatus, UFO returned again in 2000 with Schenker returning and Aynsley Dunbar added on drums, releasing Covenant in July. [30] For the album's promotional tour, Luis Maldonado (keyboards, rhythm guitar) and Jeff Martin (drums) were added to the band's lineup. [31] Dunbar returned in 2002 to perform on Sharks , [32] which was the band's last album to feature Schenker who quit in January 2003, relinquishing his part-ownership of the name in order that UFO could continue. [33] In July, it was announced that Vinnie Moore would replace Schenker, Jason Bonham would replace Dunbar, and Paul Raymond would return to the band. [34] Bonham remained in UFO until 2005, when Parker returned to the group, [35] and in 2008 Rob De Luca joined in place of Way, after filling in for him on an initially temporary basis. [36]
On 13 April 2019, Paul Raymond died of a heart attack just a few days after the end of a tour. [37] Two weeks later, it was announced that Neil Carter had rejoined the band to take Raymond's place on tour. [38] In September 2022, it was announced that Phil Mogg had suffered a heart attack and remaining dates of the farewell tour were cancelled, save for occasional shows afterwards. [39] UFO's third disbandment was officially confirmed by Mogg in April 2024. [40]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Phil Mogg |
| lead vocals | all UFO releases | |
Andy Parker |
|
|
| |
Neil Carter |
|
|
| |
Vinnie Moore | 2003–2024 [34] [40] | lead guitar | all UFO releases from You Are Here (2004) onwards, except Headstone: Live at Hammersmith 1983 (2009) and The Misdemeanor Tour: Live from Oxford (2013) | |
Rob De Luca | 2008–2024 [36] [40] |
|
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pete Way |
| bass guitar | all UFO releases from UFO 1 (1970) to Mechanix (1982), and from High Stakes & Dangerous Men (1992) to The Monkey Puzzle (2006), except Heaven's Gate (Live) (1993) | |
Mick Bolton | 1968–1972 [2] [3] | lead and rhythm guitar |
| |
Tik Torazzo | 1968 | drums | none | |
Colin Turner | 1969 | |||
Larry Wallis | 1972 (died 2019) [4] | lead and rhythm guitar | ||
Bernie Marsden | 1972–1973 (died 2023) [4] [5] | Phenomenon (1974) (two 2007 bonus tracks only) [43] | ||
Michael Schenker |
|
|
| |
Paul Chapman |
|
|
| |
Danny Peyronel | 1975–1976 [7] [8] |
| No Heavy Petting (1976) | |
Paul Raymond |
|
|
| |
Paul Gray |
| bass guitar |
| |
Atomik Tommy M | 1984–1987 [16] [20] |
|
| |
Robbie France | 1984–1985 (died 2012) [16] [18] | drums | none | |
Jim Simpson | 1985–1988 [18] [21] |
|
| |
Myke Gray | 1987–1988 [20] | lead and rhythm guitar | none | |
Fabio Del Rio | 1988–1989 [22] | drums | ||
Rik Sandford [22] | 1988 | lead and rhythm guitar | ||
Tony Glidewell [23] [24] | ||||
Erik Gamans [23] [24] | 1988–1989 | |||
Laurence Archer | 1991–1993 [25] |
|
| |
Clive Edwards | drums | |||
Jem Davis | keyboards | Lights Out in Tokyo: Live (1992) | ||
Simon Wright |
| drums |
| |
Aynsley Dunbar |
|
| ||
Jason Bonham | 2003–2005 [34] [35] |
|
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Billy Sheehan | 1983 | bass guitar | Sheehan performed with UFO on a European tour in early 1983 after the departure of Pete Way. [12] | |
David Jacobson | 1986 |
| Jacobson toured with UFO in 1986 after the departure of Paul Raymond earlier in the year. [19] | |
Jeff Martin | 2000 |
| Martin and Maldonado were added to UFO's touring lineup following the release of Covenant in 2000. [31] Maldonado also contributed backing vocals to Covenant (2000) [44] and Sharks (2002) [45] | |
Luis Maldonado |
| |||
Barry Sparks |
| bass guitar | Sparks performed with UFO at one show in 2001, and again on a United States tour in September/October 2004. [46] | |
Jeff Kollman | 2005 | Kollman substituted for regular bassist Pete Way in UFO on a United States tour in July 2005. [47] |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chick Churchill | 1975 | keyboards | Force It (1975) | |
John Sloman [11] | 1980 | The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent (1981) | ||
Paul Buckmaster |
| |||
Don Airey | 1991 | keyboards | High Stakes & Dangerous Men (1992) | |
Terry Reid | backing vocals | |||
Stevie Lange | ||||
Mark Philips | 1995 | Walk on Water (1995) | ||
Jesse Bradman |
| |||
Kevin Carlson | keyboards | |||
Mike Varney | 2002 | guitar fills & outro guitar solo | Sharks (2002) | |
Peter Pichl | 2009 | bass guitar | The Visitor (2009) | |
Martina Frank | backing vocals | |||
Melanie Newton | ||||
Olaf Senkbeil | ||||
Alexa Wild | 2012 | Seven Deadly (2012) | ||
Marino Carlini | ||||
Lars Lehmann | bass guitar | |||
Marc Hothan | harp |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
1968 | none | |
January – July 1969 |
| |
October 1969 – January 1972 |
|
|
February – October 1972 |
| none – live performances only |
November 1972 – June 1973 |
|
|
June 1973 – May 1974 |
|
|
May 1974 – January 1975 |
| none – Phenomenon tour only |
January – August 1975 |
|
|
August 1975 – July 1976 |
|
|
July 1976 – October 1978 |
|
|
October 1978 – March 1980 |
|
|
April – August 1980 |
|
|
August 1980 – August 1982 |
|
|
August – December 1982 |
|
|
January – February 1983 |
| none – Making Contact tour only |
March – April 1983 |
|
|
Band inactive April 1983 – October 1984 | ||
October – November 1984 |
| none – rehearsals only |
December 1984 – July 1986 |
|
|
July – August 1986 |
| none |
August 1986 – late 1987 |
|
|
Late 1987 – early 1988 |
| none – live performances only |
Early 1988 |
| |
Summer 1988 |
| |
Late 1988 |
| |
Early 1989 |
| |
Band inactive early 1989 – summer 1991 | ||
Summer – late 1991 |
|
|
1991–1993 |
|
|
1993–1995 |
|
|
1995–1997 |
| none – live performances only |
1997–1998 |
|
|
1998–2000 |
| none – rehearsals only |
2000 |
|
|
2000 |
| none – Covenant tour only |
2002–2003 |
|
|
July 2003 – September 2005 |
|
|
September 2005 – March 2008 |
|
|
March 2008 – April 2019 |
|
|
April 2019 – present |
| none to date |
Cleansing is the fourth album by the American heavy metal band Prong, released on January 25, 1994, by Epic Records. It was produced by Terry Date, whereas Prong's previous two albums had been produced by Mark Dodson. The album features ex-Killing Joke members Paul Raven on bass guitar and John Bechdel on keyboards and programming. Featuring an industrial-influenced sound, the record received moderate commercial success.
UFO were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the new wave of British heavy metal. The band's final lineup consisted of vocalist Phil Mogg, lead guitarist Vinnie Moore, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Neil Carter, bass guitarist Rob De Luca, and drummer Andy Parker. They had gone through several line-up changes, leaving Mogg as the only constant member, and had disbanded three times. The band also featured former Scorpions guitarist and Michael Schenker Group (MSG) founder Michael Schenker, who was a member of UFO from 1973 to 1978 and rejoined the band sporadically between 1993 and 2003, when Moore replaced him. In May 2018, Mogg announced that he would retire from UFO after one last tour as a member of the band in 2019; however, their farewell tour was set to conclude in 2022 before it was cancelled, due to Mogg's health issues. Mogg confirmed UFO's third disbandment in April 2024.
Covenant is the fifteenth album by the British hard rock band UFO. It was published as a limited edition 2-disc album, with disc 1, titled Covenant, containing entirely new material, and disc 2, titled Live USA, containing a collection of classics performed live. Covenant saw the return of Michael Schenker on guitar, as he had left the band in the middle of the Walk on Water tour.
Sharks is the sixteenth album by the British hard rock band UFO. It is the last album to feature longtime German lead guitarist Michael Schenker.
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Strangers in the Night is a live album by British hard rock band UFO, first released in 1979 on the Chrysalis label. The original double LP album was recorded at shows in October 1978 at Chicago, Illinois, and Louisville, Kentucky, while UFO were on tour.
Phenomenon is the third studio album by English rock band UFO, released in May 1974. It was the band's first album after guitarist Michael Schenker joined them, replacing Mick Bolton.
The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent is the ninth studio album by English hard rock band UFO, released on 16 January 1981. Their first to be entirely self-produced. Its song "Lonely Heart" was a minor UK hit.
You Are Here is the seventeenth studio album by the British hard rock band UFO, released in 2004 by the German record label SPV/Steamhammer. This is the first album with the new band members, Vinnie Moore and Jason Bonham, who replaced the long-time guitarist Michael Schenker and drummer Aynsley Dunbar.
Phillip John Mogg is an English singer. He was the lead singer and frontman of the hard rock band UFO, which he co-founded with longtime friends Pete Way, Andy Parker and Mick Bolton in 1968.
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Peter Frederick Way was an English bassist. He was the co-founder and original bassist of the rock band UFO from 1968 to 1982; he briefly rejoined the band in 1988–1989 and full-time from 1991 to 2008. He was also a founding member of Waysted and Fastway and notably played with Michael Schenker Group and Ozzy Osbourne.
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Zero Days is the twelfth studio album by American heavy metal band Prong. It was released on July 28, 2017 through Steamhammer/SPV record label. The record was produced by the band's guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and longtime collaborator Chris Collier, the latter also engineering the album.
X – No Absolutes is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Prong. It was released on February 5, 2016 through Steamhammer/SPV record label. The record was produced by the band's guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and engineer Chris Collier.
Steve Mann is an English guitarist, keyboardist, record producer and engineer, best known as a member of Andy Scott's Sweet from 1989 to 1995 and as a member of many bands by German guitarist Michael Schenker.
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