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.
Force It is the fourth studio album by English rock band UFO, released in 1975. It was their first album to chart in the United States.
No Heavy Petting is the fifth studio album by English rock band UFO, released in 1976. It is the first UFO album to feature a full-time keyboard player as a member of the band, making this their first record as a five-piece band. While keyboardist Danny Peyronel only stayed in the band for this one album, he did co-write several tracks on the record.
Obsession is the seventh studio album by English rock band UFO, released in 1978. This was the final studio album to feature Michael Schenker on lead guitar until he returned to the band in 1993. A single from the album, "Only You Can Rock Me" / "Cherry", was also released in 1978. So too was the band's first three-track EP "Only You Can Rock Me", "Cherry" / "Rock Bottom", reaching No. 50 in the UK. The album was recorded at an abandoned post office in Los Angeles.
UFO 1 is the debut studio album by British rock band UFO. It was first released in the UK by Beacon Records in October 1970. The first US release was on Rare Earth Records in April 1971. Neither of these releases charted, but the album did become a success in Germany and Japan.
Lights Out is the sixth studio album by English rock band UFO, released in 1977. All songs are band originals except for "Alone Again Or" which is a cover of a song by the band Love. Reaching number 23 on the Billboard 200, it remains the band's highest-charting album in the United States. In the UK it hit number 54 and stayed on the chart for two weeks.
No Place to Run is the eighth studio album by English rock band UFO, released in January 1980 by Chrysalis Records. It was the band's first record to feature Paul Chapman, who replaced Michael Schenker on lead guitar.
Michael Schenker is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker. In the mid-1970s, Schenker joined UFO, playing lead and rhythm guitar. He left the band in 1978 to briefly rejoin Scorpions for the recording of Lovedrive, and then to form MSG. He has rejoined UFO three times, producing an album each time. Schenker continues to perform and record. He has been called "a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar."
Lovedrive is the sixth studio album by the German rock band Scorpions, released in 1979. Considered by some critics to be the pinnacle of their career, Lovedrive was a major evolution of the band's sound, exhibiting their "classic style" that would be later developed over their next few albums. Lovedrive cemented the "Scorpions formula" of hard rock songs combined with melodic ballads.
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.
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.
Mechanix is the tenth studio album by English rock band UFO, released in February 1982 by Chrysalis Records.
Misdemeanor is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band UFO, released in 1985. After the disastrous tour supporting Making Contact, UFO disbanded, with Phil Mogg spending time in Los Angeles, where he contacted guitarist Atomik Tommy M. Mogg decided to start a new band, involving the new American guitarist and Paul Gray, who had played bass guitar in the last UFO tour. The three of them recruited former UFO keyboard player Paul Raymond and drummer Robbie France and started writing new material. Chrysalis Records signed the new band as UFO and assigned experienced producer Nick Tauber for the recording process of a new album. France resigned before the recording started and was replaced by former Magnum drummer Jim Simpson. Paul Raymond quit the band during their US tour in August 1986 and was replaced for the rest of the tour by David Jacobson.
Walk on Water is the fourteenth album from the British hard rock band UFO, marking the return of German guitarist Michael Schenker to the band, as well as the returns of keyboardist Paul Raymond and founding drummer Andy Parker. The album did not chart. It was recorded at Rumbo Recorders in Canoga Park, California. It was released first and only in Japan on 14 April 1995 with 11 tracks and in 1997 in other countries with only 10 tracks. It has since been re-released on numerous occasions, with a variety of covers.
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.
One Night at Budokan is a live album by Michael Schenker Group released in 1982. This album was recorded at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan as part of their 1981 tour.
Rock Will Never Die is a Michael Schenker Group live album released in 1984 and recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in London, over two nights in October 1983. The concert was also released in VHS with the same title. This is the last album recorded with Gary Barden before he rejoined the band in 2008.
The Visitor is the nineteenth studio album by the British hard rock band UFO, which was released on 2 June 2009. Bass parts were recorded by Peter Pichl. Since there are no writing credits on the album booklet, they were posted on UFO's official website.
"Doctor Doctor" is a song by English rock band UFO, composed by guitarist Michael Schenker at the age of 18, with lyrics by singer Phil Mogg. It was released as a single from their third album, Phenomenon (1974).
The Chrysalis Years: 1973–1979 is a compilation album by the band UFO which includes 81 tracks, some not previously released. The compilation includes, in their entirety, the albums recorded for the Chrysalis label during said years, including : Phenomenon (1974), Force It (1975), No Heavy Petting (1976), Lights Out (1977), Obsession (1978), and Strangers in the Night (1979). In addition to these albums, the compilation also includes a previously unreleased live set recorded at Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom in Atlanta, GA, several singles and B-sides which had not previously been released in CD format, and tracks recorded with BBC DJs Bob Harris and John Peel but not included on the original album releases. Arguably, this period during the 1970s is the zenith of the band's creativity, and The Chrysalis Years: 1973–1979 is an attractive collection likely to contain all the recordings by the band one might desire excepting for the most devout UFO fans.
