U.F.O. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1969 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 28:45 | |||
Label | Monnie | |||
Producer | Al Dobbs, Chad Dulaney, Norman Skolnik | |||
Jim Sullivan chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from U.F.O. | ||||
|
U.F.O. is the debut album by psychedelic folk singer-songwriter Jim Sullivan, released in 1969. The album was unpopular upon release, but has gained a cult following in part due to the mysterious disappearance of Sullivan. While it is commonly known as U.F.O., a 1970 pressing on Century City Records titled the album simply as Jim Sullivan. [1] [2]
The album deals with supernatural and extraterrestrial themes, topics that Sullivan was obsessed with. [3] "Rosey" was released as a single from the album in 1970 on Century City Records. [2] [4]
The album was released on a private label in 1969 and received little attention at the time. Actor Al Dobbs founded the Monnie record label to press Sullivan's album. The artist enlisted session musician ensemble The Wrecking Crew to help fill out the songs, and it was recorded and released later that year. Sullivan would follow the album with a self-titled release in 1972 before disappearing. [5]
The album is notable not only for its obscurity, but also for its lyrics that seem to predict Sullivan's own disappearance. [6] [7]
After years of obscurity, Light in the Attic founder Matt Sullivan (no relation) discovered the record while surfing obscure music blogs. He was transfixed by the cover art and Sullivan's voice and eventually got the album repressed on his label in 2010. [6] [8] [9] Record club Vinyl Me, Please partnered with the label in 2019 and repressed the album on colored vinyl as part of their monthly subscription series. [10] If the Evening Were Dawn, an album of compiled demo tracks from the recording sessions of U.F.O. was released on October 25, 2019 by Light in the Attic. [11] [12] [13]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
As the album was released on a private label, the album garnered little critical attention upon release. Due to the 2010 reissue and the record's hazy history, modern reviews have reappraised the album. James Allen of AllMusic called the album a "lost classic" and praised the atmospheric and orchestral feel of Jimmy Bond's string arrangements. [14] The Independent wrote that the album has its moments of "hippy excess" but that much of the material is full with David Axelrod-esque string arrangements and features an essence similar to that of "Wichita Lineman" [15]
All tracks are written by Jim Sullivan.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Jerome" | 2:47 |
2. | "Plain As Your Eyes Can See" | 2:27 |
3. | "Roll Back the Time" | 2:14 |
4. | "Whistle Stop" | 2:37 |
5. | "Rosey" | 3:21 |
Total length: | 13:26 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Highways" | 2:51 |
2. | "U.F.O." | 2:50 |
3. | "So Natural" | 3:02 |
4. | "Johnny" | 4:05 |
5. | "Sandman" | 2:31 |
Total length: | 15:19 |
Adapted from LP liner notes of the 2010 Light in the Attic reissue.
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra, and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".
This is the discography of Apple Records, a record label formed by the Beatles in 1968. During its early years, the label enjoyed a fair degree of commercial success, most notably with Mary Hopkin and Badfinger, as well as discovering acts such as James Taylor and Billy Preston who would go on to greater success with other labels. However, by the mid-1970s, Apple had become little more than an outlet for the Beatles' solo recordings. After EMI's contract with the Beatles ended in 1976, the Apple label was finally wound up. The label was reactivated in the 1990s with many of the original Apple albums being reissued on compact disc, and the company now oversees new Beatles releases such as the Anthology and 1 albums as well as the 2009 Beatles remastering programme. In 2010, Apple set about remastering and reissuing its back catalogue for a second time.
Sundazed Music is an American independent record label based in Coxsackie, New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2000, Sundazed had a staff of 15 and two mixing studios, including a vintage audio equipment collection.
The Stooges is the debut studio album by American rock band the Stooges, released on August 5, 1969 by Elektra Records. Considered a landmark proto-punk release, the album peaked at number 106 on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The tracks "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "1969" were released as singles; "1969" was featured on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs" at number 35.
MAM Records was a British record label launched in 1970 by the management company Management Agency & Music Ltd. (MAM). It was founded by Gordon Mills and Tom Jones and distributed by Decca Records. The first single released on MAM was "I Hear You Knocking" by Dave Edmunds in 1970. Later that year, Gilbert O'Sullivan started his run of hit singles on MAM with "Nothing Rhymed", and he also provided MAM with its first hit album in 1971 with Himself. Other hit albums such as Back to Front, I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter, and A Stranger In My Own Back Yard followed.
Black and White is the third studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 12 May 1978, through record label United Artists in most of the world and A&M in America.
La folie is the sixth studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 9 November 1981, through the EMI record label Liberty.
Michael Chapman was a British singer-songwriter and virtuosic guitar player. Chapman originally began playing guitar with jazz bands, mainly in his home town of Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He became well known in the folk clubs of the late 1960s, as well as on the 'progressive' music scene, and released over 50 albums.
Labyrinth is a soundtrack album by English musician David Bowie and South African composer Trevor Jones, released in 1986 for the film Labyrinth. It was the second of three soundtrack releases in which Bowie had a major role, following Christiane F. and preceding The Buddha of Suburbia. The soundtrack album features Jones' score, which is split into six tracks for the soundtrack: "Into the Labyrinth", "Sarah", "Hallucination", "The Goblin Battle", "Thirteen O'Clock", and "Home at Last".
Klopfzeichen is the first full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster.
Light in the Attic Records is an independent record label that was established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan. The label is known for its roster of reissue projects and for its distribution catalog. Light in the Attic has re-released work by The Shaggs, Betty Davis, Serge Gainsbourg, Jim Sullivan, Jane Birkin, Monks and The Free Design. The label has also released albums by contemporary bands The Black Angels and Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators.
The Sylvers II is the second album by the Los Angeles, California-based R&B group the Sylvers. Released in 1973, it was produced by Keg Johnson and Jerry Peters. It was their final album for Pride Records before being moved over to Pride's parent label MGM Records for the release of 1974's The Sylvers III.
Charles Blackwell is an English record producer, arranger and songwriter.
Shallow Water is the debut album by Servant, and also served to launch the new label Tunesmith Records in 1979. The gatefold jacket opened to reveal a photo of the cover scene being washed away in the tide. The album was originally issued in Canada on red vinyl, but later pressings were in standard black.
James Anthony Sullivan was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who released two albums before he disappeared without a trace in New Mexico.
For a Reason is the sole studio album by English duo Lifetones, consisting of This Heat's Charles Bullen and his then-neighbour Julius Cornelius Samuel. It was released in 1983 under the Tone of Life imprint, and was later reissued in 2016 by Light in the Attic Records. The album - recorded in Cold Storage - combines post-punk and dub with a range of different stylistic influences from world music. Intended as a reaction against “the culture of death that was around” at the time, the album is also far more positive in comparison to Bullen's work with This Heat; its "koanic" and "ephemeral" lyrics subverting common linguistic cliches and tropes through repetition.
Pacific Breeze: Japanese City Pop, AOR and Boogie 1976–1986 is a 2019 compilation album. The album was released by Light in the Attic Records on May 3, 2019, as the third part of their Japan Archival Series, starting with Even a Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969–1973.
Nasty Gal is the third studio album by American funk musician Betty Davis. It was released in 1975 on Island Records and was Davis' first album on a major label.
Satoshi Ashikawa (芦川聡) was a Japanese musician, composer, producer and record store owner. He is considered one of the earliest flag bearers of ambient music in Japan.
Johnnie Frierson was a soul and gospel singer and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. After a short-lived musical career with Stax Records, he served in the U.S. Army and worked as a mechanic, carpenter, and teacher. In the 1990s, he produced homemade cassette recordings of gospel-inspired songs, which were posthumously reissued as Have You Been Good to Yourself in 2016.