UFO - Lights Out

I'd heard of UFO before, but never actually heard them. The band's guitarist Michael Schenker was once a member of The Scorpions with his older brother Rudolf, but it's not like I knew much of their early work either. It just a nifty bit of trivia but that was about it.

I sort of found Lights Out by accident. I'd been down to Krazy Bob's and I was looking for something specific so I tend to be able to get in and get out - usually with something I hadn't planned on getting by the time I leave. I tend to enjoy my visits when I'm the only one in the store and Bob isn't trying to entertain people with his array of parlour tricks. For me it's tiring but when he's alone, Bob is a treasure of knowledge and more often than not has an uncanny knack for suggesting something I'd not heard of before but was tangentially related to what I was looking for.

One of the perks of dropping a bit of cash is Bob will often ask you to choose a record (or two) from his pretty killer selection of bargain records that are generally in really good shape after a bit of tender loving care. Sure there are a lot of questionable records but more often than not there's some great stuff to choose from if you take the time to look. This is how I picked up Lights Out. The jacket was okay and the record just looked dusty with some fingerprints, and while there wasn't a liner it looked like a decent album. I waved at Bob and thanked him and headed off to see if I could find my wife who was shopping down the street at one or more of the clothing shops nearby.

This was a while ago now, and the record got lost in the pile. Lost but not forgotten. Heck, most of the monstrous pile I got from my mum last Christmas is still there as it slowly gets processed. I was in the mood for something different today, and when I saw this one I figured this would fit the bill. 

Did it ever.

So it was off to the internet to find out more about the band. The band was from the UK and formed in the late '60s and would record several albums before releasing what would be their sixth album Lights Out. This would be the first album to feature Paul Raymond on keyboards and guitar after being recruited from Savoy Brown.

Aside from Michael Schenker on guitar and Paul on keyboards, the band was fronted by Phil Mogg and supported by the rhythm section of Pete Way on bass and Andy Parker on drums. Them boys could play. Phil Mogg had a great voice that reminded me a little of Dan McCafferty from Nazareth with a hint of Dio mixed with Paul Rodgers.

Musically I've seen UFO referred to as being heavy metal, I guess there was some crunch but this was hard rock with an air of grandeur. But metal? Does it really matter? Good is good, and frankly this was bordering on extraordinary.

Released in '77 the album is really crisp and sounds fantastic. I'm not sure how much can be attributed to producer Ron Nevison whose work I always seemed to enjoy. From what I've read he was the one responsible for bringing in Alan McMillan to score the horn and string arrangements. This alone was a genius move. The two pieces that really stood out as a result were the ballad on the first side, "Try Me" where the strings and horns were the only accompaniment to Michael Schenker's stunning guitar solo in the middle section. The other song was the album's closer "Love to Love" that at first blush didn't feel like much to me ... but boy did it ever get better with repeated plays. The song clocks in at close to eight minutes and is honestly the centrepiece of the album. It's a wicked piece of music. I can't believe this doesn't get any love on classic rock radio.

The rock songs though are where the album really shines. From the opening track "Too Hot to Handle" to the heavy riffs on "Lights Out" and "Electric Phase" the guys were first and foremost a rock band, and boy howdy was Mr. Schenker a monster. However, this isn't to say the rest of the band just sat back and gave him free reign. Paul Raymond's keyboard work was prominent and added an extra layer of sonic goodness.

It's a lot of fun hearing something new that's old. Of course on the weird side effects is that I am hearing bits and pieces of other songs that may or may not have been intentional. For example, when I first heard "Just Another Suicide" there was something in the song that was bugging me ... every time I heard it I couldn't put my finger on why it felt familiar. Then it hit me. It had a feel that evoked "All the Way to Memphis" by Mott the Hoople. Yeah, you may think I'm reaching on this one, but once I identified the source of the itch it seemed to make sense to me and then I was able to move on. The other example is probably more of a head scratcher, but the first song on the second side "Gettin' Ready" made me think of the old Bachman Turner Overdrive song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" which on the surface may seem like a stretch as they really sound nothing alike, but once paired I can't uncouple the two. Those chunky staccato power chords certainly helped channel Michael's inner Randy. All the way through Lights Out is consistently excellent, and the band style-flexes quite a bit employing whatever works for the song. It was never repetitive or boring.

Aside from those goofy little tangents I found myself listening to this a lot. I know it seems like I don't spend much time on these little blogblurbs but I'll often play a record for a week or so to let it sink in. Not always, but in this case it was played quite a bit. I'll be on the lookout for more of the band's output. From what I've read this is one of the band's essential albums and was a lucky place for me to start.

Of course to the band's true fans I'm just now discovering what they've known for decades. UFO was the real deal, and Lights Out is a masterclass in rock and roll.

Anyway, that's about all for now, I'll be turning out the lights and putting this one away ... for now.