UFO!

The great "Love to Love" (1977):

lucas wrote: sarge wrote: What's goin on proggies?!? Thought I'd take the time out of my particularly boisterous Friday night to let you all know how disheartened I was to find out UFO haven't found their place in PA. Obviously they're not progressive rock in the strictest sense, but surely their first 2/3 albums earn them a spot in the 'space rock/prog related' sections. I am glad they turned hard-rock. I can live without their spacey stuff. I agree that not having them in PA is a mistake though.

Indeed, their first spacey output is far from memorable.

Their post '74 production is hard and wonderful, proggy in places as in the memorable  "Love to Love" or in "Lights Out", the latter very reminiscent of Zep's "Achilles Last Stand".

I love in particular the Chapman-years. This is "The Writer" opening number on their Mechanix album (1982). Wonderful synth solo and sax.

Windhawk wrote: Andrea Cortese wrote: Not only: in the superb 1981's record The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent there are wonderful orchestral arrangements (courtesy of Paul Buckmaster) for a quasi-symphonic appeal. Indeed, a superb album. Sublime in places.

Ditto on that.

Wow, never seen this thread before. And, yes, this is a terrific band.

I agree their first output (1970-1972) is psychedelic/space rock thing. For another psych number just listen to Alpha Centauri from their excellent 1980's No Place to Run.

After that period they went heavier in sound, changing their mood. The years with Shencker are the most brilliant and famous but the Chapman-era produced so may gems also and is so unjustly overlooked by many fans.

The music has a heavy edge and at the very same time is very elegant and refined too, you can listen to excellent synth and keys (just listen to Mechanix' intro, for example) and even sax.

Not only: in the superb 1981's record The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent there are wonderful orchestral arrangements (courtesy of Paul Buckmaster) for a quasi-symphonic appeal.

All in all a band I wouldn't be surprised to see, at least, in the prog-related subgenre.


Edited by Andrea Cortese - March 31 2013 at 17:28

UFO are terrific

Awesome!

I thought some of their music is prog such as Love to Love 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd6UQ3GVZ7U&feature=related

and their first 2 albums, and they appear on prog compilations... sometimes. I guess they are overall just heavy rock but prog related at times would be a fair assessment.  

Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - February 06 2012 at 08:16

I love this band, seriously love UFO. Aside from some fairly regular proggy embellishments though, they aren't a prog band. Or at least any more.

I didn't listen to the first two recently but I remember them as definite contenders for Space Rock or suchlike...psychedelia possibly.

Edited by Snow Dog - January 21 2012 at 08:05

Atavachron wrote: ^ well if most of the early stuff and Obsession is PR, maybe it merits further thought

^ well if most of the early stuff and Obsession is PR, maybe it merits further thought

Obsession is progrelated, whether that means they should be added is another question