UFO,Michael Schenker Michael Schenker/UK 1977

The 1977 tour of UFO, featuring Michael Schenker, when the band reached the peak of both popularity and performance, when “Lights Out” was released, will see the performance in Birmingham, England on June 5th, released as a 2-CD set with the finest sound quality audience source using the 1st generation master! Although it is a live recording from the audience, the sound is as good as the line source, allowing you to enjoy the UFO live performance at the height of its power! UFO, which added Danny Peyronel to the keyboard, aimed for a new Americanized frontier with “No Heavy Petting” in 1976, but Danny, who was strongly influenced by rock and roll, did not match Michael’s musicality. Due to the wishes of Phil Mogg, who was considerate of Michael, Danny ended up leaving the band after the end of the US tour in September of the same year. At this time, Phil welcomed former Savoy Brown member Paul Raymond as his successor. As his career proves, he has a more British taste than Danny, and is a multi-player who can play not only keyboards but also guitar. He also got along well with Michael. This completed the lineup that was described as the strongest in the ’70s UFO. At the beginning of ’77, they produced “Lights Out” produced by Ron Nevison, which had a vivid contrast between stillness and movement, and its style of music that had a European dampness but aimed for a hard sound became a masterpiece that declared the peak of the band’s ’70s. UFO began touring at the same time as the album was released in May ’77. After warming up by touring Europe until mid-May, the band began a full-scale UK tour in June. This work directly records the live performance at Birmingham’s “Town Hall”, which was their fourth performance in the UK, from the 1st Generation Audience Master provided by overseas tapers! The quality is exceptional for an audience recording from that time, and you can experience the lively excitement in a realistic way! The sound captures the rising mood in the venue with a stunning brightness and spaciousness, and the opening intro is simply superb. The dramatic opening with “Lights Out”, which is unique to that time, surprises the listener with its vividness, as if the darkness suddenly shines! The performance, with Phil’s unique vocals at the center, has a clear view and a solid thickness and depth, and is a great listen. Not only Michael’s guitar, which stands out clearly in the solo, but Pete Way’s bass can also be heard with a strong presence. It is clear from the sound image that the taper was close to the stage, and the direct sound image is very impressive. Another nice point is that the audience noise does not get in the way during the performance (however, moderate cheers can be heard between songs, and the sense of realism is excellent). The three consecutive hits from the new work, including this “Lights Out”, will immediately attract the listener’s ears. “Gettin’ Ready” with Andy Parker’s lively drums, and “Love To Love” with its delicate and hard layers of UFO-style drama are so amazing that they leave you speechless. “Too Hot To Handle” is already a classic song. The live performance is overwhelmingly fulfilling from the first half, including the no-questions-asked performance of the masterpiece “Doctor Doctor” that suddenly appears as the fifth song! The middle part of the live performance is also a series of highlights. Although Danny Peyronel has left the band, the “NO HEAVY PETTING” number he was involved in is still alive and well in this live performance. The heavy performance of “On With The Action”, a song selected at that time, and “I’m A Loser”, which is bright despite the song title, are attracting loud cheers from fans. In addition, the scene where “Out On The Streets”, “This Kids”, and “Shoot Shoot” from the masterpiece “FORCE IT” are played three times in a row is also a highlight of the live performance. At the beginning of disc 2, the live performance reaches its climax with “Rock Bottom” led by MC. The ensemble, which clearly features Paul Raymond’s keyboard, and Michael’s thrilling long solo are both highly satisfying to listen to! You can enjoy the peak of the live performance with the greatest power and realism. In addition to the expected “C’mon Everybody” and “Boogie For George”, the encore also features a dramatic performance of “Can You Roll Her” from the previous album, concluding the approximately 95-minute live performance with great enthusiasm! In addition to the excellent live performance, the album sales were also good, so the band seemed to be doing well, but at this point Michael was in a corner due to the stress of his relationship with Phil and excessive alcohol intake. Unable to bear this situation, Michael disappeared without notice to the band immediately after the London “Roundhouse” performance on June 12th (also famous for the pro-shot video “ROUNDHOUSE 1975 & 1977”) ended. He returned to his hometown of Hanover, Germany. In response to this emergency, the band appointed Paul Chapman, who had been with the band for a time in 1974, as Michael’s replacement. He will be with them on their US tour from July to August. For the reasons mentioned above, there are surprisingly few live recordings from the 1977 “Lights Out” tour in which Michael played, and this recording, with its outstanding quality, is particularly valuable. This is a must-have for fans of UFO and Michael, and is now available as a 2-CD set worthy of its value! Live at Town Hall, Birmingham, UK 5th June 1977 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(50:46) 1. Intro. 2. Lights Out 3. Gettin’ Ready 4. Love To Love 5. On With The Action 6. Doctor Doctor 7. I’m A Loser 8. Too Hot To Handle 9. Out On The Streets 10. This Kids 11. Shoot Shoot Disc 2 (43:30) 1. MC 2. Rock Bottom 3. Let It Roll 4. C’mon Everybody 5. Can You Roll Her 6. Boogie For George Phil Mogg – Vocals Michael Schenker – Guitar Pete Way – Bass Andy Parker – Drums Paul Raymond – Keyboards