Year Of Metal #093: UFO - Lights Out
If Van Halen are the great survivors of early heavy metal (in terms of cultural relevance rather than actually being alive), UFO are maybe all the way on the other end of the spectrum. I should clarify straight away that this isn’t a dig, because this 1977 record sounds absolutely fantastic. This is a slick, crisp recording with nothing particularly obvious in the production to tie it to a time period. But unlike most of their peers, to my admittedly limited knowledge, they really don’t have a hit. Listening to this album, their sixth in a consistently fruitful 1970s, they sound like a band who are cursed with being just a smidge ahead of their time.
That’s most notable on the title track, probably the heaviest cut on offer, which seems to set out the stall for the new wave of British heavy metal that Judas Priest (who were a going concern) and Iron Maiden (who were yet to release an album) would run with to immense success. It’s not a fantastic song by any means, with the hook a little on the limp side, but that galloping sound feels to me like the cornerstone of this country’s metal for the next decade or more.
I can’t imagine they coined the “heavy version of a pop song” trope, but their cut of Love’s “Alone Again Or” seems like a trailblazing choice, too. Granted, they’re maybe a little too reverent towards the ‘60s classic - they keep the strings in place and only really scuzz it up on occasion, but it’s a neat, gimmicky little idea that plenty of metal and punk bands would try out in years to come. It’s good fun hearing the trumpet solo plucked out on guitar.
A word or two on the guitar playing, while we’re at it. Former Scorpion Michael Schenker is on lead duty here, and his playing is nothing short of spectacular. Some of the workaday or sappier tracks are lifted immeasurably by his playing. “Just Another Suicide” is a radio friendly rocker that could be “Come Sail Away”, but Schenker studs it with fantastic sounding licks and gets 30 seconds or so to really show out. “Try Me” is downright naff, an energy sapping ballad that comes far too early in the track listing, but the bluesy, emotive solo - Gary Moore-esque - is a touch of class. Indeed Schenker’s beautifully toned lead lines are far more suited to the emotional, downtempo stuff than Phil Mogg’s raspy rocker voice.
When they curb their symphonic ambitions and just cut a banger, UFO are more than up to the job. Opener “Too Hot To Handle” is one of the best, keeping things super simple. A nice gritty riff, a basic chorus, some sha-la-las. It’s the kind of stuff AC/DC would make a career of, albeit implementing a lot more wit and significantly better riffs. “Gettin’ Ready” - which I thought was vaguely familiar, though I’m not sure from where - is maybe the best written track, with a memorable hook, nice harmonies on the chorus, and a satisfying crunch. If I didn’t know they were British, I don’t think I’d guess they were - this puts me in the mind of Boston and all those mononymous American rock radio guys.
Their reach goes a little further than basic stompers, though, and they end with aplomb on “Love To Love”. I’m a sucker for a colossal closer, and this one does the job. It’s nearly eight minutes long and swirls all over the shop, but with a quality melody at its core to which it returns time and again. The swashbuckling coda is ridiculous but stirring stuff, drums swinging, strings swelling, Schenker shredding.
It would be a tad mean to call Lights Out workmanlike, but not completely unfair. If I’m right in saying UFO didn’t have a hit, it seems to be as simple as: they didn’t write one. But for the most part this is a record of smart choices that has dated well. If it hasn’t aged like wine, it’s certainly retained its freshness.
