Personnel:
Phil Mogg: vocals
Michael Bolton: guitars
Pete Way: bass
Andy Parker: drums
Recorded at Jackson Studios, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
Produced by Guy Fletcher and Doug Flett
Released on the Beacon label: October 1970
Highest chart places: Did not chart
In the autumn of 1970, the beginnings of a legendary band emerged onto the nascent heavy rock scene. As was the fashion of the time some introductory notes for potential purchasers were included on the album sleeve…
…they were young, probably not long out of school, and still experimenting with sound. Although they were quite accomplished musicians, the boys, Mick Bolton, 20, lead guitar; Pete Way, 19, bass guitar; Andy Parker, 18, drums; and Phil Mogg, 19, singer, were still having some difficulty co-coordinating … Now we consider them to be together enough for us to release a first album. Many of the tracks are written between them and are a musical expression of their innocence and thoughts of the world we live in. We all hope you enjoy it as much as the boys did making it.
The album cover was a cheap and cheerless affair. Four disembodied egg-like globes with open ‘mouths’ float against a starry black sky backdrop. The band’s logo and album title in white and grey are typical of the time. On the rear, a larger version of the same logo and title is shown above the list of songs. On the inside of the CD insert is a double-page photo of the group’s heads against a black background, from left to right its Way, Bolton, Parker and Mogg.
Listening to this album for the first time in many years it’s still hard to believe that three-quarters of the line-up on this first record would go on to become the core of a classic rock band. The essential elements, (Mogg’s distinctive vocals, Way’s energetic if rudimentary bass playing, and Parker’s propulsive drumming), are all present and correct, but the trio is let down on two important fronts.
Bolton is fundamentally just another blues-rock guitarist and whilst his rhythm work is adequate, his solos rarely move beyond clichés. Virtually everything he plays has been executed better by other players, and he offers little beyond the uninspired regurgitation of bland blues phrasings. There is a lack of variation in his recorded guitar tone and he operates almost on a ‘one sound suits all’ setting.
More importantly,UFO1 lacks quality songs. There is just about enough semi- decent material here to form an interesting EP but stretching what they’ve got over two sides of twelve-inch vinyl was a big ask. The album i
