12 October : UFO1

I was intrigued to listen to this: I’m aware of UFO in their later incarnations and a couple of people I know are big fans of their later work. It isn’t really a style of music I listen to much anymore, but I used to and I’m not averse to it.

Unlike, for example, Atomic Rooster’s first album, or Deep Purple’s In Rock, which I actively dislike, there isn’t enough of substance here to take against, although the cover of Eddie Cochrane’s C’Mon Everybody is poor and their attempt at Bo Diddly’s Who Do You Love? not much better

This sounds like a pub band that hasn’t developed enough to compete against the likes of High Tide, Black Sabbath, Hawkwind or the Edgar Broughton Band. Certainly I can’t imagine anyone in 1970 hearing this and thinking there was anything new or original going on.

Everything here is rudimentary, except Andy Parker’s drums, which are the best thing about it (Pete Way has some nice moments on bass). I’m told that various band members later tried to disown this album and, frankly, I can’t blame them.

I listened on Spotify so you don’t have to.