UFO | The Chrysalis Years Vol 2 (1980-1986)

by John Kindred
Staff Writer —

Chrysalis Records continues to revisit the past recorded works of UFO; this time around looking back to the “post-Schenker” albums. These five studio albums, along with live recordings, rare tracks, alternate takes, single edits comprise the five-CD set titled The Chrysalis Years Vol 2 (1980-1986). The studio albums include 1980’s No Place to Run, ‘81’s The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent, ‘82’s Mechanix, ‘83’s Making Contact and ‘86’s Misdemeanor. Vol. 2 also includes live tracks from concerts in Cleveland and at the Hammersmith Apollo in the U.K., as well as a BBC concert recorded for Radio 1 during their 1980 No Place To Run tour.

The Chrysalis Years Vol 2 (1980-1986) delivers another 70-plus song CD set, which defined the character of UFO during the ‘80s. It’s a cliché, but Schenker leaving UFO left some big shoes to fill. Without Schenker, the band worked with several guitarists and valiantly tried to recapture the magic they had during the 1970s. During this time period, original members Andy Parker and Pete Way (who left UFO after the release of Mechanix), both, stepped away from UFO, leaving Mogg as the only original member. Mogg carried on, disbanding the group in 1985, only to return again in ’86 with Paul Gray, Atomic Tommy M, Paul Raymond and Joe Simpson and released Misdemeanor. This was a short-lived affair, as UFO disbanded for a second time in 1988. Eventually, Mogg and Way teamed up for another go at it in ’91. The next year, the original lineup of Mogg, Schenker, Way, Raymond and Parker reunited for three albums; Walk on Water (1995), Covenant (2000), and Sharks (2002).

So, after the minor UFO history lesson, we are left to ponder The Chrysalis Years. Following the ’70s with inconsistent lineups and weak record sales, UFO trudged through the ’80s, finding themselves competing with MTV, NWOBHM, thrash metal and Glam. While teenagers of this time period would have leaned more toward the metallic fury of “Lights Out,” or the bombastic “Rock Bottom,” only die-hard fans who allowed themselves to follow the band after the departure of Schenker, embraced UFO and continued to show their allegiance. The are some gems on The Chrysalis Years Vol 2 (1980-1986), and you find the weaker moments are the live tracks. As the guitarists do well to performing their songs in the live setting, most often they don’t do the Schenker material justice. Often finding themselves behind the beat and not “on it” like Schenker, those songs don’t have the same pep and often lose the original magic.

UFO had some success and personnel highlights during this time period. They worked with George Martin, the legendary producer who worked with the Beatles, on ’80s No Place To Run. They also released the successful Mechanix, which peaked at No. 8 on the charts in the U.K. For UFO fans, other highlights in the package include the inclusion of 1983’s Headstone, which is a compilation of live songs released after they disbanded (the first time).

Also included from:
1980’s No Place To Run: the single edit “Young Blood” and its live B-side “Hot ‘N’ Ready”
1981’s Mechanix: features the B-side “Heel Of A Stranger”
1983’s Making Contact: features the B-side “Everybody Knows” and previously unreleased on CD – 7” edit of single “When It’s Time To Rock”
1986’s Misdemeanor: features the non-album B-side The Chase” and U.S. remix versions of “Night Run,” “Heavens Gate” and “One Heart”

With the liner notes again penned by Phil Mogg, The Chrysalis Years Vol 2 (1980-1986) is an important addition to any UFO fans CD collection. Whether you are a fan of this historical period of the band or not, it shows that they weren’t willing to lay down and die. Their tenacity led to their current incarnation that now features Vinny Moore on guitar, along with Phil Mogg, Paul Raymond and Andy Parker. Their latest studio release, Seven Deadly, was released this year and showcases a band still doing what the love to do.

Genre: Hard Rock

Band:
Phil Mogg (vocals)
Paul Chapman (guitar)
Paul Raymond (keyboards, guitar)
Andy Parker (drums)
Pete Way (bass)
Neil Carter (keyboards, guitar, sax)
Tommy McClendon (guitar)
Paul Gray (bass)
Joe Simpson (drums)

Track Listing:
CD 1
1. Alpha Centauri
2. Lettin’ Go
3. Mystery Train
4. This Fire Burns Tonight
5. Gone In The Night
6. Young Blood
7. No Place To Run
8. Take It Or Leave It
9. Money Money
10. Anyday
11. Young Blood (7″ Edit)
12. Hot ‘n’ Ready (Live In Cleveland, Ohio)
13. Lettin’ Go (BBC In Concert)
14. Young Blood (BBC In Concert)
15. No Place To Run (BBC In Concert)
16. Out In The Street (BBC In Concert)
17. Cherry (BBC In Concert)
18. Only You Can Rock Me (BBC In Concert)
19. Love To Love (BBC In Concert)

CD 2
1. Mystery Train (BBC In Concert)
2. Doctor Doctor (BBC In Concert)
3. Too Hot To Handle (BBC In Concert)
4. Lights Out (BBC In Concert)
5. Rock Bottom (BBC In Concert)
6. Chains Chains
7. Long Gone
8. The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent
9. It’s Killing Me
10. Makin’ Moves
11. Lonely Heart
12. Couldn’t Get It Right
13. Profession Of Violence
14. Lonely Heart (7″ Edit)

CD 3
1. The Writer
2. Somethin’ Else
3. Back Into My Life
4. You’ll Get Love
5. Doing It All For You
6. We Belong To The Night
7. Let It Rain
8. Terri
9. Feel It
10. Dreaming
11. Heel Of A Stranger

CD 4
1. Blinded By A Lie
2. Diesel In The Dust
3. A Fool For Love
4. You And Me
5. When It’s Time To Rock
6. The Way The Wild Wind Blows
7. Call My Name
8. All Over You
9. No Getaway
10. Push, It’s Love
11. Everybody Knows
12. When It’s Time To Rock (7″ Edit)
13. We Belong To The Night (Live At Hammersmith)
14. Let It Rain (Live At Hammersmith)
15. Couldn’t Get It Right (Live At Hammersmith)
16. Electric Phase (Live At Hammersmith)
17. Doing It All For You (Live At Hammersmith)

CD 5
1. This Time
2. One Heart
3. Night Run
4. The Only Ones
5. Mean Streets
6. Name Of Love
7. Blue
8. Dream The Dream
9. Heavens Gate
10. Wreckless
11. The Chase
12. Night Run (US Remix)
13. Heavens Gate (US Remix)
14. One Heart (US Remix)

Label: Chrysalis Records

Hardrock Haven rating: n/a