More than a decade after Sputnik 1 was launched into orbit, and the space race had set off, the 1960s were filled with a fascination with the outer world(s) and its cosmic entities.
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Formed in London in 1969 by singer Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way (1950-2020), and drummer Andy Parker, the rockers originally called themselves Hocus Pocus but something otherworldly was in store.
London Club
Equipped with a more spacey rock sound, the band landed on a more apt name for themselves and changed their name to UFO later that year.
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Though defined as an unidentified flying object, the band chose the acronym moniker as an homage to the London Club of the same name where they were first noticed by Noel Moore, who signed them to Beacon Records.
UFO was a short-lived club that featured everything from poetry readings to performances by Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and Yoko One. Unfortunately, success led to its close since it was too small to accommodate the increasing number of patrons.
‘UFO 1’ and More
Considered one of the earlier metal bands, UFO released their debut, UFO 1, in 1970, which featured a harder rock version of Eddie Cochran’s 1958 hit, “C’Mon Everybody,” and Bo Diddley’s 1956 single, “Who Do You Love?” and was followed by UFO 2.
“Doctor Doctor”
By 1974, Bolton left the band and was replaced by former Scorpions‘ guitarist and songwriter Michael Schenker, who worked with UFO on their fourth album, Phenomenon, and co-wrote the band’s most well-known song, “Doctor Doctor,” with Mogg.
More than 20 years after its first release, Iron Maiden also covered “Doctor Doctor” and released it as a b-side to their song “Lord of the Flies” in 1995. Their version of “Doctor Doctor” later appeared on their 2002 Eddie’s Archive box set, and the song has also been used as Iron Maiden’s entrance music during live performances.
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Though Schenker left UFO in 1978 to rejoin Scorpions and his Michael Schenker Group and other projects, he returned several more times and worked on albums with the band.
In 1993, the classic UFO lineup of Schenker, Mogg, Way, Parker, and keyboardist Paul Raymond (1945-2019) — who also played in the Michael Schenker Group — reunited to record their 14th album, Walk on Water, released in 1995. Schenker returned again for the band’s 2000 album Covenant.
UFO: Today
Also known for songs like “Only You Can Rock Me,” “Rock Bottom,” “Lights Out,” “Natural Thing,” and “Too Hot to Handle,” UFO is considered one of the more influential bands during the early hard rock and metal scene in the 1980s and ’90s.
The band—currently featuring original singer Mogg and drummer Parker, along with longtime guitarist Vinnie Moore, bassist Rob De Luca, and keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Neil Carter—has released 22 studio albums, including their 2017 covers album, The Salentino Cuts, along with 14 live recordings, and 16 compilations. In 2023, the band also released their live album Werewolves of London in 2023.
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Mogg revealed in 2018 that he was retiring and that the band’s 2019 Last Orders Tour would be the band’s last. The tour was pushed to 2022, following the onset of the pandemic, and some dates were eventually cancelled after Mogg suffered a heart attack in September of ’22.
UFO played their final show on July 16, 2022, at the ‘Lieder Am See’ festival in Germany and hope to make up for their missed dates in the near future.
Photo By Armando Gallo/Getty Images
