Record Mirror February2 Id80 I Record Minor. February 1 1980

descr(be as 'Resat aegastus!", ' Idhaa because, like the toys, he Is beüev.0 destructible The scene takes place in the catacomb-lake of aresshtQ roams below the Top Of RONNIE GURR awash amid the decadence of UFO The Pops studios jlet! recoup wry only previous meeting with a UFO es I px ' ...Wirer and Vitamin C pills In preparation for, chit kht with these zombies. and a .The reason wed pl The Pops." Cracks Phil Moog, "Is we tidal wave of SMIRNOFF pull more women thought that by apps 7a might to our 4._ in a believers in the work ethic, the band have plugged away selling Encore 'Rock Bobbin' finds the crowd eating of Mogg's gigs. ' A tal chance, 1 Mogg k Coventry hotel room on out albums by the surest promotion known; playing a the phone to this cc scribe Thing was, see, was,that great live show. hand and features all the classic lines."She's seventeen, nature's ,sad 'Alpha Centauri', the band's nod to the 'Phantom Of The alter a Greek meal, C ' of wine, Pete War. Space Invaders, Opera' queen ... If you know what I mean," belts out Mogg with true Is the taped trace large vodkas, lancer ,,,gs with Bernard Breslaw. Wayne intro. Torches paths through the dry ice humour before the false ending and the Wishbone Ash twin guitar murkiness and the band settle In for a in the purple suit takes Sleep and the cast ) , brat panto, more vodkas, breaking comfortable ride. 'Lettln' licks. Then Way has his bass torn from him In the frenzy and THE,stocky-Welshman a romp and more lc_ tape reCorder aborted, Go'. is blistering from the new album 'No Place To Run', performs the classic 'Shoot Shoot' with It tucked into his groin the door of the glasses ri1 destroying, and two steps and collapses Into in the process. at once points to the basic appeal of the band. An essential and body. Solos and introductions end, party piece style, and all up lot possibly the deli/Mkt interview Still with me? theme room. A gnarled hand reaches Then I'll eatrapoiate in the Mogg/Way writing axis is that of the downtrodden and sundry retire to buy the official armbands, scarves and dressing the wretch. "Oh, no can't stand another day," croons hind le and attemps to pull up Wolverhampton. 1(, 'Honest, is the sweaty Crutch of the Mogg herein badges. the door before concluding, "how much more can a poor boy take?" and one of the most I've Brain to nerve western hemisphere C _ ¡lo:rg with the armpits of same, ie A lab night out complete shows I weight of soused Taff. 'Lettin' along In G dead Go' with 'Out The Street', 'Doctor Doctor', 'Rock a ravaged by Newcastle, Glasgow r (,Mrpool, Is a home from home, a big draw witnessed In long lime. ending connections being completely for bands like UFO Bottom' and 'No Place To Run' perhaps give the ordinary The night's hotel is in downtown Brum and on arriving we drink hand fails to grasp wholesome lads in the hope, various unknown stimulants, the Crowds who are sec- ad as any description one could write crowd escape and faith. Or perhaps then go oft for a Greek meal. I tag along with Pele Way, an its knees then drafty the obligatory armband, scarf they just like banging the snot from their craniums in time with who sounds like Dudley Moore. This and the dead weight pole -axes to about them, form L''buy and entirely affable Londoner badge from the boolt,.- >'s boards. They sport the spoils of war . the thunderous bass lines ... Edmunton lad Is shocked by the opinion of the Skid who made a forward onto Its belly. A quick wander The title track of the new album follows and again It's a minor. in paragraph one. flops has dropped 'Ted Nugent World T. .79' TShirtº. through the cameo appearance back for a package that been street epic with a The hand outstretches "Help me," standing crowd is a la__ urn anthropological and sociological marvellously nihilistic chant of "Jungleland!, "Decadent? Wol us? Naw. What? They mean. Like. What? We're this Herculean effort. I but falls short, exhausted by In Teeny C,,,, lad scruffs tote their big brothers' old Jungieland!" Mogg, muse, has discovered Springsteen. 'Cherry' big headed and won't talk to no one?" The accusation seems lo A passing Skid looks down experience. TS. groans the recumbent leekhead. and waistcoat* L tut in the ignorance of Current trends is, going by the cheers of recognition, something of an old lave hurl him and he murmers the word "decadence" all night. Of the body, flares hie head as he steps over are one disdain and knowingly jerks of a fact most of this patron probably think that the Afghani that highlights the band's subtlety. A Pele Way, almost Skids-like, course UFO are the very epitome of decadance and they sneers as he disappears in search In "decadent pop stars," he crisis revolves around e, arch of black and woolly coats. bass drone cuts In and out from the recurring kerranging chorus of the few bands that could be described as such without that r and thus giving the tans the best of both worlds. 'Only You Can Rock is marvellously defined in my beer. guitarist UFO, of course, is"- jen the formula, have been a term being an insult. Decadence Meet Paul 'Tonka' Chapman. of these past 10 years or Me' is a classic of the hard rock genre and has drummer Andy dictionary as: "seeking artifical refinements of sensibility." Ladies and gents! news editor might veritable centre iM -{, so. Firm extraordinaire with UFO. and band that our Parker employing the magical cowbell clunk, that is an essential And you can take that any way you like. On the road with UFO part of the - guitar rifling - bass glissando - cowbell then drum there is no sensibility. That word, incidentally, can be defined as: clutlerings formula. "refined awareness of what is right or tasteful." In other words 'Out In The Street' follows with some exemplary keyboards from when with this band anything can, and. 'likely as not, will happen. piano/guitar man and some sweet sweet guitar Over our taramossalata, Way who, by this time, is as gone as lam, from 'Tonka'. 'Mystery Train' the ageing blues standard of the set yellers on about the derivation of his nickname 'Dago'. Seems finds 'Tonka' twiddling on an acoustic before blasting out the that Way comes from a good family. A family of Sicilian stock who same rift on his electric six string. 'Lights Out' chugs along with looks after dere owna. Apparently when the band go to the Stales Way stripped to the waist, wringing wet and his Thunderbird bass they, in Way's own words. "never want for anything". This talk of behind his head. 'Love To Love has Raymond plinking away at his er, family, forces me lo,wonder if our boy is a his folks in the Mafia, lines) and Way laying down a meandering bass line in a song that not pulling my plonker. , during our phone conversation -""t veers from the mainstay of the set by lilting along. A long, long explains the ways of Way. guitar solo from Chapman and some nifty mellotron tines balance "The thing with Pete." he laughs, "Is that when he's a bit oat each other out just enough to maintain Interest' of It, as he was then, he starts rambling. He goes off into his own Then it's the run for home with 'Too Hot To Handle' and 'Doctor world of fantasy and lends to exaggerate things. If you divide Doctor'. By this point the crowd move like a boiling rice pudding everything he said by half you'll bas nearer to the truth." Zit and I narrowly miss petting a mouthful of lank heir. Hmm, a shame that. A shame too that the libel laws of this land 'A forbid me to inform you of the subject matter of the conversation --/r ... that took place every time Way discreetly turned the tape machine off. Suffice to say, the "toot" he talked about had nothing to do with a brass band. 1 Beck to Moog. The new album has been criticised as being a bland out, produced as it is, by George "All You Need Is Ears' Martin. Were the band never afraid that the results of working with Air the man who had the dubious honour of going from the Fab Four to acousticky trio America would be all wrong? Mogg: "Not really we felt that the combination of the two of us was strange enough to get something that sounded a bit different but was still a strong rock album. The funny thing is, is that he's f always been known for his orchestrations and that is his strongest point, but we said when we went In that we wanted a straight rock album with no strings or fancy bits." How did this strange alliance take place c Mogg: "We just got some of the brochures for Monserrat (site of Martin's new AIR Studios) and because our American visas were due to run out on August 6 last year we decided to check out the prices and found out that the cost was quite reasonable. Also we hadn't had a break for two years and it just looked like a good place to get away to." The band had been resident in Los Angeles for two years previous to this album. Was this for fax reasons Mogg: No, work reason. Our initial idea was to break the band as a headlining act on a large scale over there and so it was easier 1 If you were working over there to fly back to Los Angeles for a few days off rather than flying all the way back over here. We broke the band over there and because Mittel. and also because It was getting a bit tedious, three of us now live over here." ' I then ask about wayward guitar genius who has finally left the band after what seems like -innumerable comings and goings. What's the scam Phil? Mogg: "Well I think that the first lime he left, the time when Paul (Chapman) came in that was alright, because everyone is entitled to, and does have a period when they go oil the rails. Then he said that he couldn't face going on the road with us but he was prepared to work in the studios with us. It just became ridiculous us having to accomodate him like that." Pete Informed me that he had heard tell of Schenker's latest derailment. Supposedly he has shaved all his hair off and smashed all his guitars. Knowing him, does that sound within his character? Mogg: Well that's all hearsay, but It does sound perfectly within his character." In Birmingham was rambling. "I think Michael was technically better than Paul but Paul's got the edge when it comes to feeling." Things turn to the US of A. "In some places we're huge y'know. Not just big, but huge. HUGEI. Like in Chicago (where the excellently over the top ,ma 'Strangers In The Night' live double was recorded) Kiss can play one night and we can do two." Phewsville. "But it's reality being back In England, whereas, in The States everything is totally unreal. It's nice being home. I like reality." in his Last I saw of Pete it was doubtful that reality figured high list of mental priorities, but blow me If he didn't prove me wrong. Alter phoning his lady wife and lour month old baby we walked a down the corridor towards Bernard Brasher and Wayne Sleep's room (another story which we'll sane for a rainy day pup kids). Stories of Leonard Cohen's chant for disco dancing over (see last week's RM) he turned to me with a vodka in his hand and, young perhaps, a tear In his eye end enthused about his tender off spring. "'know," he slurred, 'it's great having one person who looks up to you as their total hero." Aww, shucks. thin line between realty and dec and IMt UFO head the regard in part is the reason why a sellout touris worth of Britonsadence them as IOW heroes. UFO are still touring as we speak, they're selling disgusting new album and thethey have a hit single. They are quantities of their for here, apparentty, to stay. Meanwhile oil to sue Smbnoll ABOVE: PHIL MOGG of UFO before his swim, loss of memory and irreparable brain damage.

LEFT: UFO a band drowning in their own excess. ta