The Live Album Section 1979
UFO Strangers in the Night 1979 (Chrysalis)
Hard Rock
Lights out in Chicago and Louisville!
Strangers in the Night is often regarded by critics as one of the finest live albums of the decade and it’s certainly a live album worthy in every respect, of drawing to a close the era of the ‘classic live album’ which of course was the 1970s! It seemed in the 1970s that every great band needed a classic live set and UFO in this respect left their live offering quite late in their discography. Despite the album’s high standing amongst critics, the band themselves were far from pleased with the final cutting of the album, as the band felt that stronger tracks from these two US concerts in Chicago and Louisville could’ve been used instead of those that were chosen. But it seems over the years that band opinion has largely been ignored, as
Strangers in the Night has made a number of best ever lists including Kerrang’s “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time” list amongst numerous others. The track order of the album tends to follow the classic UFO pattern, which often leads us in with lighter melodic fare with songs like “Natural Thing” actually the only song from
Heavy Petting on the album and also “Only You Can Rock Me” which also sits near the front of the album, but between these two songs the album is cleverly and gradually beefed up with a song like “Out in the Street”. The album contains some of the band’s best known efforts such as “Doctor Doctor” “Lights Out” “Shoot Shoot” and the showpiece track “Rock Bottom”. There is also a strong emphasis on heavier and slower tracks like “Mother Mary” and “This Kid’s” with their powerful drumming and pinpoint riffs and both these tracks are from the heavy
Force It album, but when it comes to power it doesn’t get much better than the
Lights Out album closer “Love to Love”.
Strangers in the Night is a true connoisseurs delight, as across 69 minutes (a double album) we have a live album that does what a live album should do and that is to give us a front row seat experience, which it does in abundance. In 1999 an expanded version of the album came out and added another 7 minutes to the actual album and also rejigged the order of some of the tracks, which in hindsight made it one of the most complete live albums of its time, as only 7 minutes had originally been missed off the original release. The album is also the last recording of the classic line-up intact, as Michael Schenker had actually left the band whilst on tour and briefly headed back to the Scorpions. The band would never quite be the same without him and his performance on the album’s showpiece track "Rock Bottom" is one of the great moments of rock history!
Phil Mogg- Vocals
Michael Schenker- Guitar
Pete Way- Bass
Paul Raymond- Keyboards/Rhythm
Andy Parker- Drums
Production- Ron Nevison
Chicago and Louisville, USA 1978