Heavy rock/metal band UFO started life in 1969 when aspiring drummer Andy Parker joined forces with vocalist Phil Mogg, bass player Pete Way and guitarist Mick Bolton to form a new rock band called Hocus Pocus. They subsequently re-christened the band UFO and released 3 albums for a small record label Beacon during 1971. The albums, UFO 1, FLYING and UFO LANDS IN TOKYO – LIVE, were big sellers in Germany and Japan but failed to set the British charts alight.

By 1974 the band had undergone a change of line-up. Guitarist Mick Bolton had left the ranks to be replaced by Larry Wallis (formerly with the Pink Fairies), who in turn was followed by Bernie Marsden (later to join Whitesnake), and then German rock guitarist Michael Schenker who had first met UFO when he was a member of The Scorpions.

In 1973 UFO signed to Chrysalis Records and it marked the beginning of their British success. Their first album for the label, Phenomenon, was critically-acclaimed and included heavy metal classics “Rock Bottom” and “Doctor Doctor”. The latter recording reached 35 in the singles charts. By 1976 the band had become a five piece outfit with Danny Peyronel (formerly with the Heavy Metal Kids) joining as keyboards player (later being replaced by Paul Raymond of Savoy Brown).

In June 1977 UFO had had their first best-selling album when Lights Out reached number 54. It paved the way for bigger success… their 197 album Obsession reached number 28, and then in February 1979 their live double-album Strangers In The Night, recorded during their 1977 sell-out U.S. tour, soared to number 8, and spent 11 weeks in the top 50.

1978 Michael Schenker left UFO to briefly join The Scorpions (and subsequently from the Michael Schenker Group) and was replaced by former Lone Star guitarist Paul Chapman. Chapman himself left the band in 1980 to join the Michael Schenker Group, and was replaced by ex-Wild Horses member Neil Carter. In 1982 Pete Way departed from the ranks and was succeeded by former Eddie And The Hot Rods/Damned bassist Paul Gray.

UFO had seven U.K. hit singles - no mean achievement for a heavy metal outfit. These included:
Only You Can Rock Me which reached number 50 in 1978
Shoot Shoot (number 48 in 1979)
Young Blood (number 36 in 1980)
Lonely Heart (number 41 in 1981)
Let It Rain (number 62 in 1982)
When It’s Time To Rock (number 70 in 1983)
They also had nine best selling albums – Lights Out, Obsession, Strangers In The Night, No Place To Run (number 11 – 1980), The Wild The Willing And The Innocent (number – 19 1981), Mechanix (number 8 – 1982), Making Contact (number 32 – 1983), Headstone – The Best Of UFO (number 39 – 1983), and Misdemeanor (number 74 – 1985.

In 1983 the existing members of UFO decided to break up and embarked on a farewell tour. Two years later however the band was re-formed by frontman Phil Mogg, along with Paul Raymond, Paul Gray, former Magnum drummer Jim Simpson, and Japanese guitarist Atomic Tommy M. The new line-up failed to recapture former glories however, and UFO once again broke up towards the end of the decade. In 1991 the band once again re-formed, this time with Phil Mogg, Pete Way, guitarist Lawrence Archer (formerly with Grand Slam), and drummer Clive Edwards (ex-Wild Horses), but thus far without any great impact on today’s rock fans.