Thursday, December 13, 2012

UFO's DLA: Stranger in the Night


UFO's Strangers in the Night is ranked as the 23rd best (of 250) Double Live Album of all time.  According to me.  They even use the words "double live album" in the full title.  There is really no list of all-time DLA's that I know of, other than the one I unofficially keep.  Readers - don't forget that when you click on the title of each post - it's a embedded link to a youtube clip of a song that is relevant to that particular post.  This one will take you to a song from this live album called Love to Love.  Here is more about this record...Strangers in the Night, with original subtitle A Double Live Album, is a live album by the British rock band UFO, first released in 1979 on the Chrysalis label.  The original double LP album was recorded in the autumn of 1978 at shows in Chicago, Illinois and Louisville, Kentucky.  This was UFO's last concert recording with guitarist Michael Schenker before the band's reunion in 1993.  Schenker left the band during this tour; this led to the band having to recruit former band mate & ex Lone Star guitarist Paul Chapman.  It has been rumored that Schenker refused to record any overdubs for the album, which would make this an accurate account of his live guitar work.  When he has discussed the album, Schenker has spoken of disappointment with the chosen tracks, saying "there were better takes they could've used".  In a Guitar Player Magazine interview, Schenker stated that it would not have been possible to overdub the guitars because they also came through the drum microphones [blogger's note - am reading the the Ken Scott book which goes into great detail about mic placements.]  Strangers in the Night peaked at No. 7 on the UK charts and No. 42 on the US charts.  Strangers in the Night is often listed by critics and fans as one of the best live rock albums of all time.  Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No. 47 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".  Slash, former guitarist for Guns N' Roses and current guitarist for Velvet Revolver, has stated that this is his favorite live album.  Two live EPs in 1979 also proved successful for the band. In February, "Doctor Doctor" (taken from the album), coupled with "On with the Action" (recorded on the same 1978 US tour) and the studio cut "Try Me", reached No. 35 in the UK Singles Chart;  this was the first time the band had made the UK Top 40. "Shoot Shoot", coupled with "Only You Can Rock Me" and "I'm a Loser", would make No. 48 in the UK in April.  Some of the songs were recorded from a show from UFO's tour with Blue Öyster Cult.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting!