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 Over the years there are but a scant handful of bands that have become truly legendary in hard rock circles. We could talk about Led Zeppelin, The Scoprions, or even perhaps Twisted Sister.
We could of course talk about a band who are working up to celebrating their 40th anniversary next year, a band which has consistently been releasing new material, and who feature the unmissable Pete Way in their number.
We're talking about UFO of course, and Komodo Rock's Mike Elliott recently caught up with both Pete Way and drummer Andy Parker to find out more about the band and what we're going to be seeing from them over the next year.
Mike Elliott: Your set to re-release the Showtime DVD on high
definition DVD on February 25th. Can you tell us a little more about
the DVD itself, and what it contains?
Pete Way: Basically it features a concert in Wilhelmshaven, Germany,
also a number of tracks the band never performed live before plus
interviews and many other bonus material.
ME: Have you included any new bonus features on the HD-DVD Release that were not available on the original?
PW: Not really, just so called “on the fly” menues while playing and picture-in-picture interviews.
ME: Do you have any plans as yet to record a follow up to your 2006
album 'The Monkey Puzzle', and if so, when can we expect to see it?
PW: We will discuss this during our upcoming US tour in April and May this year.
ME: EMI re-released your first three Chrysalis albums in January, all
with bonus tracks. Can you tell us about the bonus tracks that were
added, and why they were chosen?
PW: EMI has chosen these bonus tracks without asking the band. There is quite a lot of stuff that had been added:
Phenomenon
Sixteen (demo track, produced by Dave Edmunds)
Oh My (demo track, produced by Dave Edmunds)
Give Her The Gun (German non LP single A-side)
Sweet Little Thing (German non LP single B-side)
Sixteen (previously unreleased studio track)
Doctor Doctor (recorded live 06 June 1974
Force It
A Million Miles (previously unreleased studio track in 1973,
mixed in 2007)
Mother Mary (recorded live in London in 1975)
Out In The Streets (recorded live in London in 1975)
Shoot Shoot (recorded live in London in 1975)
Let It Roll (recorded live in London in 1976)
This Kid’s (recorded live in London in 1976)
No Heavy Petting
All Or Nothing (previously unreleased studio track)
French Kisses (previously unreleased studio track)
Have You Seen Me Lately Joan (previously unreleased studio track)
Property (previously unreleased studio track)
Sunset Lights (previously unreleased studio track)
 ME: Are there plans to re-issue more of your back catalogue in the same way?
PW: This is up to EMI really.
ME: You're also preparing for a US Tour that's set to start in April. What can fans expect from these upcoming shows?
Andy Parker: Hopefully that Pete Way will be part of it this time, as
he wasn’t allowed to get into the US for the latest 3 tours...
ME: Are their any plans to tour in Europe this year as well?
AP: We played Europe massively throughout the past years. Maybe a few festivals this year.
ME: You played at the Hard Rock Hell Festival in November last year.
How did you find the festival, and do you have any plans to play there
again in the future?
AP: That would be up to the promoter, but I’m sure that we would play
it again if asked. It was a great show and we really had a blast.
ME: With a career that spans more than 30 years, what inspires you to both tour and record today?
AP: I guess you could say that it is in our blood. Like most musicians we are only happy when we are playing
ME: What do you think has enabled the band to remain so successful
over the years, very few bands can claim such a long career?
AP: Hard work, determination and a love of what we do
ME: 2009 will see the band celebrate it's 40th Anniversary. Do you have
any special plans in mind to celebrate this remarkable milestone.
AP: Absolutely, The plans are not finalised as yet, but there will definitely be something special to commemorate the event.
ME: The industry has changed dramatically over the last few years with
the rise of the internet. As a band who has seen change before, how has
it effected you, and what do you see the future holding?
AP: When we started it was vinyl now it is digital downloads. Record
stores are pretty much a thing of the past, sad but true. It is
becoming harder to protect your product from piracy so we must look at
ways to do that. As for the future, the only thing that I am sure about
is that there will always be music in some form or other.
ME: Do you, as a band, actively look to make use of the Internet? Of course.
AP: It is an invaluable tool for communicating with your fans. Makes you wonder how we managed without it.
ME: Of your storied back catalogue, which album do you regard as the quintessential UFO album, and why?
AP: For me it has to be ‘Strangers’. Mostly because I always considered
UFO to be a “live” band, and I feel that that album really showed this
ME: As a musician, who inspired you at the start of your career, and
who inspires you now? Can you tell us a little about how these people
influence you?
AP: My biggest influence has always been John Bonham and probably
still is today. But in the early days I listened mostly to Keith Moon
,Mitch Mitchell,and Ginger Baker, I just loved their energy
ME: Can you give our readers any important UFO related web links please?
AP: www.ufo-music.info
A big thank you to both Pete Way and Andy Parker for taking the time to talk with us.
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