Strangers in the Night (UFO album)
Encyclopedia
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 (see 1979 in music
) on the Chrysalis
label.
The original double LP album was recorded in autumn 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 departed the band immediately after the tour ended and it has been rumored that he refused to record any overdubs for the album, which would make this an accurate account of his live guitar work. It is more probable that guitarist Paul Chapman
did some overdubs on the album. 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.
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
.
In 1999, EMI reissued Strangers in the Night with an expanded edition featuring two bonus songs, "Hot 'n' Ready" and "Cherry". The announcement at the beginning of the expanded CD version indicates the first track was recorded in Chicago but was not so according to the booklet of the 2008 remaster (the songs are pointed as recorded in Youngstown, Ohio
15.10.1978 and Cleveland, Ohio
16.10.1978 accordingly). The audience noise is from Chicago and the intro for the CD was used from the Chicago show. Two tracks, "This Kid's" and "Mother Mary" are actually studio tracks with crowd noise added as outlined in the 2008 remaster booklet. The track listing was also reordered to more accurately reflect UFO's setlist at the time. Note that the tracklist of the 2008 version is identical to the 1999 version, no additional tracks or tracklist modifications are present.
Tracks 1 and 2 are bonus tracks
Album - United Kingdom
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
, first released in 1979 (see 1979 in music
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
) on the Chrysalis
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
label.
The original double LP album was recorded in autumn 1978 at shows in Chicago, Illinois and Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. This was UFO's last concert recording with guitarist Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker is a German rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in UFO, in addition to his solo band. He first rose to fame as a founding member of the Scorpions, then achieved fame in the mid 1970s as the lead guitar player for UFO. Since leaving UFO in 1978, he has been leading the...
before the band's reunion in 1993. Schenker departed the band immediately after the tour ended and it has been rumored that he refused to record any overdubs for the album, which would make this an accurate account of his live guitar work. It is more probable that guitarist Paul Chapman
Paul Chapman (musician)
Paul William "Tonka" Chapman is a Welsh rock guitarist best known for his work in bands such as UFO and Lone Star. Chapman is well known by his nickname "Tonka", allegedly acquired because of his indestructible qualities.-Early career :...
did some overdubs on the album. 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
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
interview, Schenker stated that it would not have been possible to overdub the guitars because they also came through the drum microphones.
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!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine listed the album at No. 47 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, former guitarist for Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
and current guitarist for Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
, has stated that this is his favorite live album.
Two live EPs in 1979 also proved successful for the band. In February, "Doctor Doctor
Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
"Doctor Doctor" is a single released by the British hard rock band UFO. It's the band's first hit single in the UK. The song was written by Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg and is included in UFO's third album Phenomenon of 1974. It was released as a single in Europe, but not in the United Kingdom...
" (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
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
; 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
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
.
Side One
- "Natural Thing" (Schenker/Mogg/Way) – 3:57
- "Out in the Street" (Way/Mogg) – 5:07
- "Only You Can Rock Me" (Way/Schenker/Mogg) – 4:08
- "Doctor DoctorDoctor Doctor (UFO song)"Doctor Doctor" is a single released by the British hard rock band UFO. It's the band's first hit single in the UK. The song was written by Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg and is included in UFO's third album Phenomenon of 1974. It was released as a single in Europe, but not in the United Kingdom...
" (Schenker/Mogg) – 4:42
Side Two
- "Mother Mary" (Schenker/Mogg/Way/Parker) – 3:25
- "This Kid's" (Schenker/Mogg) – 5:11
- "Love to Love" (Schenker/Mogg) – 7:58
Side Three
- "Lights Out" (Schenker/Mogg/Parker/Way) – 5:23
- "Rock Bottom" (Schenker/Mogg) – 11:08
Side Four
- "Too Hot to Handle" (Way/Mogg) – 4:26
- "I'm a Loser" (Schenker/Mogg) – 4:13
- "Let It Roll" (Schenker/Mogg) – 4:48
- "Shoot Shoot" (Schenker/Mogg/Way/Parker) – 4:07
In 1999, EMI reissued Strangers in the Night with an expanded edition featuring two bonus songs, "Hot 'n' Ready" and "Cherry". The announcement at the beginning of the expanded CD version indicates the first track was recorded in Chicago but was not so according to the booklet of the 2008 remaster (the songs are pointed as recorded in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
15.10.1978 and Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
16.10.1978 accordingly). The audience noise is from Chicago and the intro for the CD was used from the Chicago show. Two tracks, "This Kid's" and "Mother Mary" are actually studio tracks with crowd noise added as outlined in the 2008 remaster booklet. The track listing was also reordered to more accurately reflect UFO's setlist at the time. Note that the tracklist of the 2008 version is identical to the 1999 version, no additional tracks or tracklist modifications are present.
CD Reissue track listing
- "Hot 'n' Ready" (Schenker/Mogg) – 3:26
- "Cherry" (Way/Mogg) – 3:44
- "Let It Roll" (Schenker/Mogg) – 4:48
- "Love to Love" (Schenker/Mogg) – 7:58
- "Natural Thing" (Schenker/Mogg/Way) – 3:57
- "Out in the Street" (Way/Mogg) – 5:07
- "Only You Can Rock Me" (Way/Schenker/Mogg) – 4:08
- "Mother Mary" (Schenker/Mogg/Way/Parker) – 3:25
- "This Kid's" (Schenker/Mogg) – 5:11
- "Doctor DoctorDoctor Doctor (UFO song)"Doctor Doctor" is a single released by the British hard rock band UFO. It's the band's first hit single in the UK. The song was written by Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg and is included in UFO's third album Phenomenon of 1974. It was released as a single in Europe, but not in the United Kingdom...
" (Schenker/Mogg) – 4:42 - "I'm a Loser" (Schenker/Mogg) – 4:13
- "Lights Out" (Schenker/Mogg/Parker/Way) – 5:09
- "Rock Bottom" (Schenker/Mogg) – 11:22
- "Too Hot to Handle" (Way/Mogg) – 4:26
- "Shoot Shoot" (Schenker/Mogg/Way/Parker) – 4:07
Tracks 1 and 2 are bonus tracks
Personnel
- Phil MoggPhil MoggPhillip John 'Phil' Mogg is a vocalist for the band UFO, which he formed with longtime friends Pete Way and Andy Parker. Mogg wrote the majority of the band's lyrics, with the music being written by Way, Schenker, and later, Raymond, but Schenker left to launch his solo career in 1979...
– vocals - Michael SchenkerMichael SchenkerMichael Schenker is a German rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in UFO, in addition to his solo band. He first rose to fame as a founding member of the Scorpions, then achieved fame in the mid 1970s as the lead guitar player for UFO. Since leaving UFO in 1978, he has been leading the...
– guitar - Paul RaymondPaul Raymond (musician)Paul Martin Raymond is an English keyboardist/guitarist.Raymond began his musical career as a keyboardist/vocalist for the band, Plastic Penny, in 1967. He left after the band split up in 1968. He replaced Christine Perfect in British blues band Chicken Shack when she left to join Fleetwood Mac...
– rhythm guitar, keyboards - Pete WayPete WayPeter 'Pete' Frederick Way is a bass player.He is the bassist of UFO, Waysted and formerly, Fastway and Ozzy Osbourne....
– bass - Andy Parker – drums
- Alan McMillan – horn arrangements, string arrangements
- Ron Nevison – producer
- HipgnosisHipgnosisHipgnosis was a British art design group that specialized in creating cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands, most notably Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Pretty Things, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, ELO and XTC...
– artwork
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America).| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Pop Albums | 42 |
Album - United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | United Chart | 7 |