Biography
UFO are an English rock band that was formed in London in 1969. They became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the new wave of British heavy metal. The band’s current lineup includes vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Vinnie Moore, bass guitarist Rob De Luca, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Paul Raymond and drummer Andy Parker. They have gone through several line-up changes, leaving Mogg as the only constant member, and had two hiatuses (1983–1984 and again from 1989 to 1991). The band are also notable for featuring former Scorpions guitarist and MSG founder Michael Schenker, who had been a member of UFO occasionally between 1973 and 2003, when Moore replaced him. Over a career spanning 48 years, UFO have released 22 studio albums, 14 live recordings and 16 compilation albums. They achieved moderate success in the late 1970s and early 1980s with several albums and singles (including their 1979 live album Strangers in the Night) in the UK and US Top 40 charts, and have sold over ten million records worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO
Album & Cover
Force It is the fourth studio album by the British rock band UFO. It became their first album to chart in the United States.
This was a controversial original cover as were almost all other UFO albums of the 1970s. For years, the genders of the couple in the bath were unknown, and the nudity was on the verge of decency standards. The models were actually Genesis P-Orridge and girlfriend Cosey Fanni Tutti, both later of the band Throbbing Gristle which Peter Christopherson was also a member. The artwork was softened for the initial US release, making the couple in the bathtub transparent. The cover is a pun – there are multiple taps (British English) or “faucets” (US English) in the picture, which is a pun in the album’s title.
Richard Manning explains the process: Including the base print, this is a twelve print montage. The base print of the couple in the bath and the black and white floor was mounted onto double weight mount board using Columbia Cement. The floor had to be extended by a couple of tiles. I used a mixture of Photo Dye , Watercolour and Gouache after masking the separate areas in perspective. All the prints to be montaged were cut out using a razor blade, and by half cutting through the print you could peel the back away, sand the edge and put paint on the actual thin edge to match the tone it was being stuck onto. http://www.richardmanning.co.uk/hipgnosis-album-cover-art/ufo-force-it—1975/19
Cover Location: Set built in the Hipgnosis Studio, London, UK
Who Did What: Photography – A. Powell/P. Christopherson
Label: Chrysalis CHR1074(US & UK)
Source: Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art – The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue By Aubrey Powell
Tracklist
| Side One Let It Roll Shoot Shoot High Flyer Love Lost Love Out In The Street |
Side Two Mother Mary Too Much Of Nothing Dance Your Life Away This Kids (Including, Between The Walls) |
Credits
Bass – Pete Way
Drums – Andy Parker
Engineer – Mike Bobak (tracks: A2 to B4)
Guitar – Michael Schenker
Keyboards [Guest] – Chick Churchill
Mastered By [Tape Mastering] – Arun Chakraverty
Producer – Leo Lyons
Vocals – Phil Mogg
Written-By – Parker (tracks: A2, B1), Schenker (tracks: A1 to A4, B1, B2, B4), Way (tracks: A2, A5, B1, B2), Mogg (tracks: A1 to B1, B3, B4)
