Force It

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Force It
Studio album by
UFO
ReleasedJuly 1975[1]
StudioMorgan and Wessex Sound, London
GenreHard rock, heavy metal
Length38:11
LabelChrysalis
ProducerLeo Lyons
UFO chronology
Phenomenon
(1974) 		Force It
(1975) 		No Heavy Petting
(1976)
Singles from Force It
  1. "Shoot Shoot"
    Released: 1975 (Europe)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [2]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[3]

Force It is the fourth studio album by English rock band UFO, released in 1975. It was their first album to chart in the United States.

The album was produced by Ten Years After bass player Leo Lyons. Another Ten Years After member, Chick Churchill, played Fender Rhodes electric piano keyboard, the first use of that instrument on a UFO record.

The CD reissue was remastered at Sound Recording Technology in Cambridge in 1994.

Album cover[edit]

The somewhat controversial original album cover was designed by Hipgnosis, as were almost all other UFO album covers of the 1970s. The nudity on the cover verged on breaching decency standards and the sexes of the couple in the bathtub were not known for several years. The models were later revealed to be Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti, both later of the influential industrial band Throbbing Gristle.[4] 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 play on the album's title.[5]

Critical reception[edit]

Reviewing the LP in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "Heavy metal that's not hard to take? What? Well, the whole first side moves to [sic] smartly you could almost mistake it for rock and roll."[3] Eduardo Rivadavia, reviewer for AllMusic, wrote: "One of the band's best albums, Force It will not disappoint lovers of '70s English hard rock."

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let It Roll" 3:57
2."Shoot Shoot"Schenker, Mogg, Pete Way, Andy Parker3:40
3."High Flyer" 4:08
4."Love Lost Love" 3:21
5."Out in the Street"Way, Mogg5:18
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Mother Mary"Schenker, Mogg, Way, Parker3:49
7."Too Much of Nothing"Way4:02
8."Dance Your Life Away" 3:35
9."This Kid's" (including "Between the Walls", written by Schenker) 6:13
2007 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."A Million Miles" (previously unreleased)4:49
11."Mother Mary" (live at the Paris Theatre, London, England on 11 December 1975 for BBC Radio 1)4:04
12."Out in the Street" (live at the Paris Theatre, London, England on 11 December 1975 for BBC Radio 1)5:12
13."Shoot Shoot" (live at the Paris Theatre, London, England on 11 December 1975 for BBC Radio 1)3:48
14."Let It Roll" (live at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London, England on 25 April 1976)4:59
15."This Kid's" (live at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London, England on 25 April 1976)4:19
2021 2-CD deluxe reissue - Disc 1[6]
No.TitleLength
10."A Million Miles"4:49
2021 2-CD deluxe reissue - Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."Intro" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)1:12
2."Let It Roll" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)5:01
3."Doctor Doctor" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)5:15
4."Oh My" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)4:16
5."Built For Comfort" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)4:41
6."Out In The Street" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)5:28
7."Space Child" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)4:43
8."Mother Mary" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)4:42
9."All Or Nothing" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)4:39
10."This Kid's" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)4:38
11."Shoot Shoot" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)3:50
12."Rock Bottom" (Live at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA, 1975)9:08

Personnel[edit]

UFO
Additional musicians
Production

Charts[edit]

Chart (1975) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 35
US Billboard 200[8] 71
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] 33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 59
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] 19
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[12] 9

References[edit]

  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 853. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "UFO Force It review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: U". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Jensen, K. Thor (27 April 2011). "Awesome Borderline Pornographic Album Covers". UGO.com. UGO Networks. Archived from the original on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  5. ^ Fish, Mick (2002). Industrial Evolution: Through the Eighties with Cabaret Voltaire. SAF Publishing Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-946719-46-4. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  6. ^ "UFO / Force It deluxe edition – SuperDeluxeEdition". 13 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – UFO – Force It" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Billboard 200 - October 4, 1975". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Swisscharts.com – UFO – Force It". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
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