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Obsession (UFO album)

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Obsession
Studio album by
Released23 June 1978 (1978-06-23)[1]
StudioC.P. McGregors, Western Avenue, Los Angeles and West 3rd Carrier Station, Beverly Hills, California with The Record Plant Mobile
Genre
Length35:59
LabelChrysalis
ProducerRon Nevison
UFO chronology
Lights Out
(1977)
Obsession
(1978)
Strangers in the Night
(1979)
Singles from Obsession
  1. "Cherry"
    Released: June 1978 (US)[4]
  2. "Only You Can Rock Me"
    Released: July 1978 (UK)[5]
  3. "Born to Lose"
    Released: 1978 (NL)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Christgau's Record GuideC−[7]

Obsession is the seventh studio album by English rock band UFO, released in 1978. This was the final studio album to feature Michael Schenker on lead guitar until he returned to the band in 1993. A single from the album, "Only You Can Rock Me" / "Cherry", was also released in 1978. So too was the band's first three-track EP "Only You Can Rock Me", "Cherry" / "Rock Bottom", reaching No. 50 in the UK.[which?] The album was recorded at an abandoned post office in Los Angeles.

EMI's 2008 remastered edition includes three bonus live tracks, and also some writing credits are corrected.

Critical reception

[edit]

Reviewing the LP in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "I've admired their forward motion and facile riffs, so it's my duty to report that they've degenerated into the usual exhibitionism. Theme song: 'Lookin' Out for No. 1,' a turn of phrase that's becoming as much of a watchword in late '70s rock as 'get together' was in the late '60s."[7]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Only You Can Rock Me"Pete Way, Michael Schenker, Phil Mogg4:08
2."Pack It Up (And Go)"Way, Schenker, Mogg3:14
3."Arbory Hill"Schenker1:11
4."Ain't No Baby"Mogg, Paul Raymond3:58
5."Lookin' Out for No. 1"Mogg, Raymond4:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Hot 'n' Ready"Schenker, Mogg3:16
7."Cherry"Way, Mogg3:34
8."You Don't Fool Me"Raymond, Andy Parker, Mogg3:23
9."Lookin' Out for No. 1" (reprise)Schenker, Raymond1:14
10."One More for the Rodeo"Way, Mogg3:45
11."Born to Lose"Schenker, Mogg, Raymond3:31
Total length:35:59
2008 EMI remastered CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Hot 'n' Ready" (live In Columbus, Ohio, 17/10/78)3:34
13."Pack It Up (And Go)" (live In Columbus, Ohio, 17/10/78)3:38
14."Ain't No Baby" (live In Kenosha, Wisconsin, 14/10/78)4:40
Total length:46:57

Personnel

[edit]

UFO

Production

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] 89
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] 68
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 31
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 26
US Billboard 200[12] 41

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 32.
  2. ^ "UFO : Obsession". Spirit-of-metal.com.
  3. ^ Prato, Greg. "Obsession review by Greg Prato". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2023. UFO's Obsession was to be their last studio record with star guitarist Michael Schenker. It did indeed contain lots of prime metal cuts, but some of the material ultimately fell flat
  4. ^ Hung, Steffen. "UFO - Cherry". Hitparade.ch.
  5. ^ Hung, Steffen. "UFO - Only You Can Rock Me". Hitparade.ch.
  6. ^ Prato, Greg. "Obsession - UFO". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0023b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – UFO – Obsession". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Billboard 200 - 23 September 1978". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2021.