Some may argue but most of aficionados would agree: 1976’s “No Heavy Petting” is UFO‘s finest hour in creative terms. With Phil Mogg and Pete Way applying pressure to the tunes that followed in the wake of “Force It” in the previous year and Michael Schenker delivering filigreed riffs under the watchful eye of producer Leo Lyons, the British ensemble decided to widen their aural palette and bring in keyboards and second guitar to the mix, and though Danny Peyronel who came on board to flesh out the quartet’s sound didn’t stay long, his influence would be felt for decades. The first platter of the expanded line-up turned out brilliantly, hefty groove of pieces like “On With The Action” and “Natural Thing” contrasting the heartrending serenade “Belladonna” and progressive panorama of “Martian Landscape” – with the cover of “Fool In Love” which Frankie Miller co-penned with Andy Fraser adding to the fun.
That’s why there’s a lot of reasons to wait for January 20th, 2023 when this gem of a platter is to be reissued in a newly remastered form as a 2CD and 3LP sets. It doesn’t matter that four out of five bonus cuts were issued earlier, because the entire concert set from 1976 which is included in the release more than makes up for the scarcity of unheard studio material. Here’s how the new edition should look like:
No Heavy Petting
CD 1:
1. Natural Thing
2. I’m A Loser
3. Can You Roll Her
4. Belladonna
5. Reasons Love
6. Highway Lady
7. On With The Action
8. A Fool In Love
9. Martian Landscape
bonus tracks:
10. All Or Nothing
11. French Kisses
12. Have You Seen Me Lately Joan?
13. Tonight Tonight
14. All The Strings
15. Have You Seen Me Lately Joan? (acoustic – previously unreleased)
CD 2 – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976:
1. Can You Roll Her
2. Doctor Doctor
3. Oh My
4. Out In The Street
5. Highway Lady
6. I’m A Loser
7. Let It Roll
8. This Kid’s
9. Shoot Shoot
10. Rock Bottom
11. C’mon Everybody
12. Boogie For George
