UFO - Force It

Guitarist Michael Schenker, the only person screwed up enough to be booted from the Scorpions twice, joined UFO on the album previous to this one, Phenomenon. That album marked a departure from the unfocused space rock UFO had played up til that point and edged towards the muscular, streetwise heavy metal they would become known for. On Force It this metamorphosis becomes more or less complete, and this platter should be enough to give pause to those who say they never made solid albums. This kicked off a five year period of productivity and boundless creativity that crashed and burned in 1980, when Schenker, ever the scumbag, was fired. Of course, I'm not saying this album is flawless: UFO had the same tendency as Thin Lizzy and other peers to mix in drippy ballads and the occasional useless cover, but those flaws are kept to a minimum here. Mostly we have solid, meaty heavy metal like "Shoot Shoot" and the underplayed classic "Love Lost Love," an ode to monopede-mania and backstage excess.
Let it Roll

Factoid: the couple on that excellent Hipgnosis cover is in fact Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti of Throbbing Gristle.