10 Underrated Hard Rock Bands Of The 70's
4. UFO
The fertile ground that the 70's hard rock scene offered gave way to the explosion of 80's offshoots from thrash metal to glam rock. Even with various antecedents for the new rock sound, UFO is one of the most overlooked gems when it comes to the more ferocious side of hard rock.
Starting off in the psychedelic scene, the band didn't truly hit their stride until they picked up guitarist Michael Schenker, who had just finished putting together the Scorpions with his brother Rudolph Schenker. With the band's guitar hero intact, the band went on to produce some of the most visceral hard rock music ever heard, culminating in their massive live album Strangers in the Night.
The way Schenker played guitar was not only melodic but also possessed a classical amount of finesse, which impacted everyone from Slash to Pearl Jam's Mike McCready. Even Metallica's Kirk Hammett has gone on record saying Schenker helped teach him the ropes of hard rock music.
While UFO had never found the same rip-roaring success as some of their contemporaries like Scorpions, the people that were listening have helped the band reach a better level of rock god-ery. Pick up Strangers in the Night and get it on hard rock's best kept secret.