15 Most Underrated Hard Rock Bands Of All Time
7. UFO
In the mid 70's, there was a fine line from having a great hard rock band and having a hack band in rock clothing. For as many great rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, you could always find bands playing the same dime-a-dozen blues riff that you've heard a million times. However, when you make those blues riffs sound new and exciting, you better believe people stood up and took notice.
Originally formed as a psychedelic space rock outfit, UFO emerged on the hard rock scene with some of the greatest riffs that no one had ever heard. While it was still rooted in blues, guitarist Michael Schenker had a certain finesse coming from his fretboard that made many guitarists surge with envy. Across tracks like "Rock Bottom," "This Kid's" and "Lights Out," the band created some of the greatest anthemic rock songs of the era...but the actual gold seemed just too out of reach.
Though the band put out one of the greatest live albums of all time with Strangers in the Night, the success still seemed to elude outside of a few select areas of the US and Europe. The band may have not hit as great heights as they intended, but every hard rock band from Metallica to Alice in Chains to Pearl Jam have cribbed a handful of ideas from UFO's tunes.