An Ode to Pete Way + UFO and Waysted Box Sets – New Noise Magazine

These are fertile times indeed for fans of bassist, songwriter and all-round madman Pete Way. The influential musician, who passed away in 2020, was best known as one of the core members of British arena-rock greats UFO, as well as several related projects in the 1980s.

To say Pete Way was anything but colourful would be a serious understatement. He was the personification of rock ‘n’ roll. While most bassists in the ’70s were content to keep a low profile on stage with their heads down, Way was instrumental in bringing the bass to the forefront. Way was as much a showman as he was a musician, and his flashy demeanour and signature stage attire influenced hordes of four-string guitarists for decades to come. He was also considered a bit of a madman and lived the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle to the extreme, even prompting Ozzy Osbourne to say, “They call me a madman, but compared to Pete Way I’m a size up, he’s fucking nuts!” Two new mini box sets bearing Way’s distinct signature have recently hit stores, providing the perfect opportunity to revive his legacy.

UFO began their career in 1968 as a group of wacky, stoned refugees until they hired German teenage prodigy guitarist Michael Schenker from the Scorpions and produced some of the best hard rock music of the 1970s. Far from a typical metal band, UFO served as a bridge from the past (over-the-top, blues-based proto-metal) to a soulful, melodic hard rock sound that would heavily influence various subgenres in the 1980s. The band’s final lineup in the late 1970s consisted of Way on bass, Schenker on lead guitar, vocalist Phil Mogg, keyboardist/guitarist Paul Raymond, and drummer Andy Parker. Schenker’s melodic ear and virtuoso riffs, coupled with Mogg’s thoughtful lyrics, Raymond’s keyboard flourishes and Way’s sly demeanor, created a unique combination that would lead to a series of successful studio albums and tours over the course of the decade.

During this time, UFO released several acclaimed albums, including phenomenon (1974), Force it (1975), No strong petting (1976) and his two best albums Lights out (1977). and obsession (1978). Tracks such as “Doctor Doctor”, “Rock Bottom”, “Too Hot to Handle”, “Lights Out” and “Cherry” cemented UFO’s reputation as a leading figure on the international stage and culminated in the release of their groundbreaking double live album Strangers in the Night (1979). Although the band also counted young future members of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Cockney Rejects, Drive-By Truckers and many others among their fans, the period saw several setbacks for the band, the first of which was the departure of the often unreliable Michael Schenker in 1978, who briefly returned to the Scorpions and later enjoyed success in the ’80s with The Michael Schenker Group (MSG). UFO replaced the erratic guitarist with Paul Chapman and made a few more strong records, but for many fans this was the beginning of a downward spiral. Unhappy with the band’s efforts to increase their commercial appeal, Way left UFO in 1982 to pursue a number of other opportunities… more on that shortly.

Federation (2000) saw the refreshed band return to basics with driving numbers like the opening song “Love Is Forever,” with its dramatic intro and heady mix of melancholic lyrics and blistering guitars. It’s worth noting that Mogg’s lyrical style has matured over time, focusing on storytelling, chronicling the lives of orphans, misfits and losers, and this album has its share of that, particularly in “Miss the Lights,” with its extremely catchy main chorus and blossoming backing vocals.

Sharks (2002) the band explored their dark side. Way’s penchant for dirty street rock’n’roll was omnipresent on this record. In reference to UFO’s best times with Lights out, sharks sees the band abandoning some of the studio polish in favour of a rawer, more straightforward approach. And opening track ‘Outlaw Man’ is the perfect statement of intent for a band with a revived confidence. Full of Stones-esque slide guitars, brazen bravado with Mogg’s trademark twinkle in his eye and a rousing Schenker solo, it’s a great start to an album. The record ups the ante with the busy riffing of ‘Quicksilver Rider’ and the pulsing shuffle groove of ‘Someone’s Gonna Have To Pay’.

This new Comp Bund + Sharks comes in a 3-CD Digipak set, which also includes a third CD with live tracks selected from one of the Walking on water Tour shows from 1995 with the revived original band at their best. The songs, including some from the glorious 70s, sound electrifying, making this CD worth the price of the set alone. The package comes with a fold-out cover with photos and stories about the era. Unfortunately, this would be the last recording with Way, Mogg and Schenker altogether. But either way, it was a stunning last hurrah performance. Okay, as mentioned, we need to find out what the hell happened to Pete Way. A lot. And it can be a bit confusing, but here we go. After leaving the band, Way struck up a friendship with Motörhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke. The two agreed that their penchant for straight-ahead, bluesy-tinged rock and roll should be indulged, and the pair set about forming Fastway, a mash-up of their namesakes. The band soon enlisted a killer singer in the form of Irishman and future Flogging Molly frontman Dave King, and teamed up with drummer Jerry Shirley from one of their favorite defunct bands, Humble Pie. A hefty deal was struck with CBS Records, and the band was about to take off…or so everyone thought.

It turned out that Way was contractually prevented by UFO’s Chrysalis label from signing anywhere else, and instead of informing Fast Eddie and the other Fastway guys, he instead joined the band of his drinking buddy Ozzy Osbourne and played the hugely successful Talking about the devil Tour in late 1982. After sorting things out with Chrysalis, Way was given the go-ahead to put together his own band to meet his contractual obligations. And so the band, cleverly named Waysted, was born. Driven by the same spirit that characterized the early days of UFO, Waysted embodied reckless energy and a defiant attitude towards commercial conformity and quickly made a name for himself in concert and in the British music press.

The original and best lineup of Waysted consisted of Way, former UFO keyboardist Paul Raymond, American guitarist Ronnie Kayfield, drummer (and early Def Leppard member) Frank Noon, and a powerful lead singer known simply as “Fin.” The mysterious Fin was no ordinary frontman—he was an oddball in every sense of the word. Vocally, he had the whiskey-soaked voice of Rod Stewart mixed with the liquid swagger of Steven Tyler. And compared to the legions of hard rock frontmen in the early ’80s, he was flamboyant and different. Onstage, Fin strutted around with all the swaggering bravado of old David Lee Roth, but with an unconventional fashion sense that had more in common with the likes of Adam Ant than that of a traditional metal foot soldier. (Fun fact: A few decades later, Fin would re-emerge from obscurity to sing the theme song to the UK version of The office.)

The band released their debut Vice Released in 1983, it made a splash in the British metal press but remained fairly unknown in these parts. Full of dirty Aerosmith-meets-AC/DC riffs like those on opening track “Love Loaded” and “Sleazy,” the band’s sound was different for its time, leaning towards blues years before it came into vogue later in the decade. One song deviates a little from the harder numbers but stands out in particular. “Women in Chains” relies heavily on a keyboard-driven, eerie gothic groove and falls somewhere between Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” A fierce cover of the Jefferson Airplane standard “Somebody to Love” ends the record in high style. The album should go down as the band’s most unique and well-rounded offering, mixing trashy hard rock with modern production values ​​and a dash of idiosyncratic chaos. Although it’s far from finding much commercial appeal, Vice has stood the test of time and still sounds original, lively and a little strange.

Noon, Raymond and Kayfield were all gone on the band’s next releases: a self-titled EP (1984), the live offering You won’t get out alive (1984) and The good, the bad, the lost (1985). Paul Chapman, Michael Schenker’s original replacement in UFO, took over the six-string role for these recordings. Although these were all solid releases, Waysted were soon plagued by further lineup changes as Fin Muir left to pursue his own project. The band soon signed American Danny Vaughn as lead vox singer. The polar opposite of Fin, Vaughn had a voice and style made for American radio, and with a new, solid major label contract, the band released Keep your prayers in 1986. Ironically, the slick commercial sounds were eerily similar to the territory UFO had explored when Way decided to go back to road fundamentals. The band toured with Iron Maiden and did some good business with the new album and style, but truly Waysted it wasn’t.

After the album and tour, the band increasingly fell into conflict with the hard rock zeitgeist – dominated by both pop metal and thrash – and soon called it quits. Way eventually returned to UFO.

The new box set I’m not getting out alive: Waysted, Volume 1, 1983-1986 (Hear No Evil) brings all of the above releases together in one snazzy package. Each album comes in a mini-LP style sleeve, with bonus tracks and a book that tells of the difficulties Way and his band went through – all while initially just trying to fulfill a record deal. It’s also a fitting tribute to its namesake, the man who played a key role in a mega-band – and who still enjoys cult status to this day.

Pete Way passed away on August 14, 2020, leaving behind a legacy of musical excellence, personal excess, and colorful rock’n’roll escapades. Rest in peace.

If you have any questions, comments, or anything you’d like to see, drop me a line. @JimKaz1