Formed in 1968, UFO first gained notice as a
space rock group with a series of recordings on Beacon/
Decca Records. After guitarist
Michael Schenker joined in 1973, they signed to
Chrysalis Records, and changed their musical style from space rock to
hard rock and
heavy metal, but found only modest commercial success. However, UFO are often cited as one of the key influences on the hard rock and heavy metal scenes of the 1980s and 1990s, including bands such as
Metallica,
Judas Priest,
Iron Maiden,
Guns N' Roses,
Def Leppard,
Slayer,
Megadeth,
Testament,
Overkill,
Anthrax,
Alice in Chains,
Tesla and
Dio. Mogg wrote the majority of UFO's lyrics, with the music being written by Way, Schenker, and later,
Paul Raymond, although Schenker left the band in 1978 to launch his
solo band. Mogg is the only member of UFO to appear on all of the band's albums and remained their only permanent member. In 1997, during UFO's hiatus, Mogg and Way, under the moniker Mogg/Way, released a couple of albums,
Edge of the World and
Chocolate Box. Kollman had earlier been the guitarist and co-writer on Mogg/Way's
Chocolate Box. In late 2003, having regained the rights to the UFO name from Schenker, Mogg spoke with
Pete Way and
Paul Raymond, and ended up having a reunion tour which later brought the band back for good, with newly hired American guitarist
Vinnie Moore. UFO have since released six more albums, the latest being the 2017 covers album
The Salentino Cuts. UFO announced their "Last Orders: 50th Anniversary" farewell tour in 2019. The band was to tour the United Kingdom from March to April, Europe from June to August, and finally the United States from October to November. The final gig was to be the rock legends cruise, a five-day event in early 2020. Mogg confirmed he was retiring after the tour as a member of UFO, but did not rule out other musical ventures. The final tour was rescheduled to 2022, but cancelled due to Mogg's health status. Mogg confirmed in an April 2024 interview with
Ultimate Classic Rock that UFO were no more. That same year Mogg formed the group Moggs Motel, including former UFO keyboardist/guitarist Neil Carter as well as bassist Tony Newton, drummer Joe Lazarus and guitarist Tommy Gentry. ==Personal life==