Force It

UFO hit a moment of ignition with Force It. Released in 1975, the album captured the band sharpening their sound and, crucially, breaking through in the United States for the first time. It did not feel like a cautious push for attention, more a confident stride into heavier, tighter territory.

Production duties fell to Ten Years After bassist Leo Lyons, a choice that paid off in clarity and muscle. The songs moved with purpose, balancing hard rock heft with a sense of control that stopped things tipping into excess. Chick Churchill’s Fender Rhodes made its first appearance on a UFO record here, adding a subtle new texture that softened the edges without blunting the impact. It was a small detail, but one that hinted at a band willing to broaden its palette rather than simply turn the amps up louder.

Then there was the sleeve. Designed by Hipgnosis, the original cover became almost as talked-about as the music inside. Its bathtub tableau flirted with controversy, its visual joke built around taps and faucets playing neatly into the album’s title. That the models were later revealed as Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti only deepened its strange afterlife. For the initial US release, the image was toned down, but the sense of provocation remained intact.

Critically, Force It landed as a high-water mark. Reviewers recognised a band stepping into what would later be called their classic era, delivering heavy metal that moved smartly and never lost sight of melody or craft. The record wrestled with the weight of the genre and came out the other side with wit, restraint and a distinctly British sense of poise. Nearly five decades on, it still sounded like a turning point rather than a footnote.