743. UFO / No Heavy Petting. 1976. 3.5/5

On a bit of a run after the Phenomenon and Force It albums, UFO followed these up with the No Heavy Petting album, one that for me includes a couple of their best ever songs, but also mixes it with some weaker ones that fills me with mixed emotions.
 
Personally I love the start of the album. Schenker's riff to break into the album in the form of "Natural Thing" is a ripper. This is a terrific song, setting a great tempo immediately. This has been one of my favourite UFO songs since the first time I heard it. Following this comes "I'm a Loser", another perfect example of the Schenker/Mogg writing partnership. Schenker's solo is a scorcher. I love the keys in this song too. I know that is somewhat of an anomaly in my music tastes and reviews, but I really do think this song is so brilliant because of the mix between guitar solo and keyboard bridge.
"Can You Roll Her" also kicks along nicely, again with a prominent dual between the two major instruments. "Reasons Love" is the other song that fits in with these tracks, while "Highway Lady" starts off side two of the album in a similar vein as "Natural Thing" does with side one.
On the flipside, there are those songs that for me fall a little flat. "Belladonna" is a letdown for me. Slow and mournful. I know people and UFO fans love this kind of stuff. For me it puts a big STOP sign out in front of the momentum the album had before this. "Martian Landscapes" is another song in this vein. It really drains out the end of the album, dragging along at a molasses pace with the lyrics being repeated and pulled out far too long over time. "On With the Action" is another mood halter, after the up tempo start of side two of the album. Not a bad song, but it just seems to be in the wrong place.

The good things about this album are fabulous. Schenker's guitaring is at its peak, and some of his solo's here are the equal of anything he's ever recorded. Phil Mogg's vocals are as clean as ever, emoting when needed in songs like "Natural Thing" and "I'm a Loser". The keyboards in those two songs are exceptional, but when they come back for an old-west, piano bar blues sound on a song such as "A Fool in Love", I find it a bit clichéd. In the long run, I believe the good outweighs the average, and continues the excellent catalogue of albums through the 1970's that UFO produced.

Rating:  You can look but please don't touch.  3.5/5