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**UFO - No Heavy Petting: The Sound of a Band in Beautiful Transition**

By 1976, UFO had already established themselves as purveyors of heavy, blues-tinged rock, but they were still searching for that elusive breakthrough that would catapult them from cult heroes to arena gods. Enter "No Heavy Petting," the band's sixth studio album and perhaps their most cohesive statement of intent – a record that finds Phil Mogg's theatrical vocals, Michael Schenker's incendiary guitar work, and the rhythm section's thunderous foundation coalescing into something approaching perfection.

The album emerged during a pivotal period for the British rockers. Fresh off the heels of "Force It," which had given them their first taste of American success, UFO were riding high on confidence while simultaneously feeling the pressure to deliver something even more substantial. The band had been touring relentlessly, honing their craft in sweaty clubs and mid-sized venues across two continents, and that road-tested chemistry permeates every groove on "No Heavy Petting."

What strikes you immediately about this record is how it manages to be both heavier and more melodic than its predecessors. This isn't the plodding, riff-heavy approach that characterized some of their earlier work, nor is it a complete departure into radio-friendly territory. Instead, UFO crafted something that sits perfectly in that sweet spot between accessibility and aggression – arena rock with genuine bite.

The album opens with "Natural Thing," a statement of purpose that showcases everything great about mid-'70s UFO in under four minutes. Mogg's vocals soar over Schenker's crystalline guitar lines while the rhythm section – bassist Pete Way and drummer Andy Parker – provides a foundation that's both muscular and surprisingly nimble. It's the kind of song that sounds effortless but reveals new layers with each listen, a hallmark of truly great rock songwriting.

But the real crown jewel here is "Lights Out," a seven-minute epic that stands as one of the finest examples of UFO's ability to balance light and shade. The song builds from a gentle, almost pastoral opening into a full-blown rocker that showcases Schenker's lead guitar work at its most expressive. His solos don't just serve the song – they elevate it, turning what could have been a standard hard rock number into something approaching transcendent. When Mogg wails "Lights out!" over Schenker's soaring leads, it's one of those perfect rock and roll moments that reminds you why you fell in love with this music in the first place.

"I'm a Loser" finds the band exploring slightly more experimental territory, with its stop-start dynamics and unexpected tempo changes, while "Can You Roll Her" delivers the kind of straight-ahead rocker that would become a live favorite. The album's pacing is nearly flawless – just when things threaten to become too heavy, UFO throws in a curveball like the surprisingly tender "Belladonna," which showcases a more vulnerable side of Mogg's vocal delivery.

Perhaps most importantly, "No Heavy Petting" captures UFO at the peak of their powers as a unit. This was before internal tensions and lineup changes would begin to fracture the classic formation, and you can hear the telepathic communication between the players throughout. Schenker's guitar work is particularly inspired – his tone is warm and cutting simultaneously, and his melodic sensibilities were never sharper.

The production, handled by Leo Lyons, strikes the right balance between clarity and power. The guitars have bite without being overly compressed, Mogg's vocals sit perfectly in the mix, and the rhythm section sounds massive without overwhelming the more delicate moments. It's a sound that feels both of its time and timeless.

In the grand scheme of UFO's catalog, "No Heavy Petting" represents the band at their most focused and confident. While "Phenomenon" might have more individual standout tracks and "Strangers in the Night" captures their live power more effectively, this album finds them successfully bridging the gap between their early heavy blues experiments and their later, more polished arena rock phase.

Today, "No Heavy Petting" stands as essential listening for anyone interested in the evolution of hard rock in the mid-'70s. It's an album that influenced countless bands who followed, yet it never feels calculated or overly conscious of its place in rock history. Instead, it sounds like exactly what it is – a great band hitting their stride and delivering the goods with style, power