THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO…UFO – The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent (Chrysalis Records)

By far the best of the four Tonka Chapman era albums – and arguably the best of the band’s studio output full-stop – ‘The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent’ is the latest UFO album to get a facelift, as a 3LP or 2CD set. Originally released in January 1981, the album introduced another new face to the line-up with Neil Carter replacing long-time guitarist/keyboard player Paul Raymond (RIP) although his contribution to the album itself was limited. Despite his billing on the sleeve he added just one saxophone solo and the backing vocals, as when the tapes were rolling the keyboards were played by an uncredited John Sloman who was in-between bands after leaving Uriah Heep.

Featuring eight top-quality tracks – this album really is all-killer-no-filler – led by opener ‘Chains Chains’ and wrapping up 40 minutes later with the beautifully understated ‘Profession Of Violence’ the album is a masterclass in how to write and deliver a truly great album. And in addition to the quality of the material and its execution, after the rather wispy sound of its predecessor, ‘No Place To Run’, the band elected to produce ‘The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent’ themselves, and it paid off handsomely. Although it peaked in the UK chart at a lowly No 19 it’s an exquisitely crafted album, and in the title track and ‘Lonely Heart’ in particular the band displayed an elegance in both the delivery of the songs and in Phil Mogg’s storybook lyrics.

photo by Ray Palmer

The main bonus here is a newly remixed slice of their 29 January 1981 Hammersmith Odeon show, where new cuts like ‘Chains Chains’ and ‘Long Gone’ rub shoulders with ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Shoot Shoot’. It’s a shame that more of the newer material from the night is missing, as after the novelty of the opening barrage from ‘The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent’ the second half of the set descends into the crowd-pleasing but overly familiar ‘Strangers In The Night’ territory yet again. But maybe I’m just being grumpy, as it’s all performed with consummate professionalism. Note that the CD version also adds the 7” single edits of ‘Couldn’t Get It Right’ and ‘Lonely Heart’ and an alternative mix of ‘It’s Killing Me’.

Video clip – ‘Lonely Heart’ on ‘Top Of The Pops’, 15 January 1981 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDikDqS0pEc

John Tucker April 2026