I am not sure where Mechanix sits in the ranking of UFO albums. It followed what is rated by many as one of their best, The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent. Mechanix has plenty of moments, although the filler of Eddie Cochran’s Somethin’ Else, which is the second track on the album, was a real curveball at the time. Listening to it 44 years later, that song really does not irritate in the way it did back then, and it showed that UFO were able to go outside of the expected and challenge the standard format.
UFO – Mechanix 2026 Remaster
Release Date: 4 December 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
But where were UFO in 1982? A triumphant headline show at Reading in 1980, when the NOWBHM flooded the festival, saw Neil Carter make his debut for the band, and although the multi-instrumentalist had been credited in 1981’s The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent, it was only on Mechanix where Carter made his proper recording debut.
By 1982, the band were still able to sell out Hammersmith Odeon in the UK, but their stock across the pond had dropped, and they found themselves second fiddle to Ozzy Osbourne on his US tour.
It was the final album with Pete Way, before his return in the ill-fated late ’80s line-ups, but ironically, their highest charting studio release.
Mechanix opens with The Writer, a cheerful dig at music journalist Garry Bushell. Phil Mogg said, “It was done with tongue in cheek. I love Garry. He’s a fixture”. It is a hard-rocking riff, with Mogg in imperious form, and the band rolling along. Yes, Carter adds keys and saxophone, but keys had been a quintessential part of the UFO sound, whilst the sax brought a new dimension.
It was the sax that brought the most disgruntlement and ultimately was a contributory factor in the departure of bassist Pete Way. “On some numbers he would accept it, but not on Somethin’ Else,” recalled Phil.
For Neil, it was a challenge of different magnitude. “I feel slightly guilty, because it was such a bone of contention with Pete. But it was Gary Lyons [producer], with me being the puppet. I don’t think I would have gone with the saxophones if it had just been my decision. But I loved Aerosmith and the way they used horns, but I didn’t really understand the saxophone back then.
“I wanted it to sound like Aerosmith, not like Showaddywaddy. To this day, people still hold me responsible for Pete leaving. Well, that’s not why Pete left, but it was one of the things he didn’t like, the poppiness appearing.”
Mechanix may have a poppier feel, but UFO have always been a band where melody and quality were as important as the riff. A fine example is the next track, Back Into My Life. A Mogg/Way composition, it is as good a rock ballad as you will hear, with Phil’s emotive delivery rightly heralded as one of the band’s best.
And the album showcases the consistency of Paul Chapman once more. After his work on No Place To Run and The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent, Tonka was firmly established in UFO, and his work on Mechanix is excellent throughout.
For 12-year-old me, it was one of the first UFO albums I heard, and the middle three tracks are amongst my all-time favourites. Appearing in succession, we get Doing It All For You, We Belong To The Night and the attempt at the pop single, Let It Rain, all three involving Carter, Mogg and Way in the writing.
Great early ’80s hard rock with that instantly recognisable blend of keys and searing guitar work. They all appear on the Hammersmith 1982 recording which accompanies this release.
We Belong To The Night in particular became a firm fan favourite thanks to its thumping opening riff, and it became the 14th most played track in the band’s catalogue. No mean feat coming several years after classics like Lights Out and Doctor Doctor. And despite the definitive ’80s keys, Let It Rain is a great lighter rock song with Phil on fire, although the fade-out is dreadful. And as Phil says, if you came straight from Strangers In The Night to this, “it would be a stride”.
Mechanix cannot match The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent for consistency, but every song on it has something to enjoy. Feel It has a good crunch, with Chapman’s flourishes a highlight. Dreaming also kicks along with an invigorating pace and more fine work. It is one of the final songs that demonstrates the strong link between drummer Andy Parker and Pete, whose bass pushes the tempo from start to finish.
The remastered version throws in the extra bonus of Heel Of A Stranger, the Japanese bonus that features on the B-side of Let It Rain as well as the single edit of Back Into My Life. Heel Of A Stranger should really have been where Somethin’ Else sat on the album.
Overall, Mechanix is an album that sits around number seven or eight in my rankings. The fact that it got to Number 8 in the UK album charts upon release is a reminder that UFO were a huge UK band. They may have been coming down from the heights of the late ’70s, but a listen now to the album reminds you that UFO always made great music.
Some of it was just greater than others.
It is live that UFO were always at their best and the recording that accompanies this new release is a demonstration of that. Following on from the Hammersmith Odeon recordings on The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent remaster, Mechanix features the show from 28 January 1982, at the same venue.
The second of two nights, it is captured almost in its entirety and mixed by Brian Kehew. Missing just the encore of Doctor Doctor, the set features those middle three songs from Mechanix as well as classics such as Love To Love, Only You Can Rock Me and Too Hot To Handle.
Why Mystery Train is there is beyond me, but it was a staple of their set at this time.
It is well worth giving this live recording a listen, and many of my age will no doubt have heard some of it on the BBC In Concert series at the time.
A more mature band than on Strangers In The Night for sure, less dangerous but maybe a little bit more assured, with Tonka once more proving just how underrated he was with some virtuoso guitar work.
Things dropped badly after this tour, with 1983’s Making Contact [my first live contact with the band] prompting the first of several splits.
Regardless, this remastered package with a gem of a live recording is still well worth grabbing.
Originally released in 1982, Mechanix marked a pivotal chapter in UFO’s evolution, capturing the band as they transitioned into a new era. This definitive reissue has been newly remastered at AIR Mastering, bringing renewed clarity and punch to the original recordings.
The package is enriched with previously unreleased photographs, offering a visual snapshot of the band during this period. New liner notes by David Hann provide fresh insight into the album’s creation and legacy, drawing on exclusive interviews with key band members, including Phil Mogg, Andy Parker, and Neil Carter.
A major highlight of this edition is the inclusion of a newly mixed live recording from Hammersmith Odeon on 28 January 1982, restored by renowned producer Brian Kehew.
Capturing UFO onstage at London’s legendary Hammersmith Odeon, this performance showcases the band’s raw energy and musical firepower on the eve of the release of Mechanix.
This expanded edition of Mechanix stands as both a historical document and a compelling reminder of UFO’s enduring place in hard rock history. Released on 4 December 2026 via Chrysalis, pre-orders are available from ufo.lnk.to/MCHX. MetalTalk will have an interview out soon with Brian Kehew, plus a look back at the album. You can read more on UFO here.
