dave_bass5 2,574 Posted August 14, 2020 (edited) Just seen this in the news. Cant believe it. He was a huge influence on me when i first started playing. Saw UFO a so many times. Strangers in the Night was the first album i ever learnt to play all the way through. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/legendary-ufo-bassist-pete-way-dead-at-69/ Edited August 14, 2020 by dave_bass5 6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KevB 290 Posted August 14, 2020 RIP but in some ways it's a surprise he lived as long as he did, certainly lived life to the full. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dave_bass5 2,574 Posted August 14, 2020 7 minutes ago, KevB said: RIP but in some ways it's a surprise he lived as long as he did, certainly lived life to the full. Yeah. To be honest, when I saw the news report I first assumed it was an old one. Had to double check the date. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beedster 3,093 Posted August 14, 2020 UFO formed in ‘69, that’s one hell of a ride. He was the first bass player I heard of over and above the Macca/Lynott/Lemmy superstar bunch, played some great lines also. RIP Pete Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skidder652003 725 Posted August 15, 2020 Greatest Live album of all time (arguably) 12 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ubit 2,251 Posted August 15, 2020 Sad news indeed. I love UFO and Pete Way was one of my heroes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beedster 3,093 Posted August 15, 2020 1 hour ago, skidder652003 said: Greatest Live album of all time (arguably) Not far wrong, still listen to it more than I'd admit to my more 'selective' musician friends 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madshadows 195 Posted August 15, 2020 Very sad news, UFO are a great band, he truly lived the Rock 'N' Roll life, RIP Pete Way John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NancyJohnson 2,089 Posted August 15, 2020 There's a handful of bass players out there that indirectly owe Pete Way a huge debt of gratitude, Nikki Sixx top of that list. And yes, Strangers In The Night is certainly one of the greatest live albums ever released. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bassfinger 1,682 Posted August 15, 2020 Blimey. One of my fave bassists, gone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thebigyin 216 Posted August 15, 2020 Sad news first see UFO in 76 at the Winter Gardens Cleethorpes was blown away see Pete many times since with the different line up's of UFO and also Waysted….RIP x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dave_bass5 2,574 Posted August 15, 2020 2 standout gigs for me were Hammersmith Odeon, and the old Marquee. No idea of the years, late 70’s i think. The Marquee gig was during their prime, and it was great being so close to them. Will have Strangers in the Night on at the Gym today. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paul j h 46 Posted August 15, 2020 One of my heroes when I was younger saw them on four consecutive tours, had the tour t shirts etc. I have the UFO at Rockpalast DVD, me and a group of mates (I was in the Army) were at the front for the gig and Phil Mogg shouts down to us "you are f*#king mad!" Proudest day of my life. we may have had a drink beforehand though! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mcnach 2,606 Posted August 15, 2020 2020 can go do one already, quite frankly 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Man Riva 584 Posted August 15, 2020 Saw UFO for the first time in 1978 at Birmingham Town Hall as a 15 yr old. It was such an exciting experience, and a benchmark for live gig experiences for years to come. It was the ‘classic’ line up and they were a band right on top of their game. That they should have achieved more commercial success - and the reasons they didn’t - have been well documented over the years, but them and AC/DC (Bon era) were the only rock bands I knew that my punk mates also loved at the time. I think a lot of rock fans at the time were somehow suspicious of them - a bit “flash”, a bit “London”, not quite as down and heavy as, say, Sabbath or Purple. But that was part of the attraction for me. They were the first band I saw in the flesh that really looked like rock stars, in a way that Bowie, or the Stones or the Faces did on TV. And then there was the bass player... 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr zed 206 Posted August 15, 2020 Sad news - I went to see UFO many times and was a huge fan. Pete was a massive influence. The Bassline’s were just so right. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudpup 631 Posted August 15, 2020 A sad loss..... And how he managed to play at all running around the stage at 200mph in those stripey trousers with a Thunderbird banging on his knees was beyond me. I saw them numerous times at Hammy Odeon back in the day and it was always a top gig. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fretmeister 2,371 Posted August 15, 2020 9 hours ago, Beedster said: Not far wrong, still listen to it more than I'd admit to my more 'selective' musician friends I’ve never listened to it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SH73 430 Posted August 15, 2020 UFO inspired Steve Harris. Sad news, so many legends die.... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beedster 3,093 Posted August 15, 2020 19 hours ago, Beedster said: UFO formed in ‘69, that’s one hell of a ride. He was the first bass player I heard of over and above the Macca/Lynott/Lemmy superstar bunch, played some great lines also. RIP Pete Was trying to recall how Pete Way's name seems to have been a constant for so many years, so spent a bit of time thinking back to the era in question, and it all came back to me today. I was at school in London and a new guy called Nick arrived and joined my class. He was a music guy I could tell, so we became friends quickly (we were 12 years old I guess). We hung out listened to music, The Jam especially, he was a big fan and a bit of a mod, even wore a parka to School. He mentioned that he had a family connection with a bass player in a rock band, a guy called Pete, but being a rock band, Nick wasn't interested in Pete at all. But Nick got some free tickets and went to see Pete's band, and despite being a dyed in the wool mod, and despite not wanting to like either Pete or the band, was blown away by both. From that point forwards, he become a mod who liked UFO. Hated Motorhead/Purple/Sabbath/Zep, but loved UFO. This was '77/'78 IIRC, feels like a lifetime ago, but seems Pete and the band won a lot of friends in the following years. RIP Pete. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mickeyboro 493 Posted August 15, 2020 Shame he became estranged from the band and was not part of their farewell. His antics were part and parcel of their appeal. Interviewed him once post-gig at the Astoria. It had changed clientele at 11 and become a gay disco; we sought refuge from the thumping music in a dark corner, don’t know what people thought we were up to. 😂 RIP Pete... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beedster 3,093 Posted August 15, 2020 59 minutes ago, fretmeister said: I’ve never listened to it! Have a listen mate, it’s cliche 80’s rock in some respects but there’s definitely something a bit special going on 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PaulThePlug 367 Posted August 15, 2020 See Fastway at Hammersmith Odeon when they released the first album... Takes me back, good 'n simple times... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbo 1,390 Posted August 15, 2020 (edited) I never saw them or had any of their recordings. I did, however, meet PW briefly. Very briefly. I was at Rockfield studios and packing up to leave. The next band booked in were Waysted. As we were getting ready to vacate the accommodation, PW walked in, said 'hi: and then collapsed face down on the living room floor. Edited August 15, 2020 by Bilbo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Man Riva 584 Posted August 15, 2020 There’s not a lot of live footage from the ‘78 tour but I found this on YouTube which, whilst the quality isn’t great, gives a flavour of how exciting they were as a live band during this period. It was on this leg of the US tour that SITN was recorded... https://youtu.be/RuOnBwAZbIU Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites