Pete Way dead 😮

[dave_bass5]

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

[KevB]

RIP but in some ways it's a surprise he lived as long as he did, certainly lived life to the full.

[dave_bass5]

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. 

[Beedster]

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

[skidder652003]

Greatest Live album of all time (arguably)

 

[ubit]

Sad news indeed. I love UFO  and Pete Way was one of my heroes.

[Beedster]

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

[madshadows]

Very sad news, UFO are a great band, he truly lived the Rock 'N' Roll life, RIP Pete Way  

John

[NancyJohnson]

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.

[Guest]

Blimey. One of my fave bassists, gone.

[thebigyin]

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

[dave_bass5]

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. 

[paul j h]

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!

[mcnach]

2020 can go do one already, quite frankly

[Old Man Riva]

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...

[mr zed]

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.

[Mudpup]

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. 

[fretmeister]

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! 

[SH73]

UFO inspired Steve Harris. Sad news, so many legends die....

[Beedster]

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. 

[Mickeyboro]

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...

[Beedster]

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

[PaulThePlug]

See Fastway at Hammersmith Odeon when they released the first album...

Takes me back, good 'n simple times...

[Bilbo]

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

[Old Man Riva]

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