MARTIN POPOFF – Lettin’ Go: UFO in the ’80s and ’90s
- Posted on 08-08-2019
The skilled Martin Popoff wrote an excellent book on the legendary British hard rockers UFO back in 2005, namely the long-out-of-print "Shoot Out the Lights", and this informative and expertly crafted 2019 opus of his is basically the latter half of the aforementioned "Shoot" packed into one neat volume that covers UFO’s somewhat troubled and unpredictable career throughout the 80s and 90s. In other words, "Shoot Out the Lights" was divided into two separate books and then greatly expanded upon with new interviews and material added, so even if you have the 2005 edition, you ought to pick a copy of "Lettin’ Go" up if you are a fan of the renowned outfit.
"Lettin’ Go" is perfectly structured and everything is done chronologically here, which means that we move from year to year and album to album. As interesting and witty as many of Martin’s comments and thoughts on the albums, the songs, the production values, and even certain riffs and solos are, the brilliant thing about this book is that all members of UFO as well as their record producers and whatnot get their say and offer their perspective on things, which results in a highly balanced and nuanced overview of the often-times underappreciated and overlooked albums and tours from those two decades.
"Lettin’ Go" may not be Popoff’s most thrilling or all-out exciting account of a rock band out there, but it is a damn fine piece of literature that manages to convey a sense of what it was like to be trapped inside the vortex of madness that was UFO all those years ago. The creative highs and self-destructive lows are all outlined in the book and one cannot but feel utterly frustrated at just how things constantly seemed to unravel within the UFO camp when digesting the 168 pages that constitute "Lettin’ Go". As talented and awesome as UFO were (and still are judging from their "Last Orders" tour), they were their own worst enemies – or a total fucking nightmare, if you will.
On a side note, I absolutely love the inclusion of UFO-related bands and outfits such as the different MSG constellations, specifically the pages devoted to the heavy metal classic that is "Assault Attack". That was just superb, so keep in mind that Popoff’s work also goes beyond the actual UFO band and that various related offshoots and side projects are also touched on throughout the piece.