UFO, "Flying: The Early Years 1970-73" (Castle, 2004)

A Pittsburgh radio sports-talk host professes to be the world's biggest fan of the Anglo-(sometimes) Deutsch UFO. During his "ask anything" segments, I've called in to talk about the band and what it's up to, as was the case a few years ago, when I learned that veteran drummer Aynsley Dunbar had joined the fold.

We chatted a bit about Dunbar, and the conversation went well enough. But the next time I rang in, I asked the host what he thought about the original incarantion of UFO, which featured a guy named Mick Bolton - long before the better-known Michael Schenker joined - on guitar.

The host questioned my taste in music and told me never to call his show again.

I haven't.

My comments were hardly meant to place Bolton in the same league with the German-born Schenker, whose hard-hitting riffs are what propelled UFO to some measure of fame among heavy-metal fans. Rather, I simply wanted to point out that the band got its start deep in the heart of psychedelia. In fact, the group's name comes from London's famed psychedelic nightclub, the place where Pink Floyd first made a name for itself.

The Castle Music two-CD release compiles the three albums UFO made with Bolton, plus a little-heard single, between 1970 and '72. (Why the title says "'73" is anyone's guess.) Fans of the "classic" UFO lineup might disdain these early efforts, and with some modicum of reason: This was hardly the best that British rock had to offer. But it's often interesting to hear.

The band's first album, "UFO 1," sounds like it was made on a tight budget. The production leaves a lot to be desired, even when spiffed up for CD release. The mix is very inconsistent: for example, Pete Way's bass comes thundering up through the anti-war ballad "(Come Away) Melinda," while it's buried under the surface of a rather odd version of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love." On that song, which was covered by just about everyone in the late '60s, Bolton attempts a different approach with his guitar leads, veering off in an Eastern-influenced direction. It doesn't really work.

On an apparent attempt at social commentary called "Treacle People," Bolton's only solo composition in the entire proceedings, the song abruptly goes from stereo to mono, probably to accommodate a phase-shifting effect to give it a psychedelic conclusion. And throughout the first album, Phil Mogg's strident vocals appear to receive hardly any treatment or processing to take the edge off their relative harshness.

Drummer Andy Parker (who has returned to the fold in the 2006 version of UFO) seems to be the glue that holds the debut together, the highlights of which probably are a cover of Eddie Cochran's "C'Mon Everybody" and the original "Shake It About," which features Bolton's most competent guitar playing.

The second UFO album "Flying," is subtitled "One Hour Space Rock," and that's pretty much what the listener gets, give or take a few minutes. The sky/space theme shows up throughout the four elongated tracks represented, two of which are near or over the 20-minute mark.

The opener, "Silver Bird," is the best (and most concise) of the bunch, with a well-constructed riff - Bolton seems to have a much better grasp of what he's doing this time around - supporting Mogg's vocals, which are made much more palatable with an echo effect.

Another catchy riff propels "Star Storm," which veers off in a direction that makes the "space rock" label fit. As Way and Parker provide a steady rhythm, Bolton lays down an assortment of guitar effects, most prominently an echo device, that can sound fairly intense, considering that at times he seems to be doing nothing more than scratching the strings with his pick. Fans of Jimmy Page will note a similarity to that guitarist's freakouts on "Dazed and Confused" with the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.

Bolton's playing is at its most confident in the opening to "Price Kajuku," a song that's broken up to start on one side and finish on the other on the original LP. The second half, "The Coming of Prince Kajuku," is reminiscent of Pete Townshend's "Sparks" from the "Tommy" album.

The title track of "Flying" is 26 minutes long. That ought to be enough of an explanation.

The Castle set also includes a live album recorded in Japan. (The early UFO hit it big there when no one was paying attention in either Britain or the United States.) It offers little to distinguish itself from the studio versions of the five songs included.

Wrapping up the collection is a single, "Galactic Love" - apparently one last attempt at the "space rock" theme - and an intriguing cover of Paul Butterfield's bluesy "Lovin' Cup."

And that was it for the original UFO.

Even its long-standing members have expressed disdain for the early version of the band. The men responsible for such work as the classic hard-rockin' live album "Strangers in the Night" have good reason to feel that way.

But students of British rock will enjoy a interesting look at UFO as a bridge between '60s psychedelic music and '70s heavy metal.