Well first Question first. What makes the Scorpions different? Is it the heart pumping beat in their songs ? Klaus’ heat filled sensuous voice ? Schenker’s musical artistry ? Matthias Jabs’ pure magic on lead ? Yeah, all of that plus their ability to express through their lyrics and music the emotion that everyone all over the world experiences. At the start of the new millennium and some 3 decades since the foundation of Germany’s most successful hard rock band of all time, Scorpions can look back together on a spectacular career in the international music.
The vocal and instrumental ingredients which over the years were to develop into the typical, unmistakable Scorpions sound, were already recognisable, unbending, guitar-orientated hard rock, on the lines of what Hendrix and Led Zeppelin generated in the 60s. The distinctive Scorpions style came from the combination of the electric guitars, a fusion of fabulous and forceful power riffs with ebullient guitar solos. Added to which was the instantly recognisable voice of singer and front man Klaus with his highly expressive delivery.
For some people the visiting card of Scorpions is their beautiful ballads, like ’Wind of Change’, ’Still Loving You’, and so on. But the band is not only a ballads maker , they created real hard-rock songs too which are at par with their ballads. Their authentic power rock ballads along with acoustic based songs such as ’Always Somewhere’ and ’When the Smoke is Going Down’ have managed to win over even the most unyielding haters of hard rock.Groups like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, later to become mega bands themselves, were support acts on the Scorpions’ worldwide tours, learning what it meant for a band to hold its own in the rock arena in front of an audience of millions.
World Wide Live a double live set was released in 1985, featuring songs from the second phase of the band’s career. It captured the band at their melodic best. The compilation includes Still Loving You which is an international rock anthem, Rock You Like A Hurricane which will rock u’r heart any given Sunday, Holiday which needs no introduction to any music fan, Bad Boys Running Wild another classic number, Blackout which sounds like Deep Purple’s ’’Woman from Tokyo’’ to me. Countdown and Six String Sing are 2 lovely instrumental numbers here. If I was stranded on a deserted island and could only take 1 album with me, it would be this(and I’d try to smuggle some Eagles along, too). Sadly this album came out before Kluas wrote Winds Of Change for the Moscow Peace Festival and also Under the same Sun which has won them a Grammy.
On the Pure Instinct world tour in 95, Scorpions missed India. And now they are out again on the promotion of their latest album Acoustica, and they are playing in Bangalore(my city) today evening.I’m sure my heart will be so overwhelmed that my tongue will be paralyzed and i’ll be struggling for superlatives to describe the show. Hope to see some of u there and lets Rock to them.
I apologize to MS members and the readers of this review if I got drifted in my sentiments and wrote more on the Group then the Album which I was reviewing.
Quoting one of their songs Make It Real
If you take life as a crazy gamble
Throw your dice take your chance
You will see if from a different angle
And you too will join the dance