When I think of Live albums from 1985 one album comes right to my mind right away and that would be Iron Maiden’s ‘Live After Death’ release which set the bar very high on how you deliver to the masses an album chock full of pictures/booklet/tour dates/information on the tour itself! Nobody since or before 1985 has topped what Maiden did in regard to the packaging of ‘Live After Death’.
Another Live Album that came out that year is a real fantastic blast of Rock is from those fun-loving Germans that we know as Ze ‘SCORPIONS’ when they unleashed the classic ‘World Wide Live’ as well in 1985!
My listening curve of the Scorpions in 1985 was owning the brilliant 1982 release ‘Blackout’and 1984’s pretty damn good ‘Love at First Sting’.
So when I seen the ads in Circus Magazine that the Scorps would be releasing a double live album I was onboard. Once I bought this album and took it home and spun it for the first time I had not heard 8 of these tracks before as they came from albums that I had not heard by the Scorps! A total score as far as I’m concerned!
The packaging was pretty cool as well slick-looking double gatefold. How about that picture taken in the gatefold! Info about the tour and such and a bunch of pics on the record sleeves as well. All in all a decent looking package….
The music! Well what can you say. The Scorps especially the guitar of Rudolf Scheneker and Matthais Jabs is brilliant to say the least! Jabs is off the charts where he’s ripping up his fretboard on tunes like ‘Blackout/Bad Boys Running Wild/Rock You Like A Hurricane’ and all points in-between. Lead Throat Klaus Meine as well can belt it out on tunes like ‘Dynamite/Another Piece of Meat’ but can dial it back on the slower stuff like ‘Still Loving You/ No One Like You’. I must add that World Wide Live was the first time I ever heard ‘Make it Real’ which is one of the best Scorps songs in the catalogue. Jabs slams down the gauntlet riffing at all intervals but never overplaying and turning his solo’s into wank fest’s! Plus Jabs had hair on his head back than before he went to the ball cap and bandanna look later on! I posted a clip of another one of the best Scorps tracks titled ‘The Zoo’ from 1985! Jabs does the talk box thingy and man I just love the stomp of this track!
The Scorps in 1985 were Flying High(cough cough) in Record Sales and Big Rock Shows ! Check it out below!
The Rhythm Section of drummer Herman Rarebell and Bassist Francais Bucholz hold the fort down with a straight ahead no frills approach which suits the Scorps sound perfect!
World Wide Live is a fantastic listen! It Rocks indeed like a Hurricane(Ha..that was pathetic but I’m letting that last line ride) as the Scorpions could deliver huge Fireballs of Rock!
If you come across this album in any format grab it and CRANK IT!
Nice review Deke. I’ve always fancied this one too, but just never seen it around. I love the pics on this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a great package and release….
I couldn’t believe it when I seen it last week in the bins….
LikeLike
I don’t have much Scorpions, but HMO threw Tokyo Tapes my way a while back and I enjoy that a lot. I’ll pick this one up if I see it, cause I reckon I’d dig it based on my fondness of the TT.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m thinking you cannot go wrong with any Scorps from back in the day. Ladano and HMO would be the two to ask that about as the Scorps by the mid 80’s I’m thinking hit that commercial peak which may have been a different Scorps with Uli Roth on Guitar 10 years earlier…
Myself its really from Animal Magnetism on that I have the Scorps output…well til about 1995 that is….
Still though you can smell the reek of the backstage vibe creaking out through the vinyl on this bad boy!
So Good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll delve in to whatever I can find, really. I like Blackout, too. Certainly not as familiar with their stuff as maybe I could be at this point, but I’m just finding so much stuff that I need to listen to (the Tigers haven’t gotten any attention yet, but I’ll get there!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well as I mentioned to Joe Tygers are releasing a live album from 1981…that would be a great starting point for ya MRJ!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yae! I’m starting to dig live albums… I was always a bit mneh about them. I’ll hold off and jump in when that comes along then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m hoping iTunes has it…insert Character Flaw…haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! I hope they do, too… then I can stream it! Ha!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good one Deke! One of my favorite Scorps albums as I had this one when I was a kid. And just this past year, found it in a used bin and it is now mine again (not the same album, but one like it…or maybe it is the same album…hmmmm!)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hey you never know John! Somewhere In Time perhaps that album weaved its way back to ya!
LikeLiked by 2 people
No need to apologize for hurricane wordplay Deke!
LikeLiked by 1 person
HAHAHA….Thanks Geoff!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My strange friend John would always disrupt marathon D&D sessions with this playing at 11, then he would jump around like a crazed red-haired dervish playing air guitar. Oh the happy days of youth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
HA…I’m sure some people in there 50’s still do that! haha
LikeLike
I heard Tokyo Tapes first and really enjoyed that one so World Wide Live just didn’t connect with me.
Granted I heard it well into the 90s..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fair enough. May need to check that one out now…
LikeLiked by 1 person
The way World Wide Live captures the Schenker/Jab guitar era, Tokyo Tapes does the same for the Schenker/Roth era.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool. I will have to pick that up at some point now.
LikeLike
Do it
The band is on fire and Roth is on top of his game
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love that back cover!
LikeLike
Yeah it’s a great shot. Need to do a Back Covers segment on it next year!
LikeLike
Check out the back cover to The Who’s It’s Hard if you get a chance. I think it is better than the front. Might be one for your blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will Do Kev. Man I seen It’s Hard on vinyl a few months along with Face Dnaces. I should have grabbed em both…
I dropped the ball there..haha
LikeLike
Yeah, they get crapped on a bit for not having Moon on them but they’re decent enough albums you can grab for cheap.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really discovered The Who with Jones on drums. He did a great job but yeah some people cannot handle change…
Daltry especially….
LikeLike
Lol, true that! People are never happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person