It’s time for Zeeeee Scorppiiiiions! Blackout I bought right away as did Muc and many others back in the summer of 1982. This Scorps release was my first foray into German Rock (Accept would be 2 years later in 1984)and Blackout delivered on all levels! Great songs,solid production,great vocals and excellent solid musicianship!
Klaus Meine/Herman Rarebell/Matthias Jabs/Francis Bucholz and Rudy Schenker deliver a solid piece of Rock N Rolla!
BLACKOUT-Schenker opens the album with guitar Riff number 1 and boom here comes the rest of the boys and takes all of 5 seconds to realize that Jabs is gonna smoke some serious guitar leads on this record. Jabs has always been underrated in my book why I have no idea. I mean he’s got all the flash in the pan guitar hero moves and licks but there’s something about his playing which he takes it to another level. So yeah kudos to you Mr Jabs! Blackout though is a great opener and hey man if your any kind of rocker who has this album shall we all on the count of 3 sing together….Blackout…I really had a Blackout…..Blackout….I really had a Blackout……Blackout…..This song kicks down the walls and what a start! And full props to the wail of the vocal and smash of glass at the end of the song!
CANT LIVE WITHOUT YOU-Scorps delve right into Can’t Live…Klaus counts it in with a 1-2-3-4! Quick snappy guitar jabs(ha) deliver this tune and the prechorus is awesome and the well the chorus is jammed with of course Can’t Live …..Can’t Live Without Uuuuuuuu! Great solo and the Scorps are winning me over man and by that I mean I had there add for Blackout hanging in my locker at my old high school(Lakeview High circa 1982!)
NO ONE LIKE YOU- the guitars blast out into this tune but it’s not power metal it’s gassssssssp! A power ballad?! Allright lets cut to the chase! The Scorps deliver a slower type tune the way it should be done! Sure it has a slower pace to it….but it has balls! The guitars courtesy of the Schenker/Jabs law firm of Klaus Meine and Associates keep the song from wussing out! Super deadly chorus! Super Duper guitar solo and a total shout out to the vid that was filmed at Alcatraz! Love the part in it when Rudy smashes the guitar into smithereens and he has that crazy contraction on his head just like the pic on the front cover! Crazy Funkin Germans..but man they Rock!
YOU GIVE ME ALL I NEED- Scorps keep the train on the tracks and push this pace a little faster than No One Like You! Some acoustic guitar is on this track and the chorus is a winner! Of note Rudy would lay down the solos of the slower paced tunes like this one while Matthais would rip out the quicker tunes…go listen to this album and hear for yourself!
NOW- Klaus leads the charge to the end of side 1! Tons of Jabs laying waste to his fretboard while Herman Ze German and Francais lay down the bottom end! This is a ass kicker track! Nnnnnnnn……Now! NUFF said!
DYNAMITE- Blitzkrieg…boom this song is fired out of the cannon of super speed and there’s tons of smashing drums and guitars colliding and everything grinds to a halt with just the drums pounding and Klaus lays down those great lyrics it’s the 80s time to party Bitches….”Kick your ass to heaven with rock n roll tonight,I’ll make this night a special one,make you feel alright! Shoot my heat into your body,give Ya all my size,I’m gonna beat the beat tonight it’s time to break the ice! ….DYNAMIIIIIIIITE!
ARIZONA-why man was this not a single! It oooozes cool with a real simple groove that has Hooks all over the map! Guitars are so damn catchy. Well all know the deal Klaus is chasing some chick from Arizona! Tbone has spent a many a yesteryear in Arizona back in the day. I will have to grill him on the deal here! Anyways this song is a great great rock track! So it will come to no surprise when I say …..GEM!
CHINA WHITE- holy crap were into some serious partying now with the Scorps too be honest I would probably be hiding when the Ahem…White stuff is out, but still this is a exact opposite feel good happy tune of the previous track Arizona! Gone is Tbone lazing in the Arizona sun with the beauties around pool side in its place is China White with its Sabbath sounding cross mixed with the Scorps sound! In its place,Deke is thrashing around in the dumpster looking for booze out back in the posh Arizona hotel that Tbone is staying at!
WHEN THE SMOKE IS GOING DOWN- so we go from playing at a 100 mph (Dynamite) to chilling poolside(Arizona) and than seeing it snow(China White)in Arizona and to finally cap it off with the protocol Scorps end of album power ballad! This is a good track. Schenker takes the lead guitar on the slower tunes and plays a real good lead and wow man for my first Scorps purchase they made a classic album! No Filler whatsover here folks!
IN CONCLUSION- it’s even more remarkable that Blackout was even made. Word on the street back in 1982 was that Klaus Meine had lost his voice and that the band brought in Don Dokken to do the demos! Don and his Dokken posse where in Germany at the time recording there debut album (Breaking The Chains)Imagine that? But fortunately everything worked out in spades and the Scorps delivered and executed a large piece of German Hard Rock that made myself and Muc stand up and take notice!
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