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..
Just like that those zany Scorpions delivered one serious shot across the bow in the form of Dynamitewhich comes from the super classic Blackout album.
Released back in 1982 Blackout was my first introduction to the Scorpions. American rock mags like Circus were featuring the adds for the album so it shows that Mercury Records was in full swing at getting behind this album and it worked.
Scorps went into headliner mode with this album and never looked back.
Obviously being 15 yrs young back in 82 the cover was the selling point before I had even heard a stitch of music from these guys. Also, I had seen on the adds that opening for the Scorps on there North American Tour that summer was Girlschooland Iron Maiden. So I figured it would not be too much of a gamble in buying this album.
Boy, I hit the jackpot on this one!
All 9 songs are brilliant. Scorps dug deep on this one. The playing is top-notch the production (handled by Dieter Dierks) is stellar. I have to add that the guitars of Matthias Jabsand Rudy Schenker are so good as each player does not get in the other’s way.
That pic posted above is a great live-action shot of the Scorps. (from the inside sleeve of the album)
Case in point check out the two tracks on Side 2 that being Arizona and ChinaWhite. Arizona the guitars are back and forth as is China White which when you listen to it the Marshalls had to have been cranked to 11 during the recording session!
Jabs solo’s on the title track basically, the whole album is noteworthy as Matthais just goes for the throat come solo time. I have no idea why people don’t give this dude credit.
Considering Klaus Meine almost lost his voice during the making of Blackout is impressive as well. Don Dokken who was kicking about in Germany at the time when this album was being recorded supposedly laid down some vocals just in case Klaus had to be shut down.
I would love to hear those tracks.
Course it never came to that as the Scorpions released this record and hit American/Canadian Gold and Platinum with Blackout.
Scorpions are one of those bands that you never hear anybody say they suck! Seriously you don’t. Sure you will get people who say I don’t like this Scorps album or that Scorps album but you never hear anyone yammer out loud I don’t like Ze Scorpions!
Myself, I love the Scorpions especially from LoveDrive(1979) to World Wide Live(1985) and the albums in between Animal Magnetism(1980) and especially Blackout (1982)!
When the Scorpions released Savage Amusement (1988) the album didn’t resonate with me whatsoever except for the cover! Hahaha! But Crazy World (1990) I dug as I did Alien Nation(1993) well kinda dug…..
After that I bought Live Bites(1995) which was decent as well but after that I stopped why I have no idea sometimes bands just do silly albums and I just move on which I did but lately I rediscovered these guys and I thought Wowzers I gotta review these guys as I did Blackout a while back….refresh your marbles here with my jargon….https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/sonic-waves-scorpionsblackout/
1984 and a ton of heavy hitters released big albums and The Scorps were one of them….
Things We Call The Zooooooo!
1984 and the Scorps return yet again with Dieter Dierks manning the producers chair. So if ain’t broke don’t fix anything and why would Matthais Jabs,Rudy Schenker,Herman Rarebell,Klaus Meine and Francis Bucholz wanna alter the plan?
Just two years earlier (1982)Scorpions hit North American pay dirt.. ie Gold with Blackout. So when the iron is striking hot! Keep striking it!
BAD BOYS RUNNING WILD- Jab’s and Schenker right off the hop flex their guitar muscle with a super-duper mega riff that Reeks utter coolness with sweeping power chords galore and Herman Ze German opens the festivities with a smash a Roo of the drums. Bad Boys is a Panzer First Division Stomper! What a power opener! Klaus has a unique voice that sounds like German! Ha! Dig the lyrics in this tune I mean you hear them once there etched in your memory forever! ” Out In The Streets! Dogs On The Run Cat’s In Heat!” Yeppers man Scorpions lay down some serious law with the chorus which is real catchy. Jabs and his guitar solo histrionics with the wang bar diddle doodle that makes Ya wanna airband. The production (courtesy of Dieter Dierks )which is crystal clear and Frigg this is only the first song!
ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE-Well what do we say about this tune? Jabs and Rudy set the bar and drink it dry with one of the most memorable opening riffs of the 80s! Course Klaus crawls and spills the beans about “My Cat Is Purring,It Scratches My Skin,What Is Wrong With Another Sin,The Bitch Is Hungry,She Needs To Tell,So Give Her Inches And Feed Her Well,” Bahahaha! What can you say about the words? That’s the 80s all rolled up in a lyric speedball shot Into our veins as 17-year-old boys and we all bought into it! Of course the video with all the ugly Scorps Guys in a cage surrounded by woman wanting a piece of them totally sold this as well. Great stuff…. Say what you want but the song structure is real good. Neat verse catchy chorus and Jabs plays a whopper of a solo! He dips n doodles all over the fretboard and plays that wang bar like it’s a soggy spaghetti noodle. The Scorps delivered a sure-fire musical winner with this track!
I’M LEAVING YOU-Scorps could always write cranked up rockers like the first two tracks here but they also had real flair for writing some killer melodic hard rock nuggets! I’m Leaving You is one of them. Nice mid tempo push by Herman’s drums along with some neat guitar pickings and Klaus hits his stride during the chorus! (It will keep you humming along for hours) What a great tune no one ever talks about this track. Well….you should!
COMING HOME-Klaus sings the tale of the touring dude who’s longing to come home! Haha yeah right?! You wanna go home to take out the trash whereas you can hang out in
some muck pit cage with chicks wanting a piece of the action? Anyhoo Coming Home ramps back up and it’s another Scorps rocker! Great buildup into Jabs solo and it also featuring a ton of riffing and Herman even smashes about some double bass drumming. Great Rock Track!
THE SAME THRILL-Jury’s out on this track. I don’t know its just a straight ahead rocker. Lot’s of riffing and rolling but the Scorps can do way better…..next….
BIG CITY NIGHTS-Once again The Scorps blitz out of the gates with a real good opening riff and we’re off! Rudy like he does on Scorps albums takes the reigns on the solos for a couple of tunes and this is one of them! This song is another well written track that has a real good hard rock slick chorus. The video for it as well shows a lot of woman(surprise,surprise) and I’m sure Sex Sells! For the record your Honor I had Love At First Sting before Big City Nights became a video single!
AS SOON AS THE GOOD TIMES ROLL-Dig the opening. As per protocol it’s the guitars that catch the ear. This track though features a neat rhythm of bass and drums and of course Klaus and the guitars kick it along. Not bad I suppose….
CROSSFIRE-Herman plays a military like drum roll through the song. The guitars are pretty slick here and proves that you don’t have to go 120 mph all the time! Crossfire along with the Military Marching Band vibe delivers a different lyrically vibe than the second song on this record. Ha! Klaus sings and asks the question why do we have to be at war?
STILL LOVING YOU- Tbone dug the Scorps form a distance! He listened and piped up as like it was yesteryear(1984ish) and commented that it gets real repetitive with Klaus singing the line Still Loving You about 400 times! Ha! Not quite but the Scorps did this a bit like on Can’t Live Without You from Blackout! Still though the Scorps did the right thing dump the PowerBallad at the end of the album. Still Loving You have some nice riffing at the end by Rudy and he’s no slouch on the fretboard. Him and Jabs make a great guitar team! One side you have flash(Jabs) and in the other corner you have (Schneker) the thinker! Still Loving You, I have to take in small doses but still it’s decent not sap….
FINAL YAMMER-Scorps deliver another decent bit of Hard Rock! Not as classic as Blackout but still pretty solid in its own defence! The fact that they were on the typical album tour album tour cycle by than is impressive that they could still muster up Gems….You gotta hand it to them…
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