Scorpions
Biography
Known best for their 1984 anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and the 1990 ballad "Wind of Change," the German rockers the Scorpions have sold over 22 million records, making them one of the most successful rock bands to ever come out of Continental Europe.
Originally formed in 1969 by Rudolf Schenker, the original lineup consisted of rhythm guitarist/vocalist Schenker, lead guitarist Karl-Heinz Follmer, bassist Lothar Heimberg, and drummer Wolfgang Dziony. In 1971, Schenker's younger brother Michael joined the band to play lead guitar and good friend Klaus Meine became the new vocalist. The group recorded Lonesome Crow in 1972, which was used as the soundtrack to the German movie Das Kalte Paradies. Although they failed to get into the public's eye, the early formation of '70s rock band UFO noticed Michael Schenker's guitar playing and hired him as their lead guitarist; Michael, therefore, would leave the band in 1973. Guitarist Uli Jon Roth replaced him, and under his guidance the group released four consecutive albums under the RCA record label: Fly to the Rainbow (1974), In Trance (1975), Virgin Killer (1976), and Taken by Force (1977). Although these albums failed to attain any serious attention in the United States, they were all quite popular in Japan. By the time Taken by Force was released, Roth made the decision to leave the band and form Electric Sun after feeling that his musical ideas would take the group in an entirely different direction. Tokyo Tapes, a double live album that the group recorded in Tokyo with Roth, was released in 1978. Shortly after Roth's departure, Michael Schenker was kicked out of UFO for his constant alcohol abuse and came back to play with the Scorpions in 1979, who had recently signed with Mercury Records. The group released Lovedrive that same year and played their first American tour, but Lovedrive failed to attract attention, being banned in the United States because of its sexually explicit cover. Still coping with his drugs and alcohol addiction, Michael missed tour dates repeatedly and guitarist Matthias Jabs was hired to fill in for him on nights when he was absent. Michael eventually would leave the band a second time after realizing that he was failing to meet their expectations.
Now with a lineup of Klaus Meine on vocals, Rudolf Schenker on rhythm guitar, Matthias Jabs on lead, Francis Buchholz on bass, and Herman Rarebell on drums, the band released Animal Magnetism in 1980 and embarked on another world tour. Surprisingly, Animal Magnetism went gold in the United States, and the Scorpions immediately went back into the studio to record their next release. Problems arose, however, and the project was postponed because Meine had lost his voice and would have to have surgery on his vocal chords. Many thought Meine had been fired from the band, and rumors spread that metal singer Don Dokken had already replaced him. The Scorpions proved these rumors untrue when Meine returned for the 1982 release Blackout, which contained the cult hit "No One Like You." A major success worldwide, Blackout sold over one-million copies in the U.S. alone. But as popular as Blackout was, it was the band's powerful follow-up, Love at First Sting, that succeeded in making them superstars. Released in 1984, the album boasted the MTV single "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and would eventually achieve double-platinum status. The group undertook one of their most successful world tours yet, boasting an outstanding stage show with high-energy performances.
After releasing World Wide Live in 1985, the band took a long hiatus and remained uninvolved from the music industry for two years. Their tenth studio album, Savage Amusement, was finally released in 1988, and the hit ballad "Rhythm of Love" brought on another major success. In 1990, the album Crazy World was released and would eventually become the Scorpions' biggest-selling record to date, drawing on the strength of the hit ballad "Wind of Change."
Not too surprisingly, Crazy World was the last successful Scorpions release in the U.S. By the time their Face the Heat album hit the shelves in 1993, many longtime fans had already lost interest in the band, due to the alternative explosion of the early '90s. Face the Heat did eventually reach gold, and in 1995 the band released another live album, Live Bites. Now with bassist Ralph Rieckermann and drummer James Kottak, they released Pure Instinct in 1996. Mercury Records assembled a double album of the band's greatest hits, Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years, and released it in 1997. Eye II Eye, an album in which the band experimented with pop-techno melodies, was released in the summer of 1999. Moment of Glory, featuring the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and several revamped versions of Scorpions cult classics, was released in fall 2000. ~ Barry Weber, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

Best Of Rockers 'N' Ballads
1989

Savage Amusement
1988

World Wide Live (Live)
1985

Love At First Sting
1984

Blackout
1982
Not sure what Klaus would sound like today, but in the 80's these guys owned a stage.
|
||
It's cool they have In Trance, but the tunes on Virgin Killer have no song elements, so I'm assuming they won't play. That's unfortunate to say the least; it's a classic Uli era album.
|
||
Christian, I disagree. The Scorpions are fan-spanking - t a s t i c ! LOL
|
||
I love this band. Whenever I hear Winds of Change it reminds me of watching the news & seeing the Berlin Wall being torn down.
|
||
1)Iron Maiden kicks a**
2)who the f**k is GWAR!? 3)The Scorpions are fucktastic! If you don't like them, you must be mentally challenged! |
||
Iron Maiden is good, unlike this band.
And if GWAR were a gimmick band they wouldn't have sold so many albums over so long. They make good music and put on the best show out there. |
||
GWAR sucks...they are a gimmick band. You need to fly to Germany and go to an Iron maiden show to see how it is done. GWAR is for geeks....
|
||
one f the best band's i ever heard and went 2 go c over and over again animal magnetism is my favorite song by the scorpion's
|
||
Whether or not Judas Priest's songs were all about gay sex (which is false, by the way) Their music is still awesome.
|
||
Real music? First of all Judas Priest is the gayest band ever. All his songs were writen about gay sex, that's a fact! AC/DC all sounds the same, but they arn't the worst. Metallica just plain sucks now and only fat chicks like them.
No, I'd rather listen to good bands like Led Zep, ZZ-Top, Satyricon, GWAR and the Black Dahlia Murder. |
||
moomoo007 i really can't stand it when when i see your name because you always have to whine now shut and listen to real music like scorpions, judas priests, ac/dc or metallica!
|
||
missing some great albums by scorpions and many songs. Sails of Charon, Acoustica, Bad for Good, Cause I Love You ... I know you fans now these songs and albums.
|
||
May be catagorized with hair and glam, but they are way better than that. Not a fan, but I do like some of their songs a lot. Fav song is "The Zoo".
|
||
Stink 182 wouldnt make a pimple on the Scorp's *ss! Anyone that would write crap like that has to be some young punk kid that wouldnt know what good rock was. What a pogue!
|
||
mr rogers, why don't you go the f**k back to your ghetto neighborhood if you don't like it. b**ch
|
||
Saw them in Germany in a club in 1977. They have a great hard rock sound and really have the history. This is a great band.
|
||
Im not a huge fan of either Blink 182 or the Scorpions but are you kidding me with thaqt Blink 182 talk. The scorpions poop out turds tougher then Blink 182
|
||
shut the f*** up blink 182 SUCKS!!! i have never even seen a band a gay a blink182--n scorpions beat blink by a LANDSLIDE!!! ! !
|
||
Dynamite, Explosive band everything about this band is just killer. The new album is awesome. Meine still has the same ripping voice it hasn't changed one bit.
|
||
| report abuse |








