The Scorpions are a German heavy metal hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and their singles "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel, "Still Loving You", and "Wind of Change". The band was ranked #46 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock program. "Rock You Like a Hurricane" is also #18 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. On January 24, 2010, after 45 years of performing, the band announced that they will be retiring after touring in support of their new album Sting in the Tail. The Scorpions sold between 100 and 150 million albums worldwide.
Formation and early history (1965-1973)
Rudolf Schenker, the band's rhythm guitarist launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had beat influences and Schenker himself did the vocals. Things began to come together in 1969 when Schenker's younger brother Michael and vocalist Klaus Meine joined the band. In 1972, the group recorded and released their debut album Lonesome Crow, with Lothar Heimberg on bass and Wolfgang Dziony on drums. During the Lonesome Crow tour, the Scorpions opened for upcoming British band UFO. Near the end of the tour, the members of UFO offered guitarist Michael Schenker the lead guitar job, an offer which he soon accepted. Uli Roth, a friend of the Schenker brothers, was then called in temporarily to finish off the tour.
The departure of Michael Schenker led to the breakup of the band. In 1973, Uli Roth, who had helped the Scorpions complete the Lonesome Crow tour, was offered the role as lead guitarist, but turned the band down, preferring instead to remain in the band Dawn Road. Rudolf Schenker eventually decided that he wanted to work with Roth, but did not want to resurrect the last The Scorpions lineup.
Formation and early history (1965-1973)
Rudolf Schenker, the band's rhythm guitarist launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had beat influences and Schenker himself did the vocals. Things began to come together in 1969 when Schenker's younger brother Michael and vocalist Klaus Meine joined the band. In 1972, the group recorded and released their debut album Lonesome Crow, with Lothar Heimberg on bass and Wolfgang Dziony on drums. During the Lonesome Crow tour, the Scorpions opened for upcoming British band UFO. Near the end of the tour, the members of UFO offered guitarist Michael Schenker the lead guitar job, an offer which he soon accepted. Uli Roth, a friend of the Schenker brothers, was then called in temporarily to finish off the tour.
The departure of Michael Schenker led to the breakup of the band. In 1973, Uli Roth, who had helped the Scorpions complete the Lonesome Crow tour, was offered the role as lead guitarist, but turned the band down, preferring instead to remain in the band Dawn Road. Rudolf Schenker eventually decided that he wanted to work with Roth, but did not want to resurrect the last The Scorpions lineup.
He attended some of Dawn Road's rehearsals and ultimately decided to join the band, which consisted of Roth, Francis Buchholz (bass), Achim Kirschning (keyboards) and Jürgen Rosenthal (drums). Roth and Buchholz persuaded Rudolf Schenker to invite Klaus Meine to join on vocals, which he soon did. While there were more members of Dawn Road than Scorpions in the band, they decided to use the Scorpions name because it was well-known in the German hard rock scene and an album had been released under that name.
Rise to fame (1974-1978)
In 1974 the new line-up of Scorpions released Fly to the Rainbow. The album proved to be more successful than Lonesome Crow and songs such as "Speedy's Coming" and the title track began to establish the band's sound. Achim Kirschning decided to leave after the recordings. Soon after, Jürgen Rosenthal had to leave as he was being drafted into the army. Later, in 1976, he would join a German progressive rock band called Eloy and record three albums with them. He was replaced by a Belgian drummer, Rudy Lenners.
In 1975 the band hit their stride with the release of In Trance, which marked the beginning of Scorpions' long collaboration with German producer Dieter Dierks. The album was a huge step forward for Scorpions and firmly established their hard rock formula, while at the same time garnering a substantial fan base, both at home and abroad. Cuts such as "Dark Lady", "Robot Man" and the title track are still considered classics by fans today.
In 1976, The Scorpions released Virgin Killer. The album's cover featured a nude prepubescent girl covered with broken glass. The cover art was designed by Stefan Bohle who was the product manager for RCA Records, their label at the time. The cover brought the band considerable criticism and was pulled or replaced in several countries. Despite the controversy, the album itself garnered significant praise for its music from critics and fans alike.
The following year, Rudy Lenners resigned due to health reasons and was replaced by Herman Rarebell. For the follow-up Taken by Force, RCA Records made a determined effort to promote the album in stores and on the radio. The album's single, "Steamrock Fever", was added to some of RCA's radio promotional records. Roth was not happy with the commercial direction the band was taking.
Rise to fame (1974-1978)
In 1974 the new line-up of Scorpions released Fly to the Rainbow. The album proved to be more successful than Lonesome Crow and songs such as "Speedy's Coming" and the title track began to establish the band's sound. Achim Kirschning decided to leave after the recordings. Soon after, Jürgen Rosenthal had to leave as he was being drafted into the army. Later, in 1976, he would join a German progressive rock band called Eloy and record three albums with them. He was replaced by a Belgian drummer, Rudy Lenners.
In 1975 the band hit their stride with the release of In Trance, which marked the beginning of Scorpions' long collaboration with German producer Dieter Dierks. The album was a huge step forward for Scorpions and firmly established their hard rock formula, while at the same time garnering a substantial fan base, both at home and abroad. Cuts such as "Dark Lady", "Robot Man" and the title track are still considered classics by fans today.
In 1976, The Scorpions released Virgin Killer. The album's cover featured a nude prepubescent girl covered with broken glass. The cover art was designed by Stefan Bohle who was the product manager for RCA Records, their label at the time. The cover brought the band considerable criticism and was pulled or replaced in several countries. Despite the controversy, the album itself garnered significant praise for its music from critics and fans alike.
The following year, Rudy Lenners resigned due to health reasons and was replaced by Herman Rarebell. For the follow-up Taken by Force, RCA Records made a determined effort to promote the album in stores and on the radio. The album's single, "Steamrock Fever", was added to some of RCA's radio promotional records. Roth was not happy with the commercial direction the band was taking.
Although he performed on the band's Japan tour, he departed to form his own band, Electric Sun prior to the release of the resultant double live album Tokyo Tapes. Tokyo Tapes was released in the US and Europe six months after its Japanese release. By that time in mid 1978, after auditioning around 140 guitarists, Scorpions recruited new guitarist Matthias Jabs.
Commercial success (1979-1991)
Following the addition of Jabs, Scorpions left RCA for Mercury Records in the States and Harvest/EMI Electrola worldwide to record their next album Lovedrive. Just weeks after being ejected from UFO for his alcohol abuse, Michael Schenker also returned to the group for a short period during the recordings for the album. This gave the band three guitarists (though Schenker's contribution to the final release was limited to only three songs). The result was Lovedrive, an album which some critics consider to be the pinnacle of their career. Containing such fan favourites as "Loving You Sunday Morning", "Always Somewhere", "Holiday" and the instrumental "Coast to Coast", the 'Scorpions formula' of hard rock songs mixed with melodic ballads was firmly cemented. The album's provocative artwork was named "Best album sleeve of 1979" by Playboy magazine though it was ultimately changed for American release. Lovedrive peaked at #55 on the US charts proving that Scorpions were gathering an international following.
Commercial success (1979-1991)
Following the addition of Jabs, Scorpions left RCA for Mercury Records in the States and Harvest/EMI Electrola worldwide to record their next album Lovedrive. Just weeks after being ejected from UFO for his alcohol abuse, Michael Schenker also returned to the group for a short period during the recordings for the album. This gave the band three guitarists (though Schenker's contribution to the final release was limited to only three songs). The result was Lovedrive, an album which some critics consider to be the pinnacle of their career. Containing such fan favourites as "Loving You Sunday Morning", "Always Somewhere", "Holiday" and the instrumental "Coast to Coast", the 'Scorpions formula' of hard rock songs mixed with melodic ballads was firmly cemented. The album's provocative artwork was named "Best album sleeve of 1979" by Playboy magazine though it was ultimately changed for American release. Lovedrive peaked at #55 on the US charts proving that Scorpions were gathering an international following.
After the completion and release of the album, the band decided to retain Michael in the band, thus forcing Jabs to leave. However after a few weeks of the tour, Michael, still coping with alcoholism, missed a number of gigs and at one point collapsed on stage and Jabs was brought back to fill in for him on those occasions when he could not perform. In April, 1979, during their tour in France, Jabs was brought in permanently to replace Michael.
It was not until 1984 and the release of Love at First Sting that the band finally cemented their status as rock superstars. Propelled by the single "Rock You Like a Hurricane", Love at First Sting climbed the charts and went double platinum in the USA a few months after its release. However, The Scorpions did manage to stir up controversy once again with their provocative album cover. This time it was a Helmut Newton photograph of a man kissing a woman while at the same time tattooing her exposed thigh. Some stores deemed the cover too provocative and refused to sell the album. MTV gave the album's videos "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Bad Boys Running Wild", "Big City Nights", and the power ballad "Still Loving You" significant airtime, greatly contributing to the album's success.
It was not until 1984 and the release of Love at First Sting that the band finally cemented their status as rock superstars. Propelled by the single "Rock You Like a Hurricane", Love at First Sting climbed the charts and went double platinum in the USA a few months after its release. However, The Scorpions did manage to stir up controversy once again with their provocative album cover. This time it was a Helmut Newton photograph of a man kissing a woman while at the same time tattooing her exposed thigh. Some stores deemed the cover too provocative and refused to sell the album. MTV gave the album's videos "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Bad Boys Running Wild", "Big City Nights", and the power ballad "Still Loving You" significant airtime, greatly contributing to the album's success.
The channel even supplied Scorpions with the nickname "The Ambassadors of Rock". The band toured extensively behind Love at First Sting and decided to record and release their second live album, World Wide Live in 1985. Recorded over a year-long world tour and released at the height of their popularity, the album was another success for the band, peaking at #14 in the charts in the US and at #18 in the UK.
Later days (1992-2009)
In 1993, The Scorpions released Face the Heat. Bass was handled by Ralph Rieckermann. For the recording process, Scorpions brought in producer Bruce Fairbairn. The album's sound was more metal than melodic and divided the band's fan base somewhat. Many "headbangers" responded positively to the album while many longtime fans were put off. Neither the hard rock single "Alien Nation" nor the ballad "Under The Same Sun" came close to matching the success of "Wind of Change". Face the Heat was a moderate success.
New album and retirement (2010-present)
As of November 2009, Scorpions have announced that their 17th studio album, Sting in the Tail, is tentatively due in early 2010. The CD is being recorded at a studio in Hannover with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen.
On January 24, 2010, the band announced that Sting in the Tail will be their last album and that the tour supporting it will be their final tour. Dokken was going to open for them but after a dispute, Dokken canceled. The tour is expected to end in 2012 or 2013.
Discography
* Lonesome Crow (1972)
* Fly to the Rainbow (1974)
* In Trance (1975)
* Virgin Killer (1976)
* Taken by Force (1977)
* Lovedrive (1979)
* Animal Magnetism (1980)
* Blackout (1982)
* Love at First Sting (1984)
* Savage Amusement (1988)
* Crazy World (1990)
* Face the Heat (1993)
* Pure Instinct (1996)
* Eye II Eye (1999)
* Unbreakable (2004)
* Humanity: Hour I (2007)
* Sting in the Tail (2010)
The Best Of Scorpions
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpions
Later days (1992-2009)
In 1993, The Scorpions released Face the Heat. Bass was handled by Ralph Rieckermann. For the recording process, Scorpions brought in producer Bruce Fairbairn. The album's sound was more metal than melodic and divided the band's fan base somewhat. Many "headbangers" responded positively to the album while many longtime fans were put off. Neither the hard rock single "Alien Nation" nor the ballad "Under The Same Sun" came close to matching the success of "Wind of Change". Face the Heat was a moderate success.
New album and retirement (2010-present)
As of November 2009, Scorpions have announced that their 17th studio album, Sting in the Tail, is tentatively due in early 2010. The CD is being recorded at a studio in Hannover with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen.
On January 24, 2010, the band announced that Sting in the Tail will be their last album and that the tour supporting it will be their final tour. Dokken was going to open for them but after a dispute, Dokken canceled. The tour is expected to end in 2012 or 2013.
Discography
* Lonesome Crow (1972)
* Fly to the Rainbow (1974)
* In Trance (1975)
* Virgin Killer (1976)
* Taken by Force (1977)
* Lovedrive (1979)
* Animal Magnetism (1980)
* Blackout (1982)
* Love at First Sting (1984)
* Savage Amusement (1988)
* Crazy World (1990)
* Face the Heat (1993)
* Pure Instinct (1996)
* Eye II Eye (1999)
* Unbreakable (2004)
* Humanity: Hour I (2007)
* Sting in the Tail (2010)
The Best Of Scorpions
- Still Loving You
- Wind of Change
- Always Somewhere
- Holyday (Accoustic Version)
- Wind of Change (Accoustic Version)
- Rock You Like a Hurrycane
- Under The Same Sun (OST On Deadly Ground)
- Holyday
- Send Me an Angel
- Still Loving You (Accoustic Version)
- No one Like You
- Lonely Night
- Here I am
- Wind of Change
- When The Smoke Is Going Down
- Moment of Glory
- Big City Night
- You and I
- Sting in The Tail (2010)
- Hate To Be Nice
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpions
Related With :
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more great content just like it.
14 comments:
Mantep sob , yang paling atas tu selera saya
"Still Loving You"
Banyak lagu Scorpions yang saya suka...
saya cuma suka wind of change, kalo lagu lainnya kurang suka :)
wow kemana aja sob ? hiatus lama bgt wokowowkowkowk
wow..ternyata perjalanan karirnya cukup panjang, untuk band lehendaris yang satu ini lagu²nya sudah familiar dikalangan masyarakt indonesia tak terkecuali generasi muda saat ini, hebat ya
Sukses Slalu!
@ Topi :
Sama Gan Still Loving You he he he he mantap dengan sayatan gitaris Mathias Jab
@ mBak Lin dan mBak Lyla :
Iya mBak musik Scorpion walau aliran rock tapi ada sisi romantisme dan humanisme di lagu Wind of Change
@ Bang Surya :
Lagi sibuk kejar setoran Gan ini baru muncul 1 bulan dan pengen ngeBlog dengan Tema tentang musik dan lagu lawas ato jadul gitu biar lagu lama tetap ada he he he he kalo tentang komputer dan tutorial blog kuk sudah banyak
@ bang Bunglon :
saya sebagai anak muda juga seneng kuk Bang walau cma hanya dengar cerita dari Kakak dan Ibuk saya kebetulan penggemar Scorpion dan lagu-lagu jadul lainnya tpi menikmati musik dan suara khas khas lidah jerman klaus mine yang mantap he he he he =))
take me to the magic of the moment ....
i like wind of change............
:))=)):))=)):))=))
Thank for your Helping Mas Aziz he he he he mau minta pencerahan lagi neeh :)]
pernah bawain still loving you with krispatih waktu ajang LA Indiefest 2007.
pesen 1 dong... pesen casualtiest =))
hiks... kaset scorpionku dah pada rusak...
by the way... SELAMAT HARI RAYA IDUL FITRI 1431 H, MOHON MAAF LAHIR BATIN ya Arya... :)
Wind of change, so pastiiiii :))
Nice :D
Mantap Gan .. Always Somewhere
Post a Comment
Please write your comment, request or Suggest in this blog, but don't SPAM or will be Deleted, We will give you a Backlink from this Blog, because this Blog is Dofollow.
Thank for your comment to improvement Tembang Lawas