1. Rhythm Of Love [Re-Recording]
2. No One Like You [Re-Recording]
3. The Zoo [Re-Recording]
4. Rock You Like A Hurricane [Re-Recording]
5. Blackout [Re-Recording]
6. Still Loving You [Re-Recording]
7. Wind Of Change [Re-Recording]
8. Tainted Love [Gloria Jones Cover]
9. Children Of The Revolution [T. Rex Cover]
10. Across The Universe [The Beatles Cover]				play
11. Tin Soldier [Small Faces Cover]						play
12. All Day And All Of The Night [The Kinks Cover]
13. Ruby Tuesday [The Rolling Stones Cover]

Klaus Meine    (Vocals)
Rudolf Schenker    (Guitars)
Matthias Jabs    (Guitars)
James Kottak    (Drums)
Pawel Maciwoda    (Bass)

Released while Scorpions were still on their farewell world tour, Comeblack features the iconic German rockers delivering newly recorded versions of some of their most popular songs. “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” “Rhythm of Love,” and others are still as good as ever, but the new versions freshen up these classic songs, sweetening the sound so they’re bigger than their ‘80s counterparts. The album is more than just a re-recorded greatest-hits collection, though, as it also features the bandmembers looking back at some of their influences with covers of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks. Standing out among the covers, however, are their massive, hard-rocking versions of the T. Rex classic “Children of the Revolution” and Gloria Jones' (and later Soft Cell’s) “Tainted Love.” More than anything else, the album feels like Scorpions are just trying to have some fun on their way out the door, and as far as “goodbye” albums go, you can’t ask for much more than that. ---Gregory Heaney, AllMusic Review

Jak się okazuje, nie tak łatwo przejść na emeryturę. Wydany z ubiegłym roku album Sting In The Tail miał być ostatnim dokonaniem Scorpions, ale muzycy postanowili dopisać jeszcze jeden rozdział do swojej historii. Choć Comeblack trudno traktować na równi z regularnymi płytami. A to dlatego, że przynosi w połowie nowe wersje największych przebojów zespołu, a w drugiej interpretacje cudzych kompozycji.

Rozpoczynający całość Rhythm Of Love w nowym opracowaniu brzmi bardziej surowo i zadziornie niż na płycie Savage Amusement. Ale, jak się okazuje dalej, jest to jedyna nowa wersja, w której różnica jest naprawdę zauważalna. Bo sięgając po No One Like You, The Zoo, Rock You Like A Hurricane, Blackout i Still Loving You muzycy starali się w możliwie najbardziej wierny sposób odtworzyć nie tylko nastrój, ale i brzmienie oryginałów. Ze wszystkimi ich smaczkami, jak użycie efektu talk box w The Zoo. Tak więc trochę zastanawia idea ponownego ich nagrania. Pewnie większe różnice byłyby zauważalne, gdyby sięgnęli także po muzykę z lat 70. Jednak w autorskiej części Comeblack skupili się na następnej dekadzie (a więc na złotym okresie dla Scorpions). Z drugiej strony oczywiście cieszy fakt, że można posłuchać największych przebojów zespołu nagranych z Pawłem Mąciwodą w składzie.

Równie ortodoksyjni byli muzycy Scorpions w podejściu do cudzych piosenek. Melodie, harmonie – wszystko w duchu pierwowzorów. Jedynie Tainted Love wydaje się nieco mocniejszy (choć trzeba tu odnotować, że punktem wyjścia była oryginalna wersja Glorii Jones, a nie bardziej znana interpretacja Soft Cell). Wybrane utwory brzmią absolutnie naturalnie w wykonaniu Scorpions, chociażby Children Of The Revolution T.Rex czy All Day And Of The Night The Kinks. No i przy okazji drużyna Klausa Meine i Rudolfa Schenkera potwierdziła swój dobry gust, wybierając na przykład piękne Across The Universe z repertuaru The Beatles.

Comeblack to osobliwy suplement do właściwego dorobku zespołu. Słucha się tej płyty bardzo przyjemnie, ale nie zmienia to faktu, że to tylko sympatyczne postscriptum. ---Michał Kirmuć, terazmuzyka.pl

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1.	Speedy's Coming		03:33	
2.	They Need a Million	04:50	
3.	Drifting Sun		07:40	
4.	Fly People Fly		05:02	
5.	This Is My Song		04:14	
6.	Far Away		05:39	
7.	Fly to the Rainbow	09:32

Klaus Meine - Vocals
Ulrich Roth - Guitars
Rudolf Schenker - Guitars
Francis Buchholz - Bass
Jurgen Rosenthal - Drums
with Achim Kirschning - organ, synthesizer, mellotron

The Scorpions rose phoenix-like from the ashes of recent career setbacks with their sophomore album Fly to the Rainbow, released on Nov. 1, 1974.

Over the previous year, the troubled band had gone as far as breaking up, following the rather disappointing performance of the debut project Lonesome Crow and the crippling departure of lead guitarist Michael Schenker – who’d been whisked away by UFO.

For Michael’s older brother Rudolf and Scorpions singer Klaus Meine, the next best available option for keeping their rock and roll dreams alive was to join another Hannover-based band named Dawn Road, featuring bassist Francis Buchholz, drummer Jurgen Rosenthal and another six-string wizard named Uli Jon Roth.

But before too long, the new quintet had mutually agreed to adopt the relatively established Scorpions moniker, and that’s when their fortunes changed: A new recording contract with the German division of RCA materialized and gave them a new lease on life, leading to the recording of Fly to the Rainbow.

Yet their sound was still in transition. Only this album’s blistering opening number, "Speedy’s Coming," truly epitomized the focused hard rock that would soon become a Scorpions trademark, and while Fly People Fly previewed their future knack for power ballads, much of the remaining material harked back to increasingly dated, late ‘60s aesthetics.

Both "They Need a Million" and "Drifting Sun" were largely fueled by Roth’s obsession with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and also stowed away synthesizers from the band’s brief, early days flirtation with krautrock. "This Is My Song" was a harmless hippie-dippy jam, while "Far Away" was unnecessarily weighed down by overwrought orchestral arrangements.

Even the album’s impressive, nearly 10-minute title track indulged in some serious art-rock pretension (Spanish guitars, Roth’s stoned space-shaman narration, etc.) but these were ultimately compensated for by its irresistible melodic themes and sheer sturm und drang.

It wasn't perfect, but this project was clearly a perfectly respectable and occasionally very impressive bridge for a band that had so recently found itself on the verge of total oblivion. Fly to the Rainbow got the Scorpions back on their feet, and moving in the right direction. It also quickly paid huge dividends when the following year’s career-defining In Trance helped set the template that would come to define Germany’s biggest hard-rock export.

Kariera grupy Scorpions zaczęła się naprawdę dobrze. Debiutancki album "Lonesome Crow" pokazał zespół od dość ambitnej strony. Niestety, jego dalsza działalność to stopniowe obniżanie lotów. Wszystko zaczęło się sypać wkrótce po premierze debiutu. Najpierw posypał się skład. Odejście perkusisty Wolfganga Dziony'ego nie było wielką stratą; szybko znaleziono następcę, którym został Joe Wyman. O wiele boleśniejsza była strata Michaela Schenkera - gitarzysty, który miał największy wpływ na charakter i jakość pierwszego longplaya. Jego talent i umiejętności daleko wyprzedzały pozostałych muzyków. Nic więc dziwnego, że wykorzystał szansę, jaka nadarzyła się podczas wspólnych koncertów z brytyjską grupą UFO. Zespół przyjechał do Niemiec w niepełnym składzie, gdyż gitarzysta Bernie Marsden (później członek Whitesnake) zgubił swój paszport. Pozostali muzycy zostali zmuszeni wypożyczać gitarzystę od swojego supportu. I tak zachwycili się jego grą, że zaproponowali mu stały etat. Młody Schenker zdecydował się wykorzystać szansę. Było to równoznaczne z końcem Scorpions.

Przynajmniej tak się wtedy wydawało. Niedługo potem Rudolf Schenker i Klaus Meine dołączyli do grupy Dawn Road, którą dotychczas tworzyli: śpiewający gitarzysta Uli Jon Roth, basista Francis Buchholz, perkusista Jürgen Rosenthal i klawiszowiec Achim Kirschning (ten ostatni wkrótce został zdegradowany do roli gościa). Muzycy szybko doszli do wniosku, że zamiast zaczynać od podstaw pod nieznaną nazwą, lepiej przybrać szyld mający już pewną rozpoznawalność. Tak odrodziła się grupa Scorpions. Choć tak naprawdę był to już zupełnie inny zespół. Nie tylko ze względu na skład, ale przede wszystkim na samą muzykę. Wydany pod koniec 1974 roku album "Fly to the Rainbow" nie przypomina swojego poprzednika. Zamiast dość luźnych, w znacznym stopniu opartych na improwizacji utworów, znalazły się na nim bardzo konwencjonalne kawałki o wyraźnych, piosenkowych strukturach.

Już na otwarcie pojawia się bardzo prosty "Speedy's Coming". Kawałek nie jest zbyt wyszukany, ale nadrabia energią i melodycznością. Solówki Rotha są całkiem przyzwoite, a w tle przyjemnie pulsuje bas Buchholza. Zwraca uwagę śpiew Meine'a - znacznie pewniejszy niż na debiucie. Album jest jednak dość różnorodny. Już drugi na trackliście "They Need a Million" rozpoczyna się akustycznie i dopiero potem nabiera ciężaru. Brzmi jak połączenie hard rocka i... muzyki ludowej. Drugą część śpiewa Rudolf Schenker, ale efekt lepiej pominąć milczeniem. Z kolei "Drifting Sun", kompozycja Rotha, przez niego zaśpiewana (z pomocą Meine'a i Schenkera), jest wyraźnym wyrazem jego uwielbienia dla Jimiego Hendrixa. Nieźle wypada zasadnicza część utworu, z solidną gitarową robotą, gdy jednak muzycy próbują grać bardziej psychodelicznie w środkowej części, robi się po prostu nudno. Rothowi jednak daleko do Hendrixa. "Fly People Fly" jest natomiast pierwszym podejściem Meine'a i Schenkera do napisania rockowej ballady. Na szczęście obyło się bez słodzenia i kiczu, jest za to odpowiednia dawka ciężaru i dość dobra, choć monotonna gra instrumentalistów. Przyczepić można się natomiast do partii wokalnej - Klaus popada tu w nieco płaczliwą manierę, będącą zresztą mankamentem także w wielu późniejszych balladach grupy.

Dużo lepiej wypada druga strona winylowego wydania. "This Is My Song" to bardzo energetyczny kawałek, oparty na wyrazistym, pulsującym basie i gitarowych unisonach kojarzących z Wishbone Ash, a do tego posiadający naprawdę chwytliwą partię wokalną. To zdecydowanie jeden z najlepszych i zarazem najbardziej niedocenionych kawałów Scorpions. Dwa kolejne utwory, co ciekawe, powstały przy kompozytorskiej pomocy Michaela Schenkera. Gitarzysta chciał w ten sposób wynagrodzić grupie swoje odejście. "Far Away" rozpoczyna się bardzo subtelnie, wręcz onirycznie, aby po chwili nabrać hardrockowego brzmienia i... niemal reggae'owej rytmiki. Znacznie ciekawiej wypada finał albumu, w postaci tytułowego "Fly to the Rainbow". To prawie dziesięciominutowa kompozycja, składająca się z trzech części: zgrabnego akustycznego początku, hardrockowego, przebojowego środka (znów z unisonami a'la Wishbone Ash), oraz psychodelicznego zakończenia (znów z podrabianiem Hendrixa przez Rotha). Poszczególne części, choć tak różne, tworzą ciekawą całość, która stanowi doskonałe podsumowanie całego albumu.

"Fly to the Rainbow" to wyraźny zwrot Scorpions w stronę prostszego, bardziej komercyjnego grania. Jest tu kilka niezłych utworów, ale całość wydaje się niezbyt spójna i nie do końca dopracowana. Zespół wciąż jeszcze szukał odpowiedniego dla siebie stylu, stąd tak wiele tutaj podobieństw do innych wykonawców. Paradoksalnie, to właśnie momenty, w których muzycy naśladują Wishbone Ash lub Hendrixa, są tutaj najbardziej udane. ---Paweł Pałasz, pablosreviews.blogspot.com

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CD1

01. Does Anyone Know
02. Wind Of Change
03. No One Like You             play
04. White Dove
05. Born To Touch Your Feelings
06. Rock You Like A Hurricane
07. Crossfire (Instrumental)
08. Tease Me, Please Me
09. Alien Nation
10. Holiday
11. Rhythm Of Love              play
12. When You Came Into My Life
13. Yellow Raven
14. Fly People Fly
15. In Trance
16. Loving You Sunday Morning
17. Big City Nights
18. Life’s Like A River
19. The Zoo

CD2

01. Believe In Love
02. Life’s Like A River
03. In Your Park
04. Still Loving You
05. Dynamite
06. Under The Same Sun
07. Living And Dying
08. When The Smoke Is Going Down
09. Born To Touch Your Feelings
10. Always Somewhere
11. You And I
12. Send Me An Angel
13. Blackout
14. I Can’t Explain             play
15. Bad Boys Running Wild       play
16. Send Me An Angel
17. Is There Anybody There
18. In Trance

Current members
Klaus Meine—lead vocals, occasionally rhythm guitar (1970–present)
Matthias Jabs—lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1978–present)
Rudolf Schenker—rhythm & lead guitars, backing vocals (1965–present)
Paweł Mąciwoda—bass, backing vocals (2003–present)
James Kottak—drums, percussion, backing vocals (1996–present)

Former members
Lothar Heimberg—bass, backing vocals (1965–1973)
Wolfgang Dziony—drums, percussion, backing vocals (1965–1973)
Michael Schenker—lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1970–1973, 1979)
Uli Jon Roth—lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1973–1978)
Achim Kirschning—keyboards (1973–1974)
Jürgen Rosenthal—drums, percussion, backing vocals (1973–1975)
Francis Buchholz—bass, backing vocals (1973–1983, 1984–1992)
Rudy Lenners—drums, percussion (1975–1977)
Herman Rarebell—drums, percussion, backing vocals (1977–1983, 1984–1995)
Ralph Rieckermann—bass, backing vocals (1993–2000, 2000–2003)
Dominic Jordan-backing vocals (1973-2000)
Curt Cress—drums, percussion (1996)
Ken Taylor—bass, backing vocals (2000)
Barry Sparks—bass, backing vocals (2004)
Ingo Powitzer—bass, backing vocals (2004)

Known best for their 1984 anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and the 1990 ballad "Wind of Change," German rockers Scorpions have sold over 22 million records, making them one of the most successful rock bands to ever come out of Continental Europe. 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 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 incarnation 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 Scorpions in 1979, who had recently signed with Mercury Records. The group released Lovedrive that same year and played its first American tour, but Lovedrive failed to attract attention, and was banned in the United States because of its sexually explicit cover. Still coping with his drug 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 would eventually leave Scorpions a second time after realizing that he was failing to meet their expectations.

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 lost his voice and would have to have surgery on his vocal cords. Many thought Meine had been fired from the band, and rumors spread that metal singer Don Dokken had already replaced him. 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 a million copies in the U.S. alone. But as popular as Blackout was, it was Scorpions' 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 its 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 them another major success. In 1990, the album Crazy World was released and would eventually become 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. With bassist Ralph Rieckermann and drummer James Kottak, they released Pure Instinct in 1996. Mercury 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. Continuing to be productive into the 21st century, Scorpions issued their 15th studio album, Unbreakable, in 2004, followed by the concept album Humanity: Hour 1 in 2007. In 2010, Scorpions released Sting in the Tail, and announced they would be retiring after heading out on the road for a farewell tour. The following year, while still on tour, the band released Comeblack, a greatest-hits album of sorts featuring the German rockers re-recording some of their most well-known songs, as well as covers by T. Rex, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. Nevertheless, the band spent 2013 performing several acoustic concerts for MTV Unplugged, and collecting some of the best performances for a double-live album released later that same year. In early 2015, Scorpions delivered their 18th studio album, Return to Forever, a collection of 12 songs written between 2011 and 2014, and put to tape in Sweden with producers Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen. Their next release, 2017's Born to Touch Your Feelings: Best Rock Ballads, was an anthology of rock ballads drawn from the band's back catalog plus two new compositions. ---Barry Weber, allmusic.com

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01. Hour 1  
02. Game Of Life  
03. We Were Born To Fly  
04. Future Never Dies  
05. You're Lovin' Me To Death  
06. 321  
07. Love Will Keep Us Alive  
08. We Will Rise Again  
09. Your Last Song  
10. Love Is War  
11. Cross  
12. Humanity

Klaus Meine – Vocals
Rudolf Schenker – Rhythm Guitar
Matthias Jabs – Lead Guitar
Pawel Maciwoda – Bass
James Kottak – Drums

Hannover's Scorpions have had a long and prolific hard-rock career with 17 studio albums to show for it and above all, a cult following to this day. Among their extended discography, one album in particular got my attention lately, even though I am far from being a fan of theirs. Humanity - Hour 1 released in 2007 has a distinct sound that sets it aside from the rest. Hard-rock yes, but with a slightly different radio vibe that might not please the die-hard fans, this album might just turn your attention to the German phenomenon that is Scorpions for the first time.

Everybody knows Klaus Meine's voice is unique and emotionally charged from previous killer ballads like "Born To Touch Your Feelings", "Holiday", "Still Loving You" and so many more. There is fantastic chemistry between Rudolph Schencker and Matthias Jabs on guitars. The duo of Paweł Mąciwoda on bass and James Kottak on drums is not far behind. So when this is applied to a concept album with a distinctive sound, you get one of the most memorable hard-rock albums of the decade. Overall this album is more thoughtful, more carefully crafted than usual. Atmospheres and pauses seem to get a more important role than shredding and rocking. The concept by the way is civil war between humankind and androids and the whole idea is that the only hope for us to vanquish is to embrace the humanity of mankind. Apparently, renowned musician Desmond Child is behind most of the song writing and the concept itself.

The main drawback of Humanity - Hour 1 is its short running time. I would have loved to hear a couple more lengthy tracks to close the album. On the plus side, its briefness makes it a nice little unit of feel good hard-rock, easy to pop in and enjoy without having to plan your evening around it.

Whenever you feel like a refresher of smart hard-rock, put on Humanity - Hour 1, relax and do your favourite thing. Plenty of rocking, but above plenty of atmospheres and fantastic tunes await you. --- metalstorm.net

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01 - Bad Boys Running Wild.
02 - Rock You Like A Hurricane.
03 - I'm Leaving You.
04 - Coming Home.
05 - The Same Thrill.
06 - Big City Nights.
07 - As Soon As The Good Times Roll.
08 - Crossfire.
09 - Still Loving You.

Musicians:
Klaus Meine - vocals, backing vocals
Rudolf Schenker - rhythm guitars, lead guitars, backing vocals
Mathias Jabs - lead guitars, rhythm guitars
Francis Buchholz - bass, Moog Taurus
Herman Rarebell – Drums

Although the Scorpions had already achieved fame after 1982's Blackout, Love at First Sting brought them their biggest single of the decade, the slick anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane," with some greatly underrated songs to back it up. The album opens with the hair-raising "Bad Boys Running Wild" and continues with songs such as the memorable "Big City Nights" and the half-ballad, half-powerhouse rocker "Coming Home." The record also contains what just may be the band's best ballad ever, the tear-jerking "Still Loving You." Considering the fact that it has some of their best-ever singles, Love at First Sting is definitely a must for all fans of the Scorpions. ---Barry Weber, Rovi

Wszystkim nie znającym dobrze zespołu polecałbym rozpoczęcie znajomości z jego muzyką od wydanego w 1984 roku "Love At First Sting". Jest to obok "Lovedrive" z 1979 roku chyba szczytowe osiągnięcie "Skorpionów", dorównać im mogą tylko dwa pierwsze albumy: "Lonesome Crow" i "Fly To The Rainbow" oraz przebojowy "Crazy World". Album jest bardzo równy, włączając kasetę (lub płytę) w dowolnym miejscu słyszymy potencjalnego lub realnego hita!

Rudolf Schenker słynie z pisania genialnych w swojej prostocie riffów, które wzbogacone gitarą Matthiasa Jabsa brzmią rewelacyjnie. Właśnie ten album udowadnia to najlepiej. Wszystkie piosenki są melodyjne i bardzo łatwo wpadają w ucho. Współpraca obu gitarzystów jest naprawdę doskonała i stanowi godny wzór do naśladowania. Osobny rozdział stanowią solówki, praktycznie w każdym utworze pozostawiające znakomite wrażenie, niezależnie czy jest to szybkie i wariackie wywijanie palcami po gryfie Jabsa, czy powolne i majestatyczne sola Schenkera. Na uwagę zasługuje jak zwykle doskonały "anielski" głos Klausa Meine i świetna forma sekcji rytmicznej. ---Elwood, rockmetal.pl

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01 - Backstage Queen
02 - We'll Burn The Sky
03 - Loving You Sunday Morning
04 - Lovedrive
05 - Always Somewhere
06 - He's A Woman, She's A Man
07 - Another Piece Of Meat
08 - Robot Man

Line-up:
Klaus Meine – vocals
Rudolf Schenker - rhythm guitar
Matthias Jabs - lead guitar
Francis Buchholz – bass
Herman Rarebell - drums.

Recorded Live at Richfield Avenue, Reading Festival, Reading, England - August 25, 1979.

A year on from the introduction of punk to the festival saw a continuation of the previous years format, with Friday being the "New Wave "night and the domination of mainly Blues Rock , Metal or Prog acts on the remaining two days . Its interesting that 1979 did not feature any really hard core punk acts since the movement was still going strong in 79, and in general Reading never booked any of the really famous UK punk acts either (apart from the Jam in 1978) . Bands such as The Clash, Pistols, Banshees ,never got a look in. Perhaps this reflected the innate conservatism of the promoters, who , although providing quite a spread of musical styles over the years, never did bite the bullet and put together such eclectic mixes of music as Freddy Bannister did at the Knebworth festivals.There was always the feeling that Reading was a tad predictable in its booking policy after 1970, even if a band such as Hawkwind or Thin Lizzy missed a year or two , you could always rely on them returning eventually to the fold.

Saturday 25th. Last up were replacement headliners The Scorpions , who were deputizing for Thin Lizzy . They proved to be highly energetic hard rockers who electrified the crowd with their onstage presence and high octane riffing and they were invited back to no less than two encores . Given that most of the crowd would have been unfamiliar with their music and were no doubt there to see Lizzy, this Reading debut could be described as a triumph . --- ukrockfestivals.com

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01. Going Out With a Bang
02. We Built This House
03. Rock my Car
04. House of Cards
05. All for One
06. Rock'n'Roll Band
07. Catch Your Luck and Play
08. Rollin' Home
09. Hard Rockin' the Place
10. Eye of the Storm
11. The Scratch
12. Gypsy Life

- Klaus Meine - Vocals
- Rudolf Schenker - Guitars
- Matthias Jabs - Guitars
- Paweł Mąciwoda-Jastrzębski - Bass
- James Kottak - Drums

Celebrating 50 years this year The Scorpions have pretty much done everything there is to do for a Rock band and along the way continue to hit all kinds of records – like the 108 million hits for ‘Wind of Change’ on YouTube. What it shows is that this band continues to gather fans of all ages, and whilst grunge destroyed some the Scorpions endured and continued to thrive opening new markets along the way.

Always a great live band, this year and 2016 could well see their final shows, after a stutter in 2010 brought on by the constant grind of touring and new releases which is when we last caught them on their ‘Farewell Tour’ in the US. It’s great therefore to see the band have decided to carry on and still have the desire to keep on making new music and hit the road again, this time maybe for the last time.

‘Return to Forever’ is an intriguing title and looking back a few years it had been mentioned that the next album could well contain a number of reworked tracks demoed over the years, but which failed to make the cut due to space constraints when vinyl was still king. And while the new album does contain some of those songs there is new material too. 19 songs were recorded altogether and 16 make it onto the deluxe edition – 12 on the ordinary release.

It is of course and always has been all about the music and just like 2010’s last album of new material ‘Sting in the Tail’; ’Return to Forever’ is equally as indispensable. Starting out with trademark Stadium-friendly rocker, the rather prophetically-titled ‘Going out with a Bang’ it’s immediately clear this is an album that will be a sheer joy for fans of their unashamed 80’s heyday sound.

First single and second up ‘We Built This House’ (the first single) which recounts the band’s history is even better with those unmistakable Scorpions guitars and trademark Klaus Meine vocal making it a sure-fire winner. ‘Rock My Car’ is high tempo Scorps hedonism; while the mellow ‘House Of Cards will surely be a stone-cold sure-fire ‘live’ winner.

The album unfolds beautifully with ‘All For One’ adding more Hard Rocking swagger and a great chorus before one of the big highlights ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Band’ muscles its way in on the action. ‘Catch Your Luck and Play’ eats you up and spits you out and ‘Rollin’ Home’ lifts you up again to Rock some more.

‘Hard Rockin’ the Place’ hits the spot for any Scorpions fan, and another highlight comes with the subdued and melodic of ‘Eye of the Storm’ which is definitely one of the picks of the album. The album is rounded out by the swing of ‘The Scratch’ and the lilting and contemplative ‘Gypsy Life’ which again tells a tale of life on the road. --- therockpit.net

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1 	Raised On Rock 	3:58
2 	Sting In The Tail 	3:12
3 	Slave Me 	2:45
4 	The Good Die Young 	5:14
5 	No Limit 	3:24
6 	Rock Zone 	3:17
7 	Lorelei 	4:32
8 	Turn You On 	4:24
9 	Let's Rock! 	3:22
10 	Sly 	5:16
11 	Spirit Of Rock 	3:42
12 	The Best Is Yet To Come 	4:32
13 	Dreamers 	4:50
14 	Too Far 	3:06
15 	Miracle 	4:17
16 	The Good Die Young	5:16
17 	Thunder And Lightning 	4:33

Bass – Pavel Maciwoda
Drums, Backing Vocals – James Kottak
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Matthias Jabs
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Klaus Meine
Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals – Rudolf Schenker
+
Vocals – Tarja Turunen (4, 16)

One does an aural double take upon hearing the opening bars of “Raised on Rock,” the first track from the Scorpions Sting in the Tail. Rudolph Schenker's opening power chord riff and guitar tone sound like something from 1976’s Virgin Killer, or 1979’s Lovedrive. When he’s joined by Matthias Jabs on their trademark twin-guitar attack, and by Klaus Meine's instantly recognizable vocal, the effect is complete, the sound familiar, but somehow not nostalgic. The riff was just a quick, humorous nod to history rather an attempt to revel in it. Sting in the Tail is reported to be the final Scorpions studio effort after 44 years. The band that vaulted to the top of the '80s metal scene with its balance of monstrously loud rock anthems (“The Zoo,” “Blackout”) and infectious power ballads (“Wind of Change,” “Still Loving You”) has decided to give it one last, honest shot at what they do best. There’s more of the former on this offering, from the aforementioned and boogie-metal party rocker that is the title track, to “Slave Me,” “No Limit,” and the amphetamine overdrive of “Rock Zone,” "Spirit of Rock," and “Turn You On” (particularly from the rhythm section of bassist Pavel Maciwoda and drummer James Kottak). Meine’s voice is in great shape; he wails and howls without any sign of wear. Another band trademark, the “gang vocal” chorus, is apparent on all the rockers. The power ballads here, “Loreli” and “Sly,” follow their formula of slowly ramping up with undeniably catchy melody, a meld of near classical form with hard rock dynamics, and multi-layered guitar and vocal textures. The songwriting here is characteristically tight, the arrangements and bridges are sophisticated, the production doesn’t give in to modern clichés, and the band comes off sounding like no one but a renewed version of themselves. As a farewell, Sting in the Tail is an album the Scorpions and their fans can be proud of. ---Thom Jurek, AllMusic Review

To, co zespół Scorpions robił w latach 90., było dla mnie przejawem głębokiego kryzysu twórczego. Pogodziłem się z myślą, że już nigdy nie wzniesie się na wyżyny, jak w okresie płyt Blackout czy Love At First Sting (o Tokyo Tapes czy Lonesome Crow nie wspominając). Wiara w grupę zaczęła powracać, gdy zaprosiła do składu Pawła Mąciwodę. Jednak najnowsza płyta przeszła moje najśmielsze oczekiwania.

Trudno nie uśmiechnąć się, słysząc riff Raise On Rock. Ma w sobie przebojowość największych rockowych hitów formacji z lat 80. Zresztą cały utwór ma niesamowitą siłę, a użycie efektu talk box przywodzi skojarzenia z rzeczami w rodzaju The Zoo czy przede wszystkim Media Overkill. Nie gorzej wypadają w kawałku tytułowym, z riffem niczym z Can’t Live Wihout You, czy w utrzymanym w podobnym klimacie No Limit. Zresztą naprawdę znakomitymi, brzmiącymi klasycznie riffami Rudolf Schenker i Matthias Jabs sypią tu jak z rękawa. Kolejne przykłady tocięższy, ale równie melodyjny Slave Me czy dynamiczny Turn You On. Czasami rozpędzają się (jak w żywiołowym Rock Zone, mającym w sobie energię Blackout), by po chwili ostro wyhamować i zaproponować jakąś – jak zwykle pełną uroku – balladę, w rodzaju Lorelei. Swoją drogą ta piosenka ma wszystkie niezbędne elementy, by stać się kolejnym wzruszającym koncertowym śpiewadłem spod znaku Wind Of Change. Choć najbardziej wzorcową balladą w klimacie tych naprawdę wyjątkowych, czyli Holiday, When The Smoke Is Going Down czy przede wszystkim Still Loving You, jest SLY.Zresztą z tekstem nawiązującym do Still Loving You: She was born with a song in the air/ In the summer of ‘85... Album kończy jeszcze jedna urocza ballada, o dość przewrotnym tytule The Best Is Yet To Come.

Na Sting In The Tail można też znaleźć utwory o nieco innym nastroju. Podniosły The Good Die Young mógłby znaleźć się na poprzedniej płycie i pewnie byłby to jeden z jej najlepszych fragmentów. A na pewno ma w sobie podobny ładunek emocjonalny, co Humanity. Ciekawe, że w tej kompozycji wokalnie Klausa Meine wsparła Tarja Turunen (niegdyś z Nightwish), dodając niesamowite, jakby operowe tło.

Jeśli chcieli zakończyć działalność w wielkim stylu, to na pożegnanie nie mogli stworzyć lepszego albumu. ---Michał Kirmuć, terazmuzyka.pl

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1. 	Instrumental Jam 	
2. 	This Is My Song 	
3. 	They Need A Million 	
4. 	Drifting Sun 	
5. 	Red House
6. 	Rock And Roll Queen 	
7. 	Fly To The Rainbow 	
8. 	Speedy's Coming 	
9. 	Robot Man 	
10. Instrumental Jam (cuts Off ) 	
11. Fuchs Geh' Voran (Fox On The Run)
12. Wenn Es Richtig Losgeht (Action)

Bass Guitar, Vocals – Francis Buchholz
Drums – Rudy Lenners
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Ulrich Roth
Lead Vocals – Klaus Meine
Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Vocals – Rudolf Schenker

Grugahalle, Essen Germany 04-26-1975 

This show was radiobroadcasted by WDR.

Scorpions were opening for The Sweet. I assume that the drummer at this time was Doobie Fechter, but not sure of this. Ulrich Roth played fantastic lead guitar on this live performance!

Unfortunately the show is not full show, but quality is very good. Sometimes this bootleg is names « Koln 1975 », but real venue is Essen! ---scorpscollector.wordpress.com

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CD1 
  01. Loving You sunday morning
  02. Lovedrive
  03. Holiday
  04. Make It real
  05. The zoo
  06. Blackout
  07. Can't live without You          play
  08. No one like You                 play
  09. China white
  10. Dynamite
  11. Bad boys running wild
  12. Rock You like a Hurricane
  13. Coming home
  14. Big city nights
  15. Still loving You
  16. Coast to coast (live)

CD2
  01. Don't stop at the top
  02. Rhythm of love
  03. Passion rules the game
  04. Walking on the edge
  05. Believe in love
  06. I Can't explain                play
  07. Tease me please me
  08. Don't believe her
  09. Wind of change
  10. Hit between the eyes
  11. Send me an angel
  12. Alien nation
  13. Under the same sun
  14. Woman
  15. In trance (live)
  16. Over the top
  17. Life goes around              play

Personnel: 
Klaus Meine (vocals, background vocals); 
Rudolph Schenker, Matthias Jabs (guitar, background vocals); 
Michael Schenker (guitar); 
Herman Rarebell (drums, percussion, background vocals)
Francis Buchholz (bass, background vocals).

It's quite difficult to find a young person who knows about the Scorpions. Even when their careers were peaking in the '80s, they were never widely recognized, existing always as more of an underground band. The lack of hit singles produced by the group is by no means a judgment of its talent, however, as Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years proves. Some may find the fact that Mercury made the compilation a double-disc set surprising -- again due to the band's small following -- but the album is far better than the single-disc collection Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads. Following chronologically from 1979 to 1993 (thus covering the years in which the band enjoyed its most success), Deadly Sting rips through the favorites "Loving You Sunday Morning," "The Zoo," "Blackout," "No One Like You," "Big City Nights," "Still Loving You," "Rock You Like a Hurricane," "Rhythm of Love," "Wind of Change," and "Don't Believe Her," finally concluding with two unreleased recordings from 1995. Though these tracks are far cries from the songs that proceeded them, that doesn't stop Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years from being the most essential album from one of the most under-rated hair bands of all time. ---Barry Weber, AllMusic Review

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