Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a German hard rock band formed in Hanover in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker.[3] The lineup from 1978 to 1992 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Francis Buchholz (bass), and Herman Rarebell (drums). The band's only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of Scorpions' studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016 respectively.
This article is about the German rock band. For other uses, see Scorpion (disambiguation).
Scorpions
Hanover, West Germany
1965–present
During the mid-1970s, with guitarist Uli Jon Roth (who replaced Schenker's younger brother Michael) part of the lineup, the music of the Scorpions was defined as hard rock.[4][5] After Roth's departure in 1978, Schenker and Meine took control of the group, giving them almost all the power to compose music and write lyrics. Matthias Jabs joined in 1978, and with the melodic rock he played and the influence of producer Dieter Dierks in the band, the Scorpions changed their sound to melodic heavy metal mixed with lyrical "power rock ballads", which is evident in the album Lovedrive (1979), which began the evolution of the band's sound, with recording a developed later in several of their albums. Michael Schenker also played on the Lovedrive album. Over the next decade, the band achieved influence, approval from music critics, and significant commercial success with the albums Animal Magnetism (1980), Blackout (1982), Love at First Sting (1984), the live recording World Wide Live (1985), Savage Amusement (1988), their best-selling compilation Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads (1989), and Crazy World (1990), all awarded at least one platinum award in the United States.[6][7] The band has released thirteen consecutive studio albums that were in the top 10 in Germany, one of which reached No. 1, as well as three consecutive albums that were in the top 10 in the Billboard 200 in the United States. Their latest studio album, Rock Believer, was released in February 2022.
Scorpions are estimated to have sold over 100 million records around the world, making them one of the best-selling hard rock and heavy metal bands.[8] One of their most recognized hits is "Wind of Change" (from Crazy World), a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and it remains as one of the best-selling singles in the world with over 14 million copies.[9][10] Two of the songs on their ninth studio album Love at First Sting, "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "Still Loving You", are regarded as some of the most influential and popular works, both in heavy metal music and among rock ballads, defined as "rock anthem"[11] and "a true hymn of love".[12]
History[edit]
Formation and early history (1965–1973)[edit]
Rudolf Schenker, the band's rhythm/lead guitarist, launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had Merseybeat influences and Schenker himself handled the vocals. He played in a band with Lothar Heimberg before he founded Scorpions. Karl Heinz Vollmer left the band in 1967 because of his military obligations, then he could not associate anymore with the concerts and the military life.[13] Things began to come together in 1970 when Schenker's younger brother Michael and vocalist Klaus Meine, who had played together in the Led Zeppelin and Taste cover band Copernicus,[14] joined the band. With this line-up they won a music contest in 1972 and recorded two songs for a single that was never released on the CCA label, but the songs, "Action" and "I'm Going Mad" were later released on different compilation albums including Psychedelic Gems 2.
In 1972, the group recorded and released their debut album Lonesome Crow, with Lothar Heimberg on bass and Wolfgang Dziony on drums and re-recorded versions of their CCA songs.[15] During the Lonesome Crow tour, the Scorpions opened for up-and-coming British band UFO. Near the end of the tour, guitarist Michael Schenker accepted an offer of lead guitar for UFO. Uli Jon Roth, a friend of Michael's, was then introduced to the band and he helped them 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 he wanted to work with Roth, but did not want to resurrect the last 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). Uli 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.[2]
Rise to fame (1974–1978)[edit]
In 1974, the new line-up 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 established the band's sound. Achim Kirschning decided to leave after the recordings. Soon after, Jürgen Rosenthal had to leave as he was drafted into the army. In 1976, he joined German progressive rock band Eloy recording three albums. He was replaced in July 1974 by Jürgen Fechter. In 1975, Rudy Lenners from Belgium became the next drummer.
The Scorpions have played around 5,000 concerts in over 80 countries.[91]