738. Scorpions / Love at First Sting. 1984. 5/5

Scorpions had been on a steady rise in the years since the late 1970’s, where Uli Jon Roth left the band because of musical direction differences, and was replaced by Matthias Jabs. Then came the first of the classic lineup releases “Lovedrive”, reviewed just recently in this season of the podcast, and was followed by the almost as excellent “Animal Magnetism”. Then came the brilliant album “Blackout”, the episode of which you can find in season 2 of this podcast, an album where Klaus Meine’s vocals were so bad he had had them operated on, and Don Dokken had done guide vocals on tracks until Klaus was fit to return to the microphone. There had been doubts he would return, and it wasn’t the last time this was to occur for members of the band for the recording of a Scorpions album. Indeed, it occurred on this very follow up to that album.
There are so many stories tied up in the recording of this album that is it still hard to work out what the truth actually is. When it came to recording the album, both bass guitarist Francis Buchholtz and drummer Herman Rarebell were not on the original recordings. The facts are that Dio and Rainbow bass guitarist Jimmy Bain was asked to come in and play on the album, and he spent the recording process there apparently with the blessing of Buchholtz, who sat in the studio while Bain lay down all of the bass tracks for the album. According to Rudolph Schenker, the band felt a new sound was required, and Rarebell actually suggested Jimmy Bain as the perfect person for the role. Following this Bain headed back to the band he had just joined – Dio. Then towards the end of the studio time, Rarebell was taken ill and couldn’t play, and the band had to find someone else to play his parts. This was where Bobby Rondinelli, another former Rainbow drummer, was called in to complete the recording process. None of this is disputed by any of the parties involved.
Schenker has then suggested that, following a short tour after this with all core members of Scorpions back in the swing of things, that the band decided to return to the studio and re-record all of the bass and drum parts in particular, so that both Buchholtz and Rarebell would actually be playing on the album. This is where the stories start to branch out. The band suggest that the five original members of the band are all playing their instruments on the released version of the album, while many still believe that Bain and Rondinelli’s parts are still on the album, though uncredited on the album sleeve. What’s the truth? Will we ever know? I do know that in many places on the album, the basslines seem familiar to what Jimmy Bain has offered over his long career, and that not all of the drums have that familiar Rarebell beat. Of course, in the long run it makes little difference. But wouldn’t we all like to know just for our own curiosity's sake?...

Opening with Matthias Jabs' marvellous crawling guitar riff, "Bad Boys Running Wild" opens an album that combines lyrical references that young men around the world could relate to with a thumping and heavy back beat, blazing guitar riffs and stadium-filling vocals that make this such a huge recording. "Bad Boys Running Wild" sets the tone, with great singalong lyrics from Klaus and that damn fine guitaring from Schenker and Jabs. It’s a great opening track, and kicks the album off in fine style. It ends perfectly, before crashing straight into the 80's anthem and opening riff that everyone in the world knows, "Rock You Like a Hurricane", a song that propelled the Scorpions to stardom in the US and around the globe. Anthem is stating it mildly, as this became the band’s signature tune, setting the tone for their future live shows, at least until the release of "Wind of Change" on the “Crazy World” album changed that focus. "Rock You Like a Hurricane" was played everywhere and became an air guitar classic in bedrooms all over the world. Still is, in fact. “Here I am...!!” Indeed.
"I'm Leaving You" deals with the teen angst (though, maybe surprisingly from the male perspective, again perhaps only surprisingly because I never had to worry about this sort of thing when I was a teenager), rolling in with a guitar lick to a simple chorus, and then leading into Matthias' brilliant liquid guitar solo. Another great Scorpions track that transcends hard rock and rock balladry. After this comes the no doubt autobiographical "Coming Home", with a beautifully understated beginning before crashing in with the whole band on fire immediately, then blazing into the heart of the song with lungs pumping and guitars sizzling. “The Same Thrill” continues the fast pace of the album, with Klaus’s over the top vocals leading the charge and charging the pace of the song with unbounded joy. It is a fantastic first side to the album, one that is hard to top in the Scorpions discography.
The remainder of the album continues in the same vein - but okay, it's hard to top the first half of the album. "Big City Nights" opens up the second side with a great hard-hitting rhythm from the drums and bass, followed with another anthemic-like chorus that just encourages you to join in and sing along. "As Soon as the Good Times Roll" combines the hard rock and rock balladry once again, another example of this amazing way Scorpions can create this kind of track, and have it appeal to both sides of their fan base. "Crossfire" is another great song, more than holding their own against the heavyweights in the first act, utilising a dramatic drum beat along with Schenker’s super rhythm guitar plucking to create a superb atmosphere throughout, and exemplifying the lyrics and bringing them to prominence. Like all of their songs it has those sing-along choruses that just drag you in each time you play the album.
The closer is a creeper, in a similar vein to Lovedrive's closing number "Holiday". Yes, it is a slow track, in essence a power ballad. And yes, for the most part I believe you can take your power ballads and shove them up your... shirt. But this is a rarity, one of those power ballads that is written and performed so well in the context of the album that you can't help but like it. For a start, it doesn't stop the momentum of the album, because they hold it back to the end, after they have finished ripping out your senses with their awesome tracks. As a result, it fits in perfectly, and ends the album in amazement of Klaus's vocal range and Rudolph's great solo to the fade out. So, on this occasion, it is a worthy addition. And again is yet another example of a song written and performed by this band that can transcend all areas of the fan base and not disappoint any of them.
Klaus Meine's vocals are absolutely magnificent throughout this album. From the opening strains of "Out on the streets!..." from "Bad Boys Running Wild" he nails it immediately. His anthemic triumph in "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "Coming Home". His soulful crooning in "Still Loving You". His vocal performance on this album is quite possibly the finest in his tenure. He has to find every range, and every emotion, and he does so with aplomb. Matthias Jabs and Rudolph Schenker are again superb on guitars, combining brilliantly throughout, and trading lead duties on different songs along the way.
The bass and drums, no matter whose versions finally make this album, are also terrific and play their part in making the atmosphere of each track a superb moment time.

It wasn’t long ago that I reviewed “Lovedrive” for this podcast – 16 episodes ago if I am to be accurate – so anyone who has listened to that episode knows how my introduction to this band came to pass. Suffice to say, the “World Wide Live” album, then the “Lovedrive” album. After that, it was a matter of picking up the other albums from the 1980’s as quickly as possible. One of my best friend’s, who is now my brother-in-law, was the one who had this first, and I borrowed it to transfer it to cassette, on which the other side I had UFO’s “No Heavy Petting” album, also borrowed from Joelsy.
This album was amazing at the time. I got this some 4-5 years after its release, but when I first heard it all in its completed form, I don’t think I ever turned back. That first side of the album is just as amazing now as it was when I first heard it. That opening riff of “Bad Boys Running Wild”, and the transition into “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, and the gentle build of “Coming Home” to when it bursts into bright light and rages out of the speakers. It’s just so powerful and melodic and perfectly performed. I spent 30+ years just hoping I would get to see “Rock You Like a Hurricane” live, and went from never believing it would happen, to having my dream of it occurring being smashed to pieces three times... before it finally occurred. And it was as amazing as I hoped it would be.
This album took on a life of its own for me. It would be fair to say that I became obsessed with it at one stage, never letting it leave my car’s cassette player, indeed just going out for a drive so I could wind the window down, put the elbow on the edge and have this album turned up to extreme volumes as I blasted around town. In my opinion there is not a weak moment here,
So to finish where I started - the late 70's and early 80's is this band's finest era, with the albums “Lovedrive”, “Animal Magnetism”, “Blackout”, “Love at First Sting”, and the live album “World Wide Live”. It is where their greatest tracks reside. And if I was forced to separate the albums listed, well... I know on my review of “Lovedrive” that I would lean towards that album as my favourite... but I’ve now spent a month listening to this album all over again... and having done that, then I guess my vote would go with this one as the best Scorpions album. It is one of the classics. But it is still an amazingly close call between all of those albums.
There are plenty of arguments that can take place in regards to the greatest era of the Scorpions - 70's, 80's, 90's - and also as to what is their best album. Everyone will have their own opinion in both regards. In many ways it will depend on when you came to fall upon the band and their work. Whichever way you may lean, this album brought them to light worldwide in a way that they had been unable to do beforehand, and which was the concluding act that cemented them as one of the world’s biggest bands.