Scorpions proved these rumors false 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. Many thought Meine had been fired from the band, and rumors spread that metal singer Don Dokken had already replaced him. Problems arose, however, and the project was postponed because Meine lost his voice and would have to have surgery on his vocal cords. Surprisingly, Animal Magnetism went gold in the United States, and the Scorpions immediately went back into the studio to record their next release. 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. Michael would eventually leave Scorpions a second time after realizing that he was failing to meet their expectations. Still coping with his drug and alcohol addiction, Michael repeatedly missed tour dates and guitarist Matthias Jabs was hired to fill in for him on nights when he was absent. The group released Lovedrive that same year and played their first American tour, but Lovedrive failed to attract attention, and was banned in the United States because of its sexually explicit cover. 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 after they signed with Mercury Records. Tokyo Tapes, a double-live album that the group recorded in Tokyo with Roth, was released in 1978. 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. Guitarist Uli Jon Roth replaced him, and under his guidance the group released four albums under the RCA record label: Fly to the Rainbow (1974), In Trance (1975), Virgin Killer (1976), and Taken by Force (1977).Īlthough these efforts failed to attain any serious attention in the United States, they were all quite popular in Japan. Although they failed to attract the public's attention, the early incarnation of '70s rock band UFO noticed Michael Schenker's guitar playing and hired him as their lead guitarist Michael left the band in 1973. The group recorded Lonesome Crow in 1972, which was used as the soundtrack to the German movie Das Kalte Paradies. In 1971, Schenker's younger brother Michael joined the band to play lead guitar and good friend Klaus Meine became the vocalist. Originally formed in 1969 by Rudolf Schenker, the band went through numerous lineup changes before hitting its stride in the early '80s with the highly successful albums Animal Magnetism, Blackout, Love at First Sting, Savage Amusement, and Crazy World, the latter of which boasted the huge international hit and post-Cold War anthem "Winds of Change." The band remained popular in Europe as the decades progressed, playing to huge crowds and releasing a steady stream of concert, compilation, and studio albums, including 2010's platinum-selling Sting in the Tail and 2022's anthemic Rock Believer.įounded 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. Best known for their 1982 hit "No One Like You" and the 1984 anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane," 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.
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