Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Sights and Sounds: The Scorpions celebrate 50 years with range of forthcoming releases

As hard as it is to believe, German hard rockers The Scorpions are celebrating 50 years of music making.

Here are two media releases focusing on upcoming titles coming via DVD, Blu-ray, vinyl and digital platforms next month...

The Scorpions "Forever And A Day"
coming to DVD, Blu-ray and digital platforms on November 27, 2015

The new fully authorized Scorpions documentary Forever and a Day is wrapping up its theatrical run and will come to DVD, Blu-ray, and digital platforms on November 27th (in German with English subtitles). The movie takes a look at the German hard-rock legends' long career, while focusing on the band's Final Sting trek, which initially was intended to be a farewell tour.

As the film shows, during the 2011-2012 tour, the band members were so energized by the response from fans that they decided to scrap their retirement plans. Founding Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker says that if you watch Forever and a Day, you can see the veteran rockers come to the realization that they weren't ready to call it quits.

Schenker explains, "Seeing all these old fans, the new fans coming, everything was sold out, and getting told by the fans what the music means for them, then we more and more" understood that the time wasn't right for the band to retire.

Among the interesting career highlights covered in the movie is The Scorpions' historic 1991 visit to the Kremlin in Moscow to meet Mikhail Gorbachev. The band presented the then-Soviet president with a gold record for its hit ballad "Wind of Change," which celebrated the end of the Cold War.

Describing "Wind of Change" as "the soundtrack of the most peaceful revolution on Earth,"Schenker says The Scorpions' visit with Gorbachev was "something very special" since they were the first, and possibly the only, Western band ever invited to the Kremlin. He adds that The Scorpions are still friendly with Gorbachev, who makes an appearance in Forever and a Day commenting about the group and the impact of "Wind of Change."

The Scorpions recently wrapped up the 2015 U.S. leg of its 50th anniversary tour, which also is in support of their latest studio album, Return to Forever. With regard to the band's future, longtime Scorpions guitarist Matthias Jabs says, "It doesn't look like the end is near. You know, we keep ourselves open now. We tried the farewell tour, and we [called] it afterwards the 'went well' tour."

The Scorpions will finish the year with a series of European dates in November and December, with more to come in February and March of 2016, including a run of shows in their homeland.Jabs says the band also plans to play more U.S. shows in May, and may visit South America and China as well. Check The-Scorpions.com for the group's confirmed itinerary.

Pre-Order:  http://bit.ly/1QxzzKB
 

The Scorpions celebrate 50 years by rocking like a hurricane on three new vinyl reissues, all due Nov. 6, 2015

1982’s Blackout, 1984’s Love at First Sting and 1985’s double-LP World Wide Live to be re-released on remastered 180-gram vinyl to mark milestone occasion

Legendary German heavy metal band Scorpions were formed in 1965 by founding member Rudolf Schenker in Hanover, and along with longtime vocalist Klaus Meine and guitarist Matthias Jabs, have forged one of the most remarkable careers in rock ‘n’ roll history. Earlier this year the band released their brand-new album Return to Forever, and now Universal Music Enterprises is reissuing three of the group’s classic albums – 1982’s Blackout, 1984’s Love at First Sting and 1985’s double-LP World Wide Live – on remastered, high-grade, 180-gram vinyl on November 6, 2015.

The band Rolling Stone once dubbed “The Heroes of Heavy Metal” achieved their biggest commercial successes with these three albums, which is saying something in a career that has seen them sell millions of records worldwide, with six of their singles going No. 1 in different countries around the world. The band has achieved several major honors, including a star on the Hollywood Rock Walk and a World Music Rock Legend Award, among many accolades.

Blackout is the eighth Scorpions studio album, but first breakout success, released in 1982, with its famous cover featuring a bandaged self-portrait of artist Gottfried Helnwein, a character portrayed by Rudolf Schenker in the music video for “No One Like You” and an indelible T-shirt image for Scorpions fans around the world. Produced by frequent collaborator Dieter Dierks, the album was certified platinum in 1984, having peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, while going No. 1 in France, No. 11 in the U.K. and Top 10 in Germany. Vocalist Klaus Meinke underwent surgery on his vocal cords right before recording was to begin, and demos were recorded by Don Dokken, though none of those appeared on the final album. The first single, “No One Like You,” went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and No. 65 on The Billboard Hot 100.  AllMusic called it “the band’s best record ever… it has more energy than anything else they have ever released.”

Love at First Sting, the follow-up to Blackout, was released in 1984, making history as one of the first digitally recorded hard rock records.  The album was the group’s most successful ever in the U.S., peaking at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 and reaching triple-platinum status in 1995, thanks to the metal anthem, “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” which went to No. 25 on The Billboard Hot 100, with “Still Loving You” going to No. 64 in the States, No. 14 in Germany and No. 3 in France. The album went to No. 4 in France, No. 6 in Germany, No. 9 in Switzerland, No. 17 in the U.K. and Sweden and No 19 in Austria. Also included are the tracks “Coming Home,” “Big City Nights” and “Still Loving You.”

World Wide Live, reissued as a double-LP, first came out in 1985 and documented several stops on the band’s world tour, including shows at the Sports Arena in San Diego, the Forum in Los Angeles, Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA, Bercy in Paris and Sporthalle in Cologne, West Germany. And while the original release boasted 15 tracks, this two-record set features all 19 tracks, including “Another Piece of Meat,” “Six-String Sting” and “Can’t Get Enough” parts 1 and 2. The album peaked at No. 17 on The Billboard 200, and went to No. 4 in Germany and Austria and hit the Top 10 in Sweden, earning platinum in the States and Canada, and going gold in both Germany and France.  Allmusic called it the band’s best live album and a “must for their fans.” Rolling Stone praised World Wide Live as “four solid sides of adrenaline-injected metal.”

TRACK LISTINGS


A1. Blackout
A2. Can't Live Without You
A3. No One Like You
A4. You Give Me All I Need
A5. Now!
B1. Dynamite
B2. Arizona
B3. China White
B4. When The Smoke Is Going Down

Love at First Sting (1984)
A1. Bad Boys Running Wild
A2. Rock You Like A Hurricane
A3. I'm Leaving You
A4. Coming Home
A5. The Same Thrill
B1. Big City Nights
B2. As Soon As the Good Times Roll
B3. Crossfire
B4. Still Loving You  

World Wide Live (1985)
A1. Countdown **
A2. Coming Home **
A3. Blackout *
A4. Bad Boys Running Wild **
A5. Loving You Sunday Morning **
A6. Make It Real **
B1. Big City Nights **
B2. Coast to Coast **
B3. Holiday **
B4. Still Loving You  *
C1. Rock You Like a Hurricane **
C2. Can't Live Without You **
C3. Another Piece of Meat **
C4. Dynamite *
D1. The Zoo *
D2. No One Like You  *
D3. Can't Get Enough (Part I) **
D4. Six String Sting **
D5. Can't Get Enough (Part II)


*   World Wide Live version
** Live at Love At First Sting Tour

No comments: