Originally formed in 1969 by Rudolf Schenker, the original Scorpions 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 new vocalist. The group recorded Lonesome Crow in 1972,
which was
used as the soundtrack to the German movie "Das Kalte Paradies."
Although the Scorpions
failed to get into the public eye, the '70's
rock band UFO noticed Michael
Schenker's guitar playing and hired him as their lead guitarist in
1973.
Guitarist Uli Jon Roth
replaced him, and under his guidance the
Scorpions released four
consecutive albums on 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, 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 in
1979 to play with the Scorpions,
who had recently signed with
Mercury Records. The group released Lovedrive that same year
and played
their first American tour, but Lovedrive failed to attract
attention,
being 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
eventually would leave the band a second time after realizing that he
was failing to meet their expectations.
Now 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
Scorpions 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
had lost his voice and would have to have surgery on his vocal
chords.
Many thought Meine had been fired from the band, and rumors spread that
metal singer Don Dokken
had already replaced him. The
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 one-million copies in the US
alone. But as popular as Blackout
was, it was the band's powerful
follow-up, Love at First
Sting, that made them
superstars. Released in 1984, the album boasted the single "Rock
You Like a Hurricane" and would eventually achieve double-platinum
status. In its wake the group undertook one of their most
successful world tours
yet, boasting an outstanding stage show with high-energy performances.
