Saying that Scorpions can look back on an eventful history as a band would be an understatement. Their spectacular story is now becoming a new and very colorful experience: With Scorpions - Colours Of Rock, BMG is announcing the reissue of 12 album highlights by the legendary German hard rock band who have shaped the music world - now appearing on colored vinyl.
Alongside versions of Fly To The Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer and Humanity (Hour 1), remastered for the first time ever, are further handpicked treasures including Savage Amusement, World Wide Live, Love at First Sting, Blackout, Animal Magnetism, Lovedrive, Tokyo Tapes and Taken By Force.
The reissued albums can be pre-ordered exclusively here. They will be released on May 5, only days before Scorpions embark on the European leg of their Rock Believer World Tour, which had previously taken them across South America - from El Salvador via Colombia, Brazil and Argentina to Chile - during the first months of the year.
Relentless success, constant musical evolution, and ass-kicking performances worldwide - as colourful and eclectic as the career path of the biggest German rock band has been and still is to this day, just as multifaceted are the vinyl colours of these 12 reissues. The colours chosen for the vinyl versions not only reflect the iridescent band history, they are also paired with the style of the original artwork of each individual album.
A particular treat for hard-core Scorpions fans, of course, must definitely be the four albums remastered for the first time in history:
Scorpions’ second studio album Fly To The Rainbow from 1974 differs style-wise considerably compared to their debut Lonesome Crow. Although it marked a departure into a more experimental direction, the album displayed deep influences from hard rock and gave us a first glimpse of where the band’s music would be taking us in the future. It is the first album by Scorpions on which they alone were responsible for production. For the reissue, it is being released on transparent violet vinyl.
With In Trance, their subsequent third studio album, Scorpions made their breakthrough in Japan. The eponymous hit is joined on the album by “Night Lights,” the band’s first instrumental piece. It is the first work by Scorpions recorded together with producer Dieter Dierks, a longtime companion and business associate. The transparent vinyl of the new version brings back memories of the legendary original artwork by photographer Michael von Gimbut.
A remastered version of Scorpions’ shortest album is also being reissued on powder blue vinyl - the 35-minute Virgin Killer. The fourth studio album by the band from Hannover was released in 1976. It is their first album to go Gold in Japan. This took the group one step further away from their psychedelic roots and deeper into the realm of hard rock.
The remastered treasures are complemented by Humanity (Hour 1) which was released in 2007. The concept album was produced in Los Angeles by legendary producer dream team Desmond Child and James Michael. Klaus Meine was looking for a very modern sound, without wanting to lose the slightest bit of Scorpions’ character in the process. To achieve this, he combined the early Scorpions sound on this album with that of their later productions. The 21st studio album by the hard rock legends was pressed on gold vinyl for the new version.
The four remastered albums are joined by eight further carefully selected classics:
Taken By Force, released in 1977, is now coming out pressed on white vinyl, featuring songs like “Steamrock Fever,” “He's A Woman - She’s A Man” and the ballad “Born To Touch Your Feelings.” It marks the last studio album with Uli Jon Roth and the first with drummer Herman Rarebell. Next up is Tokyo Tapes (1978), a magnificent live album now reissued on yellow vinyl. This is an excellent opportunity to (re)discover the music Scorpions wrote before their life as superstars.
Originally released in 1979, Lovedrive marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the band, already bearing the hallmarks of what would be the signature of the band’s music for the decades to come. It is now being reissued on red vinyl. To record the following album, Animal Magnetism, Scorpions went into the studio pressured by an extremely tight schedule between two tours. Who knows? Never-the-less, or perhaps precisely why, they succeeded in creating such an innovative masterpiece. The milestone released in 1980, and their first album to go Platinum in the U.S.A., has now been pressed on red vinyl.
Their eighth studio album Blackout then followed in 1982, catapulting the band forevermore onto the Mount Olympus of hard rock. What could be more befitting of the legendary artwork by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein than crystal-clear vinyl?
This LP was followed only one year later by Love at First Sting, the most successful album of their long career - bringing us hits like “Still Loving You” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane.” The album, the cover of which was shot by Helmut Newton, entered the Top 10 in numerous countries and made it to No. 6 of the U.S. charts. It is now being released on silver vinyl.
For World Wide Live, originally released in 1985 and now being reissued on transparent orange vinyl, a film crew followed the band’s caravan across the U.S.A., Asia and Europe all the way to South America. The footage captures the electrifying intensity of their shows. The reissue is made complete by Savage Amusement from 1988, now pressed on transparent light-blue vinyl. For this album, they barricaded themselves in the studio for almost three years together with producer Dieter Dierks where they worked on the successor to follow in the footsteps of their greatest albums. The result of which seamlessly picked up right where their previous albums left off. Successfully.
Reissued collectively under the title Scorpions - Colours Of Rock are the following twelve album highlights from 1974 to 2007:
- Fly To The Rainbow (1974): 180g 1LP, pressed on transparent violet vinyl
- In Trance (1975): 180g 1LP, pressed on transparent vinyl
- Virgin Killer (1976): 180g 1LP, pressed on powder blue vinyl
- Taken By Force (1977): 180g 1LP, pressed on white vinyl
- Tokyo Tapes (1978): 180g Gatefold 2LP, pressed on yellow vinyl
- Lovedrive (1979): 180g 1LP, pressed on transparent red vinyl
- Animal Magnetism (1980): 180g 1LP, pressed on red vinyl
- Blackout (1982): 180g 1LP, pressed on crystal-clear vinyl
- Love at First Sting (1983): 180g 1LP, pressed on silver vinyl
- World Wide Live (1985): 180g Gatefold 2LP, pressed on transparent orange vinyl
- Savage Amusement (1988): 180g 1LP, pressed on transparent light-blue vinyl
- Humanity (Hour 1) (2007): 180g Gatefold 2LP, pressed on gold vinyl
Scorpions are undoubtedly amongst the greatest rock bands of all time. The band lineup today includes singer Klaus Meine, Scorpions founder Rudolf Schenker (guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Pawel Maciwoda (bass), and Mikkey Dee (drums). The incredible career of the hard rock titans from Hannover, Germany, has already lasted for more than half a century, during which their music has taken the world literally and figuratively by storm, selling more than 110 million albums, breaking one record after the other, while continuously evolving and reinventing themselves again and again. It was just last year that they cemented their status as legends with the new album Rock Believer: No. 2 in Germany and Switzerland, No. 4 in Austria, Top 20 in the U.K., and Top 60 in the U.S.A. So it comes as no surprise that the Scorpions have rocked their way to a reputation as one of the best live bands ever. Which they continue to demonstrate this year: This upcoming April, their Rock Believer World Tour kicks off in South America. The European leg of the tour, with a total of twenty concerts, starts on 9 May, 2023, in Lille, France. Full details on tour dates and tickets can be found here.
