Scorpions

The rock band Scorpions was formed in 1965, in Germany. The current lineup includes Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Matthias Jabs, Pawel Maciwoda, and Mikkey Dee. The band is particularly famous for such hits as “Wind of Change”, “Send Me an Angel”, and “Still Loving You”. The band holds numerous awards, including Echo and World Music Awards. After the formation, it took the group several years in order to finalize the lineup and to record a high-quality debut album. Scorpions used to perform at the nightclubs, where they experimented with the sound. Finally, in 1972, they released the first studio album Lonesome Crow. The songs from that album drastically differed from the music most Scorpions fans are used to today. They were long, dark, and mostly on par with the 1970’s hard rock traditions.

Soon after the release of the first album, the band went through some lineup changes. Jürgen Rosenthal, Francis Buchholz, and Ulrich Roth joined the band. In 1974, Scorpions released their second album Fly to the Rainbow. This LP already contained some of the famous touches of the group. At that time, Klaus Meine was actively working on his manner of singing, which would later become the band’s trademark. In that LP, Rudolf Shanker sang a song called “They Need a Million”. He never performed as a vocalist for the band again. The band continued to look for the perfect sound in the next two LPs, In Trance (1975) and Virgin Killer (1976). The next album Taken By Force (1978) was recorded with the new drummer Herman Rarebell. The LP contained such famous song as “The Sails of Haron” and “We’’ Burn the Sky”.

In 1980, the band released the LP Animal Magnetism and went on a big tour. Scorpion’s popularity was on the rise. A year later, Klaus Meine had to go through a vocal cord surgery. The band was contemplating a replacement but didn’t go through with the idea. As it turned out, they did the right thing. The next album Blackout (1982) became the first on the road to the real fame. For the next 20 years, the band’s LPs were getting high spots on the charts and a variety of gold and platinum certifications. The latest Scorpion’s album to date Return to Forever (2015) reached the 2nd spot on German Albums Chart and the 65th spot on Billboard 200. Scorpions continue to record new songs and perform live all over the world.