Scorpions

Description

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scorpions are a German hard rock band formed in Hanover in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker.^[3] The lineup from 1978 to 1992 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Francis Buchholz (bass), and Herman Rarebell (drums). The band’s only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of Scorpions’ studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.

During the mid-1970s, with guitarist Uli Jon Roth (who replaced Schenker’s younger brother Michael) part of the lineup, the music of the Scorpions was defined as hard rock.^[4][5] After Roth’s departure in 1978, Schenker and Meine took control of the group, giving them almost all the power to compose music and write lyrics. Matthias Jabsjoined in 1978, and with the melodic rock he played and the influence of producer Dieter Dierks in the band, the Scorpions changed their sound to melodic heavy metal mixed with lyrical “power rock ballads“, which is evident in the album Lovedrive (1979), which began the evolution of the band’s sound, with recording a developed later in several of their albums. Michael Schenker also played on the Lovedrive album. Over the next decade, the band achieved influence, approval from music critics, and significant commercial success with the albums Animal Magnetism (1980), Blackout (1982), Love at First Sting (1984), the live recording World Wide Live (1985), Savage Amusement(1988), their best-selling compilation Best of Rockers ‘n’ Ballads (1989), and Crazy World (1990), all awarded at least one platinum award in the United States.^[6][7] The band has released thirteen consecutive studio albums that were in the top 10 in Germany, one of which reached No. 1, as well as three consecutive albums that were in the top 10 in the Billboard 200 in the United States. Their latest studio album, Rock Believer, was released in February 2022.