Mike’s Top Five Early Scorpion Singles
For some odd reason the Scorpions have been on my mind lately. Maybe it's because it's been more than a year since they released their last album, Return to Forever. It was available in Europe in February 2015 and then here in the United States in September. Their single "We Built This House" peaked at No. 10 on U.S. Classic Rock radio.
Anyway it's the older stuff that's been rattling around in my head. The older stuff from my high school years. That for me is when they sounded the freshest, rawest and the most inventive. I've got to credit my friend Jeff Anderson with introducing me to this band of rockers out of Germany. It's weird, I can remember the people who turned me on to different bands over the years, especially in my musical formative years of my youth, but I can't remember the three items my wife sent me to the store to pick up. Okay, back to the aforementioned topic, when Jeff dropped the needle on Virgin Killer, I knew this was a band I'd be listening to for years. Time has not proven me wrong, although more often that not it's me listening to them on CD or YouTube instead of vinyl.
I've decided to share my Top Five Favorite Scorpions singles from their earlier days as a way to help get them off my mind, enjoy.
- 1
Virgin Killers
This is the title track from their fourth studio album, which was initially released with a picture of a nude prepubescent girl on the cover. It was reissued in some countries with a tamer group shot of the band instead.
- 2
All Night Long (Live)
The live album, Tokyo Tapes, was recorded during their 1978 tour of Japan at the Nakano Sun Plaza. It's the last performances to feature guitarist Uli Jon Roth.
- 3
Another Piece of Meat
This single was taken from their sixth studio album, Lovedrive, which was released in 1979. This is by far my favorite Scorpions effort and really showcases the band finally reaching their musical equivalent of maturity. They were able to flex their muscles on some straight-ahead rockers but also shine with some melodic ballads as well.
- 4
Lovedrive
The title track from another album that faced some censorship for its cover art in its initial release. They changed the cover to a more acceptable but generic look but then, years later, reverted to the original artwork.
- 5
Holiday
Honestly it was a toss up between this track and "Loving You Sunday Morning." But this one won out because every time I listen to this single, especially with headphones on, I feel like I'm being taken away on a musical holiday. Yeah, I know that sounds corny but it's a very relaxing tune for me. Both the tracks I mentioned are from Lovedrive, but the live versions from World Wide Live are even better.
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