Scorpions

Scorpions are a German hard rock band from Hannover, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker. The group is one of the best-known German rock acts, and its music spans hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, rock, AOR and krautrock.

Line-up and history

Rudolf Schenker is the only continuous member of the band. Klaus Meine joins on vocals in 1969, Matthias Jabs on lead guitar in 1978, bassist Paweł Mąciwoda in 2003, and drummer Mikkey Dee in 2016. Over the years, the group also includes Joachim Kirchhoff, Karl-Heinz Vollmer, Wolfgang Dziony, Lothar Heimberg, Michael Schenker, Werner Löhr, Achim Kirschning, Hans-Jürgen Rosenthal, Uli Jon Roth, Francis Buchholz, Rudy Lenners, Joe Wyman, Herman Rarebell, Ralph Rieckermann, Curt Cress, James Kottak, Ingo Powitzer, Barry Sparks and Johan Franzon.

Albums and key releases

The debut album, Lonesome Crow (1972), features Michael Schenker on lead guitar. After he leaves to join UFO, Uli Jon Roth replaces him and plays on the next four studio albums, Fly to the Rainbow (1974), In Trance (1975), Virgin Killer (1976) and Taken by Force (1977), as well as the live album Tokyo Tapes (1978). Matthias Jabs then joins, and Lovedrive (1979) marks a move towards a more melodic rock sound while briefly reuniting the band with Michael Schenker.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, Scorpions release a run of successful albums including Animal Magnetism (1980), Blackout (1982), Love at First Sting (1984), the live album World Wide Live (1985), Savage Amusement (1988), the compilation Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads (1989) and Crazy World (1990). Several of these recordings are certified at least platinum in the United States. The band also records a series of later studio albums: Face the Heat (1993), Pure Instinct (1996), Eye II Eye (1999), Unbreakable (2004), Humanity: Hour I (2007), Sting in the Tail (2010), Return to Forever (2015) and Rock Believer (2022).

Commercial success and notable songs

Scorpions have thirteen consecutive studio albums that reach the top 10 in Germany, including one that reaches number one, and three consecutive albums that reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The band sells over 100 million records worldwide. Wind of Change, from Crazy World, becomes closely associated with political change in Eastern Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall and sells more than 14 million copies. From Love at First Sting, Rock You Like a Hurricane and Still Loving You are among the group’s best-known songs and are regarded as significant heavy metal and rock ballads.