SCORPIONS: Lovedrive (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

The sublime "Tokyo Tapes" marked the departure of Uli Jon Roth from Scorpions. "Lovedrive" is the beginning of a new era, even if it can be considered as the logical continuation of "Taken By Force". However, the quintet from Hanover will have to go through some turbulences before releasing this new opus. Indeed, Matthias Jabs was first hired to replace the guitarist with the famous bandana, but then Michael Schenker appeared. The latter has just left U.F.O. and offers his services to his former band which accepts immediately. But, being of an unstable temperament, he disappears in the middle of the tour, which is worth to a not rancorous Jabs to be urgently recalled to integrate Scorpions, this time definitively.

So here is "Lovedrive" with a line-up varying according to the titles, and especially, with a new cover with a doubtful taste, which becomes a recurrent trademark. But the musical content is not less of quality. Roth's psychedelic parts are gone, and if they leave a void, this album is more coherent. The hyper effective titles with heavy riffs are now established in the landscape with an introductory 'Loving You Sunday Morning' and a 'Lovedrive', a cavalcade with a direct and catchy chorus, raised by a solo signed Michael Schenker. They rub shoulders with more aggressive tracks such as the tornado 'Another Piece Of Meat' or the scathing 'Can't Get Enough', the first one also benefiting from a solo by Schenker.

But Scorpions is not content to dig the furrow started on "Taken By Force". The Germans also take advantage of it to clear new horizons. 'Coast To Coast' is the first instrumental of the band on which the Schenker brothers are present, but also a Klaus Meine on guitar for the occasion. On the other hand, Scorpions finishes to sharpen its art of the ballad with not less than two titles paying homage to this style which will become the speciality of the combo. If 'Always Somewhere' comes out with the honors in spite of an intro shamefully pumped on Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Simple Man', 'Holidays' imposes itself as a future classic, playing on long acoustic parts interrupted by a break both electric and more aggressive. Finally, Scorpions invented a new musical style with 'Is There Anybody There?': Reggae Metal. With its sharp guitars on a syncopated rhythmic, this nice and original track is really an UFO in the discography of the band, even if it will become a classic.

It is thus a new must-have album that Scorpions offers us. Classic because of its position as the first album of a new page in the history of the band, but also because of the participation of the youngest of the Schenker brothers. Scorpions is thus launched on the rails of the planetary success, even if many are those which will regret the performances of Uli Jon Roth left towards other artistic skies. - Official website

SCORPIONS

LOVEDRIVE

EMI

HARD ROCK