Proto-Metal Report: Scorpions - Fly To The Rainbow

 
 

I've been totally negligent in listening to new music lately. In about 2 weeks my schedule is going to allow me to listen to more of the great stuff that I've been sent to check out for Ripple reviews but in the meantime, here's a proto-metal report about the album I've been playing a lot lately. Everyone knows I'm a huge fan of the Uli Roth era Scorpions and recently a friend gifted me with a vinyl copy of this album in all it's RCA budget label glory. It's such a great album and this copy is extremely clean. My remastered CD sounds great, the mp3's on my iPod are perfect for blasting in the car but LP is where it's at for this underrated 1974 psychedelic hard rock gem.

Scorpions released their tripped out, almost Krautrock debut Lonesome Crow in 1972 but when guitarist Michael Schenker left to join UFO, the band broke up. Founding Scorp guitarist Rudy Schenker and vocalist Klaus Meine teamed up with the incredible Uli Roth and the rhythm section of his band Dawn Road to form a new superpower. They eventually rebranded themselves as Scorpions and and recorded Fly To The Rainbow.

Side one's opener "Speedy's Coming" starts off with some vintage Stratocaster whammy torture from Uli before the rest of the band blasts in. It must have been a shock for anyone expecting the dreamy grooves of the previous album. Klaus' vocals are much more aggressive and his lyrics on this song have always been a great source of entertainment for me. "You like David Bowie & friends at the Royal Albert Hall" is a classic inside joke/put down amongst a small circle of my friends. The song is no joke, however, just kick ass 70's hard rock with incredible guitar playing. This is a great example of a guitar team that works well together. Rudy's tight rhythm guitar blends so well with Uli's virtuoso leads. "They Need A Million" starts off with Uli on acoustic guitar and ballad-ish vocals from Klaus. After about a minute Rudy fires up a strong riff and Uli's lead gets doubled by some proggy synths. The real surprise is that Rudy takes his a turn as lead vocalist with Klaus backing him up. "Drifting Sun" is Uli's chance to show off all of his best Hendrixisms. Killer wah-wah licks and his laid back Jimi-delic vocals. Klaus joins in on the chorus and Rudy sings the psychedelic bridge through some kind of rotating speaker effect. All of this is just a build up for an outstanding groove that Uli's guitar soars over. It's about 8 minutes long but could easily have been longer. Play this for your snobby Krautrock friends and don't tell them who it is until after the song's over. They'll freak! Side one wraps up with the slow, bluesy "Fly People Fly" that was co-written by Klaus and Michael Schenker.

Flip it over and "This Is My Song" fades in from mid-jam into a solid mid-tempo heavy rocker. "Far Away" is the type of ballad that would become a Scorpions trademark. Written by the usual Kluas/Rudy team it also features contributions from Michael. The title track ends the album with a 9 minute epic. It's also the only song co-written by Michael Schenker and Uli Roth. Michael probably wrote it before he quit for UFO and Scorpions wisely decided to hang on to it. Part of the acoustic intro also show's up on UFO's "Crystal Light" on their album Phenomenon (also released in 1974). Uli must have finished the music and clearly wrote the words, even though Klaus sings it. There's some great twin guitar parts that pre-date Thin Lizzy's harmonies and it's obvious that young Steve Harris was taking notes for future use in Iron Maiden. Uli's guitar playing is once again incredible and the live version on Tokyo Tapes is even better.

Fly To The Rainbow often gets overlooked compared to the more hard rocking In Trance, Virgin Killer or Taken By Force. As a metal youth it was the one I listened to the least but has grown to be a real favorite of mine over the years. It sounds great alongside Sad Wings of Destiny by Judas Priest, Rainbow Rising, UFO's Phenomenon and Thin Lizzy's Nightlife. You have all of those, right?

--Woody

Michael Schenker – Temple of Rock

Having recently reviewed the latest super effort from UFO, it only seems fitting that I turn my Ripple gaze towards former-bandmate/crazy guitarist’s new album, Temple of Rock.  After all, Michael and UFO will be forever linked on the strength of their early-mid ‘70’s output--some of the best rock of the time.

Now, Michael Schenker for me as a solo artist has always been a hit or miss proposition.  Some albums positively cook, while others . . . well,  . . .  don’t.  A friend once told me that buying a MSG record was “a lot of waiting around for the guitar solo.”   And I get it.  Without Mogg, Schenker’s songs were patchwork at best. The last Schenker album I’d picked up was the decidedly mediocre Be Aware of Scorpions with a hillbilly bearded and disheveled Schenker on the cover, looking daze and confused.  Now, Schenker’s battles with his demons has been well-chronicled, as has his problems with alcoholism, and I’m not going to go into those, other than to say that Schenker’s peace of mind clearly has an impact on the quality of the album being produced. 

So, having said that, it’s great to see Schenker, looking fit and trim on the cover of Temple of Rock—his muscles ripped, his flying V held aloft as if a sacrifice to the Gods.    The inside photo that the cover was drawn from confirms this.  Schenker looks healthy and strong.  That’s a good sign. 

Seeing the list of artists contributing to the album is another good sign.  The main band consists of a “Who’s Who” of Schenker’s career with Pete Way on bass, Wayne Findlay on Keys and Herman “the German” on drums.  UFO, MSG and Scorpions represented right off the bat.  Way cool.  I’m not going to guess about the politics that had Way performing on Temple of Rock, but not UFO’s Seven Deadly, I’m just going to enjoy this all-star band.   Add to that, contributions from UFO-alum, Paul Raymond, Michael’s brother/Scorpion Rudolf Schenker, Former-Rainbow keyboardist Paul Airey, the bass of Neil Murray and some drum adds from Carmine Appice, Simon Philips, and Chris Slade and we have a who’s who of 70’s-80’s AOR rock.  Tasty.

So, the big question is; how does it all sound?  And the answer is a resounding “kick ass.”   Man, at times Schenker sounds more brilliant than he has in decades.  Songs like “End of an Era” find the mad axeman rejuvenated and brimming with passion.  Just about as mean as I’d ever heard him play.  The riff is nasty and carnivorous, ready to eat right through your cranium.   Carmine Appice and Elliot Rubinson drive that song from the rear while Airey drops in some tasty Hammond B3 organ.  But most important, the song is about Schenker and he doesn’t disappoint.  Fills and riffs and screeches and solos fly from the German’s fingers like the good ol’ days.  Positively testosterone raged and inspired.  And as always, at this best, no one solos like Schenker.  A mighty combination of flying speed and control of melody.  Overall, the song is fast and furious. 

“Fallen Angel” also has a beefy Schenker riff played with flair and style all leading up to “that” guitar solo.   “How Long” also tears right out of the starting gate, charging along on the back of Schenker’s guitar.  Then, in a really cool moment of inspiration, “How Long” gets a reprise at the end of the album in a monstrously extended jam version called “How Long” (3 Generations Guitar Battle Version)”  And the song is just that.  Bring in Michael Amott and the legendary Leslie West, let them loose with Schenker in a call-and-response assault and we got a guitar freak out to make fanboys drool.  If you’re like me, you’ll be listening to each frame, trying to identify each guitarists contribution.  Note by note.

“Hanging On” is another standout track with its slow build over Schenker’s stuttering riff.  We got the main band here with Raymond and Rudolf joining in.  And it all works.  The song propels itself with a meaty bite and some killer guitar work.  This song also features the best performance of producer/songwriter and vocalist Michael Voss, with his thin, raspy voice working perfectly with Schenker’s guitar.

But this also brings us to the major weakness of the album.  Voss may have done a helluva job producing the album, and for the most part, his songwriting contributions are solid (there are some blasé filler songs here) but to my ears, he’s just not the right vocalist for this album.  Not that there’s anything wrong with his singing.  Hell, he sings better than I could.  I’m just not a fan.  There’s something generic in his tone, a distinct lack of distinction.  On some other album, that may not be such a downside.  But with Schenker playing so inspired, Voss’s vocals stand out for me as not living up to the promise.

Never is this made more clear than on “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” where Doogie White steps up to the microphone.  Holy crap!  I didn’t know I was a Doogie White fan, but damn, does he blow it apart here.  Now we got it going.  A strong powerful voice, channeling the best of Dio on this track.  And that to some killer keyboard fills and another inspired Schenker run and we get a glimpse what the whole album could’ve sounded like.  Man, if only White had sung the whole thing.  Later, when Robin McAuley rejoins his old partner on “Lover’s Sinfony” we get that same sort of feeling.  Not as strong as White (and the song’s not nearly as good as “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) McAuley nonetheless brings more of a voice to the song and helps it to soar.  If either singer had taken the lead, this may rank as one of the best Schenker albums ever.  As it is, it’s still a damn good album, just not quite to it’s potential.

Still, it’s great to have Schenker back.  May the mad German axeman stay healthy and continue to reign over his Temple of Rock.

--Racer

Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes

 

Another week, another review of a double live album. I could have sworn I wrote this one up a year or so ago for Ripple but was amazed that I did not. Good thing, too. I've been looking for a cheap copy of the LP to replace the one that went missing over 25 years ago and finally tracked one down last week. 5 bucks for this muther at a used place on Long Island in a bin full of crappy metal like Americade and Kane Roberts. I've had the remastered CD for many years, and it sounds great, but when it comes to double live albums you just gotta have the gatefold sleeve. For fans of 70's heavy rock, Tokyo Tapes is an essential companion piece to Unleashed In The East, Strangers In The Night, Made In Japan and Live & Dangerous. Next time you're having a party put all those albums next to the turntable, rotate playing sides from them and watch the chicks magically disappear. Works every time!

Tokyo Tapes captures the Scorpions at a key point in their career. Guitar wizard Uli Jon Roth had already made up his mind to leave the band (check out his song "I've Got To Be Free" from his last studio album Taken By Force) but honored their touring commitments in Japan. Recorded live in 1978, this captures the end of Uli's Hendrix inspired version of the band before they evolved into a more conventional and commercial hard rock/metal band in the 1980's. Most fans of the popular era are either unaware or flat out don't like this version of the Scorpions. The truth is that most Scorps records until the mid-80's are pretty solid and they remain a kick ass live band to this very day. The Scorpions have announced that they will be retiring so if you've never seen them, you better do so soon. The next best thing would be to check out the great live DVD of their show at the Wacken Festival from 2006 with special guests Uli Roth and Michael Schenker.

Getting back to Tokyo Tapes, opening song "All Night Long" is one of their best. It was never on any of their studio albums and is one of the few (maybe the only one) written by Uli and vocalist Klause Meine. It's everything an opening song should be - fast, loud and with a killer groove. Uli's solos are incredible but so is Rudolf Schenker's kick ass rhythm guitar. Rudy really pushes the band hard and he's a very underrated player. The rhythm section of Francis Buchholz (bass) and Herman Rarebell (drums) are pummeling. "Pictured Life" and "Backstage Queen" get massive reactions from the Japanese crowd and the band delivers tight renditions. As always Uli's lead guitar work blazes.

Uli really lets loose on the slower and more Hendrix influenced songs like "In Trance," "In Search Of The Peace Of Mind," and, especially, "We'll Burn The Sky," co-written by Monika Dannemann, the woman who Hendrix was involved with when he died. The Scorpions met her when they played the Marquee Club in London and she became Uli's companion until her death in 1996. "We'll Burn The Sky" is credited to being written by Rudy Schenker and Monika but Uli owns this song. His guitar playing is out of this world. Next to Robin Trower, Uli is one of the few to have been able to incorporate Hendrix's playing into a unique style. As great as Uli's playing is, sometimes his singing isn't so great. Especially on "Polar Nights." It was actually dropped from the CD version of Tokyo Tapes to keep it a single disc but is a bonus track on the CD of Taken By Force. Still, it contains a great solo and is not worth getting up off your bean bag chair to move the needle when playing the LP. His vocals on "Dark Lady" are much better mainly because he lets Klaus handle the high notes on the chorus.

Another fun aspect of Tokyo Tapes is the between song banter. Klaus addresses the Japanese audience in English with his thick German accent. Who knows if anyone understood each other but one of my all time favorite stage announcements is when he says "I hope we get a good feeling together" and then yells out a few words in Japanese. The crowd really goes wild when they do a version of the Japanese song "Kojo No Tsuki." That must have earned the band a huge amount of respect. Another classic Klaus moment is when he shrieks at the crowd "do you like rock n roll" before they launch into a high energy meddley of "Hound Dog" and "Long Tall Sally." They were probably inspired to dust these off as a reaction to Deep Purple's usual encore of "Lucille."

The front cover is a classic with Rudy bending waaaaay in front of the bass player. Sure it looks a little gay, but can you do that in giant, white platform boots? There are great photos in the inner sleeve and almost everyone in the band has ridiculously big platforms. Probably the main reason why if you see photos of them today they're wearing sensible shoes. Back in the 70's everyone wore those giant shoes, kimonos and had massive fog machines on stage and the world was a better place.

--Woody