Blackout (Scorpions-Album)

Occupation

  • Vocals: Klaus Meine
  • Rhythm guitar and backing vocals on Blackout, Can not Live Without You and China White: Rudolf Schenker (except on You Give Me All I Need, China White, and When the Smoke Is Going Down: Lead Guitar )
  • Lead Guitar and Rhythm Guitar: Matthias Jabs
  • Bass: Francis Buchholz
  • Drums: Herman Rare Bell

Blackout is the eighth studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1982. The production of this album, which referred singer Klaus Meine as one of the three most important of the band, was associated with a large amount of time and problems. So lost in the middle of my production and his voice was a whole year for the band is not operational, which certainty about was not even there in half the time that my could sing ever again. This had the recordings and the release of the album several times to move. After my had recovered and the production ended, he returned with a "new voice" in the tape and finished the album with the unerring title blackout.

Background

Production

When she met with the band in March 1981, a year after the release of the album Animal Magnetism, the recordings of a new album, the group saw himself faced with a major problem: Already in the early stages of recording the album was with singer Klaus Meine due to permanent overuse a cornea on his vocal cords found. So it was him at first not possible to record the vocals for the work. Villa San Pecaire in a small town called St. Jacques- Grasse - - For the recording was of Dierks at the request of the band for a " proper studio in nice surroundings " a house in the south of France selected. " There was a huge atmosphere, very relaxed, very open minded ," Klaus Meine comments on this environment. But then the band's vocal cords their singer came in the way. Later it was my not even talk to his bandmates and was forced to write his messages. To give a sign of life yet in the meantime, the group took with Hey You on a single, can be heard on the guitarist Rudolf Schenker as a singer, my voice is represented on it in the background as well. My had meanwhile undergo two surgeries and numerous singing lessons in order to regain his voice. In February 1982, the recordings of the song material could eventually be terminated. My in an interview with the New Musical Express: " My voice losing was worse than a leg to lose, because I had the feeling of being powerless to have no strength ." After this incident, the vocal range of the singer has expanded.

Songwriting and features of texts

As on the previous album, all songs by band members of the Scorpions were written. An exception is the title track of the album, has also its former girlfriend Sonja Kittelsen worked on the text next to Klaus Meine and Herman Rare Bell. The arrangements of the songs were all composed by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine while to all the text - with the exception of the two Rare Bell compositions You Give Me All I Need and Arizona - was involved. Blackout, Now! Dynamite and produced in collaboration with Rare Bell. As already on Animal Magnetism, some texts revolve around the love ( No One Like You, You Give Me All I Need, Arizona), but also a social commentary song ( China White ) and numerous "musical declarations of love " to the fans ( Can ' t Live Without You Now!, Dynamite, When the Smoke is Going Down ) are included on the album Blackout.

Album Cover

The cover shows a self-portrait of the artist Gottfried Helnwein. This is Rudolf Schenker also in the music video No One Like You dar. Schenker on the cover: "Originally we had commissioned Hipgnosis for the artwork, but one morning I saw in Star exact Helnwein painting I called Klaus, we both were. us immediately agree: the image is perfect for our new album Helnwein completed the design according to our expectations and ended up with this, as we with Blackout, a worldwide success! ".

Tour

The band went in 1982 to a nine -month tour, which took place under the motto " Blackout". This tour was visited by 1.1 million viewers.

Reception

The Melody Maker called my "new" voice, as if she had " been plated with the best stainless Krupp steel. " Christof glue wrote in 2009 in Metal Hammer, the album was " one of the finest hard rock of all time, peppered with outstanding and diverse material. " It is also " an album for the ages and the deserved breakthrough in the league of superstars. "

The album sold so far worldwide well over 6 million times. In the U.S. alone about 3 million copies have been sold to date. It reached the first of their albums in the top 10 home in 10th place in Germany after the two previous Lovedrive and Animal Magnetism with space 11 or 12 of this goal barely missing. Selbige position it reached in the U.S., where Blackout in 1984 certified platinum, and # 11 in the UK. Moreover, it was in France at the number 1 Even in Mexico the album was awarded gold. The song No One Like You was a week at # 1 on the mainstream rock charts and was in 1982, the most played song on U.S. radio. 2011 blackout was chosen by Guitar World magazine ranked one of the best guitar albums of 1982

Title list

Single releases

The first single of the album was Can not Live Without You, titled China White as a B-side. Furthermore appeared Now! and No One Like You in 1982. For this song the band did in 1983 their first official music video.

Other song versions and live recordings

Guitarist Rudolf Schenker could in the song China White not opt for a specific guitar solo, and then on the U.S. version another solo to hear than on the European album version. The other version of the song was but including Europe published on the compilation Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads. On the remix album Still Loving You (1992 ) a new version of the song When The Smoke Is Going Down is included. The song Dynamite was on the album Moment of Glory ( 2000) with the Berlin Philharmonic in the title Deadly Sting Suite processed instrumental.

On the live album World Wide Live 1985 live versions of the title Blackout, Can not Live Without You, Dynamite and No One Like You were published. The album Live Bites contains a live recording of the song When The Smoke Is Going Down. The 2009 recorded a USB stick A Night to Remember - Live in Essen contains another live recording of the title track Blackout. Also located on the album Live 2011 pieces blackout, and When the Smoke is going down. The album also contains the songs Comeblack No on like you and blackout.

Pictures of Blackout (Scorpions-Album)

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