Tokyo Tapes (album)

Occupation

• Vocals: Klaus Meine
• Rhythm guitar and backing vocals: Rudolf Schenker
• Lead guitar, backing vocals and singing on Polar Nights, Fly to the Rainbow and Dark Lady: Uli Jon Roth
• Bass and backing vocals Francis Buchholz
• Drums and backing vocals: Herman Rare Bell

Tokyo Tapes is the first live album by German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1978 in Europe and February 1979 in the United States after the release of five studio albums. The images were taken during the Taken -by -Force tour at the last shows that the lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth had played before his departure from the band, he already announced after the release of Taken by Force album.

Background

The album was compiled from recordings of the concerts on 24 and 27 April 1978 in the Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Overall, the band embarked on this tour, among other things, more concerts in the Japanese cities of Nagoya and Osaka. Klaus Meine: " The screaming and hooting was incredible. It was a total stardom. Before the airport hall huge limousines were ready for us and waved the fans and blew and drove into her car beside us. " " They treated us like superstars, we could hardly believe it, " Rudolf Schenker added in Billboard magazine, " it was a bit like the reception of the Beatles had been prepared 14 years ago when they first came to New York. " guitarist Roth said to the album from that of the three concerts played there the first" regrettably " not recorded has been, but it was his opinion, by far the best concert was, according to his view, however, was the second also been good. He also said that the guitar was not loud enough to hear on this album. In these performances the songs Hell Cat, Catch Your Train were played (both from the Virgin Killer album ) and the Japanese national anthem, Kimi ga yo, but these are not represented on the official album. In Asia, the album was released with a different cover, which is the actual cover on the Rudolf Schenker (left) and Francis Buchholz (right) can be seen "live " in action, replaced by a darker cover with a red rose. The official cover artwork was designed by Hans G. Lehmann.

Selection

The selection of the album covers all five previously released studio albums, the first album Lonesome Crow (1972 ) with only one title ( In Search of the Peace of Mind ) is represented at the slightest, while the two albums In Trance (1975 ) and ( the current at this time album) Taken by Force ( 1977) are represented by four songs most often. However, considering the songs, although they played during the recorded performances, however, have not used for this album, Virgin Killer would be five instead of three songs represented the most dominant studio album on the track list of Tokyo Tapes. However, the band plays some songs that are not found on any studio album. Thus, the opening titles All Night Long is a newly written song that is only on this album ( and a single ) to have. Furthermore, "new" are the cover versions of rock - n-roll classics Hound Dog and Long Tall Sally, as well as the Japanese song Kojo no tsuki.

Criticism, sale and Awards

The Music Express ruled: " Total out sounds they are in themselves only on the stage, when the electricity turns over from the guitar to the amplifier, from musician to fan. "

Worldwide, more than two million copies were sold of the album to date.

Title list

Double album

LP 1 / Disc 1

LP 2 / Disc 2

Single CD ( Remastered)

On 24 August 2001, the album was released, along with several older Scorpions plants in a remastered edition, in which from the original double album, a single - CD has been made. Since the length of the original version, the capacity of a single CD was exceeding the nearly seven minute live version of Uli Jon Roth composition Polar Nights - originally the fourth title of the album - taken out on the single CD. This recording was transferred here as a bonus track on the reissue of the album released at the same time Taken by Force. Thus, the track list of this CD edition is as follows:

Single releases

The newly presented on this album song All Night Long was published in 1979 along with the live versions of Fly to the Rainbow, and Speedy 's Coming In Trance as a single.

Additional live footage

The cover otherwise contained only on this live album Long Tall Sally is also on the USB stick A Night to Remember - contain live in Essen (2009) in a slightly broader version.