Scorpions "The Best Of Scorpions, Vol.2 (USA, RCA, 07863 55085-2)"

The Best of Scorpions Vol. 2 es un álbum recopilatorio de la banda alemana de hard rock y heavy metal Scorpions, publicado en 1984 a través de RCA Records. El disco incluye solamente canciones de los trabajos publicados en la década de los setenta durante la etapa con el guitarrista Uli Jon Roth, entre ellas tres canciones en vivo extraídas del disco Tokyo Tapes de 1978.​ Salió al mercado solo semanas después del relanzamiento en disco compacto de The Best of Scorpions y, al igual que él, ingresó en la lista Billboard 200 en el puesto 175.

Lista de canciones

1. «Top of the Bill» Schenker, Meine 3:28
2. «They Need a Million» Schenker, Meine 4:54
3. «Longing for Fire» Schenker, Meine, Roth 2:47
4. «Catch your Train» Schenker, Meine 3:36
5. «Speedy's Coming» (en vivo) Schenker, Meine 3:43
6. «Crying Days» Schenker, Meine 4:41
7. «All Night Long» (en vivo) Meine, Roth 3:14
8. «This is my Song» Schenker, Meine 4:16
9. «Sun in My Hand» Roth 4:25
10. «We'll Burn the Sky» (en vivo) Schenker, Dannemann 8:17

Scorpions "Best Of Scorpions Vol. 2 (1984 RCA, West Germany, PL 70467)"

The Best of Scorpions Vol. 2 es un álbum recopilatorio de la banda alemana de hard rock y heavy metal Scorpions, publicado en 1984 a través de RCA Records. El disco incluye solamente canciones de los trabajos publicados en la década de los setenta durante la etapa con el guitarrista Uli Jon Roth, entre ellas tres canciones en vivo extraídas del disco Tokyo Tapes de 1978.​ Salió al mercado solo semanas después del relanzamiento en disco compacto de The Best of Scorpions y, al igual que él, ingresó en la lista Billboard 200 en el puesto 175.

Lista de canciones

1. «Top of the Bill» Schenker, Meine 3:28
2. «They Need a Million» Schenker, Meine 4:54
3. «Longing for Fire» Schenker, Meine, Roth 2:47
4. «Catch your Train» Schenker, Meine 3:36
5. «Speedy's Coming» (en vivo) Schenker, Meine 3:43
6. «Crying Days» Schenker, Meine 4:41
7. «All Night Long» (en vivo) Meine, Roth 3:14
8. «This is my Song» Schenker, Meine 4:16
9. «Sun in My Hand» Roth 4:25
10. «We'll Burn the Sky» (en vivo) Schenker, Dannemann 8:17

Scorpions "Tokyo Tapes (2015, 2CD, BMG, 50th Anniversary Edition, Digipak)"

Tokyo Tapes is the first live album by German hard rock band Scorpions and their final album released by RCA Records.

Tokyo Tapes includes songs from all Scorpions' albums released before 1978, which were recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza (Tokyo's Nakano Ward, Japan) on 24 and 27 April, during the band's Japanese tour in 1978. These shows were guitarist Uli Jon Roth's last performances with the band, who had announced his departure after the release of the studio album Taken by Force.

The songs "Hell-Cat", "Catch Your Train" and the Japanese national anthem ("Kimi ga yo") were also performed during these shows but were not included in the official album. On the 2001 EMI re-mastered CD, "Polar Nights" was omitted so as to fit a single CD, although it was included on the re-mastered version of Taken by Force. The earlier two-CD release, however, is the original album in its entirety. The original release was in August 1978 in Japan only with cover artwork of an embossed platinum Scorpion on a rose as opposed to a live shot of the band when it was eventually released in Europe in late 1978. It was released in January 1979 in the U.S.A..

Roth commented about the recording of the album:

"Tokyo Tapes was a peak time, we have played together for all these years and it all came together at that time. Particularly on the first show, which unfortunately wasn't recorded. There were three shows in Tokyo, the first one was by far the best, but the second one was good too. Those are the ones on the album, the second and the third that were used. The first one I thought was a lot better and I was disappointed that it wasn't recorded."

In 2015, as part of Scorpions' 50th Anniversary, Tokyo Tapes was remastered and re-released, with all omitted songs restored ("Polar Nights" and the three songs excluded) and alternate version of several songs originally found on the album. Due to time constraints, "Robot Man", the last track of the original release, was shifted to the beginning of Disc 2 which otherwise contains bonus tracks).

Tracklist:

Disc 1

1. All Night Long 03:43
2. Pictured Life 03:15   
3. Backstage Queen 03:40   
4. Polar Nights 06:55
5. In Trance 05:31  
6. We'll Burn the Sky 08:12
7. Suspender Love 03:39   
8. In Search of the Peace of Mind 03:07   
9. Fly to the Rainbow 09:45   
10. He's a Woman, She's a Man 05:28   
11. Speedy's Coming 03:37   
12. Top of the Bill 06:44  
13. Hound Dog (Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton cover) 01:22   
14. Long Tall Sally (Little Richard cover) 02:30  
15. Steamrock Fever 03:52  
16. Dark Lady 04:09  
17. Kojo no Tsuki (Rentarō Taki cover) 03:46   

Time:  01:19:15

 

Disc 2

1. Robot Man 05:52  
2. Hell Cat (Recorded Live Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, April 27, 1978) 09:45
3. Catch Your Train (Recorded Live Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, April 27, 1978) 03:51  
4. Kimi Ga Yo (Japanese National Anthem) (Recorded Live Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, April 24, 1978) 01:30
5. Polar Nights (Recorded Live Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, April 24, 1978) 07:30   
6. He's a Woman, She's a Man (Recorded Live Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, April 24, 1978) 06:04  
7. Top of the Bill (Recorded Live Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, April 24, 1978) 10:46   
8. Robot Man (Recorded Live Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, April 27, 1978) 06:49   

Time:  52:07

Issued in 6-panel digipak format + 16-page booklet.

Tracks 2-2 to 2-8 previously unreleased.

Recording information:

Recorded live on April 24th and 27th, 1978 at Sun-Plaza-Hall in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan with the Tamco Recording Mobile.

Remixed at Dierks Studios in Stommeln, Cologne, Germany.

Scorpions "Tokyo Tapes (2001 Reissue Remastered, EMI, 7243 5 35149 2 1)"

Tokyo Tapes is the first live album by German hard rock band Scorpions and their final album released by RCA Records.

Tokyo Tapes includes songs from all Scorpions' albums released before 1978, which were recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza (Tokyo's Nakano Ward, Japan) on 24 and 27 April, during the band's Japanese tour in 1978. These shows were guitarist Uli Jon Roth's last performances with the band, who had announced his departure after the release of the studio album Taken by Force.

The songs "Hell-Cat", "Catch Your Train" and the Japanese national anthem ("Kimi ga yo") were also performed during these shows but were not included in the official album. On the 2001 EMI re-mastered CD, "Polar Nights" was omitted so as to fit a single CD, although it was included on the re-mastered version of Taken by Force. The earlier two-CD release, however, is the original album in its entirety. The original release was in August 1978 in Japan only with cover artwork of an embossed platinum Scorpion on a rose as opposed to a live shot of the band when it was eventually released in Europe in late 1978. It was released in January 1979 in the U.S.A..

Roth commented about the recording of the album:

"Tokyo Tapes was a peak time, we have played together for all these years and it all came together at that time. Particularly on the first show, which unfortunately wasn't recorded. There were three shows in Tokyo, the first one was by far the best, but the second one was good too. Those are the ones on the album, the second and the third that were used. The first one I thought was a lot better and I was disappointed that it wasn't recorded."

In 2015, as part of Scorpions' 50th Anniversary, Tokyo Tapes was remastered and re-released, with all omitted songs restored ("Polar Nights" and the three songs excluded) and alternate version of several songs originally found on the album. Due to time constraints, "Robot Man", the last track of the original release, was shifted to the beginning of Disc 2 which otherwise contains bonus tracks).

Track listing

1. All Night Long 03:43   
2. Pictured Life 03:15   
3. Backstage Queen 03:40
4. In Trance 05:31   
5. We'll Burn the Sky 08:12   
6. Suspender Love 03:39
7. In Search of the Peace of Mind 03:07   
8. Fly to the Rainbow 09:45   
9. He's a Woman, She's a Man 05:28   
10. Speedy's Coming 03:37
11. Top of the Bill 06:44   
12. Hound Dog (Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton cover) 01:22   
13. Long Tall Sally (Little Richard cover) 02:30   
14. Steamrock Fever 03:52
15. Dark Lady 04:09   
16. 荒城の月 (Kojo no Tsuki) (Rentarō Taki cover) 03:46  
17. Robot Man 05:52   

Time:  01:18:12  

Due to CD time limitations, "Polar Nights" is omitted and appears on the remastered version of Taken By Force.

First released in Japan. 

Released later in Europe and in January 1979 in the USA

Recording information:

Recorded live on April 24th and 27th, 1978 at Sun-Plaza-Hall in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan with the Tamco Recording Mobile.

Remixed at Dierks Studios in Stommeln, Cologne, Germany.

Scorpions "He's A Woman, She's A Man (Single & Video)"

«He's a Woman She's a Man» es una canción de la banda alemana de hard rock y heavy metal Scorpions, publicada como sencillo en 1977 por RCA Records e incluida como la séptima pista del disco Taken by Force. Escrita por Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker y Herman Rarebell, su letra relata la historia de un travesti, cuya inspiración está basada en un hecho real que les ocurrió en París. Considerada como una de las mejores canciones de Taken by Force, Scorpions en ocasiones la ha interpretado en vivo. Asimismo ha figurado en varios de los álbumes recopilatorios y en 2000 la incluyeron en el popurrí «Deadly Sting Suite», interpretada de forma instrumental con la Orquesta Filarmónica de Berlín para el disco en vivo Moment of Glory.

Después de que Herman Rarebell ingresara a Scorpions en mayo de 1977, el sello RCA Records los invitó a París por asuntos promocionales. En su tiempo libre los músicos fueron a la zona roja, en donde una mujer los reconoció, les saludó en alemán y les comentó que era fanática de la banda, pero una vez que la vieron de cerca se dieron cuenta de que era un hombre travestido. De regreso en Alemania, Rudolf Schenker les presentó un riff de guitarra y ante la falta de una idea para la letra, Rarebell les recordó el hecho ocurrido en la capital francesa. Es por esa razón que la letra, escrita por el baterista y el vocalista Klaus Meine, relata la historia de este travesti.​ A pesar de que fue escogida para ser el único sencillo del álbum, el guitarrista líder Uli Jon Roth fue crítico con ella y consideró que su letra era «horrible».​ Al igual que las demás canciones del álbum Taken by Force, se grabó en los estudios Dierks en Colonia entre junio y octubre de 1977.

Con el paso de los años, «He's a Woman She's a Man» ha recibido críticas positivas por parte de la prensa especializada. Gary Hill del sitio web Allmusic, la destacó de entre todas las pistas de Taken by Force y la nombró una «canción gruñona de androginia».​ Por su parte, Malcolm Dome para Classic Rock la consideró «sugerente», mientras que Fraser Lewry, también de la misma publicación, la llamó «andrógina».​ El crítico canadiense Martin Popoff señaló que su letra era «burda» y su música poseía un riff de heavy metal destacable en un período en que este estilo «era aún poco transitable».

Lista de canciones

Edición europea​

1. «He's a Woman She's a Man» Schenker, Meine, Rarebell 3:14
2. «Suspender Love» Schenker, Meine 3:17

Scorpions "Taken By Force (50th Anniversary Deluxe Editions, 2015, CD, BMG, Digipak, Reissue, Remastered)"

Taken By Force is the fifth studio album by German hard rock band Scorpions, released by RCA Records in 1977. This was the first Scorpions album to feature drummer Herman Rarebell and the final studio album to feature guitarist Uli Jon Roth. Roth left the band in 1978 following the end of the album's tour, and was eventually replaced by Matthias Jabs.

The lyrics to "We'll Burn the Sky" were initially a poem written by Monika Dannemann, the last girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix, as a tribute to him after he died. Later, she became involved with Scorpions' guitarist Uli Jon Roth (himself an admirer of Jimi Hendrix) and they worked together on some songs. The music for We'll Burn the Sky was written by the Scorpions founder and rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker.

The album cover photography was taken by Michael von Gimbut, returning for his third Scorpions album cover commission. Like their previous two albums, Taken By Force caused controversy with its cover art which again resulted in the artwork being replaced in most markets with an alternative cover using photographs of the band members. The band's former lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth defended the original artwork in a 2008 interview, stating

I think the original idea was children playing with guns at a military cemetery in France and some people found that offensive. I don't think it's offensive because I think it was actually a quite a good image because it puts war totally into perspective, very often it is young people, eighteen, ninenteen [sic], going to war that don't fully understand life. When you're fifteen you don't fully understand life, but these guys then have to shoot other people simply because someone tells them to do it for their country. Politicians are sometimes also children with guns, in all periods of time a lot of politicians are far too trigger happy and war too easily becomes an "easy solution", whereas for me it should never a solution, there should be no war in the first place. Maybe every once in a while a country may need to defend itself, I understand that, but in general if you consider that there are over a hundred wars raging in the present day on this planet alone then it's just sheer lunacy and always the tool of the Dark Side. Usually bad things come from war, very few good things, but sometimes good things come from bad things, that's true, nothing's that black and white. It's always the wrong solution to kill people.

Tracklist:

1. Steamrock Fever 03:35  
2. We'll Burn the Sky 06:27  
3. I've Got to Be Free 04:00   
4. The Riot of Your Time 04:10  
5. The Sails of Charon 05:08  
6. Your Light 04:30  
7. He's a Woman - She's a Man 03:14   
8. Born to Touch Your Feelings 07:41  
9. Suspender Love 03:21   
10. Busy Guys (demo) 04:24  
11. Believe in Love (Demo Version) 03:42  
12. Midnight Blues Jam (demo) 04:08  
13. Blue Dream (Unfinished instrumental) 04:09   
14. Born to Touch Your Feelings (Demo Version) 05:03  

Time:   01:03:32

Tracks 10-14 are previously unreleased. Track 9 is the original b-side of "He's A Woman - She's A Man".

Sticker: "50th Anniversary Deluxe Editions. Digitally Remastered. 5 Previously Unreleased Tracks. 16 Page Booklet With New Liner Notes, Rare Photos And Memorabilia."

Recording information:

Recorded at Dierks Studios, June-October 1977