The music of the
Scorpions was pretty much the soundtrack of my life in the early 1980s, so there
has always been an emotional bond between me and their music. Despite that, in
the late 1980s/early 1990s, their magic seemed to be fizzling out and as a
result they lost many of their die-hard fans. At that time they also produced 2
hit singles in the form of 'Winds Of Change' and 'Send Me An Angel', ironically
their worst ballads ever, at least in my opinion.
The above
hopefully serves to put "Sting in the Tail" - the Scorpions' newest album - into
context but when a band like them has been together for around 40 years,
'context' could admittedly be a highly subjective affair. What I feel is quite
clear, though, is that this album is their strongest one for well over a decade
and it did not take long to win me over.
'No Limit', 'Rock
Zone' and the title-track are scorching rockers. Of course power ballads are
where the Scorpions have always excelled and they've come up with a couple of
excellent ones in the form of 'Lorelei' and 'The Good Die Young'. The mid-tempo
choruses and riffs of 'Sly' also offer a welcome spice of variety to the album.
The Scorpions have
announced that "Sting in the Tail" is to be their swansong to the world and time
will tell if it will be a Kiss-style pseudo 'good-bye'. Whatever the case, the
band has bequeathed us enough classic albums to ensure their name will transcend
their demise. Criticise the album for lack of originality if you must but "Sting
in the Tail" is an honest snapshot of one of the greatest Rock bands...ever.
