The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 545

Number 545

Scorpions

"Lonesome Crow"

(1972)

Genre:Rock

Ah yes, Lonesome Crow. This without a doubt is me favourite Scorpions song and no, not just because of the name of the album. (Although i wouldn't blame you for suspecting so). Most people will probably feel "Wind of Change" is the better song by any Scorpions recording and i always think of "Wind of Change" when i hear President G.W.Bushwhacker make one of his idiotic speeches, especially now that he is openly discussing WW III. Am i the only person who thinks this man is NUTS? No wonder Ron Paul is doing so well, if Mr Paul ever got elected you would probably hear the entire world sigh in unison.

Over 22 Million records sold

Originally formed in 1969 by Rudolf Schenker, the original lineup consisted of rhythm guitarist/vocalist Schenker, lead guitarist Karl-Heinz Follmer, bassist Lothar Heimberg, and drummer Wolfgang Dziony. In 1971, Schenker's younger brother Michael joined the band to play lead guitar and good friend Klaus Meine became the new vocalist. The group recorded Lonesome Crow in 1972, which was used as the soundtrack to the German movie Das Kalte Paradies. Although they failed to get into the public's eye, the early formation of '70s rock band UFO noticed Michael Schenker's guitar playing and hired him as their lead guitarist; Michael, therefore, would leave the band in 1973. Guitarist Uli Jon Roth replaced him, and under his guidance the group released four consecutive albums under the RCA record label: Fly to the Rainbow (1974), In Trance (1975), Virgin Killer (1976), and Taken by Force (1977). Although these albums failed to attain any serious attention in the United States, they were all quite popular in Japan.

By the time Taken by Force was released, Roth made the decision to leave the band and form Electric Sun after feeling that his musical ideas would take the group in an entirely different direction. Tokyo Tapes, a double live album that the group recorded in Tokyo with Roth, was released in 1978. Shortly after Roth's departure, Michael Schenker was kicked out of UFO for his constant alcohol abuse and came back to play with the Scorpions in 1979, who had recently signed with Mercury Records. The group released Lovedrive that same year and played their first American tour, but Lovedrive failed to attract attention, being banned in the United States because of its sexually explicit cover. Still coping with his drugs and alcohol addiction, Michael missed tour dates repeatedly and guitarist Matthias Jabs was hired to fill in for him on nights when he was absent. Michael eventually would leave the band a second time after realizing that he was failing to meet their expectations. ~ [Source Barry Weber, All Music Guide]

What does Rolling Stone think of Scorpions?

Heavy metal is the idiot-bastard spawn of rock, the eternal embarrassment that will not die. It's music that doesn't care what you think. Like some mythical beast that's part tyrannosaur – slow-moving and pea brained – and part Hydra – multiheaded and malevolent – heavy metal just keeps forging on, flattening everything in its path.

Coming from Deutschland makes Scorpions, in their own way, truly über alles. World Wide Live, four solid sides of raw, adrenalin-injected metal, is a "best of" live compendium of their last four records, with a couple of lengthy in-concert axe scrapings thrown in. The songs twist around the sex-party axis in the pidgin-English argot that only recognizes the most banal slogans in the collective rock unconscious. Fond they are, these Scorpions, of the rich metaphoric turf available in the verb to sting. Two of these guys have been ringing their heavy chord changes for nearly fifteen years, which makes them their own spiritual forefathers. ~ [Source (RS 456)]

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (We are not afraid of Scorpions) and the Album ranked at (OUCH!)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 73.7 out of 108 pts