Scorpions - Lovedrive. 1979 Germany

Picking up the story where I left off with the bookends to Lovedrive: Tokyo Tapes and Animal Magnetism. As stated there, Lovedrive was my introduction to the band. Now that they got Uli Roth out of the way, it was time to focus on adding some muscle, and to be a pioneer in the upcoming heavy metal movement. But they're still not all in, and so this could also be looked at as a transitional album, though the psychedelic aspects are now long in the rearview mirror. And Brother Michael Schenker is on board to assist with a 3 guitar attack, mostly on the heaviest numbers. The album opens somewhere in the middle of their heavy sound at the time with 'Loving You Sunday Morning'. 'Another Piece of Meat' is really where they threw the gauntlet down that they are to be taken seriously as a metal band. 'Always Somewhere' introduces us to what would ultimately make the Scorpions rich: the power ballad. Though, in this case, it's an obscure song in their canon. 'Coast to Coast' is a killer instrumental that best utilizes the 3 guitars on hand. 'Can't Get Enough' is another true metal piece. And I certainly had to agree with the title at the time - I wanted more metal like this! The title track is the other heavy song here with its galloping rhythm. That leaves the 2 oddball tunes. 'Is There Anybody There?' is like a weird metal reggae mutant, and quite unique I must say. 'Holiday' is almost, dare I say, proggy. There's something the Scorpions won't ever be accused of. It's sort of an acoustic moody folk number before it breaks into a cool metal riff with a haunting chorus and closes with mourning distant electric guitars. One-of-a-kind in their catalog that's for sure, and one of my all-time favorite Scorps tracks.

Ownership: LP: 1983 Fame (UK). Single sleeve. Acquired with trade credit with What's Left Records here in town (2021) Picked up at the beginning of 2021 on trade credit from a local store (without the HMV stickers...).

I purchased my first copy upon release in 1979 at a department store - Best if I recall right (not Best Buy, different store). It was - of course - the censored cover with the scorpion on the cover (long sold off). There was no chance the original cover would have passed the censors in those days. Especially in Texas. So it comes as a big surprise to learn that there are indeed original US pressings with the cover as shown here (fairly scarce). Europe, of course, had no such issues with bare female breasts. In a way, though, I'm glad they censored it. Because I was only 14 when this came out, which means I relied on my Mom (usually) to get me to a store that would have records (not a record store either). And there's no way I would have been able to purchase this. Blue Oyster Cult were hard enough to get past the parental censors lol. In any case, the original cover is pretty stupid, like most of their covers save Fly to the Rainbow and the Japanese releases of Taken By Force and Tokyo Tapes. But I wouldn't want it any other way. I mean - it's the Scorpions!

1979; 12/18/12; 10/20/20; 1/1/22 (new entry)