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Rating: Once in a while, it's nice to rummage through old cassettes, kept in some hidden drawer, in the attic, or perhaps in plain sight near the stereo, as a testament to a bygone era. It was among these dusty tapes that I rediscovered this old cassette tape, which belonged to my aunt and was purchased exactly 20 years ago "because Wind Of Change was on it." It became my property about 10 years ago and immediately sparked my curiosity, especially due to its enigmatic cover and the internal artwork, depicting a series of half-open doors unrealistically set against a melancholic countryside landscape. Who were these Scorpions, portrayed against an urban wall in leather pants and denim jackets?
It didn't take long for me to realize that they couldn’t be summed up only in the aforementioned ballad— a huge radio hit, a symbol of a generation and undoubtedly the group's most famous song— which, however, for many people was the main reason for purchasing. Surrounding it was a no-frills rock, aggressive, attentive to melody, marked by the fine voice of Klaus Meine and the sharp guitars of Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs, enjoyable to listen to and capable of immediately capturing the listener's soul. This tape was what led me to the discovery of one of the greatest European bands, authors of genuine hard rock milestones.
The Scorpions have always been able to continuously reinvent themselves and have virtually withstood the various musical eras that have occurred over the last 40 years. The first part of their career is considered their most prestigious, capable of producing keystones like "In Trance" and "Lovedrive" (to name just two). In the eighties, there was a commercial shift, with works more focused on audience appeal but always rock-solid and consistent with the past: the huge success of "Blackout" and "Love At First Sting", but also their first misstep in their career, "Savage Amusement". It is this latter that represents the new turning point for the Scorpions, not so much for its lesser value and its blatantly easy listening setup compared to their other works but because the band realized they had lost the boundaries of their sound.
The result of this awareness is "Crazy World": a change of producer (Keith Olsen replacing the historic Dieter Dierks) and a return to the hard and raw sounds of the past, with a renewed energy from both guitarists and a robust rhythm section entrusted to veterans Francis Buchholz and Herman Rarebell.
The album was launched by the single Wind Of Change/Send Me An Angel, two ballads in perfect Scorpions style, delicate and energetic at the same time, in which once again—particularly in the latter—the outstanding vocal qualities of Klaus Meine are highlighted. But the main attractions are others, starting with the aggressive Tease Me Please Me, where the renewed spirit of the band is immediately noticeable: excellent guitar work and a spirited Matthias Jabs, along with the classic "ladies' man" themes (the music video is entertaining and leaves little to the imagination); and again, the adrenaline-fueled Kick After Six and Hit Between The Eyes, interspersed with slightly more relaxed atmospheres (but not too much) of Don’t Believe In Her, To Be With You In Heaven, and Lust Or Love. Great riffs and peak inspiration, the feeling is like being back in the golden days. There's also room to express a kind of indictment against modern society, inflated by the rush of profit and career, with Money And Fame and Crazy World, which close this hard & heavy ride in an excellent manner with very few moments of respite.
This album ultimately represents the last masterpiece of the Scorpions' second "classic" lineup: angry, rock-solid, embellished by the outstanding performance of all the members. The decade that would follow is perhaps the most lackluster period in their career, with lineup changes and attempts at modernization, with results falling below expectations.
But the Scorpion will still have the strength to react and sting…
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Tease Me Please Me (04:46)
I've been around the world
I've known a lot of girls
Livin' and lovin'
It's hard to keep them all in line
I've seen a lot of sights
Many crazy nights
Cruisin' and boozin'
It's a wonder that I'm still alive
Never wasted any time
Never missed a beat
Total satisfaction
Always guaranteed
Tease me
Please me
No one needs to know
Tease me
Please me
Before I have to go
Spead the world around
The boys are back in town
Reelin' and rockin'
We're rollin' with it win or lose
The girls are dressed to kill
Lookin' for a thrill
Slidin' and glidin'
Sometimes they make it hard to choose
So hard to choose
I never wasted any time
Never missed a beat
Total satisfaction
Always guaranteed
Tease me
Please me
No one needs to know
Tease me
Please me
Before I have to go
Tease me
Please me
We'll take it nice and slow
nice and slow
Tease me
Please me
Just let the feeling grow
let it grow
I never wasted any time
Never missed a beat
Total satisfaction
Always guaranteed
(2x)
Tease me
Please me
No one needs to know
Tease me
Please me
Before I have to go
Tease me
Please me
We'll take it nice and slow
nice and slow
Tease me
Please me
Just let the feeling grow
03 To Be With You in Heaven (04:51)
You can shoot me down.
You can drag me round.
Girl I'll get you, it won't be long.
You can smash my heart, you can trash our love.
But my desire for you, is much too strong.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
You can waste my time but you can't change my mind.
I will stop you, so just go on.
You can play your games but it's all in vain.
Cause my desire for you is much too strong.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
Girl I'm on fire, heaven seems so close tonight.
Girl, I would die for your love.
You can shoot me down.
You can drag me round.
Girl I'll get you, it won't be long.
You can smash my heart, you can trash our love.
But my desire for you, is much too strong.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven...
04 Wind of Change (05:13)
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the winds of change
The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the winds of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the winds of change
Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the winds of change
The wind of change blows straight
Into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the winds of change
07 Kicks After Six (03:49)
Another morning, such as ordinary day
She's doin' time from nine to five
The hours waste away
There's no escape, She's a part of the big machine
She's a slave to the suit and tie
Seven days a week
But every night, Ohoooo
She can hardly wait
It feels alright
To give it all away, Ohoooo
Good girls get their kicks after six
Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six
Some days its hard to face the cruel reality
Just waitin' for the bell to ring
She wants to be free
It feels so good to start another endless night
She spreads her wings for another flight
She's running wild
But every night, Ohoooo
She can hardly wait
It feels alright, Ohoooo
To give it all away
Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
Good girls get their kicks after six
(Ooh yeah shake it for me baby)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six
Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
Good girls get their kicks after six
(Ooh yeah nothin's gonna stop her)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six
Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
Good girls get their kicks after six
(C'mon baby take it to the limit)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six
08 Hit Between the Eyes (04:34)
Late at night when you're all alone
Take a ride to the danger zone
If someone wants to cut you down to size
You never argue with a loaded .45
Just when you've had enough
It's really getting tough
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die
You can feel the tension in the street
There's no escape, getting closer to the heat
You play with fire, get your fingers burned
It's too late, past the point of no return
Just when you've had enough
It's really getting tough
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die
Late at night when you're all alone
Take a ride to the danger zone
If someone wants to cut you down to size
You never argue with a loaded .45
Just when you've had enough
It's really getting tough
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die
09 Money and Fame (05:07)
You know nothing about loving
You lost somewhere down the line
You know nothing about giving
You should draw the line
You keep looking out for something
Something you're never gonna find
When will, will you show your feelings
You will lose your mind
Who's to blame my love
You play a dangerous game
Who's to blame my love
All you want is money and fame
You play, play with emotions
You need, need a stepping stone
You're out, out for sensations
Don't you, don't you feel alone
Who's to blame my love
You play a dangerous game
Who's to blame my love
All you want is money and fame
Who's to blame my love
You play a dangerous game
Who's to blame my love
All you want is money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
10 Crazy World (05:08)
I get up in the morning
For my dose of the news
Crawl right back in the sack girl
Had enough of the truth
Spend your dollars and rubels
Buy a piece of the wall
Build it up in your backyard
I'm so sick of it all
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Drivin' down to the city
Doin' 155
Better late than never
I'm more dead than alive
We can find the Titanic
Put a man on the moon
But we can't fix out backyard
Man we better start soon
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
I don't want to hear about it
I wish it would be worlds away
You know the more I think about it
The more I feel we need to change
I get up (In a crazy, crazy world)
We all live (In a crazy, crazy world)
Ooh yeah (It's a crazy, crazy world)
I gotta get out (Of this crazy, crazy world)
Goin' home to my baby
It's been another hard day
Bust my balls for the tax man
So what else can I say
They spent our money on missiles
For the third world war
Now they're stacked in my backyard
We don't need them no more
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
11 Send Me an Angel (04:33)
The wise man said just walk this way
To the dawn of the light
The wind will blow into your face
As the years pass you by
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and you will find
Passage out of the dark
Here I Am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
The wise man said just find your place
In the eye of the storm
Seek the roses along the way
Just beware of the Thorns
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
The wise man said just raise your hand
And reach out for the spell
Find the door to the promised land
Just believe in yourself
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close you're eyes and you will find
The way out of the dark
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
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