Scorpions
Love at First Sting

THE REVIEW

It's strange how some masterpieces are the result of actually troubled times. Triple platinum, "Love At First Sting" is one of the best-selling albums in the history of Rock, a whopping six million copies, and also one of the most loved by fans around the world. Apoteosis is the right term to define this record which, in my opinion, represents the peak of a glorious climb, success after success, through a series of excellent albums, for a band that never gave up or got discouraged during difficult moments. "Love At First Sting" is a global album, which was indeed crowned by a stunning world tour, where the Scorpions performed at their best, both in terms of technical performance and showmanship. This is demonstrated by the excellent "World Wide Live," subsequently drawn from this long series of live dates.

Yet behind all this, there is, as mentioned, a difficult period. After the grand "Blackout," the pressures from the record label and management on the five Teutonic musicians became unbearable. In particular, producer Dieter Dirks was convinced that the new record should far surpass "Blackout" (already a difficult feat) and insisted that the Scorpions needed to improve especially on a technical level: bassist Francis Bucholz was particularly targeted, who, on the other hand, kept saying that the problem, in his opinion, was the production. Bucholz and drummer Herman Rarebell were even asked to remain quietly at home while Jabs, Schenker, and Meine undertook the failed creative experiment for a new album at the Polar Studios in Stockholm. And so the summer of 1983 passed in a bleak way, without inspiration. The Scorpions were unconvincingly accompanied by bassist Jimmy Bain (ex-Rainbow, and then with Dio) and drummer Bob Rondinelli (then with Rainbow, later with Black Sabbath).  The little familiarity with the then relatively recent digital technology did the rest: the Scorpions dropped everything and took back control, calling back their trusted rhythm section, which so far had indeed performed its role quite excellently and was brutally robbed of its role by an arrogant producer. And the album was released in no time, thanks, of course, to the amazing "return to family," the newfound motivation. And in 1984, "Love At First Sting" made history. It’s not so strange, therefore, that this wonderful record is clear proof that inspiration can either stifle or exalt creativity: from the ashes to the altars, in this case.   

All the tracks on the album are true highlights, the shadows of Stockholm just a few months before are indeed light-years away. Just press play to realize it: a cascade of guitar sounds in scale hits us in the opening of Bad Boys Running Wild, one of the most played live songs by the Scorpions, indeed a banner especially live. Simplicity synonymous with effectiveness is the formula of the grand Rock You Like A Hurricane, a majestic guitar partnership of gentlemen Schenker and Jabs, with the usual screaming Meine! An anthem, the cry of a generation. Spectacular as well is I'm Leaving You, especially in the break that diversifies it from the rest of the piece (worth framing is the verse Keep in your mind till I come back to love ya). Coming Home is one of the two ballads from "Love At First Sting" that made history, sublimely divided between the arpeggio at the beginning of the track and the great Hardrock part where distortion kicks in. A rock lesson is also The Same Thrill, though the album's great single was undoubtedly Big City Nights, which has literally smashed the charts, a classic breakthrough hit. As Soon As The Good Times Roll is another poetry, as is the protest song Crossfire, with the excellent refrain to the sound of the warning "Understand...". It abhors the monster of war. And how better could the album end than with the other great ballad, the great hit, the supreme Still Loving You? Emotion, passion, anger, resentment, and despair are the sentiments evoked by this masterpiece, feelings we all have experienced in love, and that in a few lines, the Scorpions simply manage to express. The cherry on the cake, I would dare to say.

Always catchy even the cover art (but also the video of Big City Nights doesn’t joke, only women in bikinis), and in this too, the Scorpions do not disappoint at all. And as often happens in rock, the album title is taken from a phrase in one of the songs, in this case, Rock You Like A Hurricane (The wolf is hungry / He runs the show / He's licking his lips / He's ready to win / On the hunt tonight / For Love at first sting) ...and no title was more fitting for such an album: it is indeed love at first sight!