REVIEW: Uli Jon Roth -- Scorpions Revisited (2015, UDR) 
Despite the fact that in mid-80s Scorpions epitomized
heavy metal and, to certain extent, "the wind of change"
for a median teenager in the Eastern block, I always
somewhat disliked them, and their pre-Lovedrive albums even
more so. Sure, 80s output had its moments, especially
"World Wide Live", which, due to specifics of the genre
prevalent in the day, sounded even bigger than studio output,
but in general, Scorpions of that period reeked of shallowness,
especially their tear-wrenching ballads aimed exclusively
at female audience. As a dancefloor DJ, however, I kept
an eye on them, and even managed to enjoy occasional
good tracks like "Dynamite".
However, if the later band's output was straightforward,
simplistic, cliched, and poppy, the earlier stuff was
downright confusing. Much like the later material, it had
moments, but for the most part it was bordering on
unlistenable. It seemed that the band itself was confused too,
and occasional gems like "Pictured Life" suggested the
presence of a creative power too big for a band to wield and
channel. After 1977, with the departure of then lead guitar
player Uli Jon Roth the band jumped in hair metal bandwagon
which eventually propelled them to international stardom.
The problem was that Uli Jon Roth simply found himself in
a wrong band. The first album, produced by none other but
Conny Plank, and released of Brain label (same as Amon
Duul II, for example), had nothing in common with metal
whatsoever, and was close to a lesser Krautrock acts like
Krokodil or Sameti. Roth turned up on the second album,
which featured harder riffs, recognizable wail of Klaus
Meine, and song structure that didn't sit well with metal
paradigm. If anything, "Fly to the Rainbow" would pass as
first progressive metal album. However, lyrics like
As years are passing by /Silence becomes your friend /
You see the world in a different way / Don't be afraid of
getting old / Life's still full of joy are 180 degree
opposite to "live fast/die young" stamp of even most of
contemporary hard rock.
The present rework of Scorpions material for which Roth
was responsible for shows a signature sound and attitude
of a classic rock hippie who Uli Jon Roth really is, and
has always been.
This is clearly underscored by enlisted British singer
who sounds like a cross of David Coverdale and Joe Lynn
Turner, and overall rock vibe with necessary crooning
and noodling of the genre. The good news is that the band
ditched a straight jacket of heavy metal genre and gave the
material the treatment it deserved in the first place. The
music lands squarely into territory marked by Rainbow, and,
to a lesser extent, by earlier Uriah Heep, especially given
a generous dose of solo guitar by Roth, and, lets face it
folks, he is one hell of a guitar player. Some dismiss this
as a shred album, which is perhaps not true, as the guitar
indulgence maintains a near perfect balance with songs
themselves. If somebody is interested in shred, I'd recommend
his double CD of encores and solos, "Transcendental sky
guitar"; there, on the other hand, is the real stuff.
Given a proper treatment, all tracks on this 2+ hour album
sound better than originals, with possible exception of
"Pictured life", mostly because Nathan James got overdramatic
on it, and partially because I am too emotionally attached
to the original (I am an old guy who puts on his bandana
every once in a while).
As you might have guessed, any classic rock junkie must
have this, especially those who cannot get enough of Rainbow,
mid-period Deep Purple, and heavy progressive in positivistic
side in general.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGLqPCvVIZw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2CN-Xgm1mE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB0sgnDfCuM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huwQ6_UYSJI
Current Music: Uli Jon Roth - Scorpions Revisited