Blacking Out
For those of you who thought that RiffZoo would be a fossilized time capsule flashback stuck in the 70’s, glorifying some old classic guitar rock, well, guess again. We’ll be jumping around to the 80’s and 90’s eventually too – I promise we’ll get to Tom Morello – and even the 50’s and 60’s.
But this week takes us to 1982, to one of the best pop metal bands of all time, Scorpions. And not their radio hit either, No One Like You (at least not this week), but rather the title track on that breakout album, Blackout.
Hailing from Hanover, Germany (West Germany at the time), the Scorps had been around for about a decade by the time of Blackout. This album started their journey into the big time mainstream charts in the U.S., landing them huge success and an opening slot on a U.S. arena tour with Rainbow as well. Arguably, they have produced two of the greatest lead guitarists of all time, Uli Roth and Michael Schenker. Yet we mustn’t overlook the significant talents of Mats Jabs on lead guitar, who joined the band in 1979 and is the lead guitarist on Blackout, a role he has maintained ever since. This album is his statement, “I’m here”.
No matter how you look at it, the guy is a monster guitar player, and while others may expend endless energy debating that he isn’t Uli or Michael, it is a fact that Matthias has produced some of the most memorable pop metal riffs and solos of all time. How would you like to follow in the footsteps of Uli Roth and Michael Schenker in your gig? Let’s face it, Mats is one of the greats too, and I’ll bet you can remember and sing in your head more of his stuff than that of the other two (Doctor Doctor notwithstanding), even two decades later.
Hold on though, this opine is not solely about Matthias Jabs. We can’t possibly forget “the other” Schenker, Rudolph with his Flying V. Guitar-wise, Rudy is the Scorpions, and is the indispensable part of their trademark sound. This guy is a heavy rock songwriting master, able to achieve so much with his no-frills rhythm (and lead) playing. I definitely put him up there (nearly) with Malcolm Young of AC/DC. What gets me is that he often is able to pack all that drive and power into just one chord, which brings us to Blackout.
It’s Rudy’s opening, repetitive, penetrating E chord at the 7th fret that pulverizes me every time. It literally hammers rhythmically through your skull. Then Mats comes in with that other overlaying riff that simply makes you want to run around smashing all the windows in your house. Both of them used what now seems to be that signature Deutsche Metal sound of humbucker through fixed-positioned wah into the 50watt Marshall (Michael used it too). Know what I mean? It hits you in your fillings until they rattle. Klaus wails with his vocals, with Herman and Francis thundering away on the bottom. Combine it all, and you have supreme bombastic rock.
Believe it or not, Rudy’s inspiration and prime influence apparently was The Beatles. So he was into the songwriting first. No doubt it’s this sensibility that has made Scorpions so accessible to wider audiences.
Sure, mention Scorpions, and invariably people will revert to Rock You Like a Hurricane. Yup, that’s a great song too, but Blackout still floors me to this day, hence it’s entry into the Zoo. Sure, the album Love at First Sting solidified them into the pantheon of worldwide headliner status, but Blackout (the album) has that raw, in-your-face, non-stop and endlessly listenable power that has truly stood the test of time.
Blackout is recorded Red Bull, packed with energy. Check it out. Buy the whole album too – definitely a “deserted island” choice in my book. Every song is great. Enjoy it and play it LOUD!
For those of you who thought that RiffZoo would be a fossilized time capsule flashback stuck in the 70’s, glorifying some old classic guitar rock, well, guess again. We’ll be jumping around to the 80’s and 90’s eventually too – I promise we’ll get to Tom Morello – and even the 50’s and 60’s.
But this week takes us to 1982, to one of the best pop metal bands of all time, Scorpions. And not their radio hit either, No One Like You (at least not this week), but rather the title track on that breakout album, Blackout.
Hailing from Hanover, Germany (West Germany at the time), the Scorps had been around for about a decade by the time of Blackout. This album started their journey into the big time mainstream charts in the U.S., landing them huge success and an opening slot on a U.S. arena tour with Rainbow as well. Arguably, they have produced two of the greatest lead guitarists of all time, Uli Roth and Michael Schenker. Yet we mustn’t overlook the significant talents of Mats Jabs on lead guitar, who joined the band in 1979 and is the lead guitarist on Blackout, a role he has maintained ever since. This album is his statement, “I’m here”.
No matter how you look at it, the guy is a monster guitar player, and while others may expend endless energy debating that he isn’t Uli or Michael, it is a fact that Matthias has produced some of the most memorable pop metal riffs and solos of all time. How would you like to follow in the footsteps of Uli Roth and Michael Schenker in your gig? Let’s face it, Mats is one of the greats too, and I’ll bet you can remember and sing in your head more of his stuff than that of the other two (Doctor Doctor notwithstanding), even two decades later.
Hold on though, this opine is not solely about Matthias Jabs. We can’t possibly forget “the other” Schenker, Rudolph with his Flying V. Guitar-wise, Rudy is the Scorpions, and is the indispensable part of their trademark sound. This guy is a heavy rock songwriting master, able to achieve so much with his no-frills rhythm (and lead) playing. I definitely put him up there (nearly) with Malcolm Young of AC/DC. What gets me is that he often is able to pack all that drive and power into just one chord, which brings us to Blackout.
It’s Rudy’s opening, repetitive, penetrating E chord at the 7th fret that pulverizes me every time. It literally hammers rhythmically through your skull. Then Mats comes in with that other overlaying riff that simply makes you want to run around smashing all the windows in your house. Both of them used what now seems to be that signature Deutsche Metal sound of humbucker through fixed-positioned wah into the 50watt Marshall (Michael used it too). Know what I mean? It hits you in your fillings until they rattle. Klaus wails with his vocals, with Herman and Francis thundering away on the bottom. Combine it all, and you have supreme bombastic rock.
Believe it or not, Rudy’s inspiration and prime influence apparently was The Beatles. So he was into the songwriting first. No doubt it’s this sensibility that has made Scorpions so accessible to wider audiences.
Sure, mention Scorpions, and invariably people will revert to Rock You Like a Hurricane. Yup, that’s a great song too, but Blackout still floors me to this day, hence it’s entry into the Zoo. Sure, the album Love at First Sting solidified them into the pantheon of worldwide headliner status, but Blackout (the album) has that raw, in-your-face, non-stop and endlessly listenable power that has truly stood the test of time.
Blackout is recorded Red Bull, packed with energy. Check it out. Buy the whole album too – definitely a “deserted island” choice in my book. Every song is great. Enjoy it and play it LOUD!
posted by Johnny Riffer at 8:42 PM
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