SCORPIONS – LOVEDRIVE LP – EXC A1/B1 UK 1979

Scorpions – Lovedrive
(Harvest Records  1979  SHSP4097)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing

G&L Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– ringwear rubbing front & back

Vinyl in Excellent condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl which do give some light pops/crackles but sound quality is excellent overall)

Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band’s inception, its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal. The lineup from 1978–92 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included singer Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Francis Buchholz (bass guitar), and Herman Rarebell (drums). The band’s only constant member has been Schenker, although Meine has been the lead singer for all of the band’s studio albums, and Jabs has been a consistent member since 1979.

During the mid-1970s, with guitarist Uli Jon Roth part of the line-up, the music of the Scorpions was defined as hard rock. After the departure of Roth in 1978, Matthias Jabs joined and, following the guidance of producer Dieter Dierks, the Scorpions changed their sound towards melodic heavy metal, mixed with rock power ballads. Throughout the 1980s the group received positive reviews and critical acclaim from music critics, and experienced commercial success with the albums Animal Magnetism (1980), Blackout (1982), Love at First Sting (1984), World Wide Live (1985) and Savage Amusement (1988).

Their best-selling album Crazy World (1990) includes the song “Wind of Change”, a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is one of the best-selling singles in the world with over fourteen million copies sold. Scorpions have sold over 100 million records in total. They have released 18 studio albums, 27 compilation albums and 74 singles. Six of their singles have reached number one on the charts in different countries. Their albums, singles, compilations and video releases have reached 200 times gold, platinum and multi-platinum status in different countries.

Rolling Stone Magazine described the Scorpions as “the heroes of heavy metal”, and MTV called them “Ambassadors of Rock”. The band was ranked number 46 on VH1’s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme, with “Rock You Like a Hurricane” at number 18 on VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. “Still Loving You” ranked 22nd place among the greatest ballads. The Scorpions have received prestigious awards such as three World Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Rock wall, and a presence in the permanent exhibition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015 the group celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Lovedrive is the sixth studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1979. Considered by some critics to be the pinnacle of their career, Lovedrive was a major evolution of the band’s sound, exhibiting their “classic style” that would be later developed over their next few albums. Lovedrive cemented the “Scorpions formula” of hard rock songs combined with melodic ballads.

Lovedrive was the band’s first album to be released by Harvest/EMI following the band’s departure from label RCA, and proved a major commercial breakthrough, reaching number 55 on the Billboard Top 200, which none of their previous five albums had dented at all. The RIAA certified the record as Gold on 28 May 1986,^[and the album also proved a breakthrough in the UK where it was the first Scorpions album to chart and peaked at number 36.

Lovedrive ranked 25 on IGN’s 2007 list of the top 25 metal albums.

Track listing

Personnel

Band members

• Klaus Meine – lead vocals
• Matthias Jabs – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Michael Schenker – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Francis Buchholz – bass, backing vocals
• Herman Rarebell – drums, backing vocals

Production

• Dieter Dierks – producer, engineer, mixing
• Steve Fallone – mastering