by John Kindred
– Publisher —
Uli Jon Roth is a guitar legend who continues building on his legacy, this time, revisiting the past and reinventing Classic Rock songs from his days spent with the Scorpions in the ‘70s. Aptly titled Scorpions Revisited, Roth offers fans a two-CD compilation of music from the catalog of the Scorpions when he was a primary contributor with the band. Taking songs from 1974’s Fly to the Rainbow, ‘75’s In Trance, ‘76’s Virgin Killer and ‘77’s Taken by Force, Roth and his band bring new life to classic Scorpion musical explorations.
“The material for this double CD was recorded last year in the same hall in Hanover that we used for the Scorpions rehearsals 1973-1978,” Roth said. “Together, with an amazing bunch of very talented young musicians, I revisited my personal favorites from the early Scorpions period, some of which were written in that same hall. It was an emotional few days, and I am very pleased with the results in more ways than one. The idea was to stay truthful to the original spirit of the music, while also putting a new slant on it whenever it felt like the right thing to do. I feel we really succeeded in this, and I’m very excited about this project. It was an intense journey into the past, and I think we really managed to bring the songs back to life with a vengeance.”
While Roth’s career is 40+ years and counting, his achievements were built on the back of his time spent as a member of the Scorpions. Having replaced another legend, Michael Schenker, the Scorpions thrived with his explorative solo work and Classical-influenced style. This grand retelling, if you will, of the two-CD release finds an inspired Roth again taking the musical journey. This time, Roth is armed with a more complete knowledge and mastery of his instrument, and he expands on the original compositions with his six-octave Sky guitar.
There are dynamics that obviously are missing from the reincarnation of these classic songs, mainly the guitar work of Rudolph Schenker and the stellar vocals of Klaus Meine. Roth expounds on the guitars with addition of not one, but two, more players; Niklas Turman and David David Klosinski. The vocals are handled by Nathan James, who has toured with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and is the frontman for the British rock band Inglorious. Corvin Bahn mans the keyboards and drummer Jamie Little, along with bassist Ule W. Ritgen round out the rhythm section.
Having just seen the legendary guitarist live in concert, listening to these re-energized classics hits you like a breath of fresh air. It’s easy to hear how Roth influenced the Neo-classical guitar movement of the early ‘80s. The majority of the track list comes from In Trance and Virgin Killer, with two choice cuts from Taken by Force; “Sails of Charon” and “We’ll Burn In The Sky.” And two songs appear from Fly to the Rainbow, “Drifting Sun,” along with the title track. Nestled between those songs is “Rainbow Dream Prelude,” a new awesome exposition in the world of Classical guitar that provides a lead-in intro to “Fly to the Rainbow.”
As of late, a lot of bands have jumped on the “let’s re-record our past albums …” for less-than-honorable reasons. Scorpions Revisited has a true and honest approach to take a nostalgic trip back in time and rediscover, retool and reinvent many timeless gems in a non-musically “sacrilegious” way.
Genre: Hard Rock, Classic Metal
Lineup:
Ulrich “Uli Jon” Roth – guitars, vocals
Nathan James – Vocals
Jamie Little – Drums
Ule W. Ritgen – Bass
Niklas Turmann – Guitar, Vocals
Corvin Bahn – Keyboards, Vocals
David Klosinski – Guitar
Track listing – CD1:
1. The Sails Of Charon (Taken by Force)
2. Longing For Fire (In Trance)
3. Crying Days (Virgin Killer)
4. Virgin Killer (Virgin Killer)
5. In Trance (In Trance)
6. Sun In My Hand (In Trance)
7. Yellow Raven (Virgin Killer)
8. Polar Nights (Virgin Killer)
9. Dark Lady (In Trance)
Track listing – CD2:
1. Catch Your Train (Virgin Killer)
2. Evening Wind (In Trance)
3. All Night Long (Toyko Tapes)
4. We’ll Burn In The Sky (Taken by Force)
5. Pictured Life (Virgin Killer)
6. Hell Cat (Virgin Killer)
7. Life’s Like A River (In Trance)
8. Drifting Sun (Fly to the Rainbow)
9. Rainbow Dream Prelude
10. Fly To The Rainbow (Fly to the Rainbow)
Label: UDR Music
Web: http://www.ulijonroth.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10
