Author: Urban Bolta
Artist: Scorpions
Label: Sony Music
Release date: 04.11.2011
Running time: 54:04
Rating: 3/5
When the legendary German heavy metallers Scorpions put out »Sting in the Tail« in 2010 and announced a farewell world tour with a mind-boggling number of dates, everything pointed to it being their last album. But in the middle of the tour, the Germans locked themselves in the studio again and released the compilation album »Comeblack«, seemingly made up of two parts: re-recorded classics from their own catalog and covers of classics by other artists from the sixties and seventies of the last century. The album arrived as one last gift to their loyal fans, who cheered them on every step of the way through the years – for better and for worse. Somewhere in the middle of the tour, the Scorpions probably felt one final urge to tinker around among the recording gear where they’d survived an incredible forty-five years, which resulted in their nineteenth studio release, this time supposedly really the last.
The first half of the album is made up of evergreen Scorpions hits like Rock You Like A Hurricane, No One Like You, Still Loving You, Wind Of Change and others. These songs are still the iron framework of every Scorpions gig today, but after years of playing the same numbers over and over, the tracks have gone watery, so the band subconsciously started dressing them up with new arrangements and wrapping them in fresh sonic looks with small touches. We’re talking minimalist changes, of course, which, lubricated by the crystal-clear sound on »Comeblack«, breathe a 21st-century stamp into their classics. The Germans never stood still in time, after all, but faithfully followed trendy musical currents and wisely worked them into their own unique style, which they pulled off only on rare occasions. Besides a modern touch, the re-recorded classics also carry a good dose of sterility, courtesy of the production duo of Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen. The guitar lines of Matthias Jabs and Michael Schenker are sharply defined and leave no room for improvising in a conglomerate of muscle, as is typical of less polished productions. In that light, the epic The Zoo, originally from the album »Animal Magnetism« (1980), departs furthest from the original, with Jabs’s guitar solo work and Kottak’s drum pounding coming to life in a completely new light. The contribution of 64-year-old vocalist Klaus Meine is also perfectly satisfactory. He sings the whole album about an octave lower than the original versions, but still leaves a good impression and, to be honest, thanks to studio fixes too, he still sounds fresh.
The second part of the album is made up of covers of mostly classic-rock tracks that inspired the band long ago to follow their dreams, as they put it themselves. It kicks off with Tainted Love by soul diva Gloria Jones, whose heavy-rock sound, due to an unfortunate choice, just can’t find its place in the ears. The tribute to T. Rex’s Children Of The Revolution fares much better, with Meine’s recognizably clean and melodic vocal giving it that typical Scorpions charm. Across The Universe and Ruby Tuesday are obvious choices, and because of the cult status of the original artists, the Scorpions played with fire, but in their covers they managed to keep the Beatles-like feel of the infectious melody and the soul of the Rolling Stones. Still, the question arises of who such covers are even meant for, since everyone would rather spin the Beatles, the Kinks or the Stones than their modern-day heavy-rock takes. But one thing has to be admitted. The Scorpions managed to clothe the chosen songs in their own rock voltage, the band’s strength of character came bursting out again, and so, as the band’s final testament, they conquered one of the last adventurous challenges of their career.
»Comeblack« is the final studio album from the Scorpions, so it’s a must-have piece of furniture for all die-hard fans, since it captures a slice of their history, while the average listener craving Scorpions melodies will still rather reach for their classic albums. The Scorpions are a band that left their mark on the music scene of the last decades of the previous century, so the modern sound kills all the nostalgia we’ll inevitably, like it or not, always associate with the now-grey-haired Germans.
Lineup
Klaus Meine – vocals
Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitar
Matthias Jabs – lead guitar
James Kottak – drums, backing vocals
Paweł Mąciwoda – bass, backing vocals
Production
Mikael Nord Andersson, Martin Hansen
Tracklist
01. Rhythm Of Love
02. No One Like You
03. The Zoo
04. Rock You Like A Hurricane
05. Blackout
06. Still Loving You
07. Wind Of Change
08. Tainted Love (Gloria Jones)
09. Children Of The Revolution (T. Rex)
10. Across The Universe (The Beatles)
11. Tin Soldier (Small Faces)
12. All Day And All Of The Night (The Kinks)
13. Ruby Tuesday (The Rolling Stones)
