Lonesome Crow [European Import] [Original recording remastered]

For a fan of the Scorpions, 'Lonesome Crow' provides a fascinating insight into the band's early work. Marking the genesis of their recording career, the Scorpions would progress rapidly from the free-flowing psychedelic rock on offer here onto the more intense and immediate hard rock / heavy metal that they became known for in the Eighties. However, for someone merely interested in what the band sounded like in their more experimental Seventies period, 'Lonesome Crow' is not a good place to start.

That's not to suggest that 'Lonesome Crow' is in any way a bad album; there are plenty of great moments to recommend what is actually a surprisingly coherent and mature recording for a band still in its infancy. The twin-guitar attack so crucial to the latter-day Scorpions sound is already in place and Klaus Meine's throat shredding vocal style is clearly evident. The songs are well-crafted and the English lyrics, despite being sometimes rather clumsy, are still impressive for such a youthful German band (and show that they were keen to attract an international audience). The overall ebb and flow of the record and the moods it creates are rather enchanting and it rewards the patient and attentive listener.

The chilled-out groove of 'I'm Going Mad' is pierced with Meine's impassion vocals, 'It All Depends' and 'Inheritance' showcase some versatile guitar work from the teenage Michael Schenker and though live-standard 'In Search of the Peace of Mind' is mostly as clunky as its title, the finale is deliciously sinister. The last third of the album is taken up with the title track; clocking in at over thirteen minutes, it's easily the longest song recorded by the band and it's also the most forgettable on the album, starting out promisingly enough with more impressive fretwork from Michael, yet subsequently meandering off and never regaining focus.

Any genuine fan of the Scorpions should not only own a copy of 'Lonesome Crow', but also appreciate its finer moments, as there are plenty for the aficionado to enjoy. Any else, esp. those looking for the sound of the band in their heyday, should approach this with an open mind.

bizarrely, this album bears no resemblance to the act that the scorpions turned into immediately afterward. whether this was down to michael schenkers involvement i dont know, but this album is so far out of the scorpions canon that listening to it you cant really believe its the same band.
not that the scorpions were a bad act cos they most definately had some great moments in the following years, and continue to do so, but this is one hell of an album and, for me, it just walks all over everything else that followed it.

the music offered up on this amazing debut is a quite stunning mix of prog/space rock with some truly heavy moments weaving in and out. meine never sang better and the guitars are raw and vicious throughout whilst still managing to remain very melodic. the coda in 'in search of peace of mind' sends chills down the spine and meines scream in 'im going mad' does likewise. fantastic arrangements and a great mix of songs makes this an indispensible album for people into real rock music with balls. this has got it all. its simply fantastic.

i see also that theres a re-mastered version out now. this being the case i will be seeking that out immediately and i suggest you do too. the production was crystal clear and powerful on vinyl so i imagine the re-master sounds even more awesome. this is a MONSTER of an album. get it and be prepared to be amazed

here we have pysch rockin early metal. For fans of this band like me, this was there most psych rock inspired release and least accessible generally. I like it but even in the 1980's fans were devided on this one. It has michael schenker on lead guitar and the band looked like typical shaggy early seventies rockers with beards here. They had yet to crystalize their sound but still made a very good early metal release. "i'm going mad' is a incredible rocker that they should still play. Sadly they don't play many songs from pre 1979 these days anymore. The rest of this is from it's era , typical well played psych rock early metal and that's a style I like , much like judas priest's first few releases.