Post by Pete on Apr 26, 2010 15:17:33 GMT -5
Klaus Meine says he wants the Scorpions to be remembered as a "killer live band" – and not as a ballads band.
The singer fully agrees with the German squad's decision to retire after one last world tour. With final album Sting in the Tail hailed as a return to form, and a three-year world trek planned, Meine wants to be remembered for songs such as Rock You Like a Hurricane rather than Winds of Change.
He tells Goldmine: "Remember us as a killer live band. Don't call us a ballads band. We're always a live band from the heart. We were always a band with great songs, great melodies – and that can live on in the hearts of the fans.
"We're proud we found out audience in the world and that we never lost the excitement and passion. On stage, the Scorpions will always sting."
Amongst Meine's fondest memories are playing Madison Square Garden in New York and jamming with USSR president Michael Gorbachev as the Soviet Union dismantled in the early 1990s.
He admits the they've had their low points, but one of the reasons they decided to split up after Sting in the Tail is that the new album connects strongly with their greatest achievements.
He explains: "I think in the last few years we're back on track, where we've tried to focus on what made the Scorpions really strong.
"You go to a radio station and you proudly present your new album and they go, 'Well, that's cool, but let's play Rock You Like a Hurricane.' In a way you're stuck in this kind of window. It's great that you have classics and they'll live for ever – but this album very much connect with the stuff we did in the 80s. I'm not saying it's an 80s album, but it brings the best of the Scorpions out.
"It's hard to compete with your own history, so the focus was more on attitude – make an album where people can feel, 'These guys have fun playing their music.'"
The Scorpions hope to bring former members Michael Shenker and Uli Jon Roth in for some guest appearance during their three-year final tour. But unlike some bands, there's no chance of them changing their minds about splitting up.
Meine says: "Rudolf Shenker and myself, we just passed 60. The Rolling Stones are a blues band, but we're a hard rock band and there's so much energy on stage. How can you sing Rock You Like a Hurricane standing still in front of your fans? No way.
"We felt, 'Man, we go two or three years on the road again – then what? How long can we do this?' We don't want to finish off slowing down in front of our audience, saying we can't do it any more. You've got to be realistic. Close the book."
The frontman namechecks Raised on Rock and The Good Die Young as tracks to note on Sting in the Tail, and asks fans to pay particular attention to a song called SLY.
He explains: "It's a ballad, but more in the true rock ballad fashion. When Still Loving You, off Love at First Sting, was a smash hit back in the 80s, many folks made love to that song. Many people told us in Europe, especially in France, 'We called our daughter Sly because of Still Loving You.
"So I thought it would be a nice idea to write a song about that girl, Sly."
The singer fully agrees with the German squad's decision to retire after one last world tour. With final album Sting in the Tail hailed as a return to form, and a three-year world trek planned, Meine wants to be remembered for songs such as Rock You Like a Hurricane rather than Winds of Change.
He tells Goldmine: "Remember us as a killer live band. Don't call us a ballads band. We're always a live band from the heart. We were always a band with great songs, great melodies – and that can live on in the hearts of the fans.
"We're proud we found out audience in the world and that we never lost the excitement and passion. On stage, the Scorpions will always sting."
Amongst Meine's fondest memories are playing Madison Square Garden in New York and jamming with USSR president Michael Gorbachev as the Soviet Union dismantled in the early 1990s.
He admits the they've had their low points, but one of the reasons they decided to split up after Sting in the Tail is that the new album connects strongly with their greatest achievements.
He explains: "I think in the last few years we're back on track, where we've tried to focus on what made the Scorpions really strong.
"You go to a radio station and you proudly present your new album and they go, 'Well, that's cool, but let's play Rock You Like a Hurricane.' In a way you're stuck in this kind of window. It's great that you have classics and they'll live for ever – but this album very much connect with the stuff we did in the 80s. I'm not saying it's an 80s album, but it brings the best of the Scorpions out.
"It's hard to compete with your own history, so the focus was more on attitude – make an album where people can feel, 'These guys have fun playing their music.'"
The Scorpions hope to bring former members Michael Shenker and Uli Jon Roth in for some guest appearance during their three-year final tour. But unlike some bands, there's no chance of them changing their minds about splitting up.
Meine says: "Rudolf Shenker and myself, we just passed 60. The Rolling Stones are a blues band, but we're a hard rock band and there's so much energy on stage. How can you sing Rock You Like a Hurricane standing still in front of your fans? No way.
"We felt, 'Man, we go two or three years on the road again – then what? How long can we do this?' We don't want to finish off slowing down in front of our audience, saying we can't do it any more. You've got to be realistic. Close the book."
The frontman namechecks Raised on Rock and The Good Die Young as tracks to note on Sting in the Tail, and asks fans to pay particular attention to a song called SLY.
He explains: "It's a ballad, but more in the true rock ballad fashion. When Still Loving You, off Love at First Sting, was a smash hit back in the 80s, many folks made love to that song. Many people told us in Europe, especially in France, 'We called our daughter Sly because of Still Loving You.
"So I thought it would be a nice idea to write a song about that girl, Sly."
