Thursday, June 30, 2016

New Book Details Scorpions Rise In The 1970s

By the mid 1980s, the Scorpions were headlining arenas and stadiums worldwide. The German hard rock band scored two mega-selling albums (the platinum-certified Blackout and the triple-platinum certified Love at First Sting) and charted two hit singles, "No One Like You" and "Rock You Like a Hurricane." 

What many newcomers to the band may not know is the Scorpions had been regularly recording music since 1972, and that throughout the remainder of the decade, featured two guitarists (Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth) at separate points.

Albums like Lonesome Crow, Fly to the Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer, Taken by Force, Tokyo Tapes, and Lovedrive didn't come close to the commercial success the band enjoyed in the 80s, but they inspired and influenced countless renowned musicians.

German Metal Machine: Scorpions in the '70s is the first-ever book to focus solely on this period of the band. The book features interviews with former members Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Francis Buchholz, and Herman Rarebell, along with longtime Scorpions producer Dieter Dierks, plus members of other bands that are major admirers, including KK Downing (Judas Priest), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Joe Satriani, Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Alex Skolnick (Testament), and Eddie Trunk ('That Metal Show'), among many others. Metallica's Kirk Hammett provides a foreword.

Author Greg Prato is a New York-based journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Songfacts, and Vintage Guitar. His other books include Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990's, Iron Maiden: '80 '81, The Eric Carr Story, and Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story.

German Metal Machine: Scorpions in the '70s is available as a paperback version [222 pages, $16.99], a Kindle download [$9.99], a Nook download [$9.99], and an iBook download [$9.99].

An excerpt can be read here.

Ordering info:

Paperback and Kindle:  https://amzn.com/1519491670
Nook:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/german-metal-machine-greg-prato/1123995477
iBook:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/german-metal-machine-scorpions/id1128078363?mt=11

Jeff Lynne's ELO Announces 2024 North American Fall Tour

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