the_motleykid's Full Review: Animal Magnetism by Scorpions
Being a person of unrefined, bad taste, it comes as no surprise that I dig the rock music of the 80s, a.k.a hair metal/cock rock/pop metal/glam rock…well you get the picture. I am aware the themes of sex and partying is reoccurring, over and over, with every elevated mane sporting band turning in more then their fair share of odes to the topics. The topics do grow old pretty fast but my preoccupation with them relates to my unfortunate lack of occupation with said topics. The music for the most part never abandons the simple structure of power chord, power chord, scream, solo, lather & repeat. Not always in that order, of course.
So, with all the imitators trying to make a quick buck by wearing make up and tight pants to help achieve those extra high notes, one would think it would be simple for the truly talented bands to rise to the top. In most cases, the cream of the decade did indeed rise, but in the cases of bands like Iron Maiden and Germany’s Scorpions, they remained somewhat overlooked by the American music market. Although both bands did have some commercial success in the states during the early to mid 80s, they relied heavily on tireless touring, building a strong following with consistently strong performances, but they could never quite shake the stigma of being an underground band trying to walk among the stars of the day (Def Leppard, Poison, Bon Jovi, you get the picture?).
It kills me when bands like The Scorpions have such a small amount of success compared to other less talented acts, when they do what they do so very well. For a band that has been releasing albums since the early 70s (they have around 25 releases in their discography) & had a share of strong hits like No One Like You, Rock You Like A Hurricane & Winds Of Change, the fact that they have only sold 22 million albums in total comes off as an injustice to music. Small amount of success, you ask? Yep. Bands like Guns ‘N Roses made only a handful of albums & look at their status, everyone at least knows the name of the band whether they know any of their songs or not. But The Scorpions who released more material in a five year period then GNR managed to release in their entire career (Hey Axl, what’s happening with Chinese Democracy???), are rewarded with a blank expression whenever they get mentioned to most folks of today’s generation. Sad stuff.
Some great bands had limited success thanks to consistency problems with their material, Golden Earring is a perfect example of this, but The Scorpions are known among knowledgeable fans for releasing a steady line of terrific albums sporting little, if any filler. From 1979 to 1984, the band had its glory period, where every album was considered a classic among fans. Now, fans can and will squabble over which album from this period was the best, but it all comes down to your own person taste. If you like your rock served with a commercial sweetness, look no further then 1984s Love At First Sting or 1982s Blackout. But if a dirtier, more riff based brand of rock is to your liking, 1980s Animal Magnetism or 1979s Lovedrive will wet your whistle nicely.
By 1980 with Animal Magnetism, The Scorpions had well and truly perfected the art of writing insane hooks, but they still had their street cred, thanks to their razor sharp guitars and dirty tales of sex which Klaus Meine belts out in his infectious & versatile German voice. It’s well known among everyone (it’s not actually, but let me feel like a star just this once!) when I listen to The Scorpions, my accent takes a dive from it’s usual mindless, Australian drawl to an even more ridiculous German/Australian deal which is effective in keeping me vocally quiet. Lucky this review is in text or I’d be feeling mighty embarrassed right about now. This accent do-hickey has been a problem ever since I started listening to these guys a few years back, but the fact that I still devour their music frequently is proof enough on the power of their hooks.
But, being catchy isn’t the sole reason the band are such a pleasure to listen to, the guitar tone is probably my favourite out of all rock bands. Like I said, it’s razor sharp, with a hefty amount of distortion to rattle your spine and although they still have a degree of looseness in their playing, it’s amazing how great the bands chemistry is, ensuring a very tight overall feel. The rhythm section is outstanding, with the bass lines more often then not, running neck in neck with the guitar riff, creating a very memorable groove in a lot of songs. Make It Real is the best example of this out of any Scorpions tune. Lyrically, the band is a bit on the bizarre side at times, maybe because they are German they don’t have the greatest command of the English language, so some of their words come off as awkward, but they nailed it with this tune. (Possibly) doing away with the sex theme that they hold so dear, the guys manage to convey an almost inspiration message in the song: ‘You can always trust your inner feelings 'cause they always tell the truth. Where did it get you, then your analyzing? Just do what feels right for you. If you take life as a crazy gamble, throw your dice take your chance, you will see it from the different angle and you too can join the dance. Make it real not fantasy.’
In my opinion, the most underrated song by the band is Only A Man. Starting with a double layered vocal introduction, Klaus sings through two verses before a totally addictive riff kicks in and doesn’t let up for the duration of the tune, although it alternates between another equally impressive riff after the chorus. Now, the melodies to this tune are bloody lethal, mate. Honestly, I’ve been singing this song (well my parody version of it atleast…) since I got this album god knows how long ago. If that ain’t saying something, hell if I know what will?
It’s not very common when the drummer makes significant input in the composition of songs, but Herman Rarebell often lends a hand to chief songwriter Rudi Schenker, but in this case he flies solo writing a song on his own, by the name of Falling In Love. It is very simple in structure but that sure doesn’t distract from the rest of the album. The song intro is very interesting, it’s a guitar riff played with singular muted notes on the third string (I think) which is uncharacteristic in metal for the higher pitched strings to receive such treatment, but it still turns out great despite the unique approach. Another underrated tune by the band, but I guess everyone was busy fussing over the low tempo groove of The Zoo, which was the biggest hit off the album. It throws you off at first, sporting a fast, metallic riff, which is soon slowed down into that plodding, familiar riff that even the casual rock fans may recognize if they even sparingly switched on their radio back in the early 80s.
I’d be a damn dirty sinner if I neglected to mention the dark, gloomy title track. Animal Magnetism is another tune that doesn’t move faster then a slow crawl but for some reason, I class it as a great driving song. But it may not get much airtime in your car unless you have some underhanded business to ‘tend to, because it possesses some very outward sleaze in the lyric department & the music is absolutely chilling. I think they used a plucking technique to obtain that eerie ringing of the guitar, but dang it to Hedes, it sure is effective. The Scorpions are known for capping their albums off with a tender ballad, well I guess someone must have riled them up pretty darn good around the recording of this album, judging by the way they close the album with this powerful little jem…
One of the best things about this album is that the three weakest tracks (Don’t Make No Promises, Hold Me Tight & Twentieth Century Man) aren’t really that bad, it’s just at the end of the day, they don’t offer anything that hasn’t already been done better on the other songs on Animal Magnetism. The funny thing is, this IS the weakest album out of the Scorps’ glory period & it is still worthy of a strong four star rating. Just imagine how good those other disks are…
‘All these chicks really know
That next day I will go
And they will never see me again
So when I'm back home
And we both are alone
I can feel all you love and your pain
Woman, I'm only a man
Do the best that I can as you know
Woman, I'm only a man
Do the best that I can as you know
Now you know how I feel
Nothing is real.’ – Only A Man
Great Music to Play While explaining to your wife why you are late coming home & covered with baby oil…
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.