Hope for a peaceful planet led me to Crazy World (Musical Memory W/O)
Written: Aug 21 '01
Product Rating:
Pros: complex rock structure, wonderful tone, creative themes
Cons: Sometimes the lyrics are cheesy, but that is the exception and not the rule
The Bottom Line: Whether its good old-fashioned rock or a beautiful ballad, the Scorpions will grab you with sweet melodies backed by killer drums and guitar. Rock on, Germany!
When you are thirteen years of age, begging comes naturally and frequently. I begged my mom for weeks to let me stay up (late) and listen to a live broadcast of the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989. Communism was falling, and what better way to unite the world than with some of the great "hair bands" of eighties rock? In an East-meets-West collection of performances, bands from Germany (the Scorpions), Russia (Gorky Park), England (Ozzy Ozbourne) and the United States (Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Motley Crue) played to a world audience of "heshers" and "headbangers" like myself.
True, my initial motivation for wanting to listen to the concern had less to do with developing a bond with my international cohorts and more to do with listening to sexy Jon Bon Jovi's voice (LIVE!) Nevertheless, throughout the several hours of lying on my bed in the dark listening to the music broadcasted from Lenin Stadium, a profound emotional reaction began to swell. A thirteen year-old who had no prior appreciation of the world outside her town began to realize that millions of kids in dozens of countries were simultaneously listening to some great music. What this meant, of course, was that we were not so different at all. Russians, Germans, Americans...we all loved to ROCK OUT! Kids were kids, and I knew that all across the world, kids whose mothers HADN'T granted permission to stay up were also lying on their beds in the dark, waiting for sexy Bon Jovi to play. This included my best friend who lived 3 miles away from me; this also included some kid in Leningrad whom I presumed had to wait 2 hours in line for toilet paper while shopping for groceries earlier that day.
Of course, the Festival was THE TOPIC of conversation at school the next day. Back in the day, everyone except the New Kids on the Block groupies listened to rock, and everyone had at least one band they worshipped. One band I had not previously been familiar with was the Scorpions. A German band established in the late 70's, the Scorpions rocked the festival with tunes like "the Zoo", "Big City Nights" and "Holliday". I became hooked.
Less than a year after the Moscow Peace Festival, the Scorpions released "Crazy World". This album became one of the Scorpions biggest sellers, thanks largely to the single "Winds of Change". Inspired by the experiences at the Moscow Festival as well as by the fall of the Berlin Wall, Winds of Change is a metal ballad that embraces sincerity and hope in describing a young person's point-of-view in the unifying of Germany. The gratefulness of peace and solidarity resonates in the line, "Did you ever think we could be so close, like brothers?" Klaus Meine encourages diversity when stating, "Let your balalaika sing what my guitar wants to say." This must have had quite a bit of personal significance to these songwriters, yet the theme can be appriciated by all listeners, and it touches me.
Other ballads on this album surprise the listener with melodic vocals and emotional profundity. "Send me an Angel" begins with single-note strumming that creates an atmosphere of isolation. Meine sings, "The wind will blow into your face, as the years pass you by", depicting an aging man lost in a lonely world. Yet the song reminds us of hope and progression with lines such as, "close your eyes and you will find passage out of the dark." Trusting ourselves, yet hoping for a guide, the protagonist pleads, "Here I am, will you send me an angel?" Could this man be searching for a woman, or God, or his own hope? Maybe all three. Is this really the band that gave us "Rock you like a hurricane"? I am really impressed with the depth of the message and the underscored beauty of the music.
Another rock/pop ballad, "To be with you in heaven" is a little cheesier. At times I am reminded of "boy band" lines ("Girl I'll get you, it won't be long", "I would go through the darkest hell"). No matter, we believe his sincerity...a man desperately infatuated with the object of his desire. What is surprising with this ballad, however, is the complex harmonizing of the vocals. Background singers reach high-range notes to accentuate the theme of urgency and passion. Very cool.
But fear not, rock fans! This album did not go the way of recent ballad-stuffed Aerosmith compilations. There is plenty of headbanging available for your pleasure. "Tease Me, Please Me" paints a pictorial of rock star life that is cliche but fun: "I've been around the world, I've known lots of girls...cruisin and boosin." Oh well, we can't always expect these guys to produce creative and deep lyrics. The solo percussion beats during the chorus keeps you tapping along as you sing with the playful and lovably horny anthem.
If these men seemed love sick on other tracks, "Don't Believe Her" makes it clear that they have also been burned before. With all the catchiness of a pop hit, Meine warns a buddy against getting too involved with a certain someone: "She'll make you crazy, she's such a teaser, say you're the only one but don't believe her." A bit indulgent, saying this girl was "all over me", Meine admits he was "too wasted to see". Ah...I miss 80's metal.
Other rockers "Kicks after six" and "Lust or love" expose the edgier side of the Scorpions. Burning guitar and drum tracks push the beat and raise your pulse. Unfortunately, the other faster-paced tracks can't keep up and leave you missing a bit of substance.
I am thrilled to have been introduced to this fantastic international band that night in 1989. To reminisce, I pull out the CD, listen to "Winds of Change", and think about far we have come in international connection, communication, and understanding in 12 years. And other times...I put on my black metal t-shirts left over from Junior High, kiss my pin-up of Jani Lane, and start banging my head. Yeah.
This epinion was submitted as part of the Musical Memories Write Off, hosted by LatteChick. Other participants include:
jennifa
t-hall
d_e_ritter
flashfriday
thom413
biggs219
Please read the other submissions! Thank you.
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