Ogni tanto è bello frugare fra le vecchie cassette, tenute in qualche cassetto nascosto, in soffitta o magari in bella vista vicino allo stereo, a testimonianza di un periodo appartenente ormai al passato. E’ proprio fra i nastri impolverati che ho riscoperto questa vecchia musicassetta, che apparteneva a mia zia, acquistata esattamente 20 anni fa “perché c’era Wind Of Change”. Divenuta di mia proprietà circa 10 anni fa, ha fin da subito rappresentato una fonte di curiosità, soprattutto a causa dell’enigmatica copertina e dell’artwork interno, raffigurante una serie di porte semiaperte immerse irrealmente in un paesaggio di campagna dai toni malinconici. Chi erano questi Scorpions, ritratti contro un muretto urbano in pantaloni di pelle e giubbotto di jeans?

Non ci misi molto a capire che non era possibile riassumerli sono nella sopracitata ballata – un enorme successo radiofonico, simbolo di una generazione e sicuramente la più famosa del gruppo – che pure è stato per molte persone il principale motivo di acquisto. Intorno c’era un rock senza fronzoli, aggressivo, attento alla melodia, scandito dalla bella voce di Klaus Meine e dalle chitarre incisive di Rudolf Schenker e Matthias Jabs, divertente all’ascolto e capace di entrare fin da subito nell’animo dell’ascoltatore. Fu questa cassetta che mi spinse alla scoperta di uno dei più grandi gruppi europei, autori di autentiche pietre miliari dell’hard rock.

Gli Scorpions sono sempre stati capaci di rinnovarsi continuamente e di passare praticamente indenni attraverso le diverse epoche musicali che si sono succedute negli ultimi 40 anni. La prima parte di carriera è considerata quella di maggior prestigio, capace di sfornare capisaldi come "In Trance" e "Lovedrive" (per citarne solo due). Negli anni Ottanta vi è stata la svolta commerciale, con lavori più attenti alla presa sul pubblico ma sempre granitici e coerenti col passato: l’enorme successo di "Blackout" e "Love At Firts Sting", ma anche il primo passo falso in carriera, "Savage Amusement". Proprio quest’ultimo rappresenta il nuovo punto di svolta degli Scorpions, non tanto per il valore inferiore e l’impostazione sfacciatamente easy listening rispetto al resto della produzione, ma proprio perché il gruppo si rese conto di aver perso le coordinate del loro suono.

Il risultato di questa presa di coscienza è "Crazy World": cambio di produttore (Keith Olsen al posto dello storico Dieter Dierks) e ritorno alle sonorità hard e grezze del passato, con una ritrovata verve da parte di entrambi i chitarristi ed una robusta sezione ritmica affidata ai veterani Francis Buchholz e Herman Rarebell.

Album lanciato dal singolo Wind Of Change/Send Me An Angel, due ballate in perfetto stile Scorpions, delicate ed energiche allo stesso tempo, in cui si evidenziano ancora una volta - soprattutto nella seconda - le grandissime qualità vocali di Klaus Meine. Ma i piatti forti sono altri, a partire dall’ aggressiva Tease Me Please Me, in cui si nota fin da subito il rinnovato spirito del gruppo: ottimo lavoro di chitarre e in evidenza uno scatenato Matthias Jabs, oltre alle classiche tematiche “donnaiole” (divertente il videoclip che lascia ben poco all’immaginazione); e ancora, le adrenaliniche Kick After Six e Hit Between The Eyes, intervallate da atmosfere un po’ più rilassate (ma non troppo) di Don’t Believe In Her, To Be With You In Heaven e Lust Or Love. Grandiosi riffs e ispirazione al massimo, la sensazione è quella di essere tornati ai tempi d’oro. C’è spazio anche per esprimere una sorta di accusa alla società moderna, inflazionata dalla fretta del guadagno e della carriera, con Money And Fame e Crazy World, che chiudono in modo egregio questa cavalcata hard & heavy caratterizzata da ben pochi attimi di tregua.

Questo disco rappresenta in definitiva l’ultimo capolavoro della seconda formazione “classica” degli Scorpions: rabbioso, granitico, impreziosito dall’eccellente prova da parte di tutti i componenti. Il decennio che seguirà è forse il momento più appannato della loro carriera, con cambi di formazione e tentativi di ammodernamento, con risultati inferiori alle aspettative.

Ma lo Scorpione avrà ancora la forza di reagire e pungere

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   Tease Me Please Me (04:46)

I've been around the world
I've known a lot of girls
Livin' and lovin'
It's hard to keep them all in line
I've seen a lot of sights
Many crazy nights
Cruisin' and boozin'
It's a wonder that I'm still alive

Never wasted any time
Never missed a beat
Total satisfaction
Always guaranteed

Tease me
Please me
No one needs to know
Tease me
Please me
Before I have to go

Spead the world around
The boys are back in town
Reelin' and rockin'
We're rollin' with it win or lose
The girls are dressed to kill
Lookin' for a thrill
Slidin' and glidin'
Sometimes they make it hard to choose
So hard to choose

I never wasted any time
Never missed a beat
Total satisfaction
Always guaranteed

Tease me
Please me
No one needs to know
Tease me
Please me
Before I have to go
Tease me
Please me
We'll take it nice and slow
nice and slow
Tease me
Please me
Just let the feeling grow
let it grow

I never wasted any time
Never missed a beat
Total satisfaction
Always guaranteed

(2x)
Tease me
Please me
No one needs to know
Tease me
Please me
Before I have to go
Tease me
Please me
We'll take it nice and slow
nice and slow
Tease me
Please me
Just let the feeling grow

02   Don't Believe Her (04:55)

03   To Be With You in Heaven (04:51)

You can shoot me down.
You can drag me round.
Girl I'll get you, it won't be long.
You can smash my heart, you can trash our love.
But my desire for you, is much too strong.

To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.

You can waste my time but you can't change my mind.
I will stop you, so just go on.
You can play your games but it's all in vain.
Cause my desire for you is much too strong.

To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.

Girl I'm on fire, heaven seems so close tonight.
Girl, I would die for your love.

You can shoot me down.
You can drag me round.
Girl I'll get you, it won't be long.
You can smash my heart, you can trash our love.
But my desire for you, is much too strong.

To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven, I would go through the darkest hell.
In heaven, there's no cure for love that kills.
To be with you in heaven...

04   Wind of Change (05:13)

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the winds of change

The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the winds of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the winds of change

Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the winds of change

The wind of change blows straight
Into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the winds of change

05   Restless Nights (05:48)

06   Lust or Love (04:22)

07   Kicks After Six (03:49)

Another morning, such as ordinary day
She's doin' time from nine to five
The hours waste away
There's no escape, She's a part of the big machine
She's a slave to the suit and tie
Seven days a week

But every night, Ohoooo
She can hardly wait
It feels alright
To give it all away, Ohoooo

Good girls get their kicks after six
Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six

Some days its hard to face the cruel reality
Just waitin' for the bell to ring
She wants to be free
It feels so good to start another endless night
She spreads her wings for another flight
She's running wild

But every night, Ohoooo
She can hardly wait
It feels alright, Ohoooo
To give it all away

Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
Good girls get their kicks after six
(Ooh yeah shake it for me baby)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six

Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
Good girls get their kicks after six
(Ooh yeah nothin's gonna stop her)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six

Good girls get their kicks after six
(She needs it bad, real real bad)
Good girls get their kicks after six
(C'mon baby take it to the limit)
She wants what she never had
All the things that make a good girl bad
She gets her kicks after six

08   Hit Between the Eyes (04:34)

Late at night when you're all alone
Take a ride to the danger zone
If someone wants to cut you down to size
You never argue with a loaded .45

Just when you've had enough
It's really getting tough

I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die

You can feel the tension in the street
There's no escape, getting closer to the heat
You play with fire, get your fingers burned
It's too late, past the point of no return

Just when you've had enough
It's really getting tough

I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die

Late at night when you're all alone
Take a ride to the danger zone
If someone wants to cut you down to size
You never argue with a loaded .45

Just when you've had enough
It's really getting tough

I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die

I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Someone get me out of here alive
I'm ready for that hit between the eyes
Can't you see I'm much too young to die

09   Money and Fame (05:07)

You know nothing about loving
You lost somewhere down the line
You know nothing about giving
You should draw the line
You keep looking out for something
Something you're never gonna find
When will, will you show your feelings
You will lose your mind
Who's to blame my love
You play a dangerous game
Who's to blame my love
All you want is money and fame
You play, play with emotions
You need, need a stepping stone
You're out, out for sensations
Don't you, don't you feel alone
Who's to blame my love
You play a dangerous game
Who's to blame my love
All you want is money and fame
Who's to blame my love
You play a dangerous game
Who's to blame my love
All you want is money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame
Money and fame

10   Crazy World (05:08)

I get up in the morning
For my dose of the news
Crawl right back in the sack girl
Had enough of the truth
Spend your dollars and rubels
Buy a piece of the wall
Build it up in your backyard
I'm so sick of it all

Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world

Drivin' down to the city
Doin' 155
Better late than never
I'm more dead than alive
We can find the Titanic
Put a man on the moon
But we can't fix out backyard
Man we better start soon

Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world

I don't want to hear about it
I wish it would be worlds away
You know the more I think about it
The more I feel we need to change
I get up (In a crazy, crazy world)
We all live (In a crazy, crazy world)
Ooh yeah (It's a crazy, crazy world)
I gotta get out (Of this crazy, crazy world)

Goin' home to my baby
It's been another hard day
Bust my balls for the tax man
So what else can I say
They spent our money on missiles
For the third world war
Now they're stacked in my backyard
We don't need them no more

Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world
Ooh, it's a crazy world

11   Send Me an Angel (04:33)

The wise man said just walk this way
To the dawn of the light
The wind will blow into your face
As the years pass you by
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and you will find
Passage out of the dark

Here I Am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

The wise man said just find your place
In the eye of the storm
Seek the roses along the way
Just beware of the Thorns

Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

The wise man said just raise your hand
And reach out for the spell
Find the door to the promised land
Just believe in yourself
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close you're eyes and you will find
The way out of the dark

Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

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