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How can a single band bring together in its lineup four of the five greatest guitarists in Germany and four of the greatest in the history of world Rock n' Roll?

Gustavo Debastiani

As everyone knows, great bands have come and continue to come from Germany, which became an important cradle of Rock n' Roll in the 80s, such as Helloween, Running Wild, and Accept. But no German band has been as important to the Rock n' Roll of the country, Europe, and the world as the Hanoverians of Scorpions. Their romantic ballads, their energetic songs, their shows full of emotion and charisma with fans who reciprocate in packed shows and frenzied audiences, the killer riffs, the stupendous vocals, are just some of the trademarks of these Germans who draw crowds wherever they go to their shows.

The Scorpions broke and continue to break records, such as a simple one: being the first Rock n' Roll band from Germany and, a difficult one, the first German band to perform at Madison Square Garden, the stage of world music. But what is at stake in this text is: how can a single band bring together in its lineup four of the five greatest guitarists in Germany and four of the greatest in the history of world Rock n' Roll? They are: Michael Schenker (1972 – 1973; 1979), Uli Jon Roth (1973 – 1978), Rudolf Schenker (1965 – Present) and Matthias Jabs (1979 – Present). In this text, we will talk a little about the career of each one, integrating the greatest Rock n' Roll band in the history of Germany.

Michael Schenker (1972 – 1973; 1979): The prodigy

It doesn't look like the soils were made by a boy who's only 17 years old

Michael Schenker started very early: at just 10 years old, he helped his brother found the Scorpions, which would become Germany's first Rock n' Roll band. Michael already showed great skill with the guitar, but only definitively joined the Scorpions in 1972, to release the band's first album and the only full album Michael recorded with the Scorpions, "Lonesome Crow".

The album's highlights include Klaus Meine's vocals, Michael's virtuoso solos, and Lothar Heimberg's bass lines. Its most notable tracks are "It All Depends ," where Michael showcases his guitar prowess throughout the song, and " Leave Me, which also features a strong Michael contribution. However, in "Inheritance ," "Action," and "Lonesome Crow ," the solos don't sound like they were performed by a 17-year-old. Speed, agility, dexterity, and virtuosity are synonymous with Michael Schenker. With the album, the Scorpions embarked on a tour opening for UFO. During this time, UFO guitarist Mick Bolton left the band, and Michael performed with both the Scorpions and UFO until, midway through the Scorpions tour, Michael was officially signed by UFO, abandoning his brother.

So, in Michael's place, Uli Jon Roth was hired, and that's when fame in Japan and parts of Europe came, along with a change of drummers, but we'll talk about that later. Michael stayed with UFO for 5 years, enough time to establish himself as one of the best guitarists of the era.

Returning to Scorpions in 1979:

After Michael left UFO, his brother, Rudolf, saw an opportunity for the album Scorpions were recording ("Lovedrive," 1979) to gain greater recognition if an already established guitarist played on it, since Uli was leaving and Matthias Jabs wasn't ready yet. Michael accepted his brother's request, but only recorded 3 songs: Another Piece of Meat , Lovedrive and the instrumental Coast to Coast . However, Michael couldn't complete some shows on the tour due to alcohol and drug problems, with Matthias almost always finishing the performances. Therefore, Rudolf preferred to bet on the talent of the young Matthias rather than tarnish the name of his band, which was gradually conquering the music world.

Uli Jon Roth (1973 – 1978): The Master

Uli, with his Hendrix-esque style and talent on the instrument, became the main attraction of the Scorpions, and also one of the group's main composers

With Michael Schenker leaving Scorpions to join UFO, Rudolf called on a friend to finish the tour with the band, and that friend was Uli Jon Roth. Uli is a passionate fan of Jimi Hendrix, and his playing style isn't very different from the king of the six strings. Lots of distortion and effects in the songs are Uli's passion, and he did this very well with Scorpions. After the Lonesome Crow tour ended, Lothar Heimberg, Wolfgang Dziony, and Michael Schenker left the band, leaving only Klaus and Rudolf.

This led to the merger of two bands: Klaus and Rudolf's Scorpions and Uli Jon Roth's Dawn Road. The band then had a new lineup, featuring Klaus on vocals, Rudolf Schenker and Uli Jon Roth on guitars, Francis Buchholz on bass, and Jurgen Rosenthal on drums. With Scorpions, Uli released great albums throughout the 70s, including: "Fly to the Rainbow" (1974), "In Trance" (1975), "Virgin Killer" (1976), "Taken by Force" (1977), and the classic live album "Tokyo Tapes" (1978). Uli, with his Hendrix-esque style and talent on the instrument, became the main attraction of Scorpions, and also one of the group's main composers.

The Scorpions album that best represents Uli's style is "In Trance," a Scorpions classic that was a hit in Japan and much of Europe. Uli's best songs are Speedy's Coming , Dark Lady (where he sings himself), In Trance , Evening Wind , Catch Your Train , Pictured Life , In Your Park , SteamRock Fever , We'll Burn the Sky, and the classic, where Uli showcases all his skill, The Sails of Charon . During his time with the Scorpions, Uli established himself as the best neoclassical metal guitarist and one of the best guitarists of all time.

He was once considered the 50th best guitarist of all time, along with his Scorpions partner Rudolf, by Guitar World. Uli left the Scorpions because he disagreed with the style of music his bandmates wanted to pursue, a sound leaning more towards Hard Rock, while he wanted a more experimental sound. After leaving the Scorpions, Uli formed his own band, Electric Sun, which had far less success than Uli Jon Roth expected. He also invented the seventh guitar string and has his own instrument, called the Sky Guitar.

Rudolf Schenker (1965 – Present): The leader

Rudolf is considered by many fans to be the soul of the Scorpions

From the Scorpions' first album, Rudolf has been one of the band's main composers, alongside Klaus Meine. His killer riffs, his memorable compositions, his stage presence, his playing style, and even his solos in some songs, make him one of the best composers and one of the best rhythm guitarists in history. In the 70s, very little attention was paid to the rhythm guitar in Scorpions. But from the time Matthias Jabs joined as a guitar partner in 1979, things changed completely.

The riffs begin to emerge, he has more freedom to compose, and the band stops drawing attention to one or another member, but rather to the whole. Rudolf is considered by many fans to be the soul of the Scorpions. With his irreverent, extroverted, charismatic style, he engages the audience at shows, composing successful songs with all his virtuosity, and with insight he creates solos that are not fast or complicated, but are delightful to listen to and penetrate the soul. His best songs are: Loving You Sunday Morning , Make it Real , Blackout , Rock You Like A Hurricane , Bad Boys Running Wild , Big City Nights , Still Loving You , Wind of Change , Send Me An Angel , New Generation , The Game of Life , Humanity , and Raised On Rock .

Rudolf is the founder of Scorpions, and I, as a huge fan of this great band, offer him my humble, heartfelt thanks! Thank you for founding this band, thank you for creating memorable riffs, thank you for the amazing show you put on, thank you for being who you are!

Matthias Jabs (1979 – Present): The replacement, better than expected.

His style is unique, with some distortion, a lot of virtuosity, and several epic solos.”

When Matthias Jabs joined the Scorpions, he shared the band with Michael Schenker, but Michael had the advantage of already being established as a great musician. Even so, Matthias was lucky, as Michael and the Scorpions didn't work out, and he secured the position of new guitarist. From his first album with the Scorpions to his most recent, he has always demonstrated his extremely high level of agility, with very fast and elaborate solos à la Michael Schenker. His style is unique, with some distortion, a lot of virtuosity, and several epic solos.

He helps a bit with the compositions, the most well-known being the song "Tease Me Please Me" . If you listen to all the Scorpions' songs since Matthias Jabs joined, you'll be impressed by each one, and you'll become certain that he is and always has been the right guitarist for the Scorpions. He's among the top 30 guitarists today, and for me he's the 3rd best in Germany (1st is Uli and 2nd is Rudolf).

Its main songs are: Loving You Sunday Morning, Lady Starlight, No One Like You, Arizona, Blackout, Hit Between The Eyes, Tease Me Please Me, Rock You Like A Hurricane, Bad Boys Running Wild, Coming Home, You And I, Wild Child, Hour 1, 321, Spirit Of Rock, Sting In The Tail, Raised On Rock and The Best Is Yet To Come .

*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.