by Mark Kadzielawa

Scorpions return with a new record, Sting In The Tail. There would be nothing unusual about releasing another record, after all, the band is very consistent in the area of recording and touring. The new record, however, is supposed to be their last. An announcement was made, Sting In The Tail, would be the final studio album by the band, followed by the lengthy world tour.
Shocked at first (sting,) it is difficult to imagine the hard rock world without the Scorpions. The band established itself as an explosive live attraction, and made some monumental records that defined the genre. Scorpions were always a band of many faces, the uncompromising autobahn-driven hard rock, and the powerful ballads. In fact, it was the ballads that spread the band’s fame all over the globe. Who on this planet does not know Still Loving You, When the Smoke Is Going Down, Holiday, You and I, or the time defining Winds of Change. Those and many other cuts by the Scorpions are timeless and will forever be remembered.
After 40 years in the spotlight, the band is set to retire at the end of the current tour. Scorpions enjoyed many diverse and fine periods of their career. They were able to do what no other act from Germany could ever match, become first-rate world-wide stars. This achievement of course, did not happen over night; the band worked hard, and progressively attracted new territories with their music and attitude. Once again, the point is proven that music has no boundaries and no languages barriers will ever stop it.
Sting In The Tail is the newest album by the band, as it turns out, their last. It is a record beaming with energy and enthusiasm. It certainly is a very strong addition to Scorpions’ classic catalog. Scorpions continue to rock and are not missing a beat.

Guitar player, Matthias Jabs, is full energy and excitement speaking about the latest developments in the Scorpions’ camp.

Matthias Jabs: We just flew in from Germany to Los Angeles. We’re here to do some promotional interviews for the new album, and the tour. And we’ll be inducted into Hollywood’s Rock Walk of Fame. That’s where you put your hands into the concrete on Sunset Boulevard. So, you’re calling from Chicago? We’ll definitely be playing Chicago soon. In fact, Chicago is where it all got started for us (in the United States), in case you didn’t know.
Can you elaborate more on the Scorpions-Chicago connection?
I think there was a label called Billing Skates, which discovered the Scorpions in the late 70s. We had never anything to do with them, but they were importing some of the 70s records we released in Europe. Those records were never officially released in the United States at that point. The first album I played on, which was Lovedrive, was brought to United States through that label. People started hearing us, and a very big management company at the time, Lieber-Krebbs, heard about us too. They had big names like Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, and so on. They noticed us, and booked a tour for us. And the first radio station that ever played us was Chicago’s Loop, and they play us to this day if you believe it. The very first show that we played in the United States was at the Chicago Fest. It was a spinning stage on Lake Michigan, and some fans jumped in the water and started swimming towards us. We were on a floating stage, and we put on a wild show. I got some pictures from that show, and recently I was given a cassette recording of that show.
I must admit I was shocked to hear about the retirement of the band, what inspired that decision?
The album was already recorded. We did it last year. We started in May, then we did a European tour, and then we started recording in October. We were done in the late December 2009 just before Christmas. The day before the mixing, we invited the record company, and our management to play them something. They desperately wanted to hear some new music. So, we played the record, and the next day our manager comes back and says “the album is fantastic, and the record company loved it too.” He started introducing us to idea of maybe calling this the last album, followed by final world tour that would take 2.5-3 years. Around the world, one more time, and then call it the quits. We thought about it, none of us could ever come up with that idea of course. Klaus and Rudolph are older than I am. They are 61, now turning 62 this year. They did their math, and said OK. They added the 3 years of the tour, then taking some time off, and recording another album like we’ve been doing it for the last 30 years, maybe not such a good idea. We talked about it, and we agreed that’s the right idea because it gives us the opportunity to still put on the powerful show, and properly say goodbye. We’re still healthy, and we look much younger than we actually are, and we really feel good. As long as we can give the people the same intense show we are known for, then that’s how we should go out. We’d like to be remembered as the powerful Scorpions, and we don’t want to grow old in the spotlight.
This time you recorded the album in Germany. What was it like to record so close to home as opposed to some distant location?
It was actually fantastic. It was not only the location, but the whole experience was just great. We’ve recorded our previous album, here in Los Angeles, and it took 4 to 5 months to do, and that was fantastic too. We were renting a house in Los Angeles we had sunshine, and all. This time, we were close to home, and we were working with these two Swedish producers. It was great to be close to our families throughout the recording of the album. They are family people too, and we agreed to do parts of the record in Stockholm, and part in our studio. So, we ended up recording the drums and most of the vocals in Stockholm because they have a great drum room in their studio, but the guitars sounded great in our studio. So, all the guitars and bass, and some vocals were done in our studio. Our studio is called Scorpions Sound Studio. It was actually nice to drive for 30 minutes, and be in the studio. The same goes for Klaus (Meine), as we live a close distance from each other. Some ideas came to us as we were driving, so it can be inspiring as the car is running. It was nice to be at home. Also, I have my own studio at home, so I can prepare some parts there. That way I can get to the studio completely prepared and ready to record. The producers were great too. It was a team of two producers, Martin Hansen and Mikael Nord Andersson. They are Scorpions fans, and they told us they loved the band best in the Blackout/Love At First Sting days, as most Scorpions fans would say. That was the sound they liked best, and they wanted to go for that sound on this record. So, we ran into open doors since we liked that period best too. We were in agreement on things right away.
That brings me to my next question. The album is very driven from the opening cut onwards and very reminiscent of the Blackout or Love At First Sting days. But it appears it was no coincidence.
No, it’s not a coincidence, but it’s not like we went for it intentionally. It happened because the producers, they kept that idea in the back of their minds. We didn’t really talk about it. They didn’t want to give us any direction; they let us do what we like to do. And this is what came out.
The guitars are very much in your face, and they drive the record. As a guitar player, how much input did you have?
I always have a certain amount of input on mixes. First of all, I’m playing like 90% of all the guitars, so I have to be in your face (laughter.) I was putting down the rhythms, all of them, just to set the groove for everybody when we were in the arranging stage. Then I put built up all the overdub arrangements, which are simple in some of the rock songs, but more complicated when it comes to the ballads. I was trying to find the proper guitar sounds. Mikael (Nord Andersen) who was one of the producers is more of a guitar producer, and a great guitar player himself. We recorded together all the time, and the understanding between us was amazing. And my guitar tech was involved in the process as well. So, the three of us would find the sound in a matter of minutes, we didn’t waste any time. We didn’t take hours to find the sounds that went well with this chord or that chord. It was all very spontaneous and very good. We got great results instantly, and that’s the fun part of it. The solos are usually played last, and I tried to follow what’s in the song, and therefore I’m all over the place.

Apart from the straight forward rock songs there are two powerful ballads on the album. Let’s start with SLY which I believe has an interesting story behind it.
Absolutely. It was back in 1984 when Still Loving You came out. It was a hit everywhere, but especially in France. It was a number one song for more than a half a year. And the French, and I’m not sure if they are serious or not, but they claim this song created a baby boom. People were making love to this song. They called it le slow. After a couple of years, we had to believe it. Shortly after, maybe 1985 or 1986, there was this young couple back-stage, we were signing autographs, and talking to people. They handed me this picture of a baby, their daughter whom they called SLY (which stands for Still Loving You.) It was always a nice thing to remember, I mentioned it once in a while. I think three years ago, we played Paris, and they showed up, and the daughter was now twenty-something years old. She was a beautiful girl, the same parents of course, and everybody twenty years older. They introduced her to me, so I met her. I told the story to Klaus, and he turned it into lyrics.
Lorelei is the other ballad.
Lorelei is rock on the river Rhine. It is located near south of Cologne in Germany. It’s an old story about the sailors who got crazy because on top of this rock was this siren who was signing with unusual frequency in her voice. This sound made the sailors crazy. They wanted to go to her, and made their ships crash and sink, and they died. It’s one of those crazy sagas. I don’t know who thought of it, but that’s what the song is about.
The opening song, Raised on Rock, is great description of what being in Scorpions is all about, but it also tells what being a fan of the band should be like, wouldn’t you agree?Yeah, Raised on Rock, is basically a title that sums it all up.
Correct me if I’m wrong, as Raised on Rock fades out, you have that guitar effect very reminiscent of Hendrix’s Foxy Lady.
(He starts humming the part-laughter.) Yeah, you’re right. Of course it wasn’t intentional, but it sounded nice. It comes down to Mikael, our producer again. There are just so many details that you don’t hear at first, just have to get the volume up. Sometimes you just don’t play, but bang on the guitar, and it adds this ambient sound, and you don’t know where it comes from. You are right, now I know what you mean when you asked that question. It’s already in the fade out. When we play that song live, we play it with a real ending.
Did anyone catch this before?
No, you’re the first one. But I’ll tell you another story since we’re speaking about Jimi Hendrix. This I did intentionally. If you listen to Slave Me, the beginning of the solo is the melody of the All Along the Watchtower. That song is also a reason why I’m playing guitar. When I first heard that song I was about 12 years old, and I had tears in my eyes when it came on the radio. I was asking a friend of mine in class at the time, what kind of instrument is that he is playing? And he answered, “electric guitar.” I had no idea what it was, but then I decided instantly, this is what I’m gonna do. I had to bring it in, not knowing this would be the last album of course, but I’m glad I did it.
The Good Die Young features Tarja Turunen on guest vocals. That’s very unusual for Scorpions to have a duet, so how did she get involved?
She is a very nice lady. We met her more than three years ago when we played in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We were headlining the Live and Loud Festival, and her band at the time, Nightwish, was our special guest. We met each other briefly. Usually it’s the record company people who propose duets, and we usually say no to any of it. Then we thought about which song would be suitable if anything would come out of it. We thought The Good Die Young needed some harmony for the choruses, and the way she added her high operatic voice in the verses added like a nice acoustic atmosphere, and we liked it.
The album closes with The Best Is Yet To Come, and it suggests that maybe there is something to come in the future after all.
(Laugher) Yeah, probably. We had this song all really for our Unbreakable (2004) album. It came in last minute, and there was no time to finish it. For the previous album, Humanity Hour One, with Desmond Child, it wasn’t part of the concept. We couldn’t record it, but we had it. We have it now for like 6 years, so this time it turned out to be the right time for this album. It was like ironic statements sort of speak, we would’ve put it last anyway, but this was already done before we announced this would be our final studio recoding. It makes people think that we knew that in advance.
That’s a good point, on the other hand some bands made a career out of breaking up.
Well, I’m too young to speak, but if you were talking to Klaus now, he would answer you “OK, if we wanted to play that game, we should’ve started ten years ago.”
Now, this current tour may last up to 3 years. How do you get ready for an extensive tour like that? After all, you’re not the youngest men, and I just can’t imagine you stopping at the local McDonalds for a meal for three years in a row.
The reason why we can do it is because we don’t stop at McDonalds. We eat healthy, and we are healthy, fit and everything. Actually, the previous tour lasted for 2.5 years, but that also means that we had breaks in between. Let’s say we did Europe for two months, and we play three or four shows a week. The States, we play two and a half months this year, and there is always a chance that we may come back the next year for some selected cities. Then we go to South America, and go back to finish up Europe. Then we go to Asia, and hopefully to Australia.
Speaking of Australia, that is the only place Scorpions never played. Is there a reason for that?
No, we never played in Australia, so this is one of the goals. We want to fulfill this goal; we just have to do it on this tour. Even if it’s 2012, we have to play Australia. We’ll play in so many weird places like China, and Vietnam. We have those places on our list. So, before you know it, the year is gone. Our new album is released in 49 countries simultaneously. So, if we play these places, in many of these countries we play maybe only one or two shows. In the States we obviously play many shows because it is a big country. That by itself will be a very busy schedule.
Once you play that last show, what are your personal plans?
I have no idea. We are asked that question often, obviously. We don’t really know. At the moment, we are surfing on the wave of excitement. The tour is starting and all that. I think by the time we’ll get to the very last show, which let’s say is in 2.5 years from now. I think, even a week prior to the last show we will feel it and get very emotional. It will be very sad on one hand that this great career will come to an end, on the other hand when we get there we might think it’s good to stop now because we are still very fit. And that’s the basic idea behind it. We are such an experienced band, but we have no experience at finishing a career (laughter.) I’m trying to avoid even thinking about it. We just want to go on this great trip, and get the party started, but when the time comes we’ll deal with that. If you carry that weight with you at all times, it might get too heavy.
Also, Scorpions made an appearance in the Oscar nominated movie, The Wrestler. Marisa Tomei’s portrayal of Animal Magnetism was quite breathtaking.
That’s true. Actually, we put that song back in the set. We played it live in the first couple of shows. It’s such a great track to play, and we haven’t played that song in years. After ten years of not playing it, it felt great to play it again. It’s great for the light guy, it’s great for everybody. The whole venue becomes something else, it creates this great atmosphere, and it really grabs you.

Would you say it was the movie that inspired the track to be played live again?
Yes, it certainly did.
When you don’t play in the band, what are some things you’d like to do? What hobbies do you have?
If you asked me this few years ago, I would’ve answered that I like to drive my car. Germany is still the only country that does not have a speed limit on the highways. But, there is so much traffic on it now, so that’s no longer fun. I love to spend time with my family, and that’s never enough. At this point, everybody is used to me being gone for long periods of time. And now they’re probably laughing as my career comes to an end. This is something you miss out on when you do what I do for decades, and more than half of my life. I love my family, and I’m looking forward to spending some time with them. A true hobby, I can’t have. I love to play chess, and I love to read, and all these things. I like things for which I don’t have to join a club or something because I could never be there on time, and my schedule tends to be unpredictable.
You’ve been in the band for 32 years. When did you first meet the guys, and what was your initial impression like?
I come from the same area which is just outside of Hannover. I lived really close to the rehearsal room, and I met Rudolf before I even thought about joining them. My band, at the time was rehearsing two doors down from their rehearsal room. One room was behind the other, so they had to go through our room in order to get to theirs. They heard us play almost every day. I think when it was time for Uli (Jon Roth) to leave, Rudolf heard me enough times to know that I might be the right guy for the band. Even though, they went to London and auditioned around 140 guitar players in three or four days. At the end, they did ask me, and I didn’t even know about these auditions, I just played with them, and that was it.
Finally, in those 32 years, what would you say was the most trying time for the band?
I would say, it was the time when Klaus, our singer, lost his voice in 1981. It happened during the first recordings for Blackout. At first we didn’t notice, but his voice wasn’t the same. He thought maybe he had a cold, or was tired, so we gave it a few days of rest, but it didn’t get better, it got worse. Klaus thought it was the end of his career. We gave him a solid kick in the ass, and urged him to find the best treatment he could find. He had his first surgery, and that was the saddest moment for me. When I visited him in this small apartment, he was not allowed to talk. He wrote things, and he looked very sad and depressed. He wrote things down, and that was our conversation. I was being very sensitive, and didn’t really try to say anything as if I was talking to a very sick person. That was very sad to see. After the second surgery because the firs one didn’t really do it, he started to slowly warm up with The Beatles’ songs. It took a long time, until he went to a great therapist in Vienna, Austria. This guy was known for treating opera singer. He was the guy who made him really sing again. And then he came back into the studio, and was singing all of the songs from Blackout. That became our biggest success at the time.

Links:
http://www.the-scorpions.com