[.ca] Savage Amusement

From Amazon.com:
Four years after turning the radio market upside-down with the double platinum success of Love at First Sting, the Scorpions had lost much of their sting. Maybe it was the success of the sentimental love ballad "Still Loving You" that convinced Klaus and the boys to slow their stride and soften their tune, but the release of Savage Amusement was nothing short of a disappointment to fans that craved the high-octane intensity of the group's earlier work. "Don't Stop at the Top" may have insinuated that Scorpions were still hungry and aggressive, but songs like the lackluster "Rhythm of Love" and the sappy "Passion Rules the Game" indicated that their bellies were full and they were tired. --Jon Wiederhorn

SCORPIONS WITH A LOTTA LUST!!!!!!:
LetÂ's start looking at the time this album was released...Hair Metal ruled the rock scene in the late 80Â's, with a lot of ridiculous hype bands raising the hit parades, and the "appice" of this "movement" was the Def LeppardÂ's album "Hysteria" (1987),where the band sold millions of copies of this underrated album...ScorpionsÂ' last hit was "Still Loving You"(one of the best rock ballads ever), and I think that the pression was very strong to the band repeat the success on "Savage Amusement",so...That album has the shape of Hair Metal(take a look on the back cover - theyÂ're looking like Def Leppard or Bon Jovi - ARGHHH!!!),the production points this way all the time and this album, at first, has everything to be the worst ScorpionsÂ' album...but it is NOT!!! Incredibly, they recorded the best Hair Metal album IÂ've ever hearded!!! ItÂ's serious...Def Leppard,Bon Jovi and Poison donÂ't have Klaus Meine on vocals neither Rudolf Schencker on compositions and Mathias Jabs kickinÂ' ass on solo guitars!!! Try listen without prejudice to this album (donÂ't look at the back cover and donÂ't watch the video clips, please), and what youÂ'll hear is the great melody and sensibility of this GREAT rock band...An exemple: the solo in the introduction of "Believe In Love"...the shape used on the recording was pure Hair Metal, but take a "look" deeper in the melody...itÂ's beautiful!!!Listen carefully to KlausÂ' vocals in "Walking On The Edge" and "Believe In Love"...itÂ's beatiful!!!Listen to the song "Rhythm of Love"...itÂ's a rock masterpiece!!! "DonÂ't Stop At The Top" is a strong rock song; "Passion Rules The Game" and "Every Minute Every Day" are slow rock songs like only Scorpions know how to do; "Love On The Run" is more fast and aggressive than the other songs,with an almost-punk beat; "We Let It Rock...You Let It Roll" and "Media Overkill" are genuine Hair Metal, but yet with the talent of the band making difference(listen to Mathias JabsÂ' solos!!!)...ThatÂ's it, guys...In my opinion, "Savage Amusement" is an underestimated classic of rock, but undoubtly a CLASSIC!!!

PLACID LUCIDITY:
Ah The Scorpions. In my humble opinion, they are rock music's greatest band. With an impressive career spanning 30 plus years, they are also rock music's most under appreciated band. The Scorpions simply aren't given credit for the influence they had on the hard rock, heavy metal scene. You think bands such as Ratt, Dokken and even Twisted Sister would've sounded the way they did without The Scorpions' influence? Though The Scorpions are always hit with the power ballad, hair band tag, this is a band that was actually quite daring. And they were daring before it became cool and hip to be daring. Listen to "Is There Anybody There" from the album "Lovedrive". Do you recognize that sound? You can't believe it, can you? Yes, that's genuine reggae music they're playing and that album was released in 1978! "Savage Amusement" is a stunner of an album whether or not it's compared to it's master piece predecessor "Love At First Sting". "Don't Stop At The Top" gets your morning going with its feel good "you can't stop me" message. "Rhythm Of Love" is typical Scorpions styled excellence. "Passion Rules The Game" has its base firmly planted in "No One Like You" territory while not quite as effective but it's enjoyable none the less. "Media Overkill", at least to me, is quite a catchy number. "Walking On The Edge" is an under rated song that straddles the fence between power ballad and slow stomper. Surprisingly, inspite of its title, "We Let It Rock, You Let It Roll" is a bit of a disappointment on the album but its value is boosted in a concert environment. "Every Minute Every Day" is semi-hard ballad that's quite good. My absolute favorite song on the album, "Love On The Run" could actually be considered out of place on this album because of its breakneck speed but it's so good, you just have to forgive them. "Believe In Love" is a beautifully written ballard the actually sounds sincere. Normally, when I review an album, I make a comparison between the sound of the album reviewed and a contemporary. That's not appropriate here because The Scorpions sound like no other band during that period. Simply put, listen to this album if you enjoy great melodic hard rock.

One of their last truly great albums:
Savage Amusement (1988.) Scorpions' tenth album. By the time the mid-late eighties rolled around, the Scorpions had proven themselves to be one of the finest metal bands on the face of the planet. Despite the changes of many band members early on and a number of changes to their overall sound, the band managed to survive - and remain excellent. Following the release of their 1984 album Love At First Sting, the band had a tough act to follow. It took them four years before they released their next full-length studio release, Savage Amusement. How does it measure up? Read on for my review. Many Scorpions fans call this album lackluster. Many think it's the beginning of the end for the band. I think those fans need to have their heads examined, because this is one of the band's finest albums. Sure, the band had shifted in a much more mainstream direction, but so what? Many times, the principle of "selling out" destroys a band, but the Scorpions managed to remain excellent. Three fairly big hits emerged from this album. The first of which is Don't Stop At The Top, a classic hard power rocker. In my opinion, this is the best one of the big hits the band ever recorded. This song must be heard to be appreciated. It's a shame it doesn't make it on to more hits compilations. The slower tracks, Rhythm Of Love and Believe In Love also went on to become pretty big hits. Despite what people say, these are excellent tracks. Sure, they're not up to the quality of what the band did in the seventies and early eighties, but they get the job done. And before the album's over with, the band manages to shell out some more excellent rockers, including Passion Rules The Game, You Let It Rock... We Let It Roll, and Media Overkill. I really don't care what anyone else thinks about this album - I think it's one of their best. So, what exactly is everyone's problem with this album? I think that some fans have a hard time accepting that the band they have known and loved for so long has "sold out" and gone mainstream, and accordingly they fail to realize that the band's sound is as fresh and fluent as it ever was. If you're a Scorpions fan, this is yet another album that will go great in your collection.

Another Great Scorpions Album:
SAVAGE AMUSEMENT is another great Scorpions album. The songs are uniformly excellent, and the playing and production are forceful. If you love LOVE AT FIRST STING, you'll love SAVAGE AMUSEMENT.

A masterpiece of an album, even if some people disagree:
Savage Amusement (1988.) Scorpions' tenth album. By the time the mid-late eighties rolled around, the Scorpions had proven themselves to be one of the finest metal bands on the face of the planet. Despite the changes of many band members early on and a number of changes to their overall sound, the band managed to survive - and remain excellent. Following the release of their 1984 album Love At First Sting, the band had a tough act to follow. It took them four years before they released their next full-length studio release, Savage Amusement. How does it measure up? Read on for my review. Many Scorpions fans call this album lackluster. Many think it's the beginning of the end for the band. I think those fans need to have their heads examined, because this is one of the band's finest albums. Sure, the band had shifted in a much more mainstream direction, but so what? Many times, the principle of "selling out" destroys a band, but the Scorpions managed to remain excellent. Three fairly big hits emerged from this album. The first of which is Don't Stop At The Top, a classic hard power rocker. In my opinion, this is the best one of the big hits the band ever recorded. This song must be heard to be appreciated. It's a shame it doesn't make it on to more hits compilations. The slower tracks, Rhythm Of Love and Believe In Love also went on to become pretty big hits. Despite what people say, these are excellent tracks. Sure, they're not up to the quality of what the band did in the seventies and early eighties, but they get the job done. And before the album's over with, the band manages to shell out some more excellent rockers, including Passion Rules The Game, You Let It Rock... We Let It Roll, and Media Overkill. I really don't care what anyone else thinks about this album - I think it's one of their best. So, what exactly is everyone's problem with this album? I think that some fans have a hard time accepting that the band they have known and loved for so long has "sold out" and gone mainstream, and accordingly they fail to realize that the band's sound is as fresh and fluent as it ever was. If you're a Scorpions fan, this is yet another album that will go great in your collection.

• Don't Stop at the Top
• Rhythm of Love
• Passion Rules the Game
• Media Overkill
• Walking on the Edge
• We Let It Rock...You Let It Roll
• Every Minute Every Day
• Love on the Run
• Believe in Love