UDR, The Home Of Legends, is set to release guitar legend Uli Jon Roth’s brand new double album of 19 re-invented Scorpions tracks, entitled Scorpions Revisited, on March 10th. Pre-orders for the album will be available soon.
For over four decades, Uli Jon Roth has forged new frontiers in the world of guitar, both in terms of approach and style. He even managed to invent the sky-guitar, a six octave lead instrument that remains unparalleled. But before he started to explore the creative worlds of music, philosophy and art, Uli Jon Roth was a member of European rock giants, the Scorpions, a band with which he helped create a new path in hard rock music. In 2013, venerated for his originality and dynamism at the time, Roth found himself intrigued by the memory of those early days which began 40 years ago, and specifically by the music he helped write, perform and occasionally sing on the albums Fly To The Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer and Taken By Force. It lead to Roth deciding to spend a year re-visiting, exploring, performing and re-recording his favorite Scorpions songs.
The first results of this magical, mystical journey into his own past can be heard on Uli Jon Roth’s Scorpions Revisited,a double-disc CD recorded in Hanover, Germany which sees the maestro re-harness all the collective power and poise of those original Scorpions classics, and re-imagine them as he feels today. No one in their right mind would dare call these mere re-recordings, as it’s clear that Roth reinvents these songs from the soul up.
Scorpions Revisited track listing:
CD1:
1. The Sails Of Charon
2. Longing For Fire
3. Crying Days
4. Virgin Killer
5. In Trance
6. Sun In My Hand
7. Yellow Raven
8. Polar Nights
9. Dark Lady
CD2:
1. Catch Your Train
2. Evening Wind
3. All Night Long
4. We’ll Burn In The Sky
5. Pictured Life
6. Hell Cat
7. Life’s Like A River
8. Drifting Sun
9. Rainbow Dream Prelude
10. Fly To The Rainbow
“The material for this double CD was recorded last year in the same hall in Hanover that we used for the Scorpions rehearsals 1973-1978,” explains Roth. “Together with an amazing bunch of very talented young musicians, I revisited my personal favorites from the early Scorpions period, some of which were written in that same hall. It was an emotional few days and I am very pleased with the results in more ways than one. The idea was to stay truthful to the original spirit of the music, while also putting a new slant on it whenever it felt like the right thing to do. I feel we really succeeded in this and I’m very excited about this project. It was a intense journey into the past and I think we really managed to bring the songs back to life with a vengeance.”
The band which performed with Roth for these historic shows was Nathan James (vocals), Jamie Little (drums), Ule W. Ritgen (bass), Niklas Turmann (guitar, vocals), Corvin Bahn (keyboards, vocals) and David Klosinski (guitar).
As noted, this is the first fruit from a re-engagement with his history that left Roth enjoying a surge of fresh creativity and approach to this classic material. Expect a further announcement for 2015. But for now, feast your ears, heart and emotions on Roth’s unique return to his most famous musical legacy.
2015 Uli Jon Roth US Tour Dates:
January:
21 Ramona, CA Mainstage
22 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
23 Hollywood, CA House of Blues
24 Las Vegas, NV Vamp’d
25 San Josè, CA Rock Star Bar
26. Portland, OR Tonic
27 Seattle, WA Studio 7
29 Moorehead, MN The Garage
30 Spring Lake Park, MN POVS
31 St. Charles, IL Arcada Theatre
February:
1 Chicago, IL Reggie’s (& Sky Academy)
2. Detroit, MI Token Lounge
3. Toronto – Mod Club
4. Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom
5. Hartford, CT Infinity Hall
6 Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
7. Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
8. Manhattan, NY BB King’s
9. Springfield, VA The Empire
For more information, please visit ulijonroth.com.
13 Responses
I don’t know how you can take great classic songs like those and make them any better, different maybe, but better? We’ll see.
I think it’s more about Uli taking some ownership of the stuff and putting a spin on it 40 years later.
doug r. with a ‘hey jude’ reference. all right!
Na, na, na, na, 😉
Herman Rarebell just did a similar release, but I think his song selection is probably a bit more familiar to US fans.
It will be interesting to hear the changes he makes with these songs. The key, at least for me, will be the vocals. Roth is a heckava guitar player but not a good singer. I wonder if he regrets leaving the Scorps? It certainly created a different and more successful path for them when he did leave. Jabs fit the bill perfectly.
I agree with you on 100% about his singing. The songs he sings on VIRGIN KILLER, “Hell Cat” and “Polar Nights” are great songs with brilliant guitar playing, especially “Polar Nights”, but his vocals are not that good. He should had just let Klaus sing those instead. I don’t think he regrets leaving the Scorpions. His style was just different than theirs, especially towards the end. It was the melodic hard rock Klaus and Rudolph wanted to do that made them superstars and Matthias’ playing style fit that better. I think Uli’s been happier musically on his own.
Even though Scorpions didn’t break big in the US until after Uli left the band, fans who got into the band from Lovedrive on, like me, who went back and discovered those 70’s albums he played on will know these songs. It’s cool he’s paying tribute and acknowledging the importance these songs are to his career. VIRGIN KILLER is one of my top 5 Scorpions albums ever.
Hey James, I just hope Uli didn’t “tinker” with those songs too much. Even when it’s the original artist, I always say why mess with perfection? Maybe I’m old fashion, but I say leave well enough alone. I mean of course whatever he wrote he has a right to add or subtract something to or from, and as much as I love Uli and those songs, I’m just not sure if I want to hear them “reinvented”. When you’re playing live, it’s one thing to extend or rearrange a few parts, but IMO the studio versions should be left alone in tact, just my opinion. Take care buddy. 🙂
Hey Eddie, even though your such a monster fan of Michael Schenker (he’s one of my biggest guitar heroes of all time to), here’s a question for you: Strictly within the confines of what they did with Scorpions, who do you think was the best guitarist that band has ever had? One could easily just pick Matthias because they had their biggest success with him, but weighed up playing and songwise with what Michael and Uli did with Scorpions, who do you think is the best?
Interestingly enough, I read a quote from Rudolph in Guitar World several years ago where he said Uli is the best guitarist he’s played with.
From a technical standpoint guitarists would likely say Uli. I think they are both great just very different and the success in the US was all Mathias