Here’s a look back at a string of records in a band’s career that came out back-to-back where the band was on a roll in one way or another. I’m starting this regular feature off with the Scorpions and their 1979 – 1984 run from Lovedrive to Love At First Sting. Oddly enough, I use the 1985 live record World Wide Live to make my point here as this masterpiece of a live album came from the Love At First Sting tour and consisted of songs from the four albums in that stretch.

Lovedrive was a step up from 1977’s Taken By Force and the sound of the band began to evolve. 1980’s Animal Magnetism continued the move toward a more polished sound while not losing much of the hard-rock sting the Scorpions were known for.

The seas parted in 1982 when the German superpower came out with Blackout. One of the great records in the history of hard rock and heavy metal, the Scorpions showed the speed and heaviness they were capable of while also being melodic. Heavy riffs, lightning-fast solos, Klaus’ pristine voice, versatile songwriting…it’s all on Blackout, one of the records that sits firmly in my close-to-perfect category.

1984’s Love At First Sting capped off this incredible run with seemingly everything falling into place. The record was more of this band operating at an elite level while also being a little more radio-friendly and the Scorpions reaped the rewards with a triple-platinum certification.

This is my look at this stretch of one of my favorite bands. I’ve got no problems with the five records that came before Lovedrive. The band grew along the way and the pieces of this era’s lineup came together. But these four records are the Scorpions in all their glory and they would never do any better, despite making more great music in the years after.

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