Scorpions - Lonesome Crow

Lonesome Crow is the debut studio album by German rock band Scorpions, originally released in February 1972 via Brain Records.

The album was recorded in a short period of time with producer Konrad “Conny” Plonk and was released as a soundtrack to the German anti-drug movie “Das Kalte Paradies”.

The style of music on the album is quite different from their later releases and commercial hits that showcase power ballads and strong melodies. The music on the album is quite dark with a moody psych ambience. The title track is a like a sprawling improvised jam session.

Stronger tracks on the album were the single “I’m Going Mad” and “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”, which has been the only song on the album that the band would play live with later line-ups of the band.

Lonesome Crow is the only album to feature Michael Schenker as lead guitarist, as he left not long after it was recorded to join UFO. He was replaced by Ulrich Roth on later albums.

Lead singer Klaus Meine commented on the album as follows: “With Lonesome Crow, we were just a young band trying to find our way, trying to shape an artistic style to find the Scorpions DNA. There was a ballad with “In Search of the Peace of Mind”, and a psychedelic rocker with the title track, “I’m Goin' Mad”, [which] was a great rocker with Michael Schenker playing great solos. We were just a young band with talented guys, with no idea on where to go from here. For the subsequent album, Fly to the Rainbow, we brought in Uli Roth, who had a Hendrix influence, and Rudolf and I became a songwriter team. When Matthias Jabs joined the band, we found our style, fast riffs but great melodies, along with the power ballads.”

Check out the tracks:  “I’m Going Mad”; “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”; and “Lonesome Crow”.

This LP record is a 2009 reissue on black vinyl, pressed in Europe.