The following report is courtesy of Jeb Wright from Classicrockrevisited.com:

THE SCORPIONS are a band that have had two very distinct careers. The early years the band were based in Germany and while they had a worldwide record deal on RCA they could not break into the mainstream in the United States. A few line up changes were made and the band jumped from RCA to Mercury who promised to do what RCA had failed to do – promote the band in America. A promise alone was not enough, however, as the Scorpions would have to deliver the goods in the form of heavy rock music that would appeal to young, American music buyers. Drummer Herman Rarebell remembers the first Mercury album, Lovedrive, and the impact it made. “The album that opened the doors in America for us was Lovedrive. I wrote 'Loving You Sunday Morning' and 'Another Piece Of Meat' with Rudolf (Schenker - guitar). They got a lot of air play and it really was the breakthrough album for us in America.”

The band continued on and in 1980 released Animal Magnetism. The album was more cohesive than Lovedrive and gave the band their first bonafide FM radio hit in 'The Zoo'. “Animal Magnetism is one of my favorite albums. I wrote the lyrics for 'Make It Real', 'Don’t Make No Promises', 'Hold Me Tight', 'Falling In Love,' 'Only A Man' and “Animal Magnetism'. We had hits with 'Make It Real' and 'The Zoo'. Those songs gave us enough air play that we got another gold record.”

The band toured extensively in the States on the strength of Animal Magnetism. They were reaching out to huge numbers of record buyers. “We were special guests for TED NUGENT, AC/DC and AEROSMITH. Our opening act was DEF LEPPARD. Rick Allen, the drummer for Def Leppard, was only 16 then. Cliff Davies, Ted Nugent’s drummer, and I smuggled him into the clubs every night. He had to show his licence and they would stop him but because of our status with the bands they would let him in. We would often end up jamming in the clubs with the local musicians. Touring America was just fantastic. It was paradise for a young man. There was no AIDS then. We got laid every night and we got drunk all the time. They were crazy times. It was what every German boy dreams of when he hears about America. It was like being in a candy store as a child and being told that all the candy is yours. It was a fantastic time. Every time I think back to it I get a big smile on my face.”

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