Uli Jon Roth has revealed that there were songs on some early Scorpions albums on which Rudolph Schenker did not play. Saying that it was “just quicker” for Roth to record the parts himself, the guitarist said that tracks on the likes of 1978’s Virgin Killer and 1979’s Taken By Force did not feature Scorpions founder Schenker. Uli made the revelation speaking to eonmusic about his forthcoming UK tour.

Speaking about his time with the German hard rock institution, Roth said it had been a particularly harmonious environment. “I liked being in the Scorpions, and so we had a great time”, he said; “A lot of bands fall into that trap where they personalize things and then there's a lot of politics and internal power struggles. We never had any of that. It was very easy-going and smooth, and we just put our best foot forward. We were a very, very good team.There was never any clash of personalities, and there was never any envy or rivalry or what have you. Most bands suffer from that, and we never did."

Talking about his decision to leave the band, he clarified that it was not - as has been widely reported - because the band wanted to go in a more commercial direction. “The actual reason was that I developed as a writer and as a musician in a way that I felt I needed a different kind of platform and more freedom”, he explained; “Yes, the Scorpions framework allowed for something like 'Sails of Charon', say, but I started writing stuff like 'Earthquake', you know, 'Japanese Dream', and those were songs that had no business being in Scorpions. But that's what I wanted to do; I wanted to do those kinds of things, so for me, it was actually a relatively easy decision, because I was not so much driven by thinking about success; I was just purely driven by my artistic impulses, and they went contrary to where the Scorpions were going."

It was while talking about the classic "Sails Of Charon" that Uli revealed that he had played all the guitars, as well as bass on certain Scorpions songs. Said Uli; “I wrote the song at home and then I think we did a demo, and we ended up really just being two people in the studio doing it because I also played the bass and all the rhythm guitars on that one. So it was just the drummer Herman [Rarebell] and myself, and well, of course, Klaus Meine on vocals."

When asked ‘so you played all of the guitars, all the stringed instruments on the original recording of that song?!’, he replied; “Very, very often on my songs, most of the time I did all the guitars, except for on the very early albums. You know, Rudolph [Schenker] never minded that. They were a little tricky to play for him maybe, because he had a different style. Live, he coped admirably, but in the studio, it was quicker when I did it myself, like, you know; 'Polar Nights' and all these kinds of tracks though 'Yellow Raven'; it was a lot quicker to do it myself."

Read the interview at eonmusic.

After five long years, Uli Jon Roth is finally returning to North America with a rescheduled 30-date tour in April/May 2024. This isn't just an ordinary concert - it's an invitation to join the Interstellar Sky Guitar tour, a captivating 3-hour show of music and excitement.

The integrated multi-media show unfolds in two parts:

Part I: An intimate evening with Uli Jon Roth, featuring a selection of both new and older pieces composed by Uli, including excerpts from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Uli’s Metamorphosis Concerto. It will also include a brief ‘TED Talk’ by Uli, introducing his new book In Search Of The Alpha Law.

Part II: Uli navigates through his musical history, performing hits from the early Scorpions and Electric Sun years, with the support of his band.

Find more tour and ticket information at ujr.info.

Dates:

April
2 - Mesa, AZ The Venue - The Canyon
3 - Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go
4 - Ramona, CA - Ramona Mainstage
5 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House
6 - Concord, CA - Vinnies
7 - Santa Rosa, CA - The Flamingo Resort
12 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
13 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
18 - Hobart, IN - Hobart Arts Center
19 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theater
20 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
21 - Detroit, MI - Token Lounge
24 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater
25 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for The Arts
26 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
27 - New York, NY - Iridium
28 - New York, NY - Iridium

May
1 - West Yarmouth, MA - The Music Room