Customer Reviews

Animal Magnetism

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Got this album on cassette in the mail from RCA in the early 80's and soon realized what a fine slab of metal I had bought. The production is very raw and the guitar riffs are the best of any Scorpions album. Make It Real, Falling In Love, The Zoo, and Only A Man rock hard. The title track is slow and hypnotizing. The sole ballad Lady Starlight contains some great Micheal Schenker style playing (hmmmmm?). Taken By Force, Blackout, Virgin Killer, and Love Drive should also be part of your collection!

Released in 1980, this is the first album to totally feature Matthias Jabs as the 2nd guitarist. This is a true classic heavymetal album! From the Hipgnosis cover of a woman kneeling in front of a man (who has a beer in one hand and his other hand in his back jeans pocket) you can pretty much guess that this is going to be an album about women kneeling in front of men, but it really is an album of songs in which the guy is made to kneel and grovel for the woman! Ahh, the Scorpions! Here are my ratings of the songs based out of 5 *****:

Make It Real - A guitar rif opening which gives way to a chugging tempo. Some fine bass work from Francis and great guitar exchanges from Mathias and Rudolf. Tempo could almost be considered ballad style and Journey could do no better. A great postive tune about striving for your dreams! Lets hope its still in the live set. Rating - *****

Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep) - Starts out fast and furious and changes tempo when the lyrics start to a surging beat. A song about lust. Some terrific bass playing from Francis and as always great guitar solos. A terrific song. A classic metal tune. Rating - *****

Hold Me Tight - A slow, churning guitar, drums, then bass opening. Klaus sings great on this one! I love his voice. Instantly recognizable. A bluesy feel to this song. Rating - ****

Twentieth Century Man - A mid-tempo song with great lyrics by Klaus. I really like this song. Not your typical 'I want sex, give it to me now' song. "The world's devoted to the Dollar-sign." Not much has changed since then Klaus. rating - ****

Lady Starlight - The ballad of the album. Klaus sure can sing these. What emotion and conviction he sings with! Who better to sing a ballad than Klaus? A song of longing and love with a fine string section accompianing Klaus. A terrific guitar solo from Rudolf - Rating - ****

Falling In Love - This song recevied substantial air play during the early '80s. A simple guitar intro gives way to a drum and bass pounding tempo. Some great guitar work on display. Klaus hits some of his highest notes on this song. A fantastic metal song, a true classic! Nearly perfect. Herman Rarebell wrote some of the greatest songs in the Scorpions catalogue, this is one of them! Rating - *****

Only A Man - A Queen like opening of only Klaus singing without accompianment leads into one of the finest hardock songs done by the Scorpions. A surging guitar and bass tempo with Klaus singing "Now you now how I feel. Nothing is real." As usual, you get great guitar solos. Classic song - Rating- *****

The Zoo - This song also received alot of airplay during its time. A great guitar intro followed by drums which turn into a real slow, surging elephant pounding tempo. Heavy bass from Francis. A bluesy type song. More explosive guitar solos from the menacing axe duo of Rudolf and Mathias. The Peter Frampton "voice air-guitar" that was real popular in the 70's is also heard on this song. A great hard rock song about sex - rating - *****

Animal Magnetism - A hypnotic guitar and drum opening - sort of like "Kashmire" by Led Zep. Great singing by Klaus and guitar playing by the solo twins turns another inane song about sex into a fantastic hard rock tune. Only the Scorpions could have a whole album devoted to sex and make it a classic! Rating - ****

The cover of the album insinuates sex and that is what this album delivers. A strong heavy metal album with sexual overtones and in your face ball wagging by the greatest sexmetal band ever! Overall,a classic metal album that should definitely be part of your collection!

"This was a very hard C.D. to find. But finally found it to replace the tape of the same name that was lost. I grew up in the "80's",& when a friend played one song called,"The Zoo",I really loved that song right away,& then listening to the rest,which back then I didnt know who they were at 15, I loved this record!!! There are some songs from the C.D. that werent my fav's, but enough to have to have it again. Make it real,Dont make no promises your body cant keep,Falling in Love,Only a man,The Zoo,Lady Starlight,I love those the most,they are really good "HEAVY METAL MUSIC",the other 3 are not bad at all,(Hold me tight,20th century man,Animal Magnetism,are also good,but everyone has their fav's. There are 9 tracks,& if Ive been looking for this, this long,then I think its worth every penny.The Scorpions do an excellent job ,the music is hard rocking metal as they are,the songs are unique,and I really love this C.D.,& Iam glad I finally found a copy. If you like "80's" HARD ROCK,then The Scorpions,"Animal Magnetism",wont be a disappointment!!!!

Animal Magnetism is a gem of a hard rock/heavy metal album. If you don't own any Scorpions' music, you simply have to have this album as well as 79's Lovedrive (the album that preceded this) and 82's Blackout (the album that followed this). Though this album contains a well-balanced mix, the guitars are not quite as upfront as they are on Blackout. If Animal Magnetism had the same mix as Blackout, it would be the greatest album in the Scorpions (Mach II) catalogue.

For the un-Scorpified out there, Scorpions were a very different band prior to 1979. From 1972-1978 the band was much more progressive and heavier in the "spacey-head-music" sense. Mach I Scorpions is a treat unto its own, but probably not as digestible in a pop sense.

Animal Magnetism, the 2nd of Mach II's efforts, oozes all the ingredients that make Scorpions who they are: sensuality, energy, hooks and strong hard rock musicianship. To me, Scorpions are the progenitors of the hard rock "ballad." While most bands that write ballads give you the sense that they were forced to do so by their producer and / or their label, Scorpions write ballads because that's who they are; songwriters that enjoy writing ballads. No band writes ballads the way Scorpions do because no one can sing a ballad the way Klaus Meine can.

Ahh, but can they rock? Oh yes indeed! Animal Magnetism has the perfect blend of mid-tempo rockers (Make It Real, Twentieth Century Man,Hold Me Tight, etc.), blistering rockers (the Zoo, Don't Make No Promises) and, as mentioned, a truly tremendous, emotionally charged ballad (Lady Starlight). The solo played by Rudolph Schenker at the end of Lady Starlight is worth the price of the album itself.

Another noteworthy element on Animal Magnetism is the fact that this is the last album on which Klaus Meine really belted out truly heavy (in the rough sounding sense) vocals (listen to Hold Me Tight and Don't Make No Promises) In fact, he may have overdone it because before the next album was done, he had to stop singing for a period of time and seek medical treatment to remove nodules from his vocal chords! Though obviously Klaus Meine's vocals remain strong to this day, he seemed to be a different vocalist after Animal Magnetism.

Purchase and enjoy a hard rock masterpiece.

This is a pretty awesome offering from the Scorps. After guitarist Uli John Roth departed following the last 'classic-era' Scorpions album Taken By Force, their recorded the Lovedrive album in 1979. Anyone who REALLY knows the Scorps...are aware of their amazing 70's albums. Totally different than the 80's MTV/stadium Scorps. Much more musicalty, much more aggression, and Uli was the best guitar they ever had. Although in a difference of direction, he left following their last album done with this line up. And after recruiting Matthias Jabs, they released (what was to most their first) 1979 album Lovedrive. It totally reconfigured the band's sound, repackaged it in a more polished and structured sense. They were still a great band but its really a matter of opinion which era of the group you prefer. The Lovedrive album got them new notice and attention in America. It included the sort of hit Loving You Sunday Morning, but nothing smash success wise. The follow up, 1980's Animal Magnestism, is a pretty awesome album to say the least. Some critics think less of this album for some reason. Opening cut Make It Real, is a midtempo yet highly enjoyable rock song. Klaus Meine really sings up a record here. Dont Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep) is a faster more ripping song and realy grabs you, as does Twentieth Century Man, Falling In Love, and Only A Man. Superb, surpasses it's era, great hard rock. Albeit, the only familiar song this record contains to the average listener is the FM staple The Zoo. Another song that contributed to the bands hunt for worldwide breakthrough, which come one year later in the Blackout album. So the LD and AM records were the bands middle ground phase to finding that commercial sound that differed so much with their more raw and gritter hard rock meets prog rock meets grooves approach. Scorps are one of the really underappreciated bands and anything up to Love At First Sting this band did is essential. Dont pass on this one or any of their classic 70s efforts especially Virgin Killer.

This is the second in the "Mach 2" version of this fine German Metal Band from Germany featuring the very talented lead guitar skills of Matthias Jabs. Right off the bat, for you Guitarists out there like myself, I am a HUGE Michael Schenker Fan, and loved what he did on Lovedrive, and have to admit that Matthias did a more than adequate job filling the Scorps need for a Melodic and emotive Guitarist like Michael. In my opinion, this is the best Scorpions Album of what myself and a lot of fans refer to as the "Triumvirate" of the best 3 albums [Lovedrive/Animal Magnetism/Blackout] of their entire career. Of course, it could be argued by a Scorpions Purist, that the earlier Ulrich Roth material was far edgier and Progressive sounding without a care in the World to pandering to commercial tastes, but I digress... Songwise, this is the strongest of the 3 albums mentioned above with the hard rock songs here just pummeling you like giant Ball Peen Hammer - if built by Porsche. This songwriting to me is the very essence of great Hard Rock craftsmanship. Memorable Guitar hooks that never leave you, pounding and tasty Bass and Drums with songs that straddle that very difficult balance (that almost EVERY Metal Band in the late 80's failed miserably at...) between being memorable without being too Radio-Friendly, and great chops for a Musician like me to appreciate and be inspired by. Lady Starlight as a Ballad is a very sweet song that thankfully Klaus has the sensitivity to deliver without sounding like a "Metal Dude" that had to throw in a "soft song" to appease the record company and the Girls in the fan base. For those of you that appreciate a clean, punchy Mix as I do, the record sounds great with all the instruments balanced perfectly with no trace of muddiness in evidence - even more impressive considering the heavy Bass mix and energetic Kick-Drum from Herman! MUCH credit is due to Dieter Dierks as Producer, as he did a wonderful job polishing these already great songs and making everything sound as clear as a bell. To sum up, these songs are top-notch, the recording/mix will impress you, but most imoprtantly, this kind of simple but hooky Hard Rock sonwriting like this along with early Y&T, Montrose, UFO, etc., is sadly a thing of the past. This is Scorpions in their finest hour. All you have to do now is buy the remastered CD and fire up your giant Pioneer speakers from the 70's and bliss out to the greatest era in hard rock history. Trust me.

With their seventh studio album, 1980's Animal Magnetism, the Scorpions moved into the new decade with power and style. The veteran rockers had already made a name for themselves in hard rock circles, but it was the 80's in which the band came to dominate the arena rock scene, and the seeds of their emergence as rock gods can be found on this album.

Animal Magnetism is not the slick, commercial heavy metal offering Love at First Sting was, but you could tell the band was evolving from their 70's rocking sound. You still get some traditional hard rockers ("Only a Man" and album highlight "The Zoo") and proggy songs ("Lady Starlight")on this album, but the focus was shifting to shorter, more accessible arena rock songs like "Falling in Love" and "Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep)". Album opener "Make it Real" in particular was very catchy, very melodic, and almost sounds like a prototype for "Rock You Like a Hurricane".

Depending on your perspective (or just your age), Animal Magnetism is either the beginning of the end, or the start of the Scorpions' finest era. I happen to fall into the latter camp, and think everything the band released in the 80's was pure gold. Either way, Animal Magnetism is an album that fans of any (or all) eras of the Scorpions should own. Fans of classic melodic rock in general should also have this album in their collection.

NOTE: The 2001 EMI reissue of Animal Magnetism features absolutely AMAZING digitally remastered sound. It's a dramatic improvement in sound quality over the original, and is worlds better than the 1997 Mercury remaster. If that weren't enough, you also get the rare b-side "Hey You" added as a bonus track, making this even more of a worthwhile purchase.

This is one of the Scorpions best overall CDs. The guitar riffs are classic and the guitar sound is hard and crisp. "The Zoo", of course, is a standout with its slow crunchy riff and Klaus talking and whispering the verses as much as singing them. "Make it Real" is fast paced with another great riff that gets the CD started off perfectly. Every song will have you jamming along with it. "Lady Starlight" is a ballad which a lot of people seem to like but it doesn't do anything for me. It's the only song on the CD that I sometimes skip. If you're a Scorpions fan, you have to have Animal Magnetism.

A very interesting album from the Scorps. . .The cover was polarizing enough, stretching the boundaries of 1980's good taste with its' exotic, animalistic, sexually provocative imagery, not to mention the bizarre inner sleeve photo(for those of you who have an original LP pressing).

Although song lyrics and structure clearly suggests the Scorps are trying to ascend the same sexually charged thematic heights reached on Lovedrive, this album in comparison tends to fall short.

My major complaint about this album has always been the production. Klaus Meine's vocals seem tinny and buried in each song. Perhaps Meine was already experiencing some major problems with his voice with the final mix adjusted to compensate for it? "Make it Real" has lead guitar buried at the center of the mix. Whose idea was that? It seems only to achieved giving the mix a mushy quality, which can also be said of the bass sound in many songs.

Secondly, a certain little brother's writing, and specifically solo work, are missing here and leave a demonstrable void when compared to "Lovedrive". It is interesting to consider what might have been were Michael still on board as writing is so similar on each album.

Despite these problems, the album does manage to come to its' feet and put up a good fight. Tunes such as "Don't Make No Promises your Body Can't Keep", (a rare writing credit to Matthias Jabs), "The Zoo", "make it Real" and "Only a Man" keep the swaggering sexuality moving forward. Then there is my personal favorite, "Falling in Love", whose simple guitar line understates a very straightforward theme every young rocker can relate to: lust. It's another example of the Scorp's ability to meld clever lyrics with a sharp rhythmic hook at just the right moment.

The Scorps toyed with themes of misogyny/objectification of women in their lyrics, and pointedly displayed them in their album artwork. I think this album is arguably the zenith of that sexual energy, and despite some obvious production flaws, shows this band in a very interesting period of their career: standing on their own in the lineup that would lead to world wide fame. Highly Recommended despite my technical criticisms. 3.5 stars.

Here is the breakdown of this kick-[...] Scorp album. If you like commercial rock, leave this CD alone as it is just a raw and powerful hard rock sampling.

1) "Make It Real" - This is classic Klaus Meine.
Rating: 5 stars

2) "Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep)"
Rating: 5 stars

3) "Hold Me Tight" - This song is OK. Not an awful song but pretty plain.
Rating: 3 stars

4) "Twentieth Century Man" - A cut above "Hold Me Tight" but not much
Rating: 3.5 stars

5) "Lady Starlight" - I like this one. It is a nice ballad that really digs into your soul. Klaus Meine's vocals flow out and grab you and lets you feel the emotion. It is superb!
Rating: 5 stars


6) "Falling in Love" - This is a really nice ballad that rocks. It was very close to 5 stars. I think you will like it. I do!
Rating: 4 stars

7) "Only A Man" - This song starts out like it is going to be crap and then it picks up. This song is just average, not bad, but not great
Rating: 3 stars

8) "The Zoo" - This is the first Scorpion's song that I ever heard. Of course, it was on the radio that I heard it. I told a friend of mine about the song (He had just moved back from Germany) and he said that the Scorpions rock and he had been listening to them in Germany for years. He then turned me on to songs like "Speedys Coming", "He's a woman, She's a Man", "Backstage Queen", "Pictured Life", "In Trance", "Hell Cat", "Dark Lady", "The Sails Of Charon", "Virgin Killer", "Robot Man", and "Steamrock Fever". If you get a chance to buy these songs, do, definitely do. You won't regret it.
Rating: 5 stars

9) "Animal Magnetism" - The guitar at the beginning of this song, draws you in, for lack of a better word, like a magnet. Then Klaus extends his vocals along with the incessant drumming and before you know it, you are there, in a climatic transe!
Rating: 5 stars


I hope my review helps!!!