Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Scorpions

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 15, 1997)
• Original Release Date: July 15, 1997
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001EQP
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,472 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Although the 2 CD set Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years starts with the Scorpions' fifth studio album Lovedrive, it effectively traces and relives most of the German outfit's development from buzz band to rock stars. Beginning with their Billboard debut Lovedrive, which featured "Loving You Sunday Morning" and "Holiday" (contained here), the first disc follows the band through the platinum success of Blackout and the mind-blowing popularity of Love at First Sting. Included are the guitar-buzzing, pulse-pounding cuts "The Zoo," "No One Like You," "Rock You Like a Hurricane," and "Still Loving You." But with the second disc, Deadly Sting unabashedly captures a star-dazed band on the way down. Four cuts from the sappy, mediocre Savage Amusement are included, as well as numbers from the equally unimpressive Crazy World and the comeback-of-sorts Face the Heat. Although only the first CD is essential, it's the entire package that reveals the complete picture. --Jon Wiederhorn

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great compilation, but not a definitive one, May 18, 2000

By	JM Sjöbohm (Kristianstad, Sweden) - See all my reviews

First of all, a small correction to the editorial review: Lovedrive is the 6th studio album, and 7th album overall. The previous releases (RCA Records) are:

1972 Lonesome Crow 1974 Fly to the Rainbow 1975 In Trance 1976 Virgin Killer 1978 Taken by Force 1978 Tokyo Tapes (live)

Now, this compilation has all of their commercial and worldwide succesful songs, plus some of the finest album cuts of the band. It's definitive (rather excesive) for the casual fans , but for hardcore Scorpions fans it's not representative of their whole career (They started in 1969) This is a better compilation than Best of Rockers and Ballads, since it also includes their 90's hits. It's a good starting point for this specific era of the band of commercial success.

If you're more interested in Scorpions 'the cult european metal band' you should check the compilations BEST OF and BEST OF Vol. 2 by RCA Records. They're currently out of print, but the music there (that includes virtuoso guitarist Uli Jon Roth) worth the search.

If you're the kind of fan who's searching ONLY the hits, you should try the european single disc compilation BEST, released recently.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better than "Best of Rockers N' Ballads", March 6, 2002

By	birddogger5150 (Roseville, MN USA) - See all my reviews

I disagree slightly with Jon Weiderhorn's review. "Face The Heat" was not a "comeback of sorts", nor was "Crazy World" sloppy. It was "Crazy World" that was in fact the comeback the Scorpions had been waiting for, producing their biggest hit ever, "Wind of Change". I will agree that the Scorp's post '84 output has been at times mediocre. "Rhythm of Love", "Tease Me, Please Me", "Don't Believe Her" and "Alien Nation" aspire for greatness but instead invoke boredom. But songs like "Passion Rules The Game", "Send Me An Angel", "Hit Between The Eyes" and "Under The Same Sun" reveal a band with a few more tricks in their bag. And their cover of the Who's "I Can't Explain" absolutely blows away the original (though to be fair, the Who's version was an early-60's monophonic recording). It was the only decent tune on the otherwise awful "Stairway To Heaven/Highway to Hell" compilation album from 1989, done under the guise of being an anit-drug album by Bon Jovi manager Doc McGhee after he got arrested for his own trafficking schemes.

As for the first disc, what else can you say? Near perfect. The only missing tunes are "Hey You" (unavailable on any of their studio albums) and "I'm Leaving You" (decent tune from "Love At First Sting", received a fair amount of airplay). A must for the 80's metal fan.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this is my first time please be gentle., February 18, 2002

By	jack davanzo (summit, nj United States) - See all my reviews

this is my first scorpion album and my first review so please be gentle, thank you. i was so moved by this album that i just had to write this. I am 51 years old and i have heard "hurricane" many times but never thought an entire album could be this good. thanks scorpions.