Customer Reviews

Fly to the Rainbow

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the Scorps 2nd album, for years this was part of USA RCA's budget albums, but oddly, has been outof print for some time now in the USA.

Fly to the Rainbow plays a pivotal role in the Scorps career. As Lonesome crow was more Psych-Blues, Fly to the Rainbow is more Psych-Hard Rock.

They also revamped the lineup for this one, Michael Schenker is gone, as we all know, he left to join UFO. Uli Roth is the NEW lead guitarist, who obviously brings a lot to the table. This is also Francis Bucholtz's 1st albumwith the Scorps, a big time under-rated bass player who plays off the wild lead guitar playing quite nicely. Listen to "This is My Song", for some nice melodic bass playing. The drums are handled by Jurgen Rosenthal, one of the better drummers in a long line of Scorps percussionists.

Speedy's Coming: This type of tune is what would become a typical Scorps Hard Rockin song. But this is the prototype, the 1st one. Funny how this song seems out of place on this album. Lotsof cool references to Alice Cooper, Ringo Starr, Royal Albert Hall. Very cool lyriclly, with all the stuff about the girl hanging posters on her wall and getting hot and bothered by the rock star coming to town.

They Need a Million: This is the 1st in the Rainbow concept, which seems to have something to do with the poor and oppresed finding a better life, probably an East/West German thing. Starts with a nice Acoustic piece played by Rudy, then goes into the Flamenco thing. Th lead vocalshere are hadled by Rudy Schenker, NOT Uli Roth, as many may think, mainly because rudy never sings again after this album. Strng backrounds by Klaus.

Drifting Sun: Uli's time to shine. Blistering lead guitar, and pounding, heavy bcking track make this one a winner. Uli's Vocals on this one are probably the best he's ever recorded on record, his voice is a little higher and seems to be in the right key for his limited vocal range. The spoken word section is again sung by Rudy Schenker, which luckily was done through a leslie speaker cabinet, as Rudy has a heavy accent and unusual speaking voice. To cap this all off is a stinging Moog synthesizer line that is just perfect. Pchyedelic mind trip, close your eyes and off we go!

Fly People Fly: Back to the Rainbow concept for this one. A song only the Scorps can write, moody and bluesy, with top notch vocals from Klaus who also doubles on harmony. Once again, stuning lead guitar from Uli. Listen and you'll hear Francis Busholtz almost make a bass playing error.

This is My Song: Nice straight ahead rocker, very melodic but a litte repetitive on the Chorus. Still, catchy and listenable, and nice bass work from Fran.

Far Away: Broken up into 2 parts, the 1st being a soft mellotron piece at the string setting, the secondbeing a scorchinging heavy ballad. Another Rainbow piece. Very tastful and an extremly catchy hook to take you back to the verses. I cannot beleive how this guy plays lead guitar on this. It is the best lead playing I have ever heard. Period.

Fly to the Rainbow: Well here we are, at the end of the record. The acoustic intro is a nice, upbeat piece that says there is a happy ending to this story. Then we're off into this harmony lead guitar section where all 3 guitarists are playng lead. Then were off into pchedelic land again with heavy flanging and poetic reads by Uli. A nice and fitting way to end the record.
Take note that Michael Schenker pinched part of the acostic intro and used it on "Crystal Light", on UFO's 1974 release Phenomenon.

Well there you have it, a classic rock album by a great rock band. What makes this different for a Scorpions standpoint is that this was a hge step up from Lonesome Crow, which had some great guitar work, but seems terribly outdated, even from its release date it sounds 5 years too old.

Fly to the Rainbow has Moog Synth on 2 songs, wild dive bomber guitar solos, cool sound effects, mellotrons, bizzare vocals, concepts, great muscanship. The keyboards went uncredited, as well as the alternate vocalists. This was produced by the Scorps, who did a great job.

I'd love to hear from others who love this album, its one of my favorites as well.

Scorpions _World Wide Live_ was the first album I ever purchased for myself, a monstrous, treasured double-vinyl artifact that I literally wore the grooves out on. Years later, having navigated through plenty of phases with my fickle musical tastes, I was turned on and totally blown away by the heretofore unexplored Uli Jon Roth era, of which this album, though probably not the best, is by far my personal favorite. You can almost smell the incense burning from the first chords. Although the songwriting is uneven, with Roth taking too many vocal turns, the textures and art-rock song structures are mezmerizing, especially on the title track, where Roth's gorgeous, classically-informed technique leads into a track which is some kind of psychadelic metal masterpiece, the kind of track Hawkwind wishes they had the chops to play and Yngwie Malmsteen is still trying to write to this day. "Speedy's Coming" is a great, racous opener and features the first really strong Klaus Meine vocal workout along with some great tongue-in-cheek lyrics ("Do you like Alice Cooper/Do you like Ringo Starr?"). The intricate, gorgeous intro to "They Need a Million" leads into a telltale flamenco-influenced chord progression and showcases Uli Jon Roth's Hendrix-meets-Blackmore soloing (also, unfortunately, his singing). The keyboards on quasi-operatic background vocals are very strange things to find on a Scorpions record, and while many folks may deem them somewhat silly, I find them strangely intoxicating. If "This is My Song" seems somewhat redundant, the delicate, Floydian ballad "Far Away" should make it forgivable. If you approach this as more of a guitarist's record (as it is easy to see Uli Jon Roth was in the spotlight here) the blueprints for the 80's neoclassical shredder can be seen here. But its not a bad intro to the Scorps' early output, either, and it definitely belongs in any hard rock afficianado's collection.

Okay, so "Ulrich Roth" doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as "Eric Clapton" or "Eddie Van Halen"...but don't let that detract you from picking up a copy of what may well be the prototype "air guitar" metal album! The Scorpions may have arguably reached thier creative peak on what was only thier second effort. Although released in 1974, "Fly To The Rainbow" dates very well, particularly on some of the dynamic, well-arranged epic-length pieces, which would almost sound at home on a Queensrhyche or Dream Theater album. That being said, you also have "Speedy's Coming", one of the best side 1 / cut 1's of all time, (right up there with "Baba O'Reilly" or "All The Way From Memphis") which I'm sure has inspired some "Tom Cruise dancing on Mom and Dad's sofa" moments for more than one of us! Ulrich Roth's expressive and powerfully sonic lead playing should appeal to fans of Gary Moore, with whom I see some stylistic similarities. One of the rare metal albums that works for both "headphone" AND " Hey...let's share this with the neighbors!" moods.

THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF ULI'S FINEST WITH THE SCORPIONS. MY FAVORITE TRACK HAS TO BE DRIFTING SUN WHICH I CONSIDER A METAL CLASSIC. THIS ALBUM/CD GETS OVERLOOKED ALOT BUT IT IS SOLID THROUGHOUT! SPEEDYS COMING IS PROBABLY THE MOST KNOWN TRACK AND ROCKS BUT IF FIND THE WHOLE TRACK LIST EXCELLENT. KLAUS'S VOCALS ARE GREAT AND RUDY SCHENKER IS THE RIFFMASTER EXTRAORDANAIRE! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OLD SCORPIONS GIVE THIS A LISTEN!

This is probably one of my favorite metal album of all time. For 1974, this album is so far ahead of its time. Although the lyrics are not the greatest, it really doesn't matter because you have a MASTER guitar player in Ulrich Roth. I still remember the first time I listened to this record I was so amazed by his work in songs like "They Need A Million" "Fly People Fly" and the title track (which is ONLY available on the Japan Import onf this album). You can if you appreciate NWOBHM bands and early 80s thrash metal, pick this album up and you will be in for a REAL treat!

I originally bought this album on vinyl over twenty years ago and it remains one of my favorite albums of all time. The co-writing of Ulrich Roth and Michael Schenker on the title track in conjunction with the incredible musicianship of this group on the entire album shows the real reason why the Scorpions became one of the biggest rock bands in history. Finely textured feedback solos on pieces like "Drifting Sun" and the title track as well as expressive drumming and incredible lyrics make this a true album for artists.

While guitarrist Ulrich ROth was still on board, Scorpions made set-standard rock. Songs like the tittle track adn "Speedy's Coming" were amazing. Klaus Meine's interpretation (albeit full of sotak) was divine, adn the band flourished. After ROth left, the band was gone.

"Fly to the Rainbow," the second release from a band who would later become one of the most popular bands of the 1980's, the Scorpions, is a treat to the ears of any fan of solid 70's rock. The German quintet shows flashes of their later claims to fame, with tracks like "Speedy's Coming" and "Fly People Fly" among the highlights of this dynamic album. The album's closer, the title track, is an epic undescribable unless you've felt it shake the walls of your favorite listening quarters. Truly a masterpiece of this band's career. Though it is very difficult to find this album in the United States through any means other than mail order, it is well worth the price of shipping from a foreign land to your doorstep.

When People think Scorpions they think "Rock You Like A Hurricane", they think "No One Like You", they think that german band that helped make the Berlin Wall collapse. They think of the MTV party rock they made in the 80s. Well forget about all of that and lets go back to 1974.

Most people don't even realize that Scorpions existed long before the 1980s, way before MTV and all of that hair metal garbage they have been oh so inaccuratly accused of spearheading. Infact the good ol' Scorps have been around since 65'. "Fly To The Rainbow" was their second LP that was released in 1974 and featured new axe wizard Uli Jon Roth and future prog rock drummer Jurgen Rothensal. This might just be the weirdest, freakiest and downright most bizzare music Scorpions have ever commited to wax, and wouldn't you know this prehaps is the most mindblowingly creative effort of the band and prehaps of the early 70s. This is nothing like the Scorpions that would gain fame post 79, with big hooks and lyrics paying ode to sex, no, this is Scorpions in a full-blown psychedelic prog-fest. "Fly To The Rainbow", much like the first record "Lonesome Crow", has much in common with the burgeoning ambient Kraut Rock genre, with element of Hendrix-like psychedelia mixed in. And to top it all off, the record is concept, with all 7 tracks laying out one's struggle to "fly over the rainbow to freedom", which is an allegory of escaping into West Germany. Lets look at the tracks....

SPEEDY'S COMING
It all kicks off with this cool early Scorpions rocker about a female rock fan. Lyrics like "She likes Alice Cooper, She likes Ringo Star, She likes David Bowie & Freinds.." are a hoot.

THEY NEED A MILLION
A lovely song. Starts off with some beautiful classical guitar melodies and then out of no where punches the listener with a churning electric guitar from Rudy. Rudolf Schenker also sings lead on this one.

DRIFTING SUN
The most psychedelic sounding song right here. It is a Roth penned tune, and he also sings lead. People slag his voice but I think it's great for this music. Klause sings back up on the chorus. The strange voices in the middle are Rudolf talking through a Leslie speaker cabinet. Awesome solo by Roth.

FLY PEOPLE FLY
A slow, mellow burner. Very peaceful with sweet vocals from Klause, and more of Roth's Hendrix styled guitar solos.

THIS IS MY SONG
This is another rocker, albiet with a strong progressive edge to it simular to old school Rush. The bass and drum playing from Bucholz and Rothensal is phenomenal.

FAR AWAY
Another peaceful song. I don't like it as much as the rest of the album but it is still a very well crafted song with nice vocal melodies from Klausie.

FLY TO THE RAINBOW
Here it is, the title track and best song on the album. This song is the mother of all Scorpions songs. It's a 9 minute epic on par with anything by bands like YES, GENESIS or ELP have ever done. It begins with a Dlyan-esque type folk deal, with Roth singing like one of Robin Hood's merry men. It then morphs into a monster, with daul harmonized guitars and galloping bass strait from h%ll, and you can see where Iron Maiden ripped it's entire sound off-of. Then it changes too slow,psychedelic introspection with Roth seducing the listener. Jon Uli Roth is the greatest lead guitarist on the planet, and he shows you why on this song. Amazing!

This is great. If you are wondering what this sounds like, don't wonder, just go out and get this. If you enjoy alot of Woodstock-era music, you will like this. If you like Scorpions, you will like this. If you enjoy anything with even an ounce of creativity poured into it you will like this. I love "Fly To The Rainbow", and it is my favorite Scorpions record by far. Future Scorpions is great aswell, but they were never this artistic ever again. Highly recommended!

This album is creatively better than any of their other pre-Lovedrive stuff, but it needs to be remastered in at least 20 bit form. As soon as this happens, I'll buy another copy.

To everyone who is crying about the Scorps going commercial after Roth's departure, please wake up from dreamland. The Scorpions were NEVER a hair band even though so many tried to put them in that category. These guys have always been a very heavy and sophisticated rock band all the way up to 1990's Crazy World. Of course their peak time period was the Lovedrive, Animal Magnetism, Blackout, and Love At First Sting era. Please remember that Rudolf's ultimate dream was to become a household name in the rock/metal genre. His dream came true because he and Klaus Meine gave the fans what they wanted, intelligent hard driving rock, and positive progressive ballads that spoke volumes about their creativity, compassion, and integrity. They Never wrote the kind of cheesy songs that Poison, Rat, Motely Crue and other glam bans were famous for. Let's face it, their latter offerings were almost as underrated as their pre-lovedrive efforts. All of these Scorps CDs are now remastered, so get your copy before they are all gone. The Rush, Van Halen, Deep Purple, and Iron Maiden-Canadian remasters are also well worth the money.