Customer Reviews

Gold

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

 

 

THE BAND: Klaus Meine (vocals, guitar), Matthias Jabs (guitars), Rudolf Schenker (guitars) have appeared on all albums... past and present band members include Ulrich Roth (guitars), Michael Schenker (guitars), Francis Buchholz (bass), Ralph Rieckermann (bass), Jurgen Rosenthal (drums), Herman Rarebell (drums), and James Kottak (drums). Hailing from Hannover, Germany.

THE DISCS: (2006) 34 tracks on 2 discs clocking in at approximately 156 total minutes (Disc-1 at 77 minutes, Disc-2 at 79). Included with the discs is an 18-page booklet containing song titles/ credits, 10-pages of history and photos through the years, what songs came from which albums and the year released. This compilation follows the band from 1972-2002. 24-bit digitally remastered sound. Label - Universal Music / Mercury.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Lonesome Crow (1 song), Fly To The Rainbow (1), In Trance (1), Virgin Killer (3), Taken By Force (3), Tokyo Tapes (1), Lovedrive (3), Animal Magnetism (1), Blackout (4), Love At First Sting (3), Savage Amusement (2), Crazy World (5), Face The Heat (3), unreleased studio tracks featured on other "greatest hits" releases only (3).

COMMENTS: There are many Scorpions compilations out there... to date - "Rockers & Ballads", "Best of Vol.1", "Deadly Sting - The Mercury Years", "Best of Vol.2", "Classic Bites", "20th Century Masters", "Number 1's", "Bad For Good", the 3-disc set "Box of Scorpions" and "Platinum", and this 2-disc set "Gold". Since I had all the Scorpions albums on disc, I held off on any compilation... until now. I looked at them all and decided on "Gold" (outside of the pricey "Box Of Scorpions", I feel "Gold" is the most comprehensive collection). THE GOOD: Lots of music in one spot here... all in their remastered glory covering so many (but not all) of their albums over the last 4 decades. The staples are here - "No One Like You", "Rock You Like A Hurricane", "Still Loving You", "Wind Of Change", "The Zoo", "Blackout", "Holiday", "Loving You Sunday Morning", "In Trance", "Virgin Killer", "Rhythm Of Love", "Big City Nights", "Dynamite", "Alien Nation", etc. The booklet is informative and has some great pictures dating back to the early 70's. Glad to see the underrated "Face The Heat" get 3 songs here. The early 70's material on disc-1 sounds dated, but still comes across crisp. Chronological order is a plus - you can hear the band grow and change over the years. THE NOT SO GOOD: Only a few minor things wrong here that's worthy of mention. "Can't Live Without You" needs desperately to follow the song "Blackout". Here, it's presented two tracks prior... for me, it's like Van Halen's "Eruption" not being followed by "You Really Got Me". A few important, but perhaps not essential tracks, are missing - "Bad Boys Running Wild", "Arizona", "Another Piece Of Meat", "Passion Rules The Game", "Make It Real", "New Genration", "Love 'Em Or Leave 'Em", "I'm Leaving You", "Now" and "Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep)". While the songs drawn from various albums is extensive on "Gold", it's not all inclusive - No representation from the following Scorpions albums - "World Wide Live", "Live Bites", "Pure Instinct", "Eye II Eye" (I understand this one completely being omitted), "Moments Of Glory" (with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), "Acoustica", and sadly nothing from the heavy "Unbreakable". Only one track from "Animal Magnetism" is a crime. And, perhaps five tracks from "Crazy World" is excessive. OVERALL: A great collection of music at a great price (mucho bang for the buck); crisp sound; top notch track selection. Looking for a Scorpions compilation - start with "Gold" (4.5 stars).

I have a very high end 2 channel stereo. This is a review of the sound quality only. From the prior reviews, many said this was the best sounding yet, with a 24-bit remastering. Well I A-B compared this with the same tracks off the 20-bit original recording remasters and they win without a doubt! Much better bass, mids and not as bright and hashy. For me, those are the best sounding Scorpions to date.

Put it this way, I go for open heart surgery Dec.8 and I plan on rockin to this 2CD set all the way down to Yale New Haven Hospital(about an hour away)and God willing I hope to hear the rest of this great band on the way back.

Most Greatest Hits compilation albums focus on the hit material of any given band and leaves the rest aside, the Gold series however does not do so. Gold are two discs career spawning releases that go much further than just the hits, every album is covered and do justice to bands. Scorpions Gold isn't any different; it gives you more than the hits like "Rock You Like A Hurricane" and "Wind of Change", it goes back to albums like "Lonesome Crow", "Virgin Killer"and "Lovedrive" that are today in the shadow of the band's more commercial and successful albums like "Love At First Sting" and "Crazy World". Of course there are songs that should have been here that weren't and some songs that maybe shouldn't be here but it's the same for each compilation isn't it? I think Gold does by far the best job covering the band's career in terms of greatest hits. I like how the booklet has great vintage pictures, lists the song names, albums and year of release plus the liner notes gives a detailed history of the band. Each Gold collection is like that, they are very good CDs for your collection, I've bought a few of them before (I prefer owning the actual CDs) and I've never been disappointed. In fact I listened to them and based on those songs I was able to decide which albums I liked best and bought those. Gold albums are a great introduction to any band and Scorpions is no different. The only real let-down is the fact that there is only 1 song from "Animal Magnetism" here but that's about all the negative that can be said. I would also say that maybe just maybe, 5 songs from "Crazy World" was too much.

It's probably the most expensive Scorpions compilation album you will find (and I'm not counting box sets and such) and rightfully so because it covers the band's entire career up to that point (2006). Is it worth it? For the fan who wants more than just the average compilation with the hits this 2 discs Scorpions Gold is worth it, then he/she can decide which albums he would eventually like to get or just keep this collection of songs. There isn't much to complain about except the fact that the Animal Magnetism album is only represented by one song otherwise it's a great compilation, nice selection of songs, good price and it covers pretty much everything. 4 stars for a big fan because even if he has all this he can't dismiss how good this compilation is and 5 for a newbie.

I've always liked the big radio hits from the Scorpions, however I was turned on to some of the older stuff which this album has quite a bit of. They really were metal pioneers and I am surprised they are not mentioned with the Deep Purple, Judas Priest, AC/DC bunch....they were right there making music that would piss your mom off! If you are into the Scorpions but aren't sure what to buy.....here it is.

Many of you might have read my Scorpions' 'Deadly Sting' review, where I wrote that that was the compilation to own. I take that back. THIS is what you really need.

There's a reason why the Scorpions had so many compilations. They were so popular, I didn't think any compilation really got the job done decently until 'Deadly Sting' came along.

But this is MUCH more than decent. It's a career spanning retrospective, starting with their highly underrated 1972 debut 'Lonesome Crow' and ending with a new song from their 2002 hits compilation 'Bad For Good.' It spans all of their record labels, from their early Brain Records years to their 1980s success years on the Mercury label.

And, one of my all-time favorite Scorpions songs, 'It All Depends' FINALLY appears on a compilation. It's about time!

Casual fans and hardcore fans alike have waited a long, LONG time for a career-spanning retrospective to hit the market. And, 2006's 'Gold' gets the job done perfectly.

If you are a casual fan who wants the hits and great album tracks that made the band the legends that they are today, they are all here. 'No One Like You,' 'Rock You Like A Hurricane,' 'Still Loving You,' 'Rhythm of Love,' 'Can't Live Without You' and 'In Trance' all appear on this fairly priced set. And, Hip-O earns extra points for remastering this. The sound quality is simply unbeatable!

Overall, if you are a longtime Scorpions fan who hasn't bought all of their studio releases yet, than you need 'Gold.' This is, by a long shot, the best Scorpions set on the market. Well worth your hard-earned dollar.

Highly, highly recommended. ENJOY!!!

I didn't much hear Scorpions on the radio until the '83 Us Festival and "Rock You Like A Hurricane". That's on Disc Two - Disc One is loaded from start to finish with what I consider to be their best. One of a handful of the many 2-disc collections I have that truly requires two discs. Why more of this material never got radio airplay I'll never know - it's much better than nearly all of what got played.