Customer Reviews

Savage Amusement

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let's start looking at the time this album was released...Hair Metal ruled the rock scene in the late 80's, with a lot of ridiculous hype bands raising the hit parades, and the "appice" of this "movement" was the Def Leppard's
album "Hysteria" (1987),where the band sold millions of copies of this underrated album...Scorpions' last hit was "Still Loving You"(one of the best rock ballads ever), and I think that the pression was very strong to the band repeat the success on "Savage Amusement",so...That album has the shape of Hair Metal(take a look on the back cover - they're looking like Def Leppard or Bon Jovi - ARGHHH!!!),the production points this way all the time and this album, at first, has everything to be the worst Scorpions' album...but it is NOT!!! Incredibly, they recorded the best Hair Metal album I've ever hearded!!! It's serious...Def Leppard,Bon Jovi and Poison don't have Klaus Meine
on vocals neither Rudolf Schencker on compositions and Mathias Jabs kickin' ass on solo guitars!!! Try listen without prejudice to this album (don't look at the back cover and don't watch the video clips, please), and what you'll hear is the great melody and sensibility of this GREAT rock band...An exemple: the solo in the introduction of "Believe In Love"...the shape used on the recording was pure Hair Metal, but take a "look" deeper in the melody...it's beautiful!!!Listen carefully to Klaus' vocals in "Walking On The Edge" and "Believe In Love"...it's beatiful!!!Listen to the song "Rhythm of Love"...it's a rock masterpiece!!! "Don't Stop At The Top" is a strong rock song; "Passion Rules The Game" and "Every Minute Every Day" are slow rock songs like only Scorpions know how to do; "Love On The Run" is more fast and aggressive than the other songs,with an almost-punk beat; "We Let It Rock...You Let It Roll" and "Media Overkill" are genuine Hair Metal, but yet with the talent of the band making difference(listen to Mathias Jabs' solos!!!)...That's it, guys...In my opinion, "Savage Amusement" is an underestimated classic of rock, but undoubtly a CLASSIC!!!

I know that the Scorpions' albums from this era aren't universally loved, and that longtime fans in particular were not pleased by the band's crossover into more radio friendly territory, but for those of us who discovered the Scorpions in the mid to late 80's, these are the albums that define the band's sound.

Case in point - 1988's Savage Amusement. Coming on the heels of the monster hit Love at First Sting, Savage Amusement finds the band continuing their arena rocking heavy metal sound. This is a first rate 80's metal album all the way. Hearing Rudolf Schenker's guitar work on this album reminds me of a skilled surgeon at work. He just gets in there and cuts with incredible precision. This first rate metal guitar work makes it much easier to overlook the band's love-obsessed lyrical content. And of course there are Klause Meine's unique and powerful vocals. I can't imagine ever hearing the term "German metal" and NOT immediately thinking of Meine's voice. Savage Amusement doesn't have a super anthem on par with Rock You Like a Hurricane here, but there are plenty of great rockers, including Don't Stop at the Top, Passion Rules the Game, and Media Overkill. The album also features two of the band's bigger hits in Rhythm of Love and the sappy ballad Believe in Love. I can see how these kinds of songs could put off some fans, but overall this is a very hard rocking album, ballads or not.

Love at First Sting is the better album, but Savage Amusement comes pretty close. It's a great example of the Scorpions sound in the 80's, and 20 years later remains one of my favorite albums from that era.

NOTE: The 2001 EMI reissue of Savage Amusement features absolutely AMAZING digitally remastered sound. It's a dramatic improvement in sound quality over the original, and in fact sounds like something released today. Even without bonus tracks, the improved sound quality makes replacing your older version totally worthwhile.

Why people critise "Savage Amusement" for being lackluster, disappointing and anything, is still unknown for me. Play "Love at First Sting" first, then directly play "Savage Amusement". Scorpions sounded incredible on this record, the sound was better than on "Love at First Sting" and the songs are just as powerful, and although it didnt boost the same hits as its prequel, there are still so many wonderful songs here, that its hard to start with one. Superb gems on this record is "Rhythm of Love", "Passion Rules the Game", "Media Overkill", "Every minute Every Day" and the utterly Genius and powerful "Believe in Love", another Power Ballad.
Each of this song is almost as good as the songs on Love at First Sting, except for Believe in Love, which is better. After listening to Still Loving you for 10 years, discovering "Believe in Love" this summer was an incredible experience. This album suits me better than earlier Scorpions, as I prefer Power Ballads, and Mean and Clean Rock combined with wonderful melodies. This record got less raw powerful sound than Love at First Sting, but the production is cleaner, and the melodies sounds better. It may not match Love at First Sting, but that does not prevent this from being a perfect follow up to the perfect Rock album.

Strongly Recommended!!!

By 1988 alot of things had changed in the musical landscape. Newer but not neccesarily better production techniques were being used and everyone from Judas Priest to Yes were using more "modern" sounding things like drum machines or an "echoey" mix. Now the Scorpions are "guilty" in using some of these techniques on this album, and all songs seem tailored to be hits, BUT, this album is not without great songs that can match up to anything from "Blackout" or "Love at First Sting". "Rhythm of Love" and especially the very inspiring "Don't Stop at the Top" can be definitely called classic songs. Good for the hardcore fan and some of the last truly melodious material they worked with.

I can't understand people saying this album doesn't rock. It certainly rocks and it's one of Scorpions' best!!

In my opinion, all of Scorpions albums from In trance to Savage Amusement deserve 5 stars and no less. I agree witht the other reviewer that says that it's a shame that Don't stop at the top didn't become a classic. Yeah, I'd surely love to hear it in every Scorpions' concert! When this album was released I was still in high school, and great memories come to my mind everytime I listen to it. Some people may say the lyrics are silly, I have to disagree, they rock! Don't stop at the top has certainly contributed to the philosophy of my life!

This is also one of the most solid Scorpions albums, no weak points in here, most songs are worth 5 stars (I would give 6 stars to Walking in the edge).

It's a shame that the band no longer considers this one as of their most important records, and often play in concerts only "Rhythm of love" (an excellent song, by the way). I can't believe how can they play more songs from Crazy World (a much more uneven record). Scorpions surely did experience a very serious decay during the 90's, but in this new decade they have kept on digging the hole. They have not only offered two horrible live albums (Acoustica and the Berliner Philamorniker), but the "Unbreakable" comeback (what a horrible title!! It reminds me of Michael Jackson, I don't know why), which many say it rocks and I only say it bores (Eye to eye is better than that).

Savage amusement is a lost gem that every true Scorpions fan must own!!This is an essential!!!! Scorpions at the top (before they dropped!)

I can care less for the many reviews that slam this Album. Too much comparing to the other Albums that preceded Savage Amusement! At the time Savage Amusement came out I was 18 years old, I was young and more or less loving the big 80's hair band movement. This became my favorite Tape to listen to at the time, if there were a fire in my house at the time, I would save this copy above all the rest of them.

Times do change......and so do the Scorpions! They in my opinion CAN Afford to be creative with their music! They CAN Afford to Blend with the times! Over 30 years of being the best in what they do......They Rock.....they write some of the best Ballads in the Business, they are the best on stage in front of an audience......Savage Amusement if you have to compare with the rest of their CD Library......is not the best received by critics or Audience, but I cannot imagine Not having this added to my collection simply because a few people don't think it is Scorpions best material......simply put......if your a Scorpions fan and remember the 80's gracefully, "Savage Amusement" is something you cannot pass up! Every song works well with each other.......Every song is one that can be heard over and over. I own almost every Scorpions Cd (with the exception of "Taken by Force" and Tokyo Tapes"....both of which I did at one point own on Cassette and wore both out).

I never write a review unless it is a Possitive one, This review is an overwelmingly Possitive outlook for Savage Amusement.....My Favorite songs from this album at the time it was released is "Don't Stop at the Top" and "Walking on the Edge" But like I said....every song is a good one! So take this review as others with a Grain of Salt and judge for yourself! Its all in how you percieve it and how it touches you personaly!

Well, at first this album was a bit of a disappointment for me too, being to poppy and flurry. But then, after hearing most of the songs live at their following world tour, the songs really catched me (or better: the way they were performed on stage).

Live the scorps still perform very good, and songs like Don't Stop At The Top, We let it rock...You let it roll, Every Minute, Every Day and (yes!) Media Overkill stand like concrete buildings. Awesome.

Since then I enjoy Savage Amusement every now and then in my cd-player. Too bad however that it needed a live concert to convince...

I am glad that I finally got around to getting Savage Amusement. It is a good album from Scorpions. I had five of these songs on a two-disc compilation, but I lacked "Media Overkill," "We Let It Rock...You Let It Roll," "Every Minute Every Day," and "Love on the Run." All four of these compositions are satisfying, so procuring Savage Amusement was a nice investment. Released in 1988, Savage Amusement is the tenth studio album from Scorpions. Altogether, there are nine tracks. The music sounds like straight-ahead hard rock. The disc is almost 38 minutes, also. In addition, I notice that the album sports an urgent-sounding quality to it. Klaus Meine does not disappoint when it comes to his distinctive singing ability, either, and Matthias Jabs and Rudolf Schenker lay down some nice-sounding, catchy guitar work. My favorite tunes are "Rhythm of Love" and "Believe in Love." "Rhythm of Love" sports an engaging, elegant guitar melody. "Believe in Love" is a slow-burning, memorable song that exhibits a regal guitar line and a pretty chorus. As for the CD booklet, it includes a nice photo of the band and the lyrics to the songs. Savage Amusement is recommendable.

There's a bit of recipe in every one of the songs on this disc... which is to say: Tried and true, with an air of glam- and big-hair rock influencing the typical Scorpions sound. (If, by 'typical' you take what had come to be expected of them after Love at First Sting, Animal Magnetism, and Blackout.) But the mix is solidly on the right side of the line between the two flavors and the results astonishingly successful. Don't Stop at the Top, Rhythm of Love, Media Overkill, Passion Rules the Game are very strong, there are no duds... it sounds like heavy-hitting and saturated guitar rock and it doesn't let up until the gentler, but gorgeously crafted "Believe in Love".

The big change in the Scorpions' style is not between "Love at First Sting" and "Savage Amusement" but between Savage Amusement and "Crazy World" which could come as a complete shock after getting used to "Savage Amusement". (It certainly did for me; I remember staring aghast at the Vinyl of "Crazy World", unwilling to believe my ears. :-)

I had this album in the 80's and i listened to it with satisfaction. It was the only one i had with Scorpions. Then i decided to buy the cd and it was kind of nostalgia when i heard it again. This album has really stood the test of time. It's well-produced and well-played. Every song has a life on it's own and i think the cover is really cool too. I recommend this album to everyone who has an ear for good music.