Customer Reviews

Les Scorpions [VHS]

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

 

 

WHERE IS IT? IVE BEEN WAITING FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, FOR THIS GEM TO COME OUT ON DVD. THIS IS THE BEST SCORPS VIDEO THEY MADE! NOW THAT THEY ARE CALLING IT QUITS, THEIR VIDEOS ARE ALL WE WILL HAVE LEFT! WHATEVER COMPANY OWNS THE RIGHTS TO THIS,... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

DVDs about rock bands that scream "Unauthorized" are risky business. There's a KISS: Unauthorized DVD that features NO music at all by the band KISS. It's mostly fan footage and not worth your time.

This DVD is a bit better but still only for the most die-hard and serious Scorpions fan out there.
NOTE: The entire content of this DVD deals with Scorpions interviews done in 1990/91. There is no information beyond 1991.

How bad is it? Picture-wise it's pretty good. Content wise it cheats the buyer. I'll explain how...
First: The back of the DVD case (lower right hand corner) lists the running time at 90 minutes. This disc is 50 minutes if you include the "credits" at the end.
Second: There are no complete songs here. You get 2 minutes of one video and less than a minute of "...Hurricane". Then there are 1 to 2 minute clips of concert footage by fans. More about that later.
Third: The "discography" listed as chapter 8 is a joke. You see pictures of CASSETTES of early Scorpions albums. "Taken by Force" (1978) is skipped completely and "Animal Magnetism" is noted as being from "1989" instead of 1980. From "Lovedrive" on up LP covers are shown but "Lovedrive's" cover is the "clean" version (as is Virgin Killer's cassette cover).
Fourth: Chapter two is called "Making The First album". Not quite. It starts with drummer Herman Rarebell discussing HIS first album with the Scorpions called "Taken By Force". This is not about the making of "Lonesome Crow". I think you get the idea. Don't take the "chapter" titles seriously.

The concert footage is sprinkled about and only whets your appetite for more. What's shown is pretty good for fan(?) footage shot in 1990. Earlier portions appear to be sound checks. Later clips are actual concert footage. The picture is good for what it is and the sound is fair and raw. That being said there are no complete songs and this totals maybe 8 minutes of the total DVD. (All of this seems to be from the Crazy World tour).

The rest of the DVD is interview footage. It's badly edited with some cuts coming after a the female interviewer asks a question and then the camera cuts away as the band member begins to answer. All the interviews are one on one. Most of the time you don't even hear the question.
Rudolf Schenker gets the most interview time. Matthias Jabs is second. The other three are about equal.
Most of the information is quite dated since all of this is over 12 years old.

For my money I got a few minutes of nicely shot concert snippets and some fair interview footage. I doubt I'll both playing this DVD again. 2 stars is generous because I liked the concert footage I saw and enjoyed the interviews for what they were.
I don't like the fact that it was 50 min. instead of 90 min.

it is insane that this is not out on DVD STILL, given the Scorps massive popularity around the world. There needs to be an official, remastered release, or else everyone will turn to boots for copies

Great DVD ,ONE OF THE BEST GROUPS OF Hard rock/heavy metal history,reviewing the history of the group among the tour from 1982-1985 approximately dvd with great picture and sound quality suitable for anyone fond of the genre.

I just put my 25-year old VHS in my machine and it was eaten!! The tape is wound up inside the machine. Now what do I do?? I've been wanting this dvd ever since dvd was invented!!

I remember in 1985 picking up the cassette version of this and being blown away at how good these guys were in their live recordings. A few years later I caught them twice on their next tour and was stunned that they were actually that good live. Matthias Jabs is truly an underrated guitarist. But I digress.

It goes without saying I was excited to come across this DVD but upon viewing it, was very disappointed. It seemed the video footage from their various shows taken around the world, was all chopped up and spliced back together an audio track, not necessarily the same audio that was recorded with the video. So you really get bits and pieces of live video footage taken from their different shows around the world mixed and matched to a single audio recorded live song, with individual songs recorded in various cities, again, from around the world. On some tracks (3 or 4 of them), you sometimes get the studio-recorded audio version of the song matched up with the live video clips; which is sacrilege considering how good this band is live. I was hoping they'd actually show the video portion that actually matched and was recorded with its corresponding audio portion.

Otherwise, the seller provided an expedient transaction, given my package crossed the ocean from Sweden to the States and the thing wasn't super expensive. 2 stars: 1 for showing some of the band behind the scenes in their prime and just 1 for not really having good video footage tied to actual music being played from a band in their prime! Just beware of what you getting with this one. Maybe it was the way the Scorpions intended this product to be or maybe I got duped here at Amazon.

The DVD looks like a pirated 2$ DVD.
The picture and sound are good, but the look of the CD and its case is very poor, as if the DVD is a copy with an embalage.
It is not worth its actual price. 3$ is more than enough

Great video. Thanks Good to see this band in a different setting other than music videos. I'm glad to get this VHS tape.

After reading other reviews, I was expecting to be disappointed. However, the DVD was MUCH better than other reviewers had indicated and I was very pleasantly surprised.

If you are a die-hard Scorpions fan, this is a "must-have". The DVD is mostly interviews, but that's what I was looking for. Other DVD's have great music, but you barely ever hear the guys TALK. Although the woman who conducts the interviews is pretty bad (Matthias even asks her at one point if she "is serious"), the answers from the band offer deep insights into their intelligence, their commitment to their music, their deep friendship, their thoughts on world peace, etc. Rudolf and the other band members describe each other, name their favorite songs/albums/tours etc. and you get a real feel for their personalities. The guys are all funny, smart and dedicated.

Truly a MUST for anybody who wants to get to know the men behind the music.

The snippets of music are (of course) GREAT and there are several shots from videos, tours and photo shoots.

As a lifelong musician myself, I like to get into the "process" as well as just appreciate the music. I was very pleased to "meet the band" and see them as more than just beautiful men who make beautiful music. Their intelligence and concern over world issues gives the listener a whole new appreciation for their music.

My ONLY negative comment would be that they should have gotten an interviewer with a bit more intelligence -- but then again, that only adds to the comedic value of some spots! It is HYSTERICAL when Matthias looks her in the eye with a "you're kidding" expression!

Nice DVD. I finally got to know what videos and ablums the band liked without posting that question in the Scorpions official website. I enjoyed the interview a lot, and I must admit that the lady who interviewed the band wasn't really smart.:) The thing that bugs me is that they showed a snip of concert footage when the band was playing Coast to Coast. They didn't show Klaus playing the guitar! They only showed Rudy and Francis in one angle only.