Customer Reviews

Virgin Killer

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first thing i ever listened to with Jon Uli Roth was Taken By Force, i loved every minute of it. I though this guy sounded a hell of a lot like Hendrix but heavier and more experimental, in comes Virgin Killer in my music collection. HOLY MOTHER OF CHRIST! Uli and the Scorps really hit the nail on the head with this one!, probably THE BEST 70's hardrock/metal album ever (tied with Taken By Force, i love them both a lot)commited to wax, and i say this in the face of Led Zepplins IV, Sabbath's Paranoid, Deep Purple's Machine Head, any UFO or KISS album, it doesn't matter, Virgin Killer KILL'S THEM ALL! The fourth album from the scorpions released in 1977 was their first truely outstanding album, FLY TO THE RAINBOW and INTRANCE were great, but THIS out-did everything before it (and arguabley since it). "Pictured Life" is one of the best album starters ever,with it's hendrixian wahs and pull offs. Favorite songs are the title cut, Pitured Life, In Your Park, Back Stage Queen, Polar Nights and Yellow Raven. If you are a fan of the 80's commercial Scorpions, you probably won't like this that much, this is a far cry from the "lets rockout, lets party, lets make love" song writting from the Scorpions insipid pop metal era in the 80's, this is artistic/hendrix style metal of the 70's. This and Taken By Force are their best records. There isn't much i can add to what the others here have said (they are all right) but it is a down right tradgedy that this band (along with Judas Preist i might add) was once art/expeimental metal with depth and now is "rocking us like a hurricane"

This is the first scorpions album I've bought feauturing guitarist Uli Roth. Right away i could tell a distinct difference between these scorpions and future scorpions. Was the change for the better? Read my review.


1. Pictured Life- Right away this song became my favorite track on the album. Right away you get a good taste of Uli Roth on lead guitar and I have to say, its amazing and fits perfectly with the music. I really noticed how they made excellent music transitions between the verses and the chorus. Its obvious they spent a lot of time on this song. Also very catchy lyrics and chorus. What else could you ask for in a song.

2. Catch your train- Nice fast paced rocker here. Klaus Meine lets out some excellent wails in this song especially in the chorus. After the first chorus Uli Roth Plays some great lead guitar. His solo is even better. Another track that has yet to age on me.

3. In your Park-First ballad of the album. I thought it sounded good, just mediocre compared to the scorpions later ballads. Uli Roth provides some great back up vocals. The first time I've ever heard him sing. Overall its still a good song, even if it doesnt compare to "Still Loving You".

4. Back Stage Queen-This is a song about leaving his girl to go out on the road which was a typical song topic in his time. The song is pretty good, not the greatest, but certainly not bad. Nothing really stood out for me in this song and it will show in my review score.

5. Virgin Killer- Wow. This song really explodes in your explodes, in a good way of cource. Songs like these were reasons why klaus had to get surgery. The instant I heard this chorus I was thinking, "My god, this sounds just like "My Michelle" by Guns N Roses" But scorpions came out with this song first so whose copying who.

6. Crying Days- The song in this song is incredible and has an eerie echo to it. Other than that, I dont have much to say about this song. It has pretty good flow, better rythym guitar. I do like the end when hes singing "You and Meeeeeee" Overall its still a good song.

7. Hell Cat- First track on the album featuring Uli Roth on the mic. I dont think his guitar has ever sounded better. Right away I noticed this isn't the Scorpions I know and love. Has weird as this song sounds, I can't help but listen to this song over and over again. It will make you smile. Almost sounds like something the "Beastie Boys" would do .

8. Polar Nights-oooooo I love the intro in this song. Once again Mr. Roth sings this song. I like it but without Klaus it sounds like a completely different band. Besides Uli on guitar, nothing really stands out for me in this song. An ok listen for me.

9.Yellow Raven- Very hypnotic. Scorpions always have had a knack for ending their albums with a hypnotic ballad and this album is no different. Klaus leads the way and the band follows as he sings his way to a song that can put you to sleep , not because its boring but because its so soothing.

After hearing this album it's tough for me to say if I like the scorpions better without Uli Roth. Though this album was good, there were only 3 stand out songs for me. If Uli never left the band, I wonder if the Scorpions ever would become famous. Its hard to depict if him leaving was the best for the scorpions but I do know hes an amazing guitarist and should never be forgotten. Overall, This album is a great buy. Though its not my favorite scorpions album, Its definitly worth hearing How Scorions sounded with Uli Roth

Heavy beat all the way through and I've listened to it several times since I bought it here at Amazon,com. All of the tracks are great, but I prefer Catch Your Train, Backstage Queen, Hell-Cat and Virgin Killer the most. The album has several 70's style additions but I had a tendency to forget what decade was singing to me more than once. The explicit cover is both allegorical and honest with today's standards (whatever they are). The most questionable portion of the girl's anatomy is concealed but would scandalize someone of sensitive tastes (and if you're listening to the Scorps you're above this). I imagine the young model has long since become a voluptuous honey by now. Buy this for the songs, dudes.

This is the album that contains the Scorpions best guitar playing ever courtesy of Uli Jon Roth. The track "Pictured Life" screams out of the blocks with a burst of harmony guitar lines and is carried forward by Rudolf Schenker's abrasive rhythm work and Roth's fast descending trills. "Catch your train" is an uptempo rocker that features Roth's extremely fast sixteenth-note and blazing Mixolydian-mode runs. The best song is "In your Park" where Roth demonstrates the art of using arpeggios within a rock solo. Roth proves to be technically well ahead of his peers with this album. His style of playing didn't enjoy widespread use until the mid eighties. If you like old school metal guitar, you'll love this.

The low rating does not refer to the quality of the songs in this album, which is, of course, a total Scorpions classic. The low rating is to thsi edition especifically. It is not remastered, the sound is crap, one of the worst transfers from LP to CD that I have witnessed. Just be warned.

The Scorps are finally getting somewhere. Roth has written better songs and the succes was unbelievable!! Logical, if you listen to the album, you'll understand. 'Pictured Life' is such a wonderful number, and 'Catch Your Train' really rocks!! 'In Your Park' is a masterpiece, really. This is one of the ballads that don't get me bored. 'Backstage Queen' sounds good, and 'Virgin Killer' is very nice (well done Roth!). But next time, Meine may keep his voice down. 'Hell Cat' is short, but it is beautiful. 'Crying Days' is also a nice ballad, and 'Polar Nights', well, I don't like the voice very good, but I can get along with it. The music is still nice, you know. 'Yellow Raven', this IS a ballad that makes me bored. Maybe I need to listen to it more than just 37 times, but......
Keep On Rocking!

Truly one of the great, great early heavy metal albums, Scorpions' `Virgin Killer' was revolutionary in much the way Priest's `Sad Wings of Destiny' was; not coincidentally also released in that magic year of 1976. The work of band's of this era such as Scorps and Priest eventually paved the way for the revolution known as the NWOBHM at the end of the decade. `Virgin Killer' also draws the line of what was classic hard rock and true heavy metal in such a way that the band was really never able (or willing) to match this records ferocity and would eventually overly commercialize their sound by the mid-`80's (also like Judas Priest). Not to say there isn't any ballads or stadium rock on this landmark release, it's just that the metal is so clear cut and state of the art that you are often left wishing they had kept up the formula throughout their long storied career. The songwriting camps of Scorpions: lead guitarist Ulrich Roth on one end who often sang his own compositions (sometimes to their detriment - the man couldn't sing) and the Schenker-Meine partnership that persisted into the present day created the rich alchemy that was the storied early Scorpions sound as captured by producer Dieter Dierks. From the former came the title track (thankfully sung by Klaus) which is as metal as it gets and a source for controversy (although nothing as bad as the original album cover - good God!), "Hell-Cat"(a Hendrix tribute/rip-off) and my personal favorite Roth written and sung composition "Polar Nights" - cold and black as any black metal tune! The latter twosome penned "Catch Your Train" a personal favorite from the album and possibly my favorite from the entire catalog, and "Backstage Queen" which is arena rock at its finest. LP opener "Pictured Life" was collaboration between the three principles and is of course another stunner. `Virgin Killer' should have made the band superstars but since metal was still very much an underground movement, they would have to wait until the `80's. You need to get this record if you consider yourself an aficionado for early metal; just don't get the original cover...wouldn't touch that one with a ten foot pole!

This album has all the treats in it any metal head or true Scorpions fan would love. It has the ballads and the heavy guitars and the ear bleeding leads. I thought it was a well written and arranged piece of magic.

Virgin Killer is the ultimate Roth-era Scorpions record for me.The others are good,but this one just rocks more and has more variety,not to mention Uli is balls out on almost every track.Catch Your Train stands up to the legendary performance of Sails Of Charon quite well,in my opinion.I actually prefer it,as it just seems even heavier,and Uli is shredding all over the place.The whacked out chord in Crying Days will stick in your mind forever.There are so many great guitar moments on this disc,I could go on and on...the solo on Backstage Queen....the entire Hendrix-tinged Polar Nights.....just magic.

If you only get one Uli Roth cd,let this be the one.

Virgin Killer is definitely one of the best Metal/Hard rock albums of the seventies. It exudes a charm not found on many albums of that period. It also is one of the benchmark releases with Ulrich Roth (now known as Uli Jon Roth) on guitar. His guitar skills mature on this one and point towards sweep appregios and other guitar techniques that he and subsequently Yngwie (who are both good friends) would explore later. The euro metal scene owes half of their guitar techniques to this guy. He is my favorite guitarist, period and unlike Yngwie he knows how to be subtle. But thats not to count out the rest of the band, Klaus and Rudolf are full of energy and enthusiasm and also their songwriting skills are truly honed on this one. The rhythm section is also great. I would suggest picking up the two cd Virgin Killer boxset ... but wanted to do a seperate review for people wondering about this paticular album.