Scorpions - Blackout

German heavy metal marauders Scorpions recorded seven studio records before breaking in to the U.S. market in 1982 with Blackout. The album became the group's first platinum disc in the U.S., and the dynamic single "No One Like You" became a staple of album rock radio. While the Scorpions had created powerful anthems and epic rockers in the past, Blackout mixed the ingredients just right. The title track was an endorphin rush of fast-riffing guitars and electrified, high-pitched vocals that culminated with the sound of shattering glass. "Can't Live Without You" was a powerful melange of flash, firepower, and pure melody, and the slow, surging "China White" sounded like a psychedelic interpretation of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." After years of ignored visas, Scorpions had finally arrived in America. --Jon Wiederhorn Amazon.com

Scorpions - Blackout

Arguably the best hard rock album of all time. This album rocks from start to finish with hits like the title track, No One Like You, Dynamite, Arizona, China White and Can't Live Without You.

I remember being a child in the 80's when everybody was flying high and this was one the soundtracks to everyone having a good time. Always a great album to play to get in a good mood. An absolute party album.

I like this album so much that I almost got the Blackout guy tatooed on my arm (Thank God I didn't). September 2, 2008

A Classic Must Have!

Solid hit by the Scorpions following 'Animal Magnetism' and 'Lovedrive.' This album is just great German hard rock from the 1980s from one of the best bands in that genre along with Def Leppard. Every song on this album is just a classic hit thanks to brilliant musicianship and the outstanding lead guitar work by Mathias Jabbs: simply one of the most underrated lead guitarists from that period who is just as impressive as Randy Rhoads in his style. Just listen to the rythm and lead on the title song! 'Dynamite' is another hit! Great stuff! Also, don't forget to get out your lighters and raise your hands as Scorpions is the model hard rock band for your power ballad with the hit 'No One Like You.' Just as creative and moving as the later hit 'Still Loving You.' Again, Mathias Jabbs just delivers an excellent solo on this one. You can't go wrong with this album or any album by Scorpions except those following Love At First Sting which was their last good album. April 8, 2008

One of the great melodic metal albums

With their 1982 release, Blackout, Scorpions finally broke through the U.S. market. Their previous two albums, Lovedrive and Animal Magnetism respectively, showed the band adapting a more commercial sound without abandoning their metal roots. Those albums would also introduce longtime lead guitarist Matthias Jabs to the band, whose melodic style was a sharp contrast to the wild kamikaze playing of their previous lead guitarist, the excellent Uli Jon Roth. Rather than be a band that seemed to be going in two different directions, Scorpions were now a more focused band and this would come to fruition on Blackout. "No One Like You" would become their first U.S. hit single and would become one of their most enduring songs. Like their future hit "Rock You Like a Hurricane", the track contains a soft spoken verse that builds in momentum before hitting its loud and memorable chorus. Whether it's heavy songs carried by wicked riffs such as "Dynamite" and the title track, an anthem like "Can't Live Without You", or catchy melodic songs like "You Give Me All I Need" or "Arizona", the band pull it off extremely well. Not to be outdone is "When the Smoke is Going Down", another in a long line of great power ballads that the band has done well since their beginnings. Other great tracks include the short and intense "Now!" and the dramatic "China White." All told, this is one of the great melodic metal albums of the `80s. And their next album, Love at First Sting, would be even better. Highly recommended. March 5, 2007

3.5 Stars for this breakthrough album

Blackout is seen by many as the point where the Scorpions became what they'd be known as throughout the 80's. Basically pandering power ballad lightweights. The again with the kind of sales figures they were racking up it's unlikely the band cared, they'd paid their dues with albums like Virgin Killer and Taken By Force and documented their rise on Tokyo Tapes.

Here we see the band roar out of the blocks with the title track, a metal tour de force with a line of humou running through it. Top stuff. But proceedings take a shift with the next three tracks, Can't Live Without You/No One Like You/You Give Me What I Need and this is sort of the blueprint for so much that went wrong with the band. Individually not bad songs, actually hits in some territories, but stacked up after one another it certainly drains the energy away.

The rockers that come later do restore some order but aren't exactly awesome. But we do get an example of the famously bad Scorpions song title schtick with the albums closer When the Smoke is Going Down. But fans have loved them for such silliness for years and I can easily forgive them.

Rock journos lauded this album as a link between the metal cred 1970's and the more generic hard rock juggernaut of the bands 80's and 90's output. That's as may be, but I can't help but feel a little let down by this album. Some great songs but for some reason it rarely hits my stereo, my vote going to Virgin Killer for that less commercial kill factor. August 30, 2006

Blackout- thier best "80's" output

I would say Scorpions took a nose dive artistically when they went into the 80's with Mercury. This nor any other Mercury era record cannot compare to what Scorpions did in the 1970's. However i still think it is a pretty decent pop/metal album, certainly better the "Loverdrive" or "Love At First Sting". The energy and "metal-ness" is much higher here, even though it boasts some inane lyrics. When compared to any of the Roth-era material however, this is sub-par. July 25, 2006

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