I honestly don’t get the ’70s era of The Scorpions.
There were times when their songwriting and performances were en pointe, and they were showing just why they suddenly became one of the hottest hard rock bands on the planet in the ’80s. And there are times when they simply lose the plot and create sub-par material.
Taken By Force, the fifth studio effort from Klaus Meine and company (released in 1977 worldwide, but delayed in the US), features a band that took the slight gains they had made with their previous release Virgin Killer and, for the most part, discarded them. Meine’s vocals are buried in the mix, and while there is still some solid musicianship hidden within these eight tracks, the songwriting almost completely shits the bed.
Take “Steamrock Fever,” the album’s opening. Seriously… who in the hell thought putting the sound effect of a piece of industrial machinery as the constant background drone of the song was a good idea? What might have been a solid rocker is completely obliterated by this sonic stupidity. And while it might be seen as admirable to tackle a controversial subject in “He’s A Woman, She’s A Man,” the lyrics to this one are fairly insipid, wrecking any kind of message they thought about conveying.
Throughout this album’s short running length, Meine’s vocals often seem to be pushed to the background; it’s only on the ballad-like tracks where his contributions to the work actually come through. “Born To Touch Your Feelings” is not the first ballad that the band had ever recorded, but it proves to be one of the stronger tracks on the album, and suggests a future path to fame that the Scorpions would eventually take.
In terms of musicianship, there’s plenty to be happy about on Taken By Force. The final studio album featuring lead guitarist Ulrich Roth gives him, along with rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker, a golden opportunity to showcase their six-string skills. The problem, though, is that solid musicianship can only carry an album so far; it also needs powerful vocals (assuming it’s not an instrumental album, naturally) and equally powerful songwriting. Alas, this disc doesn’t quite have it in either department.
Taken By Force is another tentative step made by the Scorpions, and unfortunately isn’t as strong as even their previous effort. If one’s patience with the Scorpions would be beginning to wear thin, better news would be just around the corner.
