Animal Magnetism
| Animal Magnetism | ||||
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| Scorpions studio album | ||||
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Publication |
March 31, 1980 |
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| Label (s) | EMI Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
9 |
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running time |
39 min 10 s |
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Studio (s) |
December 1979 to February 1980 in the Dierks Studios near Cologne |
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Animal Magnetism is the seventh studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions , which was released in 1980. The two most famous songs on this album are the opening track Make It Real and The Zoo , which is about 42nd Street in New York (USA).
Origin, characteristics and meaning
Production history
Animal Magnetism was recorded between December 1979 and February 1980 in the Dierks Studios in Cologne. Some of the songs on the album were written in the middle of production. An example of this is Hold Me Tight . Singer Klaus Meine on the production: " Animal Magnetism was created in a relatively short time, under difficult conditions, and was very much influenced by our American experience." The most significant example of this is the title The Zoo , which, according to Rudolf Schenker, became a classic especially in America . “The song is still an absolute must for every stripper today. It sounds like the entire album: dirty, very animalistic, ”Schenker continues. The strings and horn sections for the ballad Lady Starlight were arranged by the American Allan Macmillan, and the recordings took place in February 1980 at Manta Sound Studios in Toronto, Canada.
Musical style
On this album, the band is much harder and darker than its predecessor. With Lady Starlight there is only one ballad on this album. In this regard, it is also unusual that Animal Magnetism ends with a ballad with the particularly rough title track instead of most other albums. A talk box is also being used for the first time at The Zoo .
Songwriting and characteristics of the lyrics
While the predecessor Lovedrive was almost exclusively about love, the Scorpions are here and there. a. also socially critical problems ( Twentieth Century Man ). In addition, drummer Herman Rarebell is named as the author of six of the nine songs (Rarebell also co-wrote the lyrics of the bonus track Hey You ), so he was not so involved in the songwriting on any other album of the band as on this one. With Falling in Love there is even a song composed and written entirely by Rarebell. Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep) is also the first Scorpions track that guitarist Matthias Jabs co-wrote. With the exception of the last two songs mentioned, all arrangements on this album were composed by Rudolf Schenker.
Album title
The bassist Francis Buchholz commented on the album title as follows: "Herman (Rarebell, drummer) came up with the idea for the title of the album Animal Magnetism and we all liked it because it is an interesting title."
Album cover
The cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson from the design company Hipgnosis . Animal Magnetism is the first Scorpions album since Fly to the Rainbow (1974) to have a single matching cover design. According to Francis Buchholz, all band members loved the cover motif, except for Buchholz himself. The motif shown here also caused some controversy, but it was not strong enough to replace the cover used here.
tour
The tour for the album started on March 6, 1980 in Japan, Tokyo. They also toured the United States for three months. Further concerts took place in France, England, Scotland, Canada and Sweden. Def Leppard , Judas Priest and Ted Nugent served as opening acts .
Criticism, sales and awards
The German Musikexpress described the work as a "perfect synthesis of tough rock and clear, catchy melodies". Christof Leim, author at the German Metal Hammer , described it as "a dark and difficult to access album, which unfairly never received the recognition it deserves."
The album has sold over 4 million copies worldwide so far. In 1991 the album went platinum in the United States.
Track list
- 1. Make It Real - 3:49
- 2. Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep) - 2:55
- 3. Hold Me Tight - 3:53
- 4. Twentieth Century Man - 3:00
- 5. Lady Starlight - 6:11
- 6. Falling in Love - 4:31
- 7. Only a Man - 3:32
- 8. The Zoo - 5:28
- 9. Animal Magnetism - 5:56
Bonus Track (2001 Remastered)
- 10. Hey You - 3:46
50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
- 10. Hey You [vocals by Rudolf Schenker] 3:48
- 11. Animal Magnetism [Demo Version] 4:30
- 12. American Girls [Demo Song] 3:29
- 13. Get Your Love [demo version of "Heroes Don't Cry"] 3:42
- 14. Restless Man [demo version of "Twentieth Century Man"] 3:18
- 15. All Night Long [Demo Song] 4:59
Single releases
Make It Real (with Hold Me Tight ) and The Zoo with the song Holiday (from the previous album Lovedrive ) appeared as singles . This single reached number 75 in the UK. The song Hey You was first released as a single in 1980 and has been a bonus track on this album since 2001.
Other song versions and live recordings
The 1992 remix album Still Loving You contains a new version of Lady Starlight . Another version of this ballad with the Berliner Philharmoniker was released on the album Moment of Glory (2000). The song The Zoo was released in 2001 on the album Acoustica as an acoustic version.
The live album World Wide Live from 1985 includes live versions of the songs Make It Real and The Zoo . The USB stick A Night to Remember - Live in Essen , recorded in 2009, contains live recordings of the same two songs.
Cover versions
- Animal Magnetism was described by Oneiroid Psychosis (1999); Solaris (2001); Helstar (2011) and Testament (2012 bonus track) covered.
- Falling In Love was covered by Marq Torien (2000).
- The Zoo was created by Bruce Dickinson (1998); Obscure (1999); Dream Theater (2000 live version, fan club CD); Black Earth (2001); Bang Tango (2005 bonus track); Smashing Pumpkins (February 29, 2008, Live in Oslo); Arch Enemy (2012 insert to 300th issue of Rock Hard magazine); and Joe Lesté covered.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Interview with Francis Buchholz from 2006 on metal-rules.com ( Memento of the original from June 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Overview of Scorpion's single Make It Real on the band's official homepage ( Memento of the original from December 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Overview Scorpions Single The Zoo on the band's official homepage ( Memento of the original from December 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
