Scorpions – ‘Icon’ (2010) – Album Review (The Scorpions Collection Series)

Back in November 2010, Scorpions were on their first farewell tour…and as we know now, it wasn’t their last farewell tour. To help capitalize on that tour, Mercury released a compilation for the band called ‘Icon’. The ‘Icon’ compilations have been around a while and numerous bands have these such as Kiss, Poison and so many more. The single disc version, what we have here, is simply a 12 track compilation that covers the biggest hits of their career. It is not very comprehensive, but there is a 2 Disc version that gives you a little more meat. This release covers mostly the 80’s with a few other timeframes sprinkled around as well. If you only have time for a handful of Scorpions classics, then this disc might fit that bill nicely.

The album kicks off with one of the band’s most famous songs, “Rock You Like A Hurricane” which is off their 1984 release ‘Love At First Sting’. Every band needs a signature song and Scorpions did that on their 9th album with the song “Rock You Like a Hurricane”. It only went to #25 on the Top 40 chart, but it has lived on and given the band one of the quintessential 80’s rock songs ever made. There is no one that doesn’t know this song the second that opening riff kicks in. It is a rock anthem like very few achieve. For ever how many songs the album sold, most were sold because of this track. With heavy riffs, killer solos and one of the most catchiest choruses ever, this song took the band to a level they probably never thought they would see.

Then we get one of the best songs ever by the band, “No One Like You” off the 1982 album ‘Blackout’. The band’s first #1 in the U.S. on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. The song is legendary. A power ballad like no other. With strong guitar playing by both Mathias Jabs and Rudolf Schenker, it is a most impressive opening riff and a solo that plays so well for the song. Klaus Meine’s vocals are so clean, smooth and even tender at times. The verses keep it soft and the chorus explodes with passion. What more could you want. As close to perfection as any band could get.

One of the most interesting songs from 1980’s ‘Animal Magnetism’ is “The Zoo” which is a pure classic. It has rip-roaring riffs along with pulse pounding percussion and then that groove chugs along like a run away locomotive. Klaus delivers one of his finest vocal performances with some great inflections in his delivery. It is a pure masterpiece of a track and is like nothing else on the album. It sweeps you up in the emotion and when that chorus hits, it bores in to your ears like a sweet ear candy and you can’t help but get it stuck in your head. And it has some Frampton Talk Box on the guitar and man, I’m all in at this point.

Then we get a couple tracks from ‘Love at First Sting’ again and the first is the ballad of all ballads for me. “Still Loving You” is one of my favorite Scorpions ballads and one of my favorite all time as well. About a couple in love that knows its over, but try to make it work one more time. The song opens with some gentle, soft riffing and Klaus singing in almost a whisper. Then the power part of the ballad kicks in and the guitar licks are blissfully beautiful and the chorus is gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking and lovely at the same time. I think this might one of Klaus Meine’s best vocal performances on any album.

We get another rocking track with “Big City Nights” which was the third single on the ‘Love At First Sting’ album. This one leads more to the 80’s pop rock, very radio friendly and although a rocker, a little calmer. Yet, it is very effective with its cool riff, contagious chorus and of course, that great Klaus vocal. What is there not to like.

The final track off 1988’s ‘Savage Amusement” is yet another fantastic ballad and it might be the best one on that album. “Believe in Love” is both gentle and also a little romantic…ahh that’s sweet! Klaus can deliver an emotive vocal performance and he does that here in spades. Everyone is playing for the song as everything is perfectly placed with each note strummed and each drum hit, it all works together as an overall piece. Not a bad way to go out even though I prefer to go out with a bang, I’ll take this.

The first single off ‘Savage Amusement’ was “Rhythm of Love” and was the most successful song on the album going to #6 on the Mainstream Rock Chart, but only to #75 on the Hot 100 which isn’t that great. It is a power ballad and rather quick on the album to throw that in if you were asking my opinion as it was the 2nd track. It is hooky and catchy as hell which are two ingredients you need for a good ballad. The guitar riffs are great and the solo rips through perfectly. The only problem with it is it sounds like every other ballad out there which I believe was the point. One call fact about the song is the backing vocals include the great Lee Aaron.

The next track is a cover of The Who’s “I Can’t Explain” which was only available on the Make A Difference charity compilation ‘Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell’ until it was put on their 1989 compilation, ‘Best of Rockers ‘n’ Ballads’. As far as covers go, this one is pretty great. Scorpions made it their own and really rocked it out. Is it better then the original, no, you can’t beat The Who…but I do like this one a lot.

The opening track on 1990’s ‘Crazy World’ was “Tease Me Please Me” which is a sleazy little track that seems part Motley Crue, part everything else at the time and that is okay. The song is a rocker that doesn’t take a lot of thought, but it still kicks ass. A fun opening track with a cool riff, some nasty guitar work, Klaus’ gritty vocals and overall catchy as hell. It is straight up down and dirty rock & roll. Yes, please…sign me up.

The next track from that album was the band’s mega-hit “Wind of Change”. The song was written by Klaus Meine and was inspired by the band’s trip to the Moscow Peace Festival in 1989. The song is about the change that was brewing in the Soviet Union and in Berlin. When the Wall fell and the Soviet Union was no more, the song was a unifying song for everyone. The whistling in the song was by Klaus, Mathias was playing the rhythm guitar and Schenker handled the solo. A slow ballad that seem to strike a chord with everyone as it went to #1 in 9 countries and #4 in the U.S. It was certified Silver, Gold or Platinum in 9 countries as well. To say this was a worldwide phenomenon would be understatement. And the YouTube video is closing in on almost 1 Billion views…impressive.

Then we skip a lot of albums and jump to 2007 with a song from ‘Humanity: Hour 1’. It is the hauntingly stunning “Humanity”.  Filled with mesmerizing orchestration, kick ass guitars and a bridge/chorus that rises above all and delivers one of the most stellar closers the band has ever produced. Yes, might be as good as “Still Loving You” as a closer. Klaus puts on a masterclass with his vocals as they mesh seamlessly with the rhythm section of the band. Now, that is the way you close an album. Dman!!! The song ends with a carnival style music outro that sounds a little celebratory like the war is over and humanity might have won!

To complete the compilation, they pull on from their latest album at the time, 2010’s ‘Sting of the Tail”. “Raised on Rock” kicks things off and this is straight out of the 80’s with a whole “Rock You Like A Hurricane” and even mentions “Hurricane” in the first line. It is a nostalgic look back at the music that made the band who they are. It is a celebration of the music that shaped their young minds and made them want to be a Rock & Roll band. The song is full of killer riffs, talk box, hooks galore and a singer whose voice sounds just as great today as it did back when they started. Klaus’ vocals are ageless. The song is a kick ass way to close the album.

And there you have it. A very simple compilation that isn’t very comprehensive as this band’s career spreads over 50 years, but it is a decent list of songs. If you are only looking for a taste of what this band can do, this will cover that need. However, it is really basic as this band has so many great songs. Icon 2 is probably a little better, but ‘Icon’ fits a need for the basic person who only knows a handful of their songs. The biggest mistake you can make with listening to this is not going and doing a deep dive into their catalog afterwards. My Overall Score is a 3.0 out of 5.0 Stars. Decent, but lacking in so many ways. They have so many better comps than this one.

THE SCORPIONS COLLECTION SERIES:

1. Lonesome Crow (1972)
2. Fly to the Rainbow (1974)
3. In Trance (1975)
4. Virgin Killer (1976)
5. Taken by Force (1977)
6. Tokyo Tapes (1978)
7. Lovedrive (1979)
8. Best of Scorpions (1979)
9. Animal Magnetism (1980)
10. Rock Galaxy (1980) – Bonus Edition
11. Blackout (1982)
12. Hot & Heavy (1982)
13. Love at First Sting (1984)
14. Still Loving You Maxi Single (1984)
15. Best of Scorpions Vol. 2 (1984)
16. Gold Ballads (1984)
17. World Wide Live (1985)
18. Savage Amusement (1988)
19. Rhythm of Love – Single (Box Set) (1988)
20. Best of Rockers ‘n’ Ballads (1989)
21. Crazy World (1990)
22. Crazy World – 4 Track From Crazy World Promo Vinyl (1990)
23. Tease Me Please Me Promo CD (1990)
24. Don’t Believe Her Promo CD (1990)
25. Send Me An Angle Promo CD (1991)
26. Face the Heat (1993)
27. Live Bites (1995)
28. Pure Instinct (1996)
29. Big City Nights (Compilation) (1998)
30. Eye II Eye (1999)
31. Moment of Glory (with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) (2000)
32. Acoustica (2001)
33. Bad for Good: The Very Best Of Scorpions (2002)
34. Unbreakable (2004)
35. Humanity: Hour 1 (2007)
36. Sting in the Tail (2010)
37. Icon (2010)
38. Comeblack (2011)
39. MTV Unplugged in Athens (2013)
40. Return to Forever (2015)
41. Rock Believer (2022)
42. The Albums Ranked Worst to First
43. Rock And Roll Queen (2019) – BOOTLEG