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'''''Virgin Killer''''' is the fourth studio album by the ] ] band ]. It was released in 1976, and was the first album of the band to attract attention outside Europe.<ref name="twp">{{Citation | last = Yasui | first = Todd Allan| title = The Sign of the Scorpions; The West German Metal Meisters' Tour de Force | newspaper = ] | pages = F3 | year = 1988 | date = Aug 30 1988}}</ref> '''''Virgin Killer''''' is the fourth studio album by the ] ] band ]. It was released in 1976, and was the first album of the band to attract attention outside Europe.<ref name="twp">{{Citation | last = Yasui | first = Todd Allan| title = The Sign of the Scorpions; The West German Metal Meisters' Tour de Force | newspaper = ] | pages = F3 | year = 1988 | date = Aug 30 1988}}</ref>


== Reception ==
The album's original cover portrayed a naked prepubescent girl with cracked glass covering her genitals. The band explained the cover as having something to do with "a little girl who doesn't know about the bad things in life" and "time being a virgin killer".<ref name="twp" /> It generated ], and in response the band released a second album cover consisting of a group shot.<ref>{{cite book | title = The Rough Guide to Rock | last = Buckley | first = John | publisher = Rough Guides | year = 2003 | isbn = 1843531054}}</ref>

''Virgin Killer'' shared the same fate as the other Scorpions albums featuring Uli Jon Roth: it "failed to attain any serious attention in the United States" but was "quite popular in Japan"<ref>{{cite web |author=Weber, Barry |title=Scorpions |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3ifuxqr5ldke~T1 |publisher=] |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref> where it peaked at number 32 in the charts.<ref>{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |title=Scorpions discography |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/discography,7799.sm |publisher=] |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref> The album was another step in the band's shift from ] to ].<ref name="Buck">{{citation |last=Buckley |first=Peter |last2=Buckley |first2=Jonathan |title=The Rough Guide to Rock |publisher=Rough Guides |date=2003 |location=London |page=909 |isbn=1843531054}}</ref> Critic Vincent Jeffries of ] contends in hindsight that the album was "the first of four studio releases that really defined the Scorpions and their urgent metallic sound that was to become highly influential."ref>{{cite web |author=Jeffries, Vincent |title=''Virgin Killer'' review |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:w9fqxqy5ldae |publisher=] |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref> He also counts the title track and "Pictured Life" among the "all-time Scorpions standouts." Among the band members, Uli Jon Roth considers ''Virgin Killer'' and the previous release '']'' as his favourite Scorpion albums.<ref name="RothRules"/>

== Controversy ==

The original cover art for the album depicted a naked prepubescent girl. The image was designed by Steffan Böhle,<ref>{{cite web |title=Das Rock Hard-Magazin feiert 250. Ausgabe im Großformat {{De icon}} |url=http://www.dpv.de/network/html/1585/rock_hardmagazin_feiert_250_ausgabe.html |publisher=Dpv.de |date=] |accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref> who was then the product manager for ].<ref name="RothRules">{{cite web |author=Syrjälä, Marko |title=Interview with Uli Jon Roth |url=http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/content/view/748/0/ |publisher=Metal-rules.com |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref> ] was the bassist for the band and, in an interview conducted in early 2007, recollects that the model depicted on the cover was either the daughter or the niece of "the guy who did the cover design."<ref>{{cite web |author=Syrjälä, Marko |title=Interview with Francis Buchholz |url=http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/content/view/791/ |publisher=Metal-rules.com |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref> The band's rhythm guitarist ] offers the following description of the circumstances behind the album cover.

{{cquote|We didn't actually have the idea. It was the record company. The record company guys were like, 'Even if we have to go to jail, there's no question that we'll release that.' On the song 'Virgin Killer', time is the virgin killer. But then, when we had to do the interviews about it, we said 'Look, listen to the lyrics and then you'll know what we're talking about. We're using this only to get attention. That's what we do.' Even the girl, when we met her fifteen years later, had no problem with the cover. Growing up in Europe, sexuality, of course not with children, was very normal. The lyrics really say it all. Time is the virgin killer. A kid comes into the world very naive, they lose that naiveness and then go into this life losing all of this getting into trouble. That was the basic idea about all of it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scorpions Guitarist: We Wanted To 'Make A Masterpiece For Our Own History' |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BlabberMouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=82038 |publisher=] |date=] |accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref>}}

In a separate interview, Schenker also notes that he thought the cover art was a "great thing" and that he had "pushed the band to really stay behind it" as he felt that people would "think differently" when they looked at the lyrics and realized that the cover art was only being used as "a symbol of the lyrics."<ref>{{cite web |author=Trunk, Russell A. |title=Scorpions: Yet Another Sting In The Tale! |url=http://www.annecarlini.com/ex_interviews.php?id=805 |publisher=Annecarlini.com |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref> The band's former lead guitarist ] notes that the cover art of the "old Scorpion albums" were "usually done by other people."<ref name="RothRules"/> He has since expressed regret over the original album cover.

{{cquote|Looking at that picture today makes me cringe. It was done in the worst possible taste. Back then I was too immature to see that. Shame on me — I should have done everything in my power to stop it. The record company came up with the idea, I think. The lyrics incidentally were a take-off on ], whom we had just supported on a tour. I was fooling around and played the riff of the song in the rehearsal room and spontaneously improvised 'cause he's a virgin killer!' trying to do a more or less way-off-the-mark ] impersonation. ] immediately said 'that's great! You should do something with it.' Then I had the unenviable task of constructing a meaningful set of lyrics around the title, which I actually managed to do to some degree. But the song has a totally different meaning from what people would assume at first. Virgin Killer is none other than the demon of our time, the less compassionate side of the societies we live in today — brutally trampling upon the heart and soul of innocence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uli Jon Roth Says 'Virgin Killer' Album Cover Makes Him Cringe |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50508 |publisher=] |date=] |accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref>}}

The cover generated ] and an alternate cover art depicting the band members was used for the album's release in some countries.<ref name="Buck"/>

== Covers ==

* "Pictured Life" was covered by the ] ] band ] on their debut album '']'' in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |author=Siva, Shan |title=Interview with Gus G. of Firewind |url=http://www.battlehelm.com/interviews/firewind.htm |publisher=Battlehelm.com |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Between Heaven and Hell'' |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gifexqqaldhe |publisher=] |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref>
* "Crying Days" was covered by ] ] band ] as a bonus track on their 2001 album '']''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Alexander Melzer |title=''Secret of the Runes'' review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=470 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref>
* "Polar Nights" was also covered by Therion on the various artist compilation ''A Tribute to the Scorpions''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Mezzera, Riccardo |title=''A Tribute to the Scorpions'' review {{it icon}} |url=http://www.truemetal.it/reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=1774 |publisher=Truemetal.it |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''A Tribute to the Scorpions'' |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:j9fyxqr0ldhe |publisher=] |accessmonthday=May 12 |accessyear=2008}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}


==Track listing== ==Track listing==

Revision as of 14:39, 12 May 2008

Untitled

Virgin Killer is the fourth studio album by the German heavy metal band Scorpions. It was released in 1976, and was the first album of the band to attract attention outside Europe.

Reception

Virgin Killer shared the same fate as the other Scorpions albums featuring Uli Jon Roth: it "failed to attain any serious attention in the United States" but was "quite popular in Japan" where it peaked at number 32 in the charts. The album was another step in the band's shift from psychedelic music to hard rock. Critic Vincent Jeffries of Allmusic contends in hindsight that the album was "the first of four studio releases that really defined the Scorpions and their urgent metallic sound that was to become highly influential."ref>Jeffries, Vincent. "Virgin Killer review". Allmusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)</ref> He also counts the title track and "Pictured Life" among the "all-time Scorpions standouts." Among the band members, Uli Jon Roth considers Virgin Killer and the previous release In Trance as his favourite Scorpion albums.

Controversy

The original cover art for the album depicted a naked prepubescent girl. The image was designed by Steffan Böhle, who was then the product manager for RCA Records. Francis Buchholz was the bassist for the band and, in an interview conducted in early 2007, recollects that the model depicted on the cover was either the daughter or the niece of "the guy who did the cover design." The band's rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker offers the following description of the circumstances behind the album cover.

We didn't actually have the idea. It was the record company. The record company guys were like, 'Even if we have to go to jail, there's no question that we'll release that.' On the song 'Virgin Killer', time is the virgin killer. But then, when we had to do the interviews about it, we said 'Look, listen to the lyrics and then you'll know what we're talking about. We're using this only to get attention. That's what we do.' Even the girl, when we met her fifteen years later, had no problem with the cover. Growing up in Europe, sexuality, of course not with children, was very normal. The lyrics really say it all. Time is the virgin killer. A kid comes into the world very naive, they lose that naiveness and then go into this life losing all of this getting into trouble. That was the basic idea about all of it.

In a separate interview, Schenker also notes that he thought the cover art was a "great thing" and that he had "pushed the band to really stay behind it" as he felt that people would "think differently" when they looked at the lyrics and realized that the cover art was only being used as "a symbol of the lyrics." The band's former lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth notes that the cover art of the "old Scorpion albums" were "usually done by other people." He has since expressed regret over the original album cover.

Looking at that picture today makes me cringe. It was done in the worst possible taste. Back then I was too immature to see that. Shame on me — I should have done everything in my power to stop it. The record company came up with the idea, I think. The lyrics incidentally were a take-off on KISS, whom we had just supported on a tour. I was fooling around and played the riff of the song in the rehearsal room and spontaneously improvised 'cause he's a virgin killer!' trying to do a more or less way-off-the-mark Paul Stanley impersonation. Klaus immediately said 'that's great! You should do something with it.' Then I had the unenviable task of constructing a meaningful set of lyrics around the title, which I actually managed to do to some degree. But the song has a totally different meaning from what people would assume at first. Virgin Killer is none other than the demon of our time, the less compassionate side of the societies we live in today — brutally trampling upon the heart and soul of innocence.

The cover generated controversy and an alternate cover art depicting the band members was used for the album's release in some countries.

Covers

References

  1. Yasui, Todd Allan (Aug 30 1988), "The Sign of the Scorpions; The West German Metal Meisters' Tour de Force", The Washington Post, pp. F3 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. Weber, Barry. "Scorpions". Allmusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. Sharpe-Young, Garry. "Scorpions discography". Rockdetector. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Buckley, Peter; Buckley, Jonathan (2003), The Rough Guide to Rock, London: Rough Guides, p. 909, ISBN 1843531054
  5. ^ Syrjälä, Marko. "Interview with Uli Jon Roth". Metal-rules.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. "Das Rock Hard-Magazin feiert 250. Ausgabe im Großformat [[:Template:De icon]]". Dpv.de. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  7. Syrjälä, Marko. "Interview with Francis Buchholz". Metal-rules.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. "Scorpions Guitarist: We Wanted To 'Make A Masterpiece For Our Own History'". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-10-03. Retrieved 2008-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. Trunk, Russell A. "Scorpions: Yet Another Sting In The Tale!". Annecarlini.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. "Uli Jon Roth Says 'Virgin Killer' Album Cover Makes Him Cringe". Blabbermouth.net. 2006-04-03. Retrieved 2008-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. Siva, Shan. "Interview with Gus G. of Firewind". Battlehelm.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. "Between Heaven and Hell". Allmusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. Alexander Melzer. "Secret of the Runes review". Metal-observer.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. Mezzera, Riccardo. "A Tribute to the Scorpions review [[:Template:It icon]]". Truemetal.it. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. "A Tribute to the Scorpions". Allmusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Pictured Life" (Meine, Roth, Schenker) – 3:21
  2. "Catch Your Train" (Meine, Schenker) – 3:32
  3. "In Your Park" (Meine, Schenker) – 3:39
  4. "Backstage Queen" (Meine, Schenker) – 3:10
  5. "Virgin Killer" (Roth) – 3:41

Side two

  1. "Hell Cat" (Roth) – 2:54
  2. "Crying Days" (Meine, Schenker) – 4:36
  3. "Polar Nights" (Roth) – 5:04
  4. "Yellow Raven" (Roth) – 4:58

Credits

References

Scorpions
Studio albums
Live albums
Cover albums
Compilations
Singles
Videos
Tours
Related articles
Categories: