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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. The original cover, featuring a naked prepubescent girl, stirred controversy in the United States and elsewhere. It was subsequently reissued with a different cover.

Reception

Virgin Killer shared the same fate as the other Scorpions albums featuring lead guitarist 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." 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.

Cover art

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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

• Klaus Meine – lead vocals
• Ulrich Roth – lead guitar, lead vocals on "Hell-Cat" and "Polar Nights"
• Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Francis Buchholz – bass, backing vocals
• Rudy Lenners – drums, percussion
• Achim Kirschning – synthesizer, keyboards
• Dieter Dierks – arrangement, production

Covered songs

• "Pictured Life" was covered by the Greek power metal band Firewind on their debut album Between Heaven and Hell in 2002.
• "Crying Days" was covered by Swedish symphonic metal band Therion as a bonus track on their 2001 album Secret of the Runes.
• "Polar Nights" was also covered by Therion on the various artist compilation A Tribute to the Scorpions.

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. Berelian, Essi (2003). Buckley, Peter & Buckley, Jonathan (eds.) (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock. London: Rough Guides. p. 909. ISBN 1843531054. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
5. Jeffries, Vincent. "Virgin Killer review". Allmusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
6. Cite error: The named reference RothRules was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
7. 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)
8. "Between Heaven and Hell". Allmusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
9. 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)
10. 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)
11. "A Tribute to the Scorpions". Allmusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• Scorpions - The Official Site: Lyrics and samples from the Virgin Killer album

• Pages with empty short description
• Scorpions albums
• 1976 albums