Scorpions announced the completion of career

Home and oldest hard-rock group of Germany's Scorpions, a long time to exchange forties, decided not to wait until it starts to pour out of the sand, and his fate would have it himself. The musicians said that leaving in March, the album "Sting in the Tail" will be the last in their discography.

Reference "Scorpio" to the fans, which was declared intention to leave on a high note, "appeared on the official website over the weekend. "It's fun and life purpose and passion, and we are always happy to do for you ... the last few months working on a new album, we literally felt as strong and inspired our work and how much joy it brings us. But there are some else. We want to conclude a distinguished career Scorpions on a high note. We are very pleased that our passion for music remained unchanged until now. So, right now, we decided it was time to finish the journey. We are completing a career album, which we believe one of his best records ... Thank you for your support all these years ", - reads the statement. Say what you like, in spite of this excessive pathos and arrogance in epithets such as "distinguished career" Scorpions, circulation drives more than 75 million copies, still can not refuse.

"Scorpio", the brainchild of guitarist Rudolf Schenker, once promised myself that the Scorpions will be one of the greatest rock bands of the world, were established in Hanover in 1965. Then the young talents actively inspired by the British beat groups, as well as Elvis Presley, The Yardbirds, Pretty Things and Spooky Tooth. His face started to become team with the arrival in 1970 vocalist Klaus Meine and fleeting appeals in the younger brother of Rudolf, Michael, who later became famous in their own UFO and Michael Schenker Group.

By the time the debut album "Lonesome Crow" in 1972, the Scorpions had already shifted in the direction of current hard-rock, by adopting the revolutionary ideas of Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Led Zeppelin. And most importantly: they immediately began to sing in English, opening a path to the conquest of the world market, not only local German scene. Just three years later they were recognized as the best live band in Germany, and then became what is called, "big in Japan". Grateful Japan, truly loving each new Western artist, made a great contribution to the global success of the Scorpions.

For a long time the Germans have fueled interest in a provocative album covers. Thus, on a disk "Virgin Killer" in 1976 was a picture of a nude underage girl. Naturally, the disc boomed in Europe and the United States, but the envelopes in many countries have been replaced by a neutral group photo. Incidentally, this story is relevant to this day - a couple of years ago the British because of this cover even blocked access to Wikipedia.

At the end of 1970, when the arrival of new guitarist Matthias Yabsa group was formed and is now preserved triumvirate, Scorpions finally worked out a creative formula of hard rock + fighters melodic ballad ", which immediately allowed the ensemble to reach the hearts of millions not only to fans of metal, but and housewives. Released in 1979 CD "Lovedrive", too, by the way, with a provocative cover, became the most commercially successful album of Scorpions.

In the 80's "Scorpio" with a light hand, Eddie Van Halen, who played their cover songs at his concerts have become popular in the United States, but had almost completed his career prematurely, when Klaus Meine on the recording plate "Blackout" in 1981, lost his voice. But everything worked out and released the album followed by "Love at First Sting", stuffed with hits "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Big City Nights" and "Still Loving You", approved the Scorpions with the rank of the world's superstars. The first came at the 18-th line in the rating of the 100 greatest hard-rock versions of songs on channel VH1 (and themselves "Scorpio" became the 46 th of hundreds of the greatest hard-rock bands). A sticky ballad "Still Loving You" charmed all unambiguous lines of the wall, which is on the path of love. Then the "Scorpio" labeled "Ambassadors of Rock", with a hint of peacemaking.

But at the end of the decade at the Scorpions had a tempestuous affair with the Soviet Union, which brought the team a new legion of fans. In 1988, "Scorpio" performed in front of 350 thousand people in Leningrad, becoming only the second after Uriah Heep popular western rock band, trapped behind the Iron Curtain. " A year later, they played at the legendary "Moscow Music Peace Festival" in "Luzhniki", along with Cinderella, Motley Crue, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, and "Gorky Park". In explanation of these impressions was born biggest hit "Wind of Change", later rewritten in Russian as "Wind of Change". This track was destined to become the musical symbol and the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Germans snap up a single run of six million copies, admitted his "song-century, and the Western media dubbed the anthem of glasnost and perestroika. For "Wind of Change" Scorpions were awarded after a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in the Kremlin.

Another peak of creativity Scorpions became their part in a concert in the ruins of the Berlin Wall in the 90-m, where they, along with Roger Waters sang religious songs from the album Pink Floyd "The Wall".

But since then, despite growing circulation, business groups have gone on the incline. In the nineties and zero veterans in the pursuit of fleeting popularity tried everything. On the album "Eye II Eye" "Scorpio" was first sung in German, and supplied his music elements of pop and electronics, which caused strong indignation of fans. After following the fashion introduced by Metallica recorded with a symphony orchestra (again, past), then tried a more acoustic anplakt (also without much success).

Peace and joy to fans returned the 15 th studio disc Scorpions, "Unbreakable" in 2004, where they once again began to sound traditional. The next album, the creation of "Humanity: Hour I" 2007-th, was to launch a series of conceptual paintings Scorpions, but instead chose to team deserved retirement.

Of course, not so fast. First, on March 19 released the final disc "Sting in the Tail", and then the group will go to a farewell tour, "Get your Sting and Blackout", which will last until the end of 2012. On the eve of release of 17-th album Scorpions will perform in Moscow in the Ice Palace Megasport at Khodynskoe field. Pereanshlage in doubt, especially given the news of the breakup, is not necessary. Will "Scorpio" go to "high note" actually does not matter. People will come to see off period.