Japan: Mid to late 1982
Source: Sides 1-4 feature an outstanding audience recording from the Hammersmith Odeon on 23 April 1982 during their Blackout Tour. Sides 5 + 6 play the soundboard recording – or FM broadcast – from their appearance at the 1979 Reading Festival (1979-08-25), where they were a last minute addition to replace headliners Thin Lizzy.
If I am not mistaken, this was the second Scorpions bootleg following GLC’s LIVE IN LONDON (D-544). They were probably smart in satisfying demand for a live album early on in their career with Tokyo Tapes and as a result were late to the (bootleg) party.
One criticism of this XL release is that it duplicates four titles unnecessarily (if they had access to a complete Reading recording). Another vinyl bootleg, LONDON 1982 on Queen Records (SCORQ6), exists but is supposed to be from the next night on 24 April. It is slightly ironic that all the early bootlegged performances by this German band feature recordings made in the UK.
XL 1503 A: Blackout / Don’t Make No Promises / Loving You Sunday Morning XL 1503 B: Make It Real / We’ll Burn The Sky (listed as ‘Want You Back Again’) / Instrumental (? – this is most likely ‘Coast To Coast’)
XL 1504 A: Lovedrive / Always Somewhere / Holiday
XL 1504 B: Can’t Live Without You / She’s A Woman (= He’s A Woman – She’s A Man) / Another Piece Of Meat / DynamiteXL 1505 A: Backstage Queen / We’ll Burn The Sky (listed again as ‘Want You Back Again’) XL 1505 B: Loving You Sunday Morning / Lovedrive / Always Somewhere
HOTWACKS quality rating: “Exs”
Circulating sources for comparison:
Scorpions – Reading Festival, England, 25-08-1979
Source: FM Broadcast
1. Pictured Life
2. Backstage Queen
3. We’ll Burn the Sky
4. Loving You Sunday Morning
5. Lovedrive
6. Always Somewhere
7. He’s a Woman – She’s a Man
8. Another Piece of Meat
9. Top of the Bill
10. Drum Solo
11. Robot Man
12. Steamrock Fever
**
Hammersmith Odeon, London, England. April 23rd 1982
Sound Quality: A+
Time: 72:46
Notes: Analog master.
1. Blackout (4:56)
2. Don’t Make No Promises (Your Body Can’t Keep) (3:30)
3. Loving You Sunday Morning (5:04)
4. Make It Real (3:50)
5. We’ll Burn The Sky (7:19)
6. Coast To Coast (4:17)
7. Lovedrive (4:44)
8. Always Somewhere (4:13)
9. Holiday (6:19)
10. Can’t Live Without You (4:07)
11. He’s A Woman – She’s A Man (3:22)
12. Another Piece Of Meat (3:27)
13. Dynamite (5:47)
14. The Zoo (6:03)
****
The other titles mentioned in this post:
and
An incorrect period image was used as the image for the slip sheet, as Mathias Jabs (shown here center) replaced Uli Roth in August of 1978 and it was Roth who can be heard on this album. GLC likely neither knew nor cared.
As it turns out, it is questionable if this concert took place in London at all and Bolton, Lancashire seems to be the correct city (another suggestion I found: ‘Lancastershire’ simply does not exist).
The release date is usually given as 1981, as this is the date stated on the GLC labels. In this case that might even be correct. This title was reissued with Raring Records labels.
From a live torrents site:
Scorpions
Bolton Institute, London, UK
April 30,1977
Source: audience
Quality: Vg++
Part One
Time:40:07
01-All Night Long
02-Pictured Life
03-Backstage Queen
04-They Need A Million
05-Polar Nights
06-In Trance
07-Fly To The Rainbow
Part Two
Time:40:08
01-Let The Good Times Roll / Rock n Roll Queen
02-Catch Your Train
03-Top Of The Bill (Incl. Drum Solo)
04-Hound Dog / Long Tall Sally
05-Jam
06-Dark Lady
07-Robot Man
Comments: This is a cassette I received in trade from a collector in the U.K.
This show had made it to a boot vinyl LP called LIVE IN LONDON (which I own a copy of),and me thinking I’d never find a bona-fide tape source that made the vinyl, actually did.
The quality sounds low-gen and recorded with decent equipment, very close to the stage. The quirk the recording has is that the speed pitch varies and wavers depending on different parts of the performance. Generally, this dub runs somewhat on the fast side but is quite listenable.
***
Here is a review:
https://bootleglps.com/BLOG/the-scorpions-live-in-london-glc-d-544
***
A one disc reissue of only sides 1 & 2 – that’s why the track list for disc 2 has been blacked out – was done around 1983 on colored PVC. This was a very limited reissue and is very hard to find. I believe this is the first time an image of it has appeared online.
THE AMAZING KORNYFONE LABEL 