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Blackout (Scorpions album)
1982 studio album by Scorpions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blackout is the eighth studio album by the German rock band Scorpions. It was released in 1982 by Harvest and EMI Records.
Dierks Studios (Stommeln, West Germany)
| Blackout | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover art by Gottfried Helnwein | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 March 1982[1] | |||
| Studio | Villa San Pecaïre (Saint Jacques, Grasse, France) with Dierks Recording Mobile Dierks Studios (Stommeln, West Germany) | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 36:44 | |||
| Label | Harvest/EMI | |||
| Producer | Dieter Dierks | |||
| Scorpions chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Blackout | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[3] |
| Forces Parallèles | [4] |
| Rolling Stone |  [5] |
In the US, the album was certified gold on 24 June 1982 and platinum on 8 March 1984 by RIAA.[6] Rolling Stone ranked Blackout as 73rd on their list of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" in 2017.[7]
Background
After losing his voice during the writing of the album,[8] lead singer Klaus Meine had to undergo surgery on his vocal cords and was uncertain as to whether or not he would be able to record. Demos of the material were recorded with singer Don Dokken from Dokken, a then-unknown band from Los Angeles.[9] However, none of those recordings are featured on the album and Dokken is only credited with backing vocals.[10]
In Kerrang! issue 12, guitarist Rudolf Schenker said that he could not choose between his guitar solos on "China White" so the US and European releases differed in this detail.
A self-portrait of artist Gottfried Helnwein[8] is featured on the cover of the album. Schenker portrays this character in the "No One Like You" music video.
Track listing
All music is composed by Rudolf Schenker except where noted
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blackout" | Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell, Sonja Kittelsen | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Can't Live Without You" | Meine | 3:47 |
| 3. | "No One Like You" | Meine | 3:57 |
| 4. | "You Give Me All I Need" | Rarebell | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Now!" | Meine, Rarebell | 2:35 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Dynamite" | Meine, Rarebell | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Arizona" | Rarebell | 3:56 |
| 8. | "China White" | Meine | 6:59 |
| 9. | "When the Smoke Is Going Down" | Meine | 3:50 |
| Total length: | 36:44 | ||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Blackout" (Demo Version) | Meine, Rarebell, Kittelsen | 4:03 | |
| 11. | "Running for the Plane" (Demo Song) | Meine | 4:07 | |
| 12. | "Sugar Man" (Demo Song) | Meine | Schenker, Matthias Jabs | 4:22 |
| 13. | "Searching for the Rainbow" (Demo Song) | Meine | 3:56 |
Personnel
Scorpions
- Klaus Meine – lead vocals
- Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitars, 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, backing vocals (tracks 1, 2, 8), lead guitars (tracks 4, 8, 9)
- Matthias Jabs – lead guitars, 6-string acoustic guitar, rhythm guitars (track 4, 8, 9)
- Francis Buchholz – bass
- Herman Rarebell – drums
Others
- Don Dokken – backing vocals[10]
- Tom Croucier – bass[11][12]
Production
- Dieter Dierks – producer, engineer
- Gerd Rautenbach – mixing
- Bob Ludwig and Howie Weinberg – mastering at Masterdisk, New York
Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] | 11 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] | 45 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[15] | 12 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 10 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[17] | 47 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] | 12 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 11 |
| US Billboard 200[20] | 10 |
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[21] | 27 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[22] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[23] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[24] | Gold | 100,000[24] |
| United States (RIAA)[25] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||