Pure Instinct
1996 studio album by Scorpions
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Pure Instinct is the thirteenth studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1996. The album received mixed reviews from critics, with many criticizing it for having too many ballads and not enough hard rock songs.
- Scorpio Sound Studio, Hannover, Germany
- Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands
- Magic Moments Studio, New York City, New York, US
- Goodnight LA, Los Angeles, California, US
| Pure Instinct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover photo by Gered Mankowitz | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 May 1996 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:04 | |||
| Label | East West (International) · Atlantic (US) | |||
| Producer |
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| Scorpions chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pure Instinct | ||||
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| Alternative cover photo by Michel Comte | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 4/10[2] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | 5/7[3] |
| Rock Hard | 7.0/10[4] |
| Music Waves (FRA) | 2/5[5] |
The cover art for this album, as with several earlier Scorpions albums, was replaced with an alternative cover for some releases due to the nudity on the original cover.[6] This is the only Scorpions album that does not feature an official drummer, released following the departure of Herman Rarebell before the recording sessions. The band hired session musician Curt Cress as drummer for the album. The song "You and I" gained some popularity and was often played in Scorpions concerts.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Klaus Meine, except "When You Came into My Life" by Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Titiek Puspa and James F. Sundah.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wild Child" | Schenker | 4:19 |
| 2. | "But the Best for You" | Meine | 5:26 |
| 3. | "Does Anyone Know" | Meine | 6:03 |
| 4. | "Stone in My Shoe" | Schenker | 4:42 |
| 5. | "Soul Behind the Face" | Schenker | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Oh Girl (I Wanna Be with You)" | Schenker | 3:56 |
| 7. | "When You Came into My Life" | Meine, Schenker, Puspa, Sundah | 5:13 |
| 8. | "Where the River Flows" | Schenker | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Time Will Call Your Name" | Schenker | 3:21 |
| 10. | "You and I" | Meine | 6:16 |
| 11. | "Are You the One?" | Schenker | 3:15 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "She's Knocking at My Door" | Schenker | 3:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kiss of Borrowed Time" (from the "When You Came into My Life" CD-single) | Meine | 3:39 |
| 2. | "You and I" (special single mix from the "You and I" CD-single) | Meine | 4:21 |
"Time Will Call Your Name" is 3:56 in length on European releases.[7]
Personnel
- Scorpions
- Klaus Meine – lead vocals
- Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitar, 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, EBow, backing vocals
- Matthias Jabs – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, slide guitar
- Ralph Rieckermann – bass
- Additional musicians
- Curt Cress – drums, percussion
- Pitti Hecht – percussion
- Luke Herzog, Koen van Bael – keyboards
- Production
- Erwin Musper – producer, engineer, mixing
- Keith Olsen – producer on track 1
- Evelien Tjebbes, Attie Bauw, Peter Kirkman – assistant engineers
- David Foster – producer, arranger, keyboards on track 7 (uncredited on this album, but credited on single)
- Claude Gaudette – keyboards on track 7 (uncredited on this album, but credited on single)
- David Reitzas, Felipe Elgueta – engineers on track 7 (uncredited on this album, but credited on single)
- Chris Lord-Alge – mixing on track 7 (uncredited on this album, but credited on single)
- George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] | 20 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] | 37 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] | 95 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] | 10 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[12] | 11 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 8 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[14] | 14 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] | 28 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] | 4 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] | 38 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 15 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[19] | 18 |
| US Billboard 200[20] | 99 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[21] | Gold | 25,000[21] |
| France (SNEP)[22] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[23] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Indonesia[24] | Platinum | 50,000[25] |
| Malaysia[26] | 6× Platinum | 150,000[26] |
| Portugal (AFP)[24] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| Singapore (RIAS)[24] | Gold | 7,500[25] |
| South Korea (KMCA)[24] | Gold | 15,000[25] |
| Thailand[27] | Platinum | 50,000[27] |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||