SCORPIONS Singer Klaus Meine -

SCORPIONS Singer Klaus Meine - "Direct Contact With Our Fans Is Our Biggest Source Of Inspiration"

The following story is courtesy of India's Moneycontrol.com:

Fans of rock music in the country are in for a feast, as the SCORPIONS are going to 'Rock You Like A Hurricane'. As part of the legendary rock band’s Humanity World Tour 2007-08, Hero Honda Motors Ltd, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, is bringing Scorpions for pulsating live concerts in Mumbai and Bangalore this month.

Fans have been eagerly looking forward to see the iconic German band, whose latest album Humanity – Hour I, released in May this year, has gone on to become a huge hit worldwide. The latest album comes 35 years after they hit global headlines with their debut album Lonesome Crow in 1972. Scorpions will perform at Mumbai on December 14th, and in Bangalore on December 16th. Humanity World Tour 2007/2008 takes the Scorpions right through Europe, North and South America and Asia.

“Direct contact with our fans is our biggest source of inspiration,” says the band’s front-man Klaus Meine.

“Music has been an integral part of our communication with the youth. And what better way to connect with our fans than to bring their all-time favourite band Scorpions closer to them! This is going to be a high point for music lovers in the country, after the very popular ‘Hero Honda Campus Rock Idols’, a nationwide contest of amateur rock bands.”

“There are a lot of people who say that the classic concept album is dead. We don’t see it that way, so we are swimming against the tide again with our new Humanity – Hour I which is a mature album, with lyrics that are often provocative and deal with the dark sides of the world we live in. At the same time though, we are sending our fans a positive musical message, telling them not let the insanity going on around us every day get them down”, explains Klaus Meine, who considers Humanity – Hour I to be the most powerful album since the global success of Crazy World in 1991.

Read more here.

(Photo by Mitch Lafon)

SCORPIONS Vocalist KLAUS MEINE - "Desmond Child Tried Very Hard To Get Rid Of My German Accent"

Mick Burgess at Metal Express Radio caught up with SCORPIONS frontman Klaus Meine. The following is an excerpt from the interview:

Burgess: There was a bit of a departure from the norm (on new album Humanity - Hour 1) as far as the songwriting goes. Quite often the credits would read: “Schenker, Meine,” but on this album for the first time you were not writing with Rudolph at all!

Meine: "We were all participating in other stuff, we were all putting songs together, but it was not in the same old way we were used to for so many years, like this is my song, and this is your song or we did this together, so it was a whole different set up from the beginning. I guess when you make the decision to use Desmond Child as a producer, you make a decision you want him as a songwriter too. I mean this guy is a genius, but this was not about looking for a cheap hit single. I mean especially Desmond, he was the guy who said let’s make an album that hopefully will put you guys on the next level. Let's make an album that could be another milestone for the band, so that was the approach, it was much more to focus on the whole body of work, the entire album and hopefully it’s strong and people would be surprised."

Burgess: Desmond in the past has had a reputation for making a lot of the bands sound quite similar, but on this album you managed to retain the classic Scorpions sound, yet move forward and have a more contemporary sound as well. Did you have to battle with him at times to retain your sound?

Meine: "Yes! Sometimes there was a battle going on! Definitely, but I mean I think picking the producer was the first part of this decision. Do you want to sound like a band from the '80s or do you want to make a Rock album that has a current sound and is up-to-date and still features the signature sound of the Scorpions, but at the same time sounds like 2007?

The thing with Desmond ... he has his own ideas especially in the mixing process, but we definitely wanted this to sound like rock, but at the end of the day we are all very happy that we made the decision to work with Desmond, but it was not all Desmond Child, of course. James Michael was the guy who recorded most of the guitars, Desmond was very much focused on working with me on the vocals and he tried very hard to get rid of my German accent, so I said, 'Hey come on, I have sold million and millions of records especially in the U.S.A. -- it’s my trademark,' but it was funny!!

Go to this location to read the complete interview.