Fly to the Rainbow

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Fly to the Rainbow
File:Scorpions-Fly To The Rainbow.jpg
Studio album by Scorpions
Released 1 November 1974
Recorded 1974 at Musicland Studios, Munich, and at Studio Maschen, Germany
Genre Hard rock, krautrock
Length 40:47
Label RCA Records
Producer Scorpions, Frank Bornemann
Scorpions chronology
Lonesome Crow
(1972)Lonesome Crow1972
Fly to the Rainbow
(1974)
In Trance
(1975)In Trance1975
Singles from Fly to the Rainbow
  1. "Speedy's Coming"
    Released: 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[1]
Teraz Rock 4.5/5 stars[2]
Sputnikmusic 4.5/5 stars[3]

Fly to the Rainbow is the second studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1974.

Background

In support of their Lonesome Crow album, Scorpions appeared as the opening act for the British rock band UFO. At the end of the tour, Scorpions lead guitarist Michael Schenker was asked to fill an open position as UFO's guitarist and accepted the role.[4] Schenker's departure temporarily resulted in the breakup of the band but Rudolf Schenker and later Klaus Meine ultimately merged with the band Dawn Road which consisted of guitarist Ulrich Roth filling Michael's role, as well as drummer Jürgen Rosenthal, and bass guitarist Francis Buchholz.[5] The new line up resumed under the Scorpions name and recorded Fly to the Rainbow.

Three songs were co-written with departing guitarist Michael Schenker as part of an agreement with Scorpions for leaving them and joining UFO in April of that year.

Cover artwork

When asked to comment on the cover art to the album, the band's former lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth said "Don’t ask me what that cover means… I disliked it from the beginning. It looked ludicrous to me back then and looks just as bad today. It was done by a firm of designers in Hamburg, who had actually done a good job on the Lonesome Crow album before, but I think that time they failed miserably. As for the meaning, I can only guess, but I’d rather not…"[6]

Track listing

Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Speedy’s Coming"   Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine 3:36
2. "They Need a Million"   R. Schenker, Meine 4:50
3. "Drifting Sun"   Ulrich Roth 7:42
4. "Fly People Fly"   Michael Schenker, Meine 5:03
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
5. "This Is My Song"   R. Schenker, Meine 4:18
6. "Far Away"   M. Schenker, R. Schenker, Meine 5:38
7. "Fly to the Rainbow"   M. Schenker, Roth 9:40

Four songs from Fly to the Rainbow were regularly performed live by Scorpions during the tours for it and the following album In Trance – the title track, “Speedy’s Coming”, “They Need a Million” and less often “This Is My Song” and “Drifting Sun”. However, following the release of the band’s fourth album Virgin Killer the band quite rapidly dropped these songs from their setlist, so that between 1979 and 1999 nothing from Fly to the Rainbow ever appeared in Scorpions concerts.[7] Following upon a one-off performance of “They Need a Million” on 7 June 1999 at Patinoire de Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg,[8] the title tune and “Speedy’s Coming” received a number of performances between 2000 and 2008.

Personnel

Scorpions
Additional musicians
Production
  • Mack, Horst Andritschke – engineers

References

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  7. Scorpions Album Statistics
  8. ‘They Need a Million’ setlist statistics