I never thought that such a great sound and such a great live album existed. 2022 has just begun, but it is definitely the best of the year… No, this is the biggest shock in the history of SCORPIONS, which is already over 50 years old. And it is the best excavation in history. Such a shocking one is born! [A super-transcendent recording immediately after Uli joined is shockingly excavated] I’m more confused than usual, but how can I stay calm in front of this work? The “Minden performance on May 3, 1974” is engraved on such a strong shocking work. It is a super-class live album recorded at a show that had just welcomed Uli Jon Roth (Ulrich Roth at the time), who was only 19 years old (!). Normally, I would look for the position of the show on the tour schedule, but there were so few records at that time that the existence of this show itself was unknown. Roughly speaking, the masterpiece “FLY TO THE RAINBOW” was “produced in April 1974 and released in November”, so it was a timing that we had to wait six months for the release even though it was just completed. The oldest live record of Uri was “April 1973”, and this work, released one year later, is the second oldest record. If you thought “What, the second one?”, you are being premature. This work is not only old, but the sound quality is also too transcendent. Although I did not declare that it was a “sound board” or an “audience” as a deviation from convention, it is actually a spatial recording with a known microphone and equipment. However, the sound that flows out is not what you would associate with the word “audience”. It is the type that makes you surprised that “this is not a sound board!?”, and the high quality is no longer a level that talks about the sense of distance or the sound , but an official live album class… It is comparable to “TOKYO TAPES”. On the contrary, the extremely thick feeling of complete contact is not even within the scope of a stage live performance, but is in the range of what you would think of as a rough mix of a BBC session or a studio album. [Full show like an expanded version of FLY TO THE RAINBOW] Although I said that “the sound is the awesomeness,” the contents of the live performance are also intense. First of all, let’s take a look at the set. Fly to the Rainbow (6 songs) Far Away/This Is My Song/They Need A Million (*)/Drifting Sun ()/Fly To The Rainbow ()/Speedy’s Coming Others (4 songs + ) Covers: Hey Little Woman (Bobby Sherman)/Long Tall Sally (Little Richard)/Johnny B. Goode (: Chuck Berry)/Voodoo Child incl. 3rd Stone From The Sun (: Jimi Hendrix) Others: Far Across The Ocean *Note: “” marks songs sung by Uli Roth, and “” marks duets between Klaus and Uli. “” marks songs sung mainly by Rudolf Schenker. …And so it goes. The core is “FLY TO THE RAINBOW”. As with the album, Uli and Rudolf also sing, and even though there is still a long way to go until the release, they have performed all the songs except “Fly People Fly”, and the title song does not start with a sudden, intense heart like “TOKYO TAPES”, but starts with a quiet guitar as in the album. Of course, one album is not enough songs, so the gap is filled by “LONESOME CROW” numbers… but rock and roll standards. The selection of Bobby Sherman from the opening is surprising, and Uli singing Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix at the end is a smile. Also, the titles of “Hey Hey Hey” and “Far Across The Ocean” in the track list below are unfamiliar, but the former is not a song but a call and response. The latter is a jam session. Krauss adds what seems to be an improvisation vocal to the one phrase “Far across the ocean”, and the melody is somewhat reminiscent of Alice Cooper. In the following “Speedy’s Coming”, he also sings “Do you like Alice Cooper?”, and the honesty of his early days is also dazzling. It’s just amazing. It’s too amazing. It’s not just valuable, it’s not just good sound. 19-year-old Uri’s guitar is crying, and Klaus’ vocals are already at their peak. It’s definitely a “live performance version/expanded version of FLY TO THE RAINBOW”, and the pleasure of 70’s hard rock, which is slammed with sound quality that goes beyond the dimension of “soundboard/audience”, makes even “TOKYO TAPES” out of the question. It’s the best excavated live album in the history of SCORPIONS…no, in the history of the music genre “Hard Rock”. The main character just happened to be SCORPIONS. It’s a super masterpiece that is nothing but a cultural heritage that stands on such a level. A super-class audience recording of the “May 3, 1974 Minden performance”. In fact, it is a spatial recording by microphone, but the sound that flows out makes you doubt your ears and say, “This is not a sound board!?” … or rather, it is a transcendental recording that may even surpass “TOKYO TAPES”. The content is also intense, and while showing all songs except “Fly People Fly” from “FLY TO THE RAINBOW”, the stage tension is blown up. Uri’s guitar, who was 19 years old at the time, is also crying. It is no longer the Scorpion Group, but a cultural heritage album that stands at the highest peak in the history of the music genre “Hard Rock”. It is still January 2022, but it is definitely the best hard rock title of the year! Shock! ! ! ! Grille, Minden, West Germany 3rd May 1974 ULTIMATE SOUND(NEW SOURCE) (73:53) 1. Hey Little Woman 2. Far Away 3. This Is My Song 4. They Need A Million (Rudolf Schenker – Lead Vocals) 5. Drifting Sun (Ulrich Roth – Lead Vocals) 6. Fly To The Rainbow (Ulrich Roth – Lead Vocals On 2nd Half) 7. y Hey Hey 8. Far Across The Ocean 9. Speedy’s Coming 10. Long Tall Sally 11. Johnny B. Goode (Ulrich Roth – Lead Vocals) 12. Voodoo Child incl. 3rd Stone From The Sun (Ulrich Roth – Lead Vocals) Klaus Meine – Lead & Backing Vocals Ulrich Roth – Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals (19 Years Old)19 years old Rudolf Schenker – Guitar/Lead & Backing Vocals Francis Bucholz – Bass Jurgen “Doobie” Fechter – Drums