Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Scorpions > Fly to the Rainbow > Reviews
Scorpions - Fly to the Rainbow

Some Need a Million, I Just Need My Song - 92%

bayern, October 20th, 2019

“This is my song, I tell you about the story of love…”

Yes, please, let me tell you about this summer of love, the one that stretched to several years during the early/mid-70’s, the summer of the hippies, the super-free no-strings-attached love, the mind-altering substances, legal illegal the lots, and the summer of some really really great music. Yeah, those were the days when the road to total illumination seemed so well paved… what the fuck happened that we lost the way again and had to wade, and still do, through another 40 or so years of shite… screw those i-pads and smart phones… I need my song, god damn it!

And I found it; I found it but only much later as when I got a hold of the Scorpions discography I stayed away from the first two instalments, first cause I listened to one or two tracks from “Lonesome Crow” which I didn’t like, and second cause this guy described the album reviewed here as a very close soundalike to the “Crow”, “atmospheric progressive 70’s hard rock, you know the stuff, no heavy metal under any form”.

Well, the guy was absolutely accurate in his description; it was me, the impetuous radical metalhead, who refused to lend an ear to this 70’s hard rock carnival… until this vinyl which appeared out of nowhere in my uncle’s house one day, literally out of the blue, “My uncle listening to Scorpions!? Ha! The stealthy bastard…” The cover enchanted me although I’m not sure now what the Scorps tried to achieve with it: it screams “krautrock!” and “Kraftwerk!” louder than a truckload of radioactivity… anyway, naïve enthusiastic youngsters, what can you do; and why not steal the Rocketman from Elton John when the latter’s drunk and half-asleep…

yes, this is hard rock, in its pure unadulterated 70’s form, with the psychedelic nuances, the complex progressive sprawls, the more immediate flashes of unpolished proto-metallism, the excellent soulful vocals (not the ones handled by Rudolf Schenker, though), and some mesmerizing guitar work. The latter, however, wasn’t provided by the prodigy Michael Schenker, Rudolf’s brother, anymore; the hugely gifted boy was snatched by the rock/metal giants UFO, leaving Scorpions to put up with… another mad genius, the indomitable, inimitable, unparalleled, one-and-only Ulrich Roth, arguably the greatest rock/metal musician Germany has ever produced. To be perfectly truthful, though, it was Ulrich Roth’s band Dawn Road that provided shelter for Rudolph Schenker and Klaus Meine as Scorpions split-up shortly after Michael left… a name change followed suit to give a bigger commercial appeal before the release of the album reviewed here.

To put it short, there was no loss on the axeman-front whatsoever, with another adept replacing the departed one, the band well-equipped to continue their ascension towards the rock/metal Olympus. Certainly, we can’t talk a homogenous display of delights all the way; in fact, save for Black Sabbath’s extraordinary “Master of Reality” we can’t talk about greatness from the first to the last note on a 70’s metal album, but the flashes of genius here are simply too overwhelming for one to start frowning on the less convincing moments. Besides, the latter are subjectively labelled as such, and quite possibly may be the paradise for some…

paradise which begins in the most promising way with “Speedy's Coming”, a direct non-fussy rocker carved by Roth’s dazzling pyrotechnics, boisterously pronouncing that yes, speedy’s coming, metal’s coming, and it would take just a bit before those fully materialize on the guys’ future efforts. You won’t need a million listens to fall in love with “They Need a Million”, the greatest Spanish folk motifs-embebbed composition ever with the soaring main theme, the dramatic flamenco-fixated drumming, Roth’s impeccable visionary soloing, Meine’s stellar backing vocal contribution… but not quite Schenker’s performance behind the mike; the man tries hard but his baritone lacks range and emotion, probably selected here to help accentuate Meine’s participation. A supreme piece of music art this one with said main theme stolen later by Therion for “Melez” from “Lepaca Kliffoth”, also present in a more disguised, not as overtly emulated form in the repertoire of other bands (really?).

The more leisurely, psychedelic jam session-like atmosphere from the debut is brought back with “Drifting Sun”, largely a one-man show with Roth also occupying the place behind the mike with a steady but not very attached, perhaps a bit stoned as well, clean mid-range; this is an overlong dreamy, also bluesy presentation which loses the inertia gained with the preceding numbers, merely serving as a reminder of the band’s first stint. This less focused, more frivolous execution pops up again later, on the tighter but still pretty melancholic “Far Away”, but this cut is by-and-large an attempt at the ballad, a format which the guys made their own in the subsequent years, and became the finest providers of romantic lovelorn tunes on the music circuit, unsurpassed up to this day.

However, the first great contribution to said genre is actually “Fly People Fly”, the other full-fledged ballad here, a brilliant mixture of romanticism and epicness with some of Roth’s most inspired work with the six strings, and of course Meine’s towering performance; the man has produced some of his greatest antics in those early days, his soulful, not overtly dramatic timbre never challenged by urgent speedy skirmishes and friendlier pop-metal demands at this stage. The real challenge here, for every musician involved mind you, is the title-track, a 9.5-min progressive meisterwerk, an absolute apotheosis of musical artistry, the song King Crimson never wrote cause they weren’t quite confident they could pull this off; an astounding summation of what was deemed genius on the early-70’s rock/proto-metal roster with the balladic introduction, the fast-paced accumulations, the superb melodic pirouettes, the flawless not very obtrusive vocal participation, the breath-taking psychedelic epitaph… you simply can’t mess with this, and no wonder those who tried (Therion’s ill-advised rendition on “A'arab Zaraq-Lucid Dreaming”) miserably failed.

Oops, I almost forgot my song… this is my song, yes, my most favourite Scorpions song, and one of the ten greatest leading tunes I’ve ever come across in my life, not to mention arguably the finest performance on the bass to ever grace these ears, courtesy of… but of course Uli Roth! Yes, Francis Buchholz gives his 4-string instrument to the man who simply proves the already established rule that whatever he touches he turns to gold… I was expecting him to climb the drums later on some of the other tracks to additionally shatter the audience’s senses, but I guess his artistic genius had been put in reins by his colleagues at some stage… there are other musicians in this team, hey!

So my song is a love song, by-and-large, and I don’t remember to have had any special affection for those in my life… still, these 4.5-min of blissful romantic hard rock simplicity resonate with me so much that I remember one weekend I spent an entire day in our villa in the mountains listening to this number only; my girlfriend was supposed to accompany me there, but she had to work on some university assignment, and didn’t come. I’m not sure how this CD happened to be in the house, but I gave it two listens from beginning to end, then I put the player on “repeat” and this song filled in the whole space for a fair number of hours. I drank beer and rakia, smoked marijuana, devoured some other substances too… I don’t recall if I fell asleep later in the night, or whether I woke up the morning after, but I remember I was sitting in this arm-chair in daylight the next day, and the song was still on… yeah, it told me a lot of stories about love that weekend… could it possibly have had anything to do with the fact that some of my younger neighbours over there got pregnant a few months after this “orgy”…

ha ha, kidding here of course (actually, there was one girl who did get pregnant shortly after), but the truth is that this recording, which I’d been neglecting for quite some time, has a very special place in my vast collection now. Yes, there are moments where I’m almost tempted to press the “skip” button but I don’t, or at least very seldom do; I don’t cause I try to put myself in the musicians’ place, and to see from what creative flair, from what visionary perspective they had come up with those tunes… it was 1974, things were moulding, the music scene was a volatile, perennially-shifting melting pot, more or less compatible ideas were being thrown into the sizzling furnace, some of them finding a resonant soul to develop it further, others being castigated only to capture other artists’ imagination a few years down the line…

metal was forged in fire, yes; and it was from such inspired diverse recordings that bits and pieces started gelling together to produce the unstoppable steam-roller machine that conquered the music world, and still reigns supreme more than 40 years after its inception, despite all the pernicious disco, grunge, techno, alternative, attacks… there’s simply no alternative to metal, lads, and trust me, illumination is at hand… well, even if the latter doesn’t occur in this lifetime, shit happens you know, always remember,

“Forever freedom, forever love, forever love everyday…”

Yes, my song never lies… bottoms up, panties down! The show must go on!

Do You Like Alice Cooper? - 85%

Sweetie, May 12th, 2018

A day after my birthday, except 21 years before the correct year, Scorpions would put out a record that would mark a transition into what they became well known for. The heavier cuts take priority, without completely dropping inspiration from the debut, Lonesome Crow. In other words, this is a psychedelic metal album, flying in the same orbit of Budgie, early Deep Purple, etc. Because of this massive shift, there's definitely a lot of inconsistency in Fly To The Rainbow, but they've got the chops for sure.

Relying less on instrumental technicality, this is the first record where Klaus Meine gets to truly shine. Previously, Michael Schenker held the role of the guitar, until he was replaced with Ulrich Roth. As great as Michael is, he didn't fit the band nearly as well, and the step up with this record is solid evidence. Roth introduced tighter leads, strong solos with grueling melody, and didn't absorb the majority of the attention. That all said, the powerful voice that is a staple of this band was born on this record. The first track, "Speedy's Coming" is an absolute favorite of mine, having such a great aura to it, yet plenty of raw power. Plus, the shout-outs to Alice Cooper, Ringo Star, and David Bowie are pretty fucking cool. The slower, concise ability is also introduced on this album with "Fly People Fly", thus another step in the right direction to all parties; instruments and voice.

Due to the psychedelic drive that's also present, this is packed with songs about love and peace, while also bringing up issues with all of the hate in the world. It also makes for longer tracks, as there are only seven of them, but Fly still clocks in around forty minutes. The title track, being an epic ending, plays a great amount into this. "Far Away" is definitely another standout, as it's a neat folk rock number, carried mostly by acoustic guitars. Again, this adds to the inconsistency, yet it's so beautiful that it can be overlooked. Very Simon & Garfunkel-esque, and a welcomed surprise at that. Finally, Uli does take vocals on "Drifting Sun", but it hasn't quite developed into the style that comes to maturity on In Trance. Admittedly, it's a bit weak. Taking more of a Beatles-y approach, there's a different attitude in general. As someone who likes that vocal style, he doesn't pull it off very well. Not a bad track, though.

To put it simple, this is basically a psychedelic folk-rock / heavy metal record. It is easy to see this as being the bridge that connects the debut with the mighty records to follow. The roots are all there, the fruits of the past are falling, and it's a pretty remarkable release, definitely essential to anyone that calls themselves a Scorpions fan.

A Crucial Album - 85%

ballcrushingmetal, May 25th, 2016
Written based on this version: Unknown year, CD, RCA

Scorpion's sophomore effort represented a gigantic leap forward from its predecessor in terms of musicianship and songwriting, and this huge improvement was mainly owed to the technical abilities of the three former Dawn Road members who joined the band after the fusion of the latter with Scorpions. Furthermore, the band found a balance between hippie/psychedelic tendencies and the hard rock music. The mix between both styles made up their trademark hard rock sound, which remained as such during the 70's until Uli Jon Roth left the band in 1978. Thereafter, they have modified continuously their sound (with mixed results) due to many factors, such as the changes in the line-up and the need of innovating their musical concept in accordance to the commercial trends of each decade.

The sound displayed herein was not their definitive, but rather the blueprint on which their further 70's albums were built. It basically takes cues from contemporaneous bands like Deep Purple and Pink Floyd, and also the distorted and acid guitar playing of Jimi Hendrix that was polished at some point by Uli Jon Roth. This combination resulted in solid hard rockers like the opening track, which perfectly matches the standards of their well-recognized trademark sound. The band however, strongly focused their efforts on playing progressive songs, such as the title track which closes the album in a quite epic fashion; and others like "They Need a Million" or "Far Away" show the strong psychedelic influences with which the German rockers started their road. Said influences could be noticeable by hallucinated lines like the following: "Take your hand and you take my hand./Let's try to learn to fly". Such line along with others written by Uriah Heep seemed to guide the way in which many European power metal bands built their lyrics. Moreover, the structure of these songs provided a layout for many epic progressive lengthy numbers, such as Helloween's thirteen-minutes number "Keeper of the Seven Keys" and other Blind Guardian songs.

Having said the above, the album engages the listener through an interesting concept and a strong focus on fantasy, which was changed for romance afterwards. The mystique vibe and the epic atmosphere of the songs is unique, and the complexity of the songs featured herein would not be matched whatsoever by the compositions written in further albums. In other words, what the album offers is different from the rest of the albums throughout their catalogue. This release is highly recommended for those who wonder why Scorpions is one of the fathers of power metal, and of course for those who want to know more about their music. It is easily among the best hard rock albums ever released.

Either a Drifting Haze, or a Glowing Blaze - 80%

ArchfiendNocturnal, December 29th, 2013

There are few acts that could boast not only the longevity, but musical diversity as the Scorpions have throughout their catalogue, spanning four decades and counting. This particular album almost succeeds in fusing all the different musical styles the band has experimented with, although the formulaic, riff heavy stuctures would not be as prevalent as future efforts, such as "In Trance". Notwithstanding, the second effort from Germany's premier group is as diverse sonically as, well, the colors of a rainbow.

Personnel changes usually influence a band's sound, and it is no different with the Scorpions here. A complete overhaul of the rhythm section, along with the addition of neo-classical guitar guru Uli Jon Roth to replace Michael Schenker (although some compositions do have Rudolf's younger brother credited) allow the band to take a different direction from their jazz laden debut, "Lonesome Crow". Even so, some remnants of the first album are heard in songs like "They Need a Million", with an off tempo, intricate Spanish guitar melody, as well as the intro to the title track, suggesting that these songs may have been written with, but left out of, or not completed before, the first album was finished.

The opening track, "Speedy's Coming" (a reference to Rudolf Schenker), is perhaps the first appearance of the "signature" Scorpions sound, with the Teutonic tones and slightly up tempo rhythm, signaling a new sound the band would explore for most of their career. On this album, it almost seems out of place, but that may be due to it being the first of the Schenker/Meine collaborations to be recorded in such a style, as well as the influence of other member's input.

That being said, it is impossible to ignore the influence of Roth and his devotion to Hendrix, especially on two specific tracks on this album, "Drifting Sun" and "Fly to the Rainbow". While his vocal efforts do tend to bring down the overall quality of the songs, it is his hands that more than overcome his vocal flaws on these tracks. "Drifting Sun", easily a nod to the 60's and his idol, Jimi Hendrix, is a complete fusion of his psychaldelic sound along with the band's riff driven melody that would make this song one of the highlights of the album. The album's title track also has some major acid trip potential, and at a combined playtime of nearly twenty minutes, these two tracks comprise a majority of the album itself.

The remaining tracks act as a bridge between the musical influences of the Roth/Meine/Schenker triumvirate, such as the mid-tempoed "Far Away" and "Fly People Fly", both early examples of power ballads in the group's catalogue. "This is My Song" rounds out the album in a more up tempo, but calm manner, not the sonic flurry of "Speedy", but not a ballad either.

As stated earlier, this album is very diverse in its sound and song structures, probably due to the new members' influences from Uli's band Dawn Road, and the group looking for material to fill an album as much as musical direction. More lineup changes were in store for the band throughout the decade, but it must be noted this was their first collaboration with bassist Francis Bucholtz, one of the members of the groups most successful era.

Coming Together - 100%

kalervon, May 27th, 2013

This album was created as two bands came together: two members from Scorpions, who had recorded "Lonesome Crow", and three members from Dawn Road. So technically the band could have taken the name Dawn Road rather than Scorpions. To make matters a bit more complicated, the keyboardist who wasn't actually a full member also came from Dawn Road, and some songs were co-written by a former Scorpions member, Rudolf's brother Michael. The result is somewhat eclectic and it is feasible to discern which elements are from the Roth/Dawn Road camp and which ones are from the Scorpions camp (and with or without Michael).

The distorsion intro to the first song, "Speedy's Coming" may remind Deep Purple's noisy intro of "Speed King". It kicks off the album sending the message that this is a rocking album, unlike "Lonesome Crow" which was more obscure, doom and complex. But pretty soon we are taken to a hippie journey of gigantic proportion.. and through several exotic styles.

The title track is one of those songs written by an ex-member (Michael) and a new member (Roth). It is a three part song and its third part, sung by Roth, sounds quite similar to "Turn the Time", a Dawn Road song. I would be inclined to think that Michael wrote the first two parts and Roth grafted one of his compositions (or a modified version of "Turn The Time") to form the third part. Whatever, "Fly to the Rainbow", the song, is a masterpiece. The acoustic intro is somewhat complex (Therion gave up on trying to record it when they covered the song), the drums are quite aggressive and energetic (absolutely and also comparing with Therion's wimpy drum sound when they covered it), the twin guitars harmonies sound very good, the keyboards just seep in gently to add atmospheric elements while remaining barely noticeable, and the vocals are superb, not to mention the solos and gentle violin-like guitar during the quiet part.

Another sign of the fact that this album was somewhat quickly thrown together as the band was fusioning from its two elements, is the fact that some elements bleed between songs, which can give the appearance of a concept album. The line "Fly to the Rainbow", for instance, is actually not sung in the title track, but in "Fly People Fly". And another song, called "Far Away", contains references to flying, to the sky, of all places. The drumming in "This is my Song" sounds quite similar to the drumming in the middle part of "Fly to the Rainbow". "This is my Song" also shows a reasonable use of Hammond/keyboards, and contains a great bass line which we later learned was recorded not by bassist Francis Buchholz, but by Roth himself.

The drum production is courtesy of engineer Mack, who is also responsible for the superb live drum sound on Black Sabbath's "Dehumanizer" recorded 18 years after and to the drum sound on Deep Purple's "Stormbringer", recorded just a few months later in the same studio. In retrospect, Jürgen Rosenthal, who plays on this album, was the most promising of all three drummers who played in Scorpions while Roth was there. His style is very energetic, and little things like the cowbell at the end of the "Speedy's Coming" chorus are nice touches. Too bad he was drafted in the army.. but his stuff with Eloy is pretty good too.

There are elements on this album which Scorpions never tried before or after; such as the Spanish-like chord progression on "They Need a Million" (Therion would rather copy that on "Melez"; it also became the staple of a song like Amorphis' "Nightfall"; though probably indirectly influenced by Kingston Wall's "Another Piece of Cake"). There are also some major hippie moments, aside of the lyrics and album cover, such as the tripping section at the beginning of "Far Away", which can't really be found on any other Scorpions album. Overall, this is also the Scorpions album with the most acoustic guitars on it.

Where it can be shown that the Rudolf/Klaus duo is a thing of its own, distinct from Roth'S style, is when comparing Roth's Hendrix influenced (not just guitar-wise but also vocal wise; sounding halfway between Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix) "Drifting Sun" with "Speedy's Coming", the first of many straight-rockers written by Rudolf and Klaus singing about groupies and rocking in general. "Speedy's Coming" is the beginning of the Scorpions which endured through the 80s, 90s, 2000s and now 2010s, producing hits like "Rock You Like a Hurricane". None of the songs on "Lonesome Crow" were that straightforward and rocking. The only thing not simple about "Speedy's Coming" is the title. What the hell does it mean ?

To the Rainbow - 84%

MEGANICK89, March 23rd, 2011

The second album from Scorpions has one the strangest looking cover, but do not be fooled by the goofy looking dude on the cover. After Michael Schenker and the rhythm section of drummer Wolfgang Dziony and bassist Lothar Heinburg left, they were replaced by long time bass man Francis Buchholz, Jurgen Rosenthal on drums, and the almighty Uli John Roth on guitar. With Roth’s influence, the bad would take the next step into heavy metal greatness as his passion and Jimi Hendrix flare would propel this band toward a higher level.

The opener “Speedy’s Coming” is the only straightforward rocker on here and provides some foreshadowing toward where the band would be heading. This is one of my favorites as I enjoy the lyrical references to Alice Cooper, David Bowie, and Ringo Starr. This song shows a glimpse of what Roth can do as well.

What was heard on the last album is completely washed away this time around. There are no jazz elements or psychedelic influences, and the Black Sabbath like guitar tone is gone. Most of this record consists of more drawn out songs with a peaceful texture. One of the important aspects of Scorpions is revealed here too and that is conveying emotion.

No one can paint a more beautiful emotion in a song than Klaus Meine. “Fly People Fly” and “Far Away” are wonderful examples of this. The way he carries a note and how he brings the power is breathtaking. “Far Away” is the finest song on this album because of the vocals and the brilliant solo that erupts after the beginning. The uplifting nature of the tune is a plus as well.

The title track is the longest just as it was on the first album. “Fly to the Rainbow” is a nine and half minute epic with a peaceful vibe and vocal melody with the middle part featuring a trippy spoken word part by Roth and then develops into an earth-shattering solo and is the perfect way to end the album.

Speaking of Roth and vocals, there is something to be said about “Drifting Sun” which is a song he penned and also sung on. All I can say is, there is a reason why Meine is the lead singer. Roth has a weird voice and his singing here is atrocious. Every song he has provided lead vocal on in his Scorpions tenure is bad except for one. Musically, the song is very good and Roth’s guitar theatrics are impressive, but the vocals destroy it.

Besides that, this is a strong sophomore effort from the German lads. The peaceful and tranquil tone of the album accompanied by Meine’s majestic vocals and Roth’s inspiring guitar playing is very satisfying. Even though this is not what Scorpions are known, this is still an enjoyable record and they would keep on getting better.

A new direction - 78%

WastedYears, May 4th, 2009

The Scorpions were the band that introduced me to heavy metal, so my first reviews for the Archives will be for the Scorpions’ discography. I already wrote a review to Lonesome Crow and I will continue with their second album Fly to the Rainbow, which was released in 1974.

The first thing you will notice is that the lineup has completely changed, apart from the two leading members Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker. I guess these two guys will go on until one of them dies. Gone are Wolfgang Dziony and Lothar Heimberg (I have no idea what happened to them afterwards) and also guitarist Michael Schenker. He decided to accept an offer to join British rockers UFO. The new guys on drums and bass are Jürgen Rosenthal and long-time member Francis Buchholz. But the biggest change is the new guitarist Uli Jon Roth (or Ulrich Roth back then). With him came a change in the music.

As I pointed out in my review on Lonesome Crow, that album was heavily influenced by jazz. But these influences seem to have disappeared when Heimberg and Dziony left. The psychedelic influences are still there but different, in a way that is less dark, but more peaceful and positive. The new man on lead guitar, Uli Roth, brings the music of Jimi Hendrix into the band. This becomes clear when you hear Drifting Sun, a track entirely composed and sung by Roth. In my opinion, this is one of the highlights on the record, even though Roth’s voice is rather thin. But his guitar playing is absolutely brilliant.

The rest of the album is heavily driven by acoustic guitars. Unfortunately they brought in a few fillers, which are not bad but forgettable. Examples would be This Is My Song and Far Away. They Need a Million is a bit strange. It begins with acoustic guitars and Klaus singing, but then switches to something that sounds a bit like a Latin rhythm to me. Uli sings this part (I think) but his voice sounds strangely distorted. Fly People Fly is far better. It sounds very relaxed. I wonder what they were smoking when they recorded it…

Like on Lonesome Crow, the title track, co-written by Uli Roth, is the best song on the album. It is a nine minute epic, which starts with a happy sounding intro but changes its direction to pure epic beauty with creative guitar playing. It also has a mystical spoken part by Uli in the middle. Pure magic!

Another song I have to mention is the opener Speedy’s Coming. This is the first time the Scorpions wrote something you could call hard rock. This song points the direction the band will take in the future. But I think the song feels a little bit out of place here.

My conclusion is: Overall the album is weaker than the debut, because it is a bit inconsistent. It seems the Scorpions wanted to change their sound but they didn’t really know which direction to take. Nevertheless, it is an album worth owning, at least for the title track and Drifting Sun. I would strongly recommend it to everyone who likes the seventies.

Queer Cover, Rad Album - 82%

DawnoftheShred, August 26th, 2008

There’s something to be said about cover art being a significant factor in a metal album’s worth. When rummaging through a bin in a used music store, you can tell the difference between an awesome early thrash or death metal album from a hair metal, numetal, or some other horrid 90’s style of heavy music simply by examining things like the cover art, logo, band photos, etc. I would say something like 95% of the time, the cover art does not belie the album’s worth: a cool cover implies a good album, a bad cover a bad one. There are few exceptions to the rule (Metal Church’s Hanging In The Balance is a notable one), but they do exist, such as the classic Scorpions album Fly To The Rainbow. The cover art is pretty absurd and probably a turn-off for those that might take a chance with it, but those willing to get passed it will be pleased to discover yet another excellent 70’s heavy metal album from Germany’s finest.

Fly to the Rainbow features the first lineup change between albums and it’s a pretty notable one. Firstly, guitarist Michael Schenker leaves to join UFO, but his replacement Ulrich Jon Roth would turn out to be one of the most significant members of the band during this early period. His esoteric style would produce a lot of classic material in the future, though it’s a shame that he didn’t contribute as much on this album. The other significant lineup change was the replacement of the masterful Lonesome Crow rhythm section with new bassist Francis Buchholz (who would become a staple) and drummer Jurgen Rosenthal. Both new members are good, but I can’t help but miss the Geezer Butler-esque melodies of Lothar Heimberg and the almost jazzy drumming of Wolfgang Dziony. How the band managed to replace them with equally talented members so quickly I’ll never know.

The album also has a fairly different sound than its predecessor, likely due to the new lineup. There’s far less of a psychedelic influence on this album and a much stronger bluesy rock ‘n’ roll vibe. The Black Sabbath comparisons are few and, ironically, comparisons to Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow are much more applicable. Opener “Speedy’s Coming” is notable as the first track where singer Klaus Meine sounds like his usual self. Indeed, this is probably the first album where hints of the band’s future songwriting style would begin to emerge. Now it certainly sounds nothing like Savage Amusement, for instance, but listen to the chorus of a track like “Fly People Fly” or “Far Away” and not hear the trace beginnings of one of the 80’s most resilient heavy metal acts. And it’s a good thing that Fly to the Rainbow doesn’t sound like their 80’s material, otherwise extended blues numbers like the Roth-penned “Drifting Sun” and the Spanish sounding “They Need A Million” would certainly not exist.

I prefer the uniqueness of Lonesome Crow, but Fly to the Rainbow is just as solid, if not even more focused in terms of writing. The many acoustic passages used combined with the increased vocal presence of Klaus Meine create beautiful melodies, while the addition of Roth guarantees a heavy guitar sound and a signature Hendrix-inspired atmosphere. For fans of 70’s heavy metal/hard rock.