RETIREMENT? WHAT RETIREMENT?
Classic Rock|Summer 2023
In 2012 the Scorpions announced their retirement. A decade later… they’re still with us. Classic Rock caught up with the core members to look back at the life and times of one of hard rock’s great and most enduring bands
Chris Franzkowiak
RETIREMENT? WHAT RETIREMENT?

Throughout their extraordinary career, Scorpions guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs and singer Klaus Meine have enjoyed the highs and suffered lows of the music business. Having sold more than 100 million albums, with platinum and gold titles including Lovedrive, Blackout and Savage Amusement, played more than 5,000 gigs in 80 countries, and received more prestigious awards than you can shake a Flying V at, the German band are deservedly up among the elite in rock history. The release this month of Scorpions: Colours Of Rock Limited Edition – 12 albums including Fly To The Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer, Tokyo Tapes, Blackout, and Love At First Sting, all on 180g coloured vinyl – is the latest significant milestone on the long and winding road that has taken them from playing clubs in and around Hanover in the 60s to performing on some of the world’s biggest stages.

Rudolf, Klaus and Matthias: December 2022 marked the tenth anniversary of the announcement of Scorpions’ retirement, but you still haven’t stopped. Indeed the past decade has been hugely successful for the band.

Matthias Jabs: To be honest, it is still a mystery to me how the idea of retirement could have created such a stir in the first place.

This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Classic Rock.

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This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Classic Rock.

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