Germany's
Scorpions
waited until 2001 to get on the unplugged bandwagon, but then they always were rather unfashionable. Recorded earlier the same year at live shows in Portugal,
Acoustica
is essentially a greatest-hits package, complete with the mandatory two new songs. It follows on the heels of
Moment of Glory
, their 2000 collaboration with the
Berlin Philharmonic
.
's recasting of the band's lite-rock legacy in the language of adult contemporary may be just what the doctor ordered. The track selection encompasses most of the big ballad hits from the post-
Lovedrive
era, plus a few covers (
Kansas
' "Dust in the Wind," "Drive" by
the Cars
, and
Queen
's "Love of My Life"). The power chords may be missing, but
is far from stripped down: guitarists
Schenker
and
Jabs
can't resist decorating most songs with pretty little acoustic guitar figures; this works in some cases, and it doesn't in others. The same goes for the Latin rhythm stylings, string sections, and lush backing vocals. The final result is a sort of midtempo tastefulness. [A 21-track, two-LP edition of
pressed on 180-gram vinyl was released in 2017.] ~ Leslie Mathew