The pacing and track positioning of this album is superb. It seems to have a natural flow about it. It isn't a particularly long album either, with only nine tracks, it sort of makes me want to hear more - I think that is a good thing! Does it feel complete then? Yes, definitely. It has one dud track right smack dab in the middle of it, entitled "The Same Thrill" - and that's it. Aside from that, the rest of the record is terrific!

     The other eight tracks are tremendous. From the opening hard-stomp of "Bad Boys Running Wild", to the thematic "Rock You Like A Hurricane", to the catchy "I'm Leaving You", the half ballad, half hard rockin' "Coming Home", the album is not short of greatness.

     The latter half of the record is just as impressive. "Big City Nights" has some unforgettable guitar riffs and awesome melodies. I love "As Soon as the Good Times Roll"; now that is a song that conveys as great sense of musicality and songwriting savvy. It's not the Scorpions best song ever, but it is definitely a career highlight. From the technical standpoint, I love the sound of that track. For the first half of the song, the drums are played off the beat of the rythym - it's not jarring at all, it really works well. The second half of the song, the band switches and then the drums play on time with the beat, but then the guitar plays behind the rythym, it's really cool stuff. Plus, they take the traditional rock convention of "letting the good times roll", which dates back to the days of Chuck Berry in the 1950s, and they, the Scoropions, create their own discintive take on it.

     While "As Soon as the Good Times Roll" exudes great ability of song construction, many, many other tracks on this album do just the same in their own respects. The following track, "Crossfire" is another classic - with its military march drums driving the song, it features a howling vocal performance from Klaus Meine and an awesome sense of political interest and rebellion, about how innonence should not be caught up in the 'crossfire.'

     In my opinion, I've always been fond of an album that closes with a sweeping epic song. Love At First Sting ends with such a disctinction. "Still Loving You" is pretty much the ultimate in terms of having a closing song. With its tear-jerking theme, its subdued yet restless guitar riffs and melodies, to the throaty and wide ranging performance from Klaus Meine on vocals, it has it all. It clocks in at six plus minutes in length, it packs a lot of punch, and leaves an indelible impact - it's a bonafide classic. You couldn't ask for a better way to finish out an already awesome album!

     As you can see, this was a pretty lengthy review, but I had a lot to say about Love At First Sting. I could have simply said, 'this album is great,' or, 'you should go buy this,' but more needed to be said. This album is much more than another 80s rock album, it's wholeheartedly, a great rock and roll album. It very much captures the essence of a 1980s arena rock record, but it doesn't sound dated. It is very representational of the time in which it was recorded, but it transcends that time because it features so much great nuance - whether its in the songwriting itself, or the intricate guitar work, the melodies, or of the intense singing by frontman Klaus Meine; there simply is a lot to like. With all this being said, is Love At First Sting, the Scorpions best album ever? Tough call to make, but it is definitely up their amongst the elite.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Rock You Like A Hurricane"

"Bad Boys Running Wild"

"Still Loving You"

"As Soon as the Good Times Roll"

"Big City Nights"

"Crossfire"

"I'm Leaving You"

"Coming Home"

-Kurt L.

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