In Memoriam: Scorpions Bassist "Francis Buchoholz" Dies At 71

The German rock musician Francis Buchholz, best known as the long-serving bassist of Scorpions, has died at the age of 71. His family announced his death in a Facebook post on Friday, saying Buchholz passed away on Thursday after a private battle with cancer.

“He departed this world peacefully, surrounded by love,” the family said, thanking fans for their continued support throughout his career.

Buchholz began playing bass as a teenager and went on to co-found the band Dawn Road in the early 1970s with Uli Jon Roth, Jürgen Rosenthal and Achim Kirschning. The group later merged with Scorpions, joining vocalist Klaus Meine and guitarist Rudolf Schenker.

His first recording with Scorpions was the 1974 album Fly to the Rainbow, and he remained with the band through Crazy World. During that period, the band produced some of its most recognisable songs, including Rock You Like a Hurricane and Wind of Change.

Buchholz left Scorpions in 1992 but later returned to touring and recording with Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock, performing on the band’s 2012 tour. He also appeared on Temple of Rock’s albums Bridge the Gap and Spirit on a Mission, released in 2013 and 2015 respectively.

 

Rocktrospectiva: The Acclaimed And Succesfully "Crazy World" Turns 35

Released on 6 November 1990 "Crazy World" was the 11th., studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions. The album peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 chart for albums in 1991. That same year, the song "Wind of Change" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Send Me an Angel" reached No. 44 on the same chart, other singles released were "Tease Me Please Me" & "Don't Believe Her". 

This album was the band's first album in a decade and a half to not be produced by Dieter Dierks. Crazy World became the band's only album to reach number one in their home country of Germany. In the UK, remained as the only Scorpions album to attained Silver certification. In the United States, it was the band's second best-selling album to 1984's Love at First Sting,

Scorpions was probably the biggest hard rock band in Europe cause its career and to had several everlasting singles, rock veterans since the 1960s and thanks the influence of Mathias Jabs, the band became a statement for rock and metal in the 1980s, after releasing several succesful records until "Crazy World" which actually was the band's peak.

"Crazy World" created a stir upon its released, their last album back then "Savage Amusenet" couldn't managed to overcome its predecessors albums. Basically this album is well-known almost exclusively cause their biggest worldwide single, the universal power ballad "Wind Of Change", but also "Send Me An Angel", and thanks to these tracks, the record propelled across the globe receiving widespread support from anyone anywhere from mainstream pop listeners to rockers despite it was a hard rock album

Klause Meine told about how the song came to him during a concert in Moscow 1989 after seeing thousands of thousands fans singing together five German rockers all together as brothers, basically it was a truly time for a change, perestroika aided to this changes and the borders suddenly were opened, the Wall of Berlin was about to fall, so all of these events inspired "Wind Of Change" as a song for the world which was edited in several languages to make even more universal

The album remains younger and enjoyable, let's he honest, the world still crazy as ever, I think it get worse over the last 10 years taking back old corpses we thought dead long time ago, even though, the album has other remarkable tracks such as the hard rocker "Tease Me, Please Me", a party tune with a swinging riff  and catchy verses, "Don't Believe Her" had the band's manufactured sound, a heavy melody and one of the most esterotyped verses of the record almost scratching L.A. rock scene than European.  

Another remarkable track was "To Be With You In Heaven" a love song with good verses, then "Wind Of Change" their biggest hit and one of the most overplayed tunes in the 90s. "Restless Night" a heavy tune as a way to change a little, "Lust Or Love" was another rocker dirty tune, "Kicks After Six" increased the power, the one of the most remarkable tracks of the set "Hit Between The Eyes" a favourite one for many fans due its strenght and a well-balanced solo by Matthias and heavy rhytmical base by Bucholz and Rarebell, "Money And Fame" was considered a filler depends the case or maybe wasn't strong enough as the rest of the pack, again another filler or maybe basic "Crazy World" created to performed alive and finally, the other huge power ballad of the set "Send Me An Angel" the typical power ballad at the time, unfortunately remained as the second huge tune of the record cause the overwhelming "Wind Of Change" 

Critics were mixed, in the end it was one of the biggest selling records in the early 90s, "Wind Of Change" became worldwide universal, and if the world were crazy back then, today 35 years later, things still remains pretty much the same or even the worst, at least the music on this record sounds the same as a reminder of better times when at least, there was certain hope. 

Crazy World Track List: 

 

1. Tease Me, Please Me

2. Don't Believe Her

3. To Be With You In Heaven

4. Wind Of Change

5. Restless Nights 

6. Lust Or Love

7. Kicks After Six

8. Hit Between The Eves

9. Money And Fame

10. Crazy World

11. Send Me An Angel

Rocktrospectiva: El Masivo E Histórcio "Crazy World" Cumple 30 Años

Lanzado el 6 de Noviembre de 1990, en una época de grandes cambios políticos y sociales, "Crazy World" el onceavo álbum de estudio en la carrera de la banda de rock Alemana Scorpions, resultó ser la gran apuesta en su carrera, llegó al No. 21 del Billboard y lanzó tres singles, uno de ellos fue top ten y el otro top 50, el disco es considerado el último álbum con un sonido clásico de la banda, en el Reino Unido, es el disco más éxitoso de la banda, y en los Estados Unidos fue el segundo más éxitoso tras el "Love At First Sting" de 1984, además de ser el último con el line up original, ya que el bajista Francis Buchholz dejó la banda en 1992. 

 

Scorpions era una banda con nombre propio y amplio reconocimiento no solo en Europa sino en Nortemérica, venían de tener buen éxito y entonces se dieron una serie de cambios en el mundo a finales de los 80's., y comienza tra un histórico concierto en Moscú en el 89, cuando miles de personas coreaban los temas de la banda, en plena perestroika, las visperas de la caída del muro de Berlín, la caída de los regímenes socialistas en Europa, y en esa calida noche como decía Klaus Meine, compuso ese himno a la hermandad que llegaría a ser el single más importante de la banda, pero el disco tenía otros temas como "Tease Me, Please Me", editado también como single y que aparecío recuerdo a finales de 1990 en la radio local, bastante rockero con poderosos riffs cortesía Schneker, el solo de Jabns, un bonito estribillo para meternos dentro de este disco atemporal, y que daba paso a "Don't Believe Her", típico sonido de la banda con influencias de hard rock Estadounidense, y nos ponía listos para la primera balada, "To Be With You In Heaven", letrista de amor y sonido de power ballad, pero nada más y entonces se viene la joya del disco "Wind Of Change", el tema de los cambios sociales y que incluso en el video aparecían todos esos eventos de ese período entre 1989/1990, la quemaron por que la quemaron, pero después de cierto tiempo que dejó de sonar el tema, la perspectiva al respecto cambio y ahora es un clásico atemporal.

Seguía "Restless Nights", un tema bastante raro y oscuro para la banda, buen estribillo y buenos coros, y ya ibamos a la mitad del disco, entonces se venía temas más ad-hoc al estilo rockero de la banda, como "Lust Or Love", apelando al dilema de siempre si es solo sexo o amor, otro buen corte rockero era "Kicks After Six" que vuelve a elevar el sonido de la banda, para dar paso a otra joya consideraba por muchos un tema que debío haber sido single como lo es "Hit Between The Eyes", con fuerza y seguridad en las melodías, el estribillo, solo de guitarra, una batería intensa y poderosa que el da el estilo al tema, y luego bajan las revoluciones con la sobrante "Money And Fame", para dar paso al tema homónimo del disco "Crazy World" y para cerrar, el otro single del disco como lo fue la power ballad "Wind Of Change" que me recuerda aquellas tardes viendo la MTV y este tema en rotación allá por 1991 y que tuvo un relanzamiento local cuando fue el Mundial de 1994, ya que este tema solía sonar al final de algunos partidos en aquel entonces en las cadenas locales, reafirmando las locuras a nivel mundial allá por 1990 y que hoy 30 años después no ha cambiado mucho que digamos, y sino miren como esta todo en plena pandemia y con figuras políticas venidas a menos en todo el mundo y la falta de confianza a las instituciones, por lo que podríamos decir que "Wind Of Change" sigue sonando más fresca que nunca, o al menos mantiene viva la utopia. 

Crazy World Track List:

 

1. Tease Me Please Me

2. Don't Believe Her

3. To Be With You In Heaven

4. Wind Of Change

5. Restless Nights

6. Lust Or Love

7. Kicks After Six

8. Hit Between The Eyes

9. Money And Fame

10. Crazy World

11. Send Me An Angel