In Trance

In Trance
Studio album by Scorpions
Released September 17, 1975 (Europe),
March 1976 (U.S.)
Recorded Dierks Studios, Cologne, Germany, 1975
Genre Hard rock
Length 37:17
Label RCA Records
Producer Dieter Dierks
Scorpions chronology

Fly to the Rainbow
(1974)		 In Trance
(1975)		 Virgin Killer
(1976)
Singles from In Trance
  1. "In Trance / Night Lights"
    Released: 1975
Alternative cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Teraz Rock [2]

In Trance is the third studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released by RCA Records in 1975. The album's music was the complete departure from the progressive Krautrock of the two previous albums, in favour of a hard rock sound of shorter and tighter arrangements with which the band would achieve their later global success and fame, extended suites in the vein of songs such as "Lonesome Crow" and "Fly to the Rainbow" are absent altogether. It is the first Scorpions album in signature Scorpions hard rock style, which was later modified with the arrival of Matthias Jabs. It is the first album by the band to contain the now-famous logo and controversial artwork.

Cover art

The original version of the album cover, photographed by Michael von Gimbut,[3] was censored for clearly showing the cover model's exposed breast[4] hanging down towards the guitar. Later releases have the breast blacked out so that it is not visible. This is the first of many Scorpions album covers that have been censored. The band's former lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth claimed he may have come up with the "idea to do the thing with the guitar for the cover of In Trance".[5]

However, in a 2008 interview Roth claimed that early Scorpions album covers in general were "the record company's idea, but we certainly didn't object. And so shame on us. Those covers were probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever been involved with." He did, though, classify the In Trance cover as "borderline".[6]

The White Stratocaster shown on the cover belonged to Roth and he can be seen playing the same guitar on the cover of the Electric Sun album Fire Wind. This is the guitar that Roth used on all subsequent Scorpions and Electric Sun albums on which he played.[7]

This was the band's first album to feature the band's name written in the now-familiar font used on nearly all subsequent album covers, as well as their first collaboration with producer Dieter Dierks.

Track listing

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Dark Lady"  Uli Jon Roth 3:30
2. "In Trance"  Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine 4:47
3. "Life's Like a River"  Roth, Schenker, Corina Fortmann 3:54
4. "Top of the Bill"  Schenker, Meine 3:26
5. "Living and Dying"  Schenker, Meine 3:24
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
6. "Robot Man"  Schenker, Meine 2:47
7. "Evening Wind"  Roth 5:06
8. "Sun in My Hand"  Roth 4:25
9. "Longing for Fire"  Schenker, Roth 2:44
10. "Night Lights" (Instrumental)Roth 3:14

Personnel

Band members
Additional musicians
Production

References

  1. ↑ Weber, Barry. "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved March 21, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Teraz Rock review". Terazrock.pl. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  3. ↑ In Trance Virgin Killer: The Back to Black Collection (Media notes). Scorpions. France: Axe Killer Music. 2000. 3056462.
  4. ↑ Easton, Jeffrey. "Metal Exiles interview with Klaus Meine". Metalexiles.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  5. ↑ Syrjälä, Marko. "Interview with Uli Jon Roth". Metal-rules.com. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  6. ↑ Plakas, Argie. "Uli Jon Roth: ‘Bridging Classical and Rock to Form Musical Bliss’". Ultimate-Guitar.com. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
  7. ↑ Wright, Jeb. "Uli Jon Roth: Surviving the Scorpions Sting". Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2007.