Lovedrive

Lovedrive
Studio album by Scorpions
Released	February 25, 1979
Recorded	September 1978-December 1978
Genre	Heavy metal, hard rock
Length	36:30
Label	Harvest/EMI (Europe) Mercury (US)
Producer	Dieter Dierks
Scorpions chronology
Taken by Force (1977) Lovedrive (1979) Animal Magnetism (1980)
Michael Schenker chronology
Strangers in the Night (1979) Lovedrive (1979) The Michael Schenker Group (1980)
Alternative cover

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Lovedrive is the sixth studio album by the German heavy metal band Scorpions, released in 1979. Lovedrive was a major evolution of the band's sound, which exhibited their "classic style" that would be later developed over their next few albums. Michael Schenker, younger brother of rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker, performed lead guitar on 3 songs. The RIAA certified Lovedrive as Gold on 28 May 1986 and the album ranked 25 on IGN's list of the top 25 metal albums.

Cover art

The cover depicted a man and woman in formalwear seated in the back of a car, with one of the woman's breasts exposed and connected to the man's hand by stretched bubblegum. The back cover featured the same man and woman, but holding a photograph of the band and her breasts completely exposed (without the gum). It was created by Storm Thorgerson of the design firm Hipgnosis. It caused some controversy upon the album's release and was subsequently banned,with later pressings of the album bearing a simple design of a blue scorpion on a black background. The album's artwork was named "Best album sleeve of 1979" by Playboy magazine.^{[citation needed]}

Recalling the cover photo with the girl and the car, Thorgerson remarked: "Not exactly the most politically correct scene you've ever seen. I thought it was funny, but women read a different inflection into it now."

In a 2010 interview, singer Klaus Meine commented on the album cover, stating: "[W]e just did not know it would be a problem in America, it was just sex and rock 'n' roll. It is odd that in America that some of these covers were a problem because in the 80's when we would tour here we always had boobs flashed to us at the front of the stage. Nowhere else in the world, just here. We just did not think it would be a problem to put out a record like Lovedrive in America. Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years was banned at Wal Mart and Pure Instinct was banned as well."

This is one of the few Scorpions album covers that was initially edited upon release in many places due to its controversial nature, only to have the original uncensored art restored for the remaster series.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Loving You Sunday Morning"	Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell	5:36
2.	"Another Piece of Meat"	Schenker, Rarebell	3:30
3.	"Always Somewhere"	Schenker, Meine	4:56
4.	"Coast to Coast"	Schenker	4:42

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Can't Get Enough"	Schenker, Meine	2:36
2.	"Is There Anybody There?"	Schenker, Meine, Herman Rarebell	3:58
3.	"Lovedrive"	Schenker, Meine	4:49
4.	"Holiday"	Schenker, Meine	6:32

Personnel

• Klaus Meine – lead vocals
• Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Matthias Jabs – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Francis Buchholz – bass, backing vocals
• Herman Rarebell – drums, backing vocals
• Michael Schenker – lead guitar (on "Another Piece Of Meat", "Coast To Coast" and "Lovedrive"), backing vocals