Customer Reviews
GREAT LIVE ALBUM
as i see it, every new live album must contain fresh material, otherwise your are listening the same classics over and over again, this hanppens on judas priest live albums for instance. i f you think you are going to listen to new live version of scorpions 80's hits like " rock you like a hurricane, still loving you, etc " then this CD is not for you.
This album has great sound and performances, do not compare it to " world wide live " this one had its glory days already.
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Which is the best Scorps live album?
I am partial towards World Wide Live. My brother and I have a disagreement over which Scorpions live album is better; this or World Wide Live. It perfectly captures Scorpions at the pinnacle of their success right after the release of Love at First Sting during their 84-85 world mega tour. In World Wide Live, the sound is rawer and you hear the echoes from the huge stadiums the Scorps were playing in at the time. Live Bites is a very good album in its own right, but it feels "less live" and more "perfect" than World Wide Live for me. The album is more polished and you can hear each one of the musicians perfectly. That is what my brother really likes about the album, the amazing quality and clarity of scorpions on this album which is in stark contrast to World Wide Live, where the sound was much rawer but the clarity is not there. It is just a difference in preference of styles. My brother has his own band and is really into high quality sound which is why he likes Live Bites more. Me, I'm more impressed by the feelings that huge crowds and stadiums in World Wide Live inspire; they make you feel like you are at a mega show.
Some people would say that after the release of Love at First Sting Scorpions went down hill. I would challenge them to listen to this live album. While other than Wind of Change, the songs on this album are not as well known, that does not mean they are not good. The material on this live album is great! You also get a feel for the world audience that scorpions have played live to with songs recorded in Berlin, Munich, San Francisco, Mexico City and Leningrad.
The guitar riffs on Tease Me, Please Me are good. Is There Anybody There sounds great. Scorps slowed down the song and heavily accented the beat giving the song a great feel. I also really like the inclusion of In Trance in this cd. The version is great. Another highlight of the cd is Wind of Change played live in Russia I think (Living for Tomorrow is played for sure in Leningrad). My favorite song on this cd has to be When the Smoke is Going down. I know that is a weird choice, but something about this version just makes it magnificent. I can never get enough of it. Klaus Meine's voice is fantastic, the crowd cheering gives it a great feel and even though the acoustic guitar chords are very simple, they are also quite powerful (reminds me of Acoustica). You expect the song to errupt into a hard heavy metal song any minute (like Coming Home) but that is where its greatness lies in. It never does, but it keeps you thinking it will.
Overall, if you like Scorpions and/or Metal you should buy this. It is well worth your money. One final word, there are two versions of the CD, Live Bites 1988-1995 [LIVE] and Live Bites [IMPORT]. I would purchase Live Bites [IMPORT] as it is a dollar cheaper and you get one more track. More importantly the difference between the two cds is Live Bites [IMPORT] has two more live tracks while Live Bites 1988-1995 [LIVE] has an extra studio track. I haven't heard the extra studio track, Edge of Time but it can't be that good because it wasn't included in any of their best of compilations, boxed sets ect, so it probably isn't worth it. Go for the Import version where you get the two extra live songs: Ave Maria no Morro (played live in Mexico city, Klaus Meine's Spanish is not his forte, but if you know Spanish well you can understand what he is saying, meaning I don't agree with the reviewer who says he can't understand him, that reviewer just isn't a good Spanish speaker, but then I am a native Spanish speaker [born in Colombia]) and Hit Between the Eyes (played very heavy here!).
Not as good as other live efforts
While typing this review I'm actually listening it. I used to love this album. And now that I'm doing it (with headphones on), I can see some performances are weak and not as energetic as previous live albums. Scorpions is a great live band, but this CD doesn't seem to represent them fairly. Some tracks doesn't even have a 'live' vibe. They seem as they were recorded in the studio with added crowd noise.
Overall, it's not a bad album, but don't spend big bucks on it as I did some years ago. And please Klaus, don't ever sing in Spanish again. Not even Spanish-speakers can understand you.
. You can see a complete list of all Scorpions discography, or go back to the Scorpions tabs
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