Search - Scorpions: Rock You Like A Hurricane! - Unauthorized on DVD

2 Stars is being generous

Robert Alan Bryan | Waldorf, Maryland USA | 07/09/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"DVDs about rock bands that scream "Unauthorized" are risky business. There's a KISS: Unauthorized DVD that features NO music at all by the band KISS. It's mostly fan footage and not worth your time.This DVD is a bit better but still only for the most die-hard and serious Scorpions fan out there.
NOTE: The entire content of this DVD deals with Scorpions interviews done in 1990/91. There is no information beyond 1991.

How bad is it? Picture-wise it's pretty good. Content wise it cheats the buyer. I'll explain how...
First: The back of the DVD case (lower right hand corner) lists the running time at 90 minutes. This disc is 50 minutes if you include the "credits" at the end.
Second: There are no complete songs here. You get 2 minutes of one video and less than a minute of "...Hurricane". Then there are 1 to 2 minute clips of concert footage by fans. More about that later.
Third: The "discography" listed as chapter 8 is a joke. You see pictures of CASSETTES of early Scorpions albums. "Taken by Force" (1978) is skipped completely and "Animal Magnetism" is noted as being from "1989" instead of 1980. From "Lovedrive" on up LP covers are shown but "Lovedrive's" cover is the "clean" version (as is Virgin Killer's cassette cover).
Fourth: Chapter two is called "Making The First album". Not quite. It starts with drummer Herman Rarebell discussing HIS first album with the Scorpions called "Taken By Force". This is not about the making of "Lonesome Crow". I think you get the idea. Don't take the "chapter" titles seriously.The concert footage is sprinkled about and only whets your appetite for more. What's shown is pretty good for fan(?) footage shot in 1990. Earlier portions appear to be sound checks. Later clips are actual concert footage. The picture is good for what it is and the sound is fair and raw. That being said there are no complete songs and this totals maybe 8 minutes of the total DVD. (All of this seems to be from the Crazy World tour).The rest of the DVD is interview footage. It's badly edited with some cuts coming after a the female interviewer asks a question and then the camera cuts away as the band member begins to answer. All the interviews are one on one. Most of the time you don't even hear the question.
Rudolf Schenker gets the most interview time. Matthias Jabs is second. The other three are about equal.
Most of the information is quite dated since all of this is over 12 years old. For my money I got a few minutes of nicely shot concert snippets and some fair interview footage. I doubt I'll both playing this DVD again. 2 stars is generous because I liked the concert footage I saw and enjoyed the interviews for what they were.
I don't like the fact that it was 50 min. instead of 90 min."