Scorpions / Belgium 02.10.1984 FM Broadcast Edition

In 1984, the SCORPIONS were on the verge of reaching their peak with their masterpiece, “LOVE AT FIRST STING.” Now, a soundboard album has arrived that will pour that live performance into your brain. This album was recorded at their “Brussels concert on February 10, 1984,” and it is an FM soundboard recording. The “LOVE AT FIRST STING” era was the biggest world tour in the SCORPIONS’ history, and it is a fiercely competitive period with many excellent soundboard and pro-shot recordings, both official and unofficial. This album is one that will enrich your soundboard collection. Let’s check the important works in their schedule at the time and explore the position of this album. 1983 Summer: Production of “LOVE AT FIRST STING” begins. December 8-17: Europe #1 (4 shows) ← *ROCKPOP 1983 1984 January 23 – February 29: Europe #2 (27 shows) ← ★HERE★ February 13: “LOVE AT FIRST STING” released. March 17 – July 18: North America #1 (86 shows) ← *COSTA MESA 1984 July 30 – August 12: Asia/Japan #1 (9 shows) ← *SUPER ROCK ’84 August 14 – September 2: North America #2 (13 shows) October 26 – December 3: Europe #3 (26 shows) 1985 January 15 + 19: ROCK IN RIO (2 shows) ← *ROCK IN RIO 1985 – January 28th – February 7th: Japan #2 (8 shows) [June 20th: “WORLD WIDE LIVE” released] – June 22nd: Knebworth show – August 24th – September 2nd: North America #3 (4 shows) ← *DAY ON THE GREEN 1985 1986 – August 16th – September 5th: Europe #4 (7 shows) The best master FM soundboard recording captures the very beginning of the tour. This is SCORPIONS from 1984-1986. The Brussels show on this release was the 14th show of “Europe #2,” just as “LOVE AT FIRST STING” was about to be unleashed. The concert took place three days before the release of the new album. This show is also known for being broadcast on FM and has become a classic. This CD is a remaster of that best master recording. Although the specific generation is not known, the sound suggests they were quite young. While this is a vintage soundboard recording that isn’t quite official quality, this is due to the characteristics of the broadcast itself. There are almost no signs of overdubbing such as distortion, warping, or roughness, and the more you dig, the more you notice the finer details that remain. The enthusiastic applause that erupts between songs was also overdubbed later, but the performance and vocals themselves are clearly from the soundboard. This soundboard album allows you to enjoy a rare set from an in-between period. What is depicted in this FM sound is the passionate performance at the start of the peak tour that had just begun. Speaking of 1984 soundboards, the masterpiece “DEFINITIVE COSTA MESA 1984 SOUNDBOARD” is also a well-known classic, but the set was different at this point. Let’s compare and organize them here. Lovedrive (6 songs) – Loving You Sunday Morning / Lovedrive (★) / Coast To Coast / Holiday / Another Piece Of Meat / Can’t Get Enough Others (3 songs + 3 songs) – Animal Magnetism: Don’t Make No Promises (★) / Make It Real / The Zoo Others: Bad Boys Running Wild / Still Loving You / Blackout *Note: Songs marked with “★” were not included on the classic album ‘DEFINITIVE COSTA MESA 1984 SOUNDBOARD’. …and so on. Due to the content being limited to the approximately one-hour broadcast slot, it’s far from a full show, but it condenses the essence. With all of the repertoire from the Uli Jon Roth era gone, the set is composed entirely of numbers from after Matthias Jabs joined, putting the “sharp and metallic 80s SCORPIONS” front and center. Looking at each song, new tracks like “Bad Boys Running Wild” and “Still Loving You” are performed, but since the album hadn’t been released yet, it was limited to just two songs. On the other hand, “Don’t Make No Promises” and “Lovedrive,” which would soon be dropped from the setlist, were still there. The sense of balance in this transition is deeply imprinted with the flavor of the era. This was the moment when the Scorpions’ biggest whirlwind began to blow, just three days before the release of “LOVE AT FIRST STING.” This FM album, with its best master untouched by dubbing, lets you feel the atmosphere of February 1984, marked by the exchange of old and new repertoire, flowing into your brain. It’s a fresh breeze of an early set, different from the classic “DEFINITIVE COSTA MESA 1984 SOUNDBOARD.” This is an FM soundboard recording of the Brussels concert on February 10, 1984, three days before the release of “LOVE AT FIRST STING.” This best-master recording captures the early stages of the tour, featuring tracks like “Don’t Make No Promises” and “Lovedrive” (not found on the classic album ‘DEFINITIVE COSTA MESA 1984 SOUNDBOARD’), while also showcasing a transitional period with an increasing number of new songs. Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium 10th February 1984 (56:22) 01 Radio intro 02 Don’t Make No Promises 03 Bad Boys Running Wild 04 Loving You Sunday Morning 05 Make It Real 06 Lovedrive 07 Coast To Coast 08 Holiday 09 Still Loving You 10 Black Out 11 Another Piece Of Meat 12 The Zoo 13 Can’t Get Enough SOUNDBOARD RECORDING