Tokyo Tapes (album)


Tokyo Tapes is the first live album by German hard rock band Scorpions and their final album released by RCA Records.
Tokyo Tapes includes songs from all Scorpions' albums released before 1978, which were recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza on 24 and 27 April, during the band's Japanese tour in 1978. These shows were guitarist Uli Jon Roth's last performances with the band, who had announced his departure after the release of the studio album Taken by Force.
The songs "Hell-Cat", "Catch Your Train" and the Japanese national anthem were also performed during these shows but were not included in the official album. On the 2001 EMI re-mastered CD, "Polar Nights" was omitted so as to fit a single CD, although it was included on the re-mastered version of Taken by Force. The earlier two-CD release, however, is the original album in its entirety. The original release was in August 1978 in Japan only with cover artwork of an embossed platinum Scorpion on a rose as opposed to a live shot of the band when it was eventually released in Europe in late 1978. It was released in January 1979 in the U.S.A..
Roth commented about the recording of the album:
"Tokyo Tapes was a peak time, we have played together for all these years and it all came together at that time. Particularly on the first show, which unfortunately wasn't recorded. There were three shows in Tokyo, the first one was by far the best, but the second one was good too. Those are the ones on the album, the second and the third that were used. The first one I thought was a lot better and I was disappointed that it wasn't recorded."

In 2015, as part of Scorpions' 50th Anniversary, Tokyo Tapes was remastered and re-released, with all omitted songs restored.

Track listing

;Side one
  1. "All Night Long" – 3:44
  2. "Pictured Life" – 3:12
  3. "Backstage Queen" – 3:44
  4. "Polar Nights" – 6:43
  5. "In Trance" – 5:25
;Side two
  2. "We'll Burn the Sky" – 8:07
  3. "Suspender Love" – 3:38
  4. "In Search of the Peace of Mind" – 3:02
  5. "Fly to the Rainbow" – 9:39
;Side three
  1. "He's a Woman, She's a Man" – 5:22
  2. "Speedy's Coming" – 3:40
  3. "Top of the Bill" – 6:45
  4. "Hound Dog" – 1:14
  5. "Long Tall Sally" – 2:50
;Side four
  2. "Steamrock Fever" – 3:41
  3. "Dark Lady" – 4:18
  4. "Kōjō no Tsuki" – 3:35
  5. "Robot Man" – 5:47
;2015 Remastered edition bonus tracks
  2. "Hell Cat" - 9:47
  3. "Catch Your Train" - 3:52
  4. "Kimi ga yo" - 1:29
  5. "Polar Nights" – 7:32
  6. "He's a Woman, She's a Man" – 6:06
  7. "Top of the Bill" – 10:48
  8. "Robot Man" – 6:49

    Personnel

;Scorpions
;Production