Blackout is the eighth studio album by the German rock band Scorpions. It was released in 1982 by Harvest and EMI Records.
In the US, the album was certified gold on 24 June 1982 and platinum on 8 March 1984 by RIAA. Rolling Stone ranked Blackout as 73rd on their list of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" in 2017.
Contents
Background
After losing his voice during the writing of the album, lead singer Klaus Meine had to undergo surgery on his vocal cords and was uncertain as to whether or not he would be able to record. Demos of the material were recorded with singer Don Dokken from Dokken, a then-unknown band from Los Angeles. However, none of those recordings are featured on the album and Dokken is only credited with backing vocals.
In Kerrang! issue 12, guitarist Rudolf Schenker said that he could not choose between his guitar solos on "China White" so the US and European releases differed in this detail.
A self-portrait of artist Gottfried Helnwein is featured on the cover of the album. Schenker portrays this character in the "No One Like You" music video.
Track listing
All music is composed by Rudolf Schenker except where noted
Personnel
Scorpions
Klaus Meine – lead vocals
Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitars, 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, backing vocals (tracks 1, 2, 8), lead guitars (tracks 4, 8, 9)
Matthias Jabs – lead guitars, 6-string acoustic guitar, rhythm guitars (track 4, 8, 9)
Francis Buchholz – bass
Herman Rarebell – drums
Others
Don Dokken – backing vocals
Tom Croucier – bass
Production
Dieter Dierks – producer, engineer
Gerd Rautenbach – mixing
Bob Ludwig and Howie Weinberg – mastering at Masterdisk, New York