Listening to a live album certainly adds a bit of variation to the usual studio-produced sound and the atmosphere created, with the inclusion of a cheering audience and small talk from the band members themselves, making the listening experience all the more unique. This is especially true of MTV Unplugged in Athens from one of the most successful hard rock bands, Scorpions.
Despite that Scorpions have previously released a plethora of live albums throughout their career, a huge amount of depth has been given to these tracks; so much so that even the well-played classics have been given a new lease of life. Although these songs have been played repeatedly over the years, there is no way that anyone would tire of hearing them on this album. Pieces such as “Winds of Change”, “The Best Is Yet To Come” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane” are the ultimate classic rock songs that every Scorpions fan will know inside out and love; even if you’re not a fan, you will have heard these tracks before.
In addition to the re-vamped classics, Scorpions also decided to premier five new numbers to their set list, which have not previously appeared on any studio album they have released: “Dancing in the Moonlight”, “Delicate Dance” featuring a solo from guitarist Matthias Jabs, “Follow Your Heart” with a solo from singer Klaus Meine, “Love is the Answer” with a solo from guitarist Rudolf Schenker, and “Rock n Roll Band”. These songs fit so perfectly to their repertoire that, if you hadn’t been paying attention, could have slipped by without notice to begin with. The two tracks in particular that stand out more so than the rest are “Follow Your Heart” and “Dancing in the Moonlight”. “Follow Your Heart” comes across as a very heartfelt acoustic, solo number from Klaus – it is a very simple song, but the lyrics themselves are enough to win over any listener, whilst the guitar completely enhances the tone of the piece. “Dancing in the Moonlight” takes a completely different route; a track that features every member of the band to give a significantly upbeat tune, with a captivating rhythm that will undoubtedly have you tapping your feet along to the percussion.
Overall, this is one of the best live albums from Scorpions, truly capturing everything they encompass and showing the skill they have when performing both singly and together as a band.
