‘Rude’ Scorpions slammed for their ‘greed’ and ingratitude by former bandmate

Scorpions in 1984, with Herman Rarebell second from right (Image credit: Ross Marino/Getty Images)

Scorpions have been accused of being “very rude” and greedy by their former drummer Herman Rarebell.

Interviewed in the next issue of Classic Rock magazine, Rarebell, who powered the group from 1977 to 1995 and is forever destined to be known to Scorpions fans as ‘Herman Ze German’ (the title of his 1986 solo album) is critical of his former bandmates for ignoring his offer to re-enlist following their 2016 dismissal of drummer James Kottak. Asked if he was disappointed not to have been invited back into the fold by frontman Klaus Meine and guitarist Rudolf Schenker, the drummer relies: “I’ll tell you how disappointed I am. I sent them a message offering my services, and never even got a reply. I thought that was very rude.”

“Now I hear the Scorpions are claiming their new album will be a return to the glory days of the eighties,” Rarebell continues. “If they’re serious about that, they should get [former bassist] Francis [Buchholz] and me back, and also Dieter Dierks who produced all those classic albums. You know why they won’t do that? Greed! It would mean having to share everything five ways and not three.”

Rarebell was speaking to Classic Rock to promote the upcoming 40th anniversary reissue of his debut solo album, 1981‘s Nip In The Bud. Asked how his bandmates reacted to him releasing a solo album at the time, Rarebell, who wrote the lyrics for Scorpions classics Blackout and Rock You Like A Hurricane, among others, recalls, “Not very well.”

“Rudolf Schenker asked me why I didn’t give these to the Scorpions,” he remembers. “But they were too heavy for them.”

Rarebell is intending upon revisiting some of his work with Scorpions with a new project, the Hurricane Orchestra, who will perform symphonic versions of the songs he wrote with the German hard rock legends.

“The band never mention me in interviews, which I find ridiculous,” he states. “But there’s a new documentary in the pipeline from ITV on the band. I am being interviewed for this, so I can finally set the record straight on my role.”

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