Animal Magnetism
Animal Magnetism is the seventh studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released on 31 March 1980 on Mercury Records. It followed Lovedrive and came before Blackout, so it sits right in the stretch where the band were building the momentum that carried them through the early 1980s. In the US it was certified Gold in March 1984 and Platinum in October 1991.
The record has one real curiosity: "Lady Starlight", the only Scorpions song to feature an arrangement for strings and orchestral winds, which makes it a sweeter detour on an otherwise guitar-driven record. Later reissues add "Hey You", a song first recorded during the Lovedrive sessions and sung by Rudolf Schenker, though Klaus Meine takes the chorus. It first appeared as a single paired with "The Zoo" on the B-side. It's a handy listen if you're tracing how the band got from Lovedrive to their biggest years.
Animal Magnetism: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 39:27Tracklist
- 1Make It RealRudolf Schenker and Herrmann Erbel3:49
- 2Don’t Make No Promises (Your Body Can’t Keep)Matthias Jabs and Herrmann Erbel2:58
- 3Hold Me TightSchenker, Meine, Rarebell4:00
- 4Twentieth Century ManRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:05
- 5Lady StarlightRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine6:16
- 6Falling in LoveHerrmann Erbel4:12
- 7Only a ManSchenker, Erbel, Meine3:37
- 8The ZooRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine5:31
- 9Animal MagnetismSchenker, Erbel, Meine5:58
- Produced by
- Dieter Dierks
- Recorded at
- Dierks Studios (Stommeln, West Germany), Manta Sound (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
- Recorded
- October 1979 – February 1980
- Mixed by
- Mike Beiriger, Dieter Dierks
- Mixed at
- Dierks Studios
- Engineered by
- Mike Beiriger, Dieter Dierks, David Hewitt, David Green
- Labels
- Mercury Records, Harvest (Europe), Mercury (US, Canada)
- Length
- 39:27
Line-up
- Francis Buchholz · bass guitar, background vocals
- Matthias Jabs · guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, talkbox, slide guitar
- Herman Rarebell · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals
- Rudolf Schenker · guitar, background vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Klaus Meine · lead vocals, background vocals, vocals
- Adele Armin · violin · guest
- Paul Armin · viola · guest
- Richard Armin · cello · guest
- Melvin Berman · oboe · guest
- Charles Elliott · double bass · guest
- Victoria Richards · violin · guest
- George Stimpson · French horn · guest
- Brad Warnaar · French horn · guest
Singles
- “Lady Starlight” · April 1980
- “Make It Real” · May 1980
- “The Zoo” · August 1980
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1980 | 23 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1980 | 52 |
| German Albums · 1980 | 12 |
| Swedish Albums · 1980 | 37 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1980 | 76 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1991 | Gold |
| United States · 1985 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 31 March
Every year →More from Scorpions
Full discography →The best of 1980
All of 1980 →More on Mercury Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | April 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 31 March 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 31 March 1980 | |
| US release | 1980 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
22 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Columbia House | 77749744466102 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 731453478527 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 02083121992123 | other |
| 1980 | US | Mercury Records | other | |
| 1980 | CA | Mercury Records | other | |
| 1980 | JP | RCA | other | |
| 1980 | GB | Harvest | other | |
| 1980 | FR | Harvest | other | |
| 1980 | PT | Vadeca | other | |
| 1980 | DE | Harvest | other | |
| April 1980 | DE | Harvest | original | |
| 1984 | US | Mercury Records | 042282255624 | other |
| 1984 | DE | Fame | 5099915754417 | other |
| September 1988 | XE | EMI | 077774673426 | other |
| 25 September 1989 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011318382 | other |
| 21 October 1993 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011338298 | other |
| 1996 | CA | Mercury Records | 042282255624 | other |
| 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453478527 | other |
| 5 October 2001 | XE | EMI | 724353515423 | remaster |
| 28 November 2001 | JP | EMI | 4988006797284 | remaster |
| 6 November 2015 | XE | BMG | 4050538159363 | deluxe |
| 6 November 2015 | — | BMG | 4050538167610 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1410x1396, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1410×1396 | upscaled: major: best source 1410x1396, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |