Taken by Force

Taken by Force is the fifth studio album by the German band Scorpions, released in 1977. It arrived on RCA and brought a new face behind the kit in drummer Herman Rarebell, who made his first appearance on a Scorpions record here. It also closed a chapter, as it was the last studio album with guitarist Uli Jon Roth, who left in 1978 after the tour. Michael Schenker stepped in, followed by Matthias Jabs.

The record's best-known moment for guitar fans is "The Sails of Charon". Megadeth's Dave Mustaine has praised Roth's classically minded, violin-influenced shredding on it, and recalled that learning the solo was close to an unwritten rule for students at the Guitar Institute of Technology. He also singled out "Steamrock Fever" and "He's a Woman – She's a Man" for their guitar work. "We'll Burn the Sky" began as a poem by Monika Dannemann, Jimi Hendrix's last girlfriend, and serves as a tribute to him.