Album · 50 years old this year
Virgin Killer
Virgin Killer is the fourth studio album by the German band Scorpions, released on 22 November 1976 by RCA. It followed In Trance from 1975 and came before Taken by Force in 1977. It sits in the hard rock and heavy metal camp, and it was the record that first got the band noticed beyond Europe, which makes it a key step in the story that led to their biggest albums of the 1980s.
The title refers to time as the killer of innocence. The original sleeve, which showed a nude ten-year-old girl, caused controversy in the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere, and several countries received the album with a different cover. The image resurfaced in December 2008, when it prompted a four-day block affecting much of the UK's access to Wikipedia editing. For fans tracing how Scorpions found their international footing, this is where to start.
Virgin Killer: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 34:55Tracklist
- 1Pictured LifeSchenker, Meine, Roth3:21
- 2Catch Your TrainRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:32
- 3In Your ParkRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:39
- 4Backstage QueenRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:10
- 5Virgin KillerUli Jon Roth3:41
- 6Hell-CatUli Jon Roth2:54
- 7Crying DaysRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine4:36
- 8Polar NightsUli Jon Roth5:04
- 9Yellow RavenUli Jon Roth4:58
- Produced by
- Dieter Dierks, Conny Plank
- Recorded at
- Dierks Studios (Stommeln, West Germany), Star Studios
- Recorded
- 1976
- Label
- RCA
- Length
- 34:55
Line-up
- Achim Kirschning · synthesizer, keyboard · guest
- Francis Buchholz · background vocals, bass guitar
- Uli Jon Roth · background vocals, guitar, electric guitar, lead vocals
- Rudolf Schenker · background vocals, guitar, electric guitar
- Rudy Lenners · drums (drum set)
- Klaus Meine · lead vocals
- Wolfgang Dziony · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals · guest
- Lothar Heimberg · bass guitar, background vocals · guest
- Michael Schenker · electric guitar, background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Pictured Life” · 1977 (Japan)
- “Virgin Killer” · 1977 (Japan)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1976 | 32 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Japan · 1976 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
65.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
277k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
550
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 22 November
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Full discography →
Lonesome Crow
1972
Fly to the Rainbow
1974
In Trance
1975
Taken by Force
1977
Scorpions All Night Long 1978
All Night Long
1978
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1978
Lovedrive
1979
Best of Scorpions
1979
Animal Magnetism
1980
Blackout
1982
Love at First Sting
1984
Best of Scorpions, Volume 2
1984
World Wide Live
1985
Believe in Love
1988
Rhythm of Love
1988
Big City Nights
1988
Savage Amusement
1988
Best of Rockers ’n’ Ballads
1989
Crazy World
1990
Still Loving You
1992
Extras
1993
Face the Heat
1993
Deadly Sting
1995
Live Bites
1995
Scorpions Still Loving You 2 1996
Still Loving You 2
1996
Live
1996
Pure Instinct
1996
The Real Sting
1998
Big City Nights
1998
Scorpions Eye to Eye 1999
Eye to Eye
1999
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Scorpions
1999
Eye II Eye
1999
Moment of Glory
2000
Acoustica
2001
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Scorpions
2001
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2002
Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions
2002
Box of Scorpions
2004
Unbreakable
2004
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2005
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2007
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2013
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2014
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2015
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2017
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2022
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1976-11-22; musicbrainz + wikidata 1976-10-09 (44 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 9 October 1976 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 22 November 1976 | |
| Wikidata | 9 October 1976 | |
| UK / Europe release | 1976 | earliest UK or European date |
17 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DZ | RCA | 035627003127 | other |
| 1976 | GB | RCA | other | |
| 9 October 1976 | DE | RCA Victor | original | |
| 1977 | JP | RCA | other | |
| 1983 | DE | RCA | 0035627003110 | other |
| 1987 | US | RCA | 078635365924 | remaster |
| 1988 | XE | RCA | 0035627003127 | other |
| 17 March 1988 | DE | RCA | 035627003127 | other |
| 21 June 1989 | JP | RCA | 4988017014363 | other |
| 24 March 1995 | JP | RCA | 4988017054390 | other |
| 26 December 2007 | JP | RCA | 4988017648865 | other |
| 23 July 2008 | JP | BMG | 4988017659809 | other |
| 23 June 2010 | JP | RCA | 4547366054347 | other |
| 2013 | US | Audio Fidelity | 780014213428 | other |
| 2015 | US | Audio Fidelity | 780014219215 | other |
| 5 May 2023 | — | BMG | 4050538927825 | remaster |
| 5 May 2023 | XE | BMG | 4050538875782 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1421x1417, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1421×1417 | upscaled: minor: best source 1421x1417, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |