Taken by Force

Possessors of some of the worst album covers and most inexplicable lyrics in the history of hard rock, Scorpions also had some of the most kick ass songs. Although the radio hits came later, their fifth album represented the peak of the Uli Jon Roth era – they hadn’t fully divested themselves of their psychedelic beginnings, leading to weirdness like record highlight “The Sails of Charon.” “Steamrock Fever” uses jackhammers as percussion instruments; proto-thrasher “He’s a Woman – She’s a Man” finds the narrator remarkably ambivalent as to the gender of his latest sexual partner; and “We’ll Burn the Sky” provides the roadmap for their platinum-paved way forward.