Herman Rarebell Says He Quit Scorpions Because He Hated the Music

Drummer Herman 'ze German' Rarebell was an integral part of the Scorpions' success, not only performing on some of their most important records, but also writing the lyrics for such classic songs as 'Rock You Like a Hurricane,' "Bad Boys Running Wild' and 'Tease Me, Please Me.' He left the group in 1995, and in a new interview the drummer spills the beans on his decision to quit, saying it was all about the music.

Talking to Rockpages in Greece, Rarebell gives his candid opinion of the albums the Scorpions recorded after his departure. "I hate them," he frankly states. "I kept saying to Matthias [Jabs] and Rudolf [Schenker] to stop experimenting with music and write songs that the Scorpions fans would expect from them . . . nice melodies and nice hard rock."

Instead, the band kept wandering stylistically, pushing the drummer's frustration to the breaking point. "One of the reasons that I left band was the album 'Pure Instinct.' I think that was a really bad album that was followed by an even worse record, 'Eye II Eye,'" he recalls. "I remember telling to Klaus [Meine] during the pre-production of 'Pure Instinct' that I wouldn’t play on this one because I didn’t like any song. I was pushed out from the writing team since 'Face the Heat,' a record which I think is very strong ... I like it a lot."

The drummer is quick to add that he likes his former band's more recent efforts, saying 'Unbreakable' was a step in the "right direction," while 'Sting in the Tail,' the group's last record, "is really good."

Rarebell is currently performing again with legendary ex-Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker, in a lineup that also features original Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz.