Scorpions Post Previously Unreleased ‘Blackout’ Demo, ‘Running for the Plane’

Scorpions fans eager to hear the bonus material included as part of the group's upcoming 50th anniversary reissue series can get their first taste with the previously unreleased demo, "Running for the Plane."

The song, recorded during the sessions for 1982's Blackout album, offers what a press release refers to as "a rare piece from the band’s heaviest era" that "thrills with a classic Scorpions guitar riff on a groovy backbeat and shows why Klaus Meine is one of the best singers in heavy rock." You can check it out via this video embed, uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, the group is scheduled to begin its 50th anniversary deluxe reissue campaign on Nov. 6, when they release expanded versions of Blackout and its follow-up, 1984's Love at First Sting. Both new editions include previously unreleased recordings as well as videos from their respective eras, while Love at First Sting adds a bonus disc of a live performance from the band's 1984 tour.

The reissues culminate a trip through the past that started in 2012, when the band delved into its vaults and started finishing leftover tracks while in the midst of what was being billed at the time as their final tour. The group's most recent release, Return to Forever, also started as an attempt to finish older songs that were in various stages of completion.

"It's hard to summarize 50 years in words, but listening back to all those songs — many of them them previously unreleased — recorded in one of our most creative periods, really took us back in time," said the band in a press release. "This was a very heartfelt project for all of us. It brought back great memories whilst we rediscovered our musical DNA by listening to the archives, selecting dozens of unreleased songs and early versions of well-known Scorpions anthems. We really worked on the material to improve the sound quality, but always taking great care to preserve its original feel."

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