Classic Album War: Rainbow 'On Stage' vs Scorpions 'Tokyo Tapes'
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Join host Pete Pardo and special guest Chris Alo as they discuss two killer heavy rock live albums from the late '70s, Rainbow 'On Stage' vs Scorpions 'Tokyo Tapes'. #rainbow #scorpions #ritchieblackmore #ulijonroth
Tokyo tapes is my favorite live album ever. Start to finish. Uli is the Greatest Of All Time.
Tokyo Tapes was the first Sorpions album I bought. It made go back and buy the earlier studio records and the double album is the perfect summary of Uli Jon Roths tenure in the band. I love Ronnie Dio and his tenure in Rainbow was fantastic, Rising and Long Live Rocknroll will always be 2 of my favourite albums of all time, but for some reason, I never really got into On Stage, so it's Scorpions and Tokyo Tapes for me.
Scorpions, 100%, All Night Looooooooooooooong!
Dio's vocals were amazing, but Uli's playing is flawless. Both are great but Scorpions Tokyo Tapes takes this one
BEST album battle yet!! I love both...huge fan of both albums... had the vinyl of both back in the day, and still listen to the CD's. I love roth and blackmore as well as Meine and Dio...this is hard, but going with Tokyo Tapes. THAT cover is ROCK N ROLL.
Tokyo Tapes has me on this one. Uli really hit the mark and Klaus does so well vocally on We’ll Burn The Sky and In Trance as he does on the rest of the album. That’s not to take away from how good On Stage is as well!
Tokyo Tapes by far even though I love rainbow on stage. Tokyo Tapes is my all time favorite live album.
Scorpions, Uli Jon Roth brings it, not much more to say.
Love both these bands & these respective albums. It's almost impossible to choose one over the other and tomorrow I could completely change my mind. As great as the Rainbow album is i have to go with Scorpions. They were incredibly talented, had a huge catalog of fantastic songs and really knew how to put on an amazing show. I'm going to go with Scorpions.
I can't thank you guys enough, Scorpions were so far ahead of time. You're knowledge is appreciated. Uli and Michael had a Crystal Ball . EVH knew it. He actually played Speedys Coming and C
Can't compare White Snake or Rainbow to Scorpions, sorry bro! Scorpions are light years ahead. Good ears
Me too, I started listening the world wide album as a teenager and it impacted my life but as years went by I discovered the old albums which I think are the best years of the Scorpions era. No need to say which is my favorite live album of all times. I love the way Ronnie James Dio used to sing of course but Scorpions have always been a part of my life since my early days back in the 80's. You guys have a great show, thanks for sharing this video.
Scorpions have an interesting lineage and identity in rock. Both these guys are right when they say that people didn’t know about the early years/pre-Lovedrive. One reason in particular for this is the fact that during the early years, they were with RCA Records. Who, at the time, were not interested in promoting the Scorpions outside of Europe or Japan. After the Tokyo Tapes album release, and Uli’s departure, the Scorpions signed with Mercury Records (1979-1995)...And that is where we get all of the 80’s “mega -hit” years. So a big reason for fans not understanding, or even KNOWING who this band was prior to Lovedrive/79, was because of the record label. Which, in a way, gives Scorpions an interesting lineage. Because fans at the time (early 80’s) were under the impression that the Scorpions were a NEW band! In one way, that helped them, but, in another way, the common/“mainstream” rock fan never looked at them as a legendary-classic band such as The Who, or Queen, Or Zepplin, etc. Because of that, I feel at times they are unfairly not included with those other classic legendary bands...at least by the “common“ rock fan. However, I have been noticing that shows like this, and the internet in general, have been educating people, and therefore changing fans perceptions of the Scorpions specifically. And that’s just it,..all you have to do is discover it exists, listen to it, and the proof is in all of their 70’s music that they are right up there with all of the legends that I had mentioned. Instead of getting categorized or compared to glam/hair bands from the 80’s
I'll never forget the first time I heard Speedys Coming. Absolutely jaw dropping. It was the opening cut off Fly to the Rainbow. Still one of my favorite Scorpions albums.
TWO GREAT ALBUMS BUT I HAVE TO GO WITH SCORPIONS TOKYO TAPES WHAT A MASTERPIECE HELL THEIR BOTH MASTERPIECE'S GOOD STUFF PETE KEEP THEM COMING TAKE CARE
I love Tokyo Tapes so much, when I visited Japan I had to go to the venue Nakano Sun Plaza. Got a pic in front of it..... wearing my Scorpions shirt. A classic live masterpiece!
Virgin killer was my first Scorps album. Bought it from the import bin. Love it.
I was lucky enough to see Ronnie with Rainbow. But when I bought Tokyo Tapes I was blown away with their energy. I couldn't wait to see them live. I happen to see them at the Summer Strut at Anaheim stadium with Iron Maiden.🤘🏼
On Stage is an all time rock classic,one of the best ever
Love all your guests.Mr Alo is the greatest.
Both albums are great, but I gotta give the edge to Rainbow.
Like I mentioned earlier Scorpions hands down. While On Stage is great as well, when it comes to the guitar playing Uli Roth is insane on this album. Blackmore and Roth have been said to have started the neo classical ideas in a rock contex, but Uli played his solos with purpose, conviction, and precision in the studio and in live settings. Uli took pride in his craft. Blackmore definitely made his mark with his legendary riffs, I'm not taking anything away from Him. But when it came to live playing he would often go on these long and usually non musical tangents with fretboard clawing and strat scraping his Marshall walls. Blackmore does have some great solos throughout his career but truth be told Blackmore couldn't and still can't touch Uli Roth's solo playing and live performances. This isn't a Blackmore bash, but in my opinion Uli Roth is the better guitar player. Not to say that Blackmore's solos weren't great, because they were but there isn't one Blackmore solo that I would pick over Uli.
I’ll second every word of that comment!
Love Both, bit Rainbow all the way!!!
Excellent match up this one! Both of these albums mean a lot to me and played a huge part in my youth listening to music. My main problem with Rainbow is it was after only two studio albums and is probably why the album is short and limited in material. By contrast Tokyo Tapes had a wealth of fantastic material feeding it. Love them both but Scorpions by a nose.
Hands down, "Tokyo Tapes." This was still during the Scorpions' "hard n' heavy" phase. The Rainbow album is good, but not quite Tokyo Tapes. My story, Scorpions.
This is tough to choose.Bought both of these when they came out and played both to death.Blackmore is my favorite guitarist and Uli Roth is in my top 3 to 5 also.Rainbow should have had 2 more songs from Rising on it,but Scorpions had filler like Suspender Love,Long Tall Sally,Hound Dog and the Japanese folk song at the end.In the end, I have listened to Onstage more than Tokyo Tapes over the years.Luckily,I have seen Uli do all those great Scorpions live 3 or 4 times in the last 7-8 years. By the way,I'm just the opposite of many posting about Scorpions. First Scorpions I bought was Virgin Killer and the last album I bought was Animal Magnetism. Didn't like what they turned into,but you can't argue with success.
Your best preformance-hence these two albums and UFO " Strangers" ; Michael giving his best- Scorpions 11 round knockout. Thanks Pete.
I cannot decide between these two. I just cannot decide between Dio and Uli John Roth. I was going to buy "Blackout" in 1982 but got "Tokyo Tapes" instead because it was only a dollar more. I could not listen to Van Halen for a month after hearing Uli play. Never had any other Scorpions records accept for "Virgin Killer" and the "Greatest Hits" CD of the Uli era.
Man o man u did it know 2 awesome albums to choose 1 is tough love both ill go with scorpions not enough songs on the Rainbow album but its tough..Tokyo Tapes with Uli Jon Roth what can u say..
They are both great albums. I would have to pick Tokyo Tapes. The sound and the fact the album is longer.
Wow, could have listened to this for an hour. Amazing.
I can’t pick a winner.
It’s a draw for me. The Rainbow has the long jams, which I LOVE.
And.... Dio.
But awesome Scorpions record too.
Tie game, too tough to call.
Great show guys!!🤘🎶🍺
Bought and loved both as a kid. On Stage for Kill the King but Tokyo Tapes is a top five'r for sure. My top five? Gonzo, Strangers, On your feet or on your knees, Unleashed and TT's.
I don’t know what it is about that Priest shirt on video, but it really seems to be coming out of the screen at us! It’s even more awesome than normal!
Hi Patrick, Chris here. My wife watched the video after Pete and I shot it and she said the EXACT same thing as you!
cheezesteak Hi Chris, great minds, eh! Hope you do some more classic album wars soon, I always really enjoy your appearances.
@@patrickcrowther9195 Hahaha, absolutely!! Thank you, you are too kind! I hope to do some more appearances with Pete very soon!
My introduction to the Scorpions was hearing the awesome live version of 'Polar Nights' on Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show (BBC Radio 1). The following week a friend bought 'Tokyo Tapes' and that was that. Mind blown.
Rainbow for me, Tokyo Tapes is great too.
Scorpions/TokyoTapes🤘😎
Hey, while I love the 1st three lps from Rainbow from when they were new and bought “On Stage” back in the day, & I do like it ...but it always felt like a highlight show, that should have been more complete & had more songs and shorter jams , The Scorpions “Tokyo Tapes” album is strong fuller performance from beginning to end ! You feel more in concert 🎸🎸IMHO ....If Uli Jon Roth comes to a town near you , don’t miss him 🎸
For me it’s tokyo tapes. That fly to the rainbow solo is unbelievable
Ritchie Blackmore is well known for being a master of improvising nearly all his solos. A spontaneous genius.
Mahogany Rush was here.
In this case Rainbow wins by a long way. No real competition here. IMO the turned down guitar solo in the middle of Mistreated is Ritchie's finest guitar solo. Unbelievable.
@@vbassone
Agreed. Blackmore needs a stepstool to kiss Uli's ass. Not even close to Uli's league.
I personally think Uli is in a league of his own and Tokyo Tapes is a far superior album, despite its less than stellar sound quality. Fly to the Rainbow, We’ll Burn the Sky and Polar Nights are all definitive versions, IMO. I think the Rainbow Live in Germany album is far superior to On Stage and I have a bunch of bootleg shows from the Rising era that smoke On Stage, too. That doesn’t mean I didn’t love it back in the day, though. I think Uli and Klaus and Ritchie and Ronnie were perfect pairs and made some of the best music I’ve ever heard. No record ever blew my head apart like Tokyo Tapes when it came out, though.
@@vbassone
We are in agreement. That's what I said. Blackmore isn't even in the same league as Uli. Uli is light years better than Blackmore could ever even dream of being.
@@jamesrudd8705 - as much as Roth is a great guitar player...the rest of the band is not as strong as the rest of what Rainbow was, in that time period...no question! As far as Roth being "lightyears" better than Blackmore...hahahaha. That's beyond laughable!
Tokyo Tapes for sure. The first Scorpions album I heard back in early eighties before I heard Blackout.
Dio/Blackmore all the way I would disagree with the improvisation that is what makes this album the winner. If I wanted to hear the short versions they are on the albums. KO for On Stage.
You are correct. Live you just can't best Ritchie and his improv. He never plays those things the same. I have heard so many live versions of Mistreated and Ritchie never plays the improv the same.
Tokyo Tapes Kills!
To your point Pete, Bruce Dickinson decided he wanted to leave Maiden, but committed to fulfilling his touring duties for Fear of the Dark and they released 3 official live albums for that tour, but Dickinson did NOT sound good on the recordings. He barely put an effort into the classic songs (just went through the motions) and tried a little harder on the new songs, but still a lacklustre effort. Than you look at Dio with Sabbath in 1992, touring for Dehumanizer knowing that he was leaving later in the tour, because Tony wanted to play with Ozzy for his first retirement concert, yet Dio gave a stellar performance for all the dates in 1992. He was a consummate professional.
Tokyo Tapes is my pick for this battle. Rainbow live album is good but Scorpions is great. The album is killer all the way though. Sounds great with amazing guitar playing. One of my favorite live albums ever.
These are two of my all time fave live records, but it's not fair to compare them this way. Dio is imperious as always, but the sheer energy of Scorps embodies rock'n'roll.
HELLO TOKYO!!!!!!
wow thats tough....i do love the live version of polar nights!!!!!!!!
I seen the scorpions open for Sammy Hagar in music hall in cleveland a little bit after live came out.... what a show ! Then a couple of times after that....Seen Rainbow once with Graham Bonnet ... Its a tough one again Pete but id have to go with the scorpions on this one , but by a hair ! Ask me next week id probably say Rainbow ?
We are in the same age bracket and I have been a huge Scorpions fan forever (up until Love at first sting).
Uli stint is my favorite but...I’ve never listened to the Tokyo Tapes. You sold me. Here goes.
I've got the original Japan press of Tokyo Tapes 2Lp vinyl with Obi and inserts. It has a great embossed alternate cover art.
Amazing live album.
Woww! Pete you surprised me but I got to agree.
Tokyo Tapes is the second live-album I bought back in the days and I still enjoy it regularly.
And I never liked Blackmore so....
I agree some live albums are over indulgent but if you don't like things changed up then get a greatest hits album or the studio albums. Oh yeah, I will go with TT on this one.
More Dio! Love it! Rainbow wins this battle for me.
Two great groups, two of the best heavy groups between early Hard Rock and the NWoBHM movement with amazing guitarists and singers. But I always go with R-A-I-N-B-O-W and RITCHIE BLACKMORE!! What a bulldozer, an epic guitarist!!! He can play all styles
Chris I don't understand why you would buy a live album to hear an exact duplicate of the studio version,
Just saying.
Oh and Rainbow for me.
that's the curse of being a fan!
@@cheezesteak
Well put
Rainbow On Stage captured Ronnie's best "clean" vocals of his entire career. His range was immense back then and he had a really powerful yet delicate/beautiful singing voice, which he all but abandoned by the time Sabbath rolled around. Don't get me wrong, I love his aggressive singing in the 80's and even more in the 90's, but his 70's vocals were damn near angelic.
This is another one where my age comes into play ... Didn't get into Scorps until Blackout and when LAFS came out, that solidified their sound for me. I listened to the early stuff and just couldn't get into it. First Rainbow I listed to was Rising, so that was THEIR sound. Gotta go with Blackmore & Co.
Who the hell cares
Rainbow all the way but Scorpions Album great too.
Both are GOLD!!!!
UGH...ok...now this is getting serious. Two epic albums that played enormous roles in my musical journey.
"Tokyo Tapes".. One of the rawest and most appealing albums I have heard. It's not refined..but not sloppy. It's edgy but still polished. It's a very rare combination of being garageband like but yet full arena rock quality. Might not be making sense but it just sounds and feels very unique in a very satisfying way.
Uli Roth is nuts on this and is really the star of the album. His playing is unmatched and gave this era of the Scorpions something extremely special. Klaus is great but you can start to hear his voice breaking down which would lead to full blown loss of it just three - four years down the road. The setlist is outstanding and unless it was a triple album couldn't contain all the great songs from those Roth era studio albums.
I played this to death and still throw it on from time to time.
However, "On Stage" changed my life. From the opening thunder of "Kill the King" something inside me changed forever. The late Cozy Powell, Ronnie James Dio and Jimmy Bain..(how horrible is that to type!!) along with Tony Carey and the master himself Ritchie Blackmore, they present a fire and rage that has rarely been equaled by any live band.
Cozy Powell...one of my top five all time drum influences. Ronnie Dio ..my all time favorite rock singer and Blackmore..in my top five all time rock guitarists. That says it all.
Now..it doesn't mean the albums isn't without some serious flaws. First of all it is bloated with open jams by Ritchie..which I LOVE...BUT.. there were so many other songs that could have been presented here. "Stargazer", "A Light in the Black"..just to name two epics. Cozy's drum solo was left out..(which I know..contradicts the opening jamming thing..but it's COZY POWELL and the 1812 Overture!!) and the sound is not up to par with other recordings from that era. But played really loud through a set of Koss Pro AAA headphones....it was heavenly!
Their are some unbelievable bootlegs from this era that I now prefer more..but those didn't exist back then and I just worship "On Stage".
As brilliant as "Tokyo Tapes" is...I can not underestimate the impact and influence of "On Stage". Rainbow with the win.
I love the Rainbow album unfortunately I havn't heard Tokyo Tapes and I have still to explore the Uli era, just as you say i started at Black out. I absolutely love World wide live from 1984, in my opinion one of the best live albums of that era. So by listening to you guys I just have to check this one out.
Rainbow On Stage is a desert island album for me. I wore that album out from day one. I do greatly enjoy Tokyo Tapes as this was the Scorpions at their best.
Is Rammstein bigger than Scorpions? I don't mind Rammstein and know they are very successful but haven't Scorpions sold more than 100 milion albums? It was strong of Chris to rant about him not liking jams/solos and things when Pete in several videos stated how much he loves it. But that's opinions for you! I'd go with Tokyo Tapes as well.
Hey Mike, Chris here. You are probably right on the number of albums sold! My brain always goes to concerts first, and when it comes to concert tickets, Rammstein seems to outsell Scorpions.
@@cheezesteakThat I can believe! Rammstein puts on quite the shows and are much younger! While I still like Scorpions (what they do now) I think many go to shows out of nostalgia. Rammstein hits the market for a younger audience in a better way!
Agree that it's a top 10 live album, Tokyo Tapes. Probably #7 or #8 for me.
Great job!
J'ai découvert Scorpions avec cet incroyable et extraordinaire Tokyo Tapes.Je n'aime pas les albums LIVE mais Tokyo Tapes est vraiment génial...A masterpiece.
My first Scorpions album was Animal Magnetsim..bought it the same day as KILLERS! ….I had seem them on the Lovedrive tour with Nugent, and went back to find that album. Around the same time I start seeing in the the bargain cut out bin...the early RCA releases..like Virgin Killer and Best of,,,which I picked up. Was like a different band. I love both era's ...but lately prefer ULI years. Saw him couple years ago in Atlanta, front row..and played many songs from the Scorps years.
Both albums are absolute class
King Alo and The Godfather Pete Pardo
bought both when they came out. Loved Rainbow and could never quite get into Tokyo Tapes.
Tokyo Tapes = best album ever (live or studio). On Stage is killer too though.
I'm totally with Chris on this. I never liked dragged out songs and jams even on purples made in Japan.
Love both bands, would love to see Scorpions World Wide Live up against someone, I'm sure that's in the works.
That and Long Live RR were the first albums I bought by Rainbow so I gots ta go with R-bow Live
Tokyo Tapes all day..back when Scorps were non commercialized!
The covers were to please Japanese fans. They loved those classic American Elvis / little Richard songs
Well, to me ,Tokio Tapes wins by far... cheers from Brazil!!!
These are two of my three favorite live albums, the third one being Made In Japan by Deep Purple.
The re-release of On Stage contains Stargazer and Do you close your eyes, (I believe).
Scorpions Tokyo tapes. It's my second favorite live album, next to UFO Strangers in the night. I agree with Michael Schenker when he said he was instrumental in Scorpion's breaking through in the American market and making it big. Lovedrive was my first Scorpions album and I only got it because I found out that's what Michael was working on after he left UFO. That was the buzz with all my friends too. And no, I dont think it was just a coincidence. Give credit where credit is due. Scorpions wouldnt be shit without Michael. Who do you think found his replacement before he joined UFO? Yeah, Michael was the one who asked Uli to take his place.
I agree with Chris about the long, drawn out versions of songs on albums. The only one I will tolerate is Rock Bottom by UFO. But that has an extended solo on the studio album, but not as long.
Tokyo tapes is in my top 3 with Strangers in the Night and On your feet or on your Knees.
I'd go for Tokyo Tapes ... I kinda took the route Love at First Sting, Blackout ... then got Tokyo Tapes after seeing the Scorps live for the 1st time ... and the first 3 times all with the Blackout line up ... was lucky enough to spend time with Matthias and Klaus 1st time, 2nd time Rudy and Klaus ... 1st time was the best though, did meet Francis separately the 2nd time ... they were all nice guys ... I'm also in agreement that Tokyo Tapes is up there with UFO,s Strangers ... though Strangers is my fave live album .... not that I don't like Rainbow ... just might have been just the timing of stuff .... great vid 👍🏻...🤘🏻 for Ronnie, Cozy and Jimmy R.I.P.... seen Uli a few times solo and guesting with the Scorps ... 🙄 met Ronnie and Jimmy on a Dip tour ... kinda makes me feel sad remembering people who are no longer with us ... but lucky to have seen them 🙄
This is painful for me. I love both albums In fact, they're my fav albums of their respective bands. I'm going to say Rainbow On Stage. However, next week I might say Tokyo Tapes.
Live in Munich 1977 is my favorite Rainbow live album because it has the MOST jamming and soloing.
I love 70's era of both bands, but Scorps Tokyo Tapes easily wins this.
My only gripe with Tokyo Tapes is their tribute to Hound Dog and Long Tall Sally which was only 4 1/2 minutes. We get 15 fantastic pre-Lovedrive era Scorps with Uli Roth shredding on guitar.
Rainbow's On Stage, while terrific (Over the Rainbow Intro and Kill The King), is a major disappointment because it does not include anything from their current (at the time) release Rising.
Rising is unquestionably their greatest album ever including their epic one two punch of side two having Stargazer and A Light In The Black.
Rising's one contribution is Starstruck part of a medley and that song is my least favorite on the album.
Rainbow spends 11 minutes on a Yardbirds tribute song, and a great version. But give me Rainbow songs. 13 minutes of Mistreated, a Deep Purple song. Great song but 13 minutes is overkill. 15 minutes for Catch The Rainbow, a great song but again 15 minutes is overkill.
We get 4 1/2 Rainbow songs.
Damn! I love both of these, but I gotta go Scorpions. Love me some Uli Shreddage 🎸
Heavy Battle !!!
I Love RAINBOW's On Stage Live ,
probably my Favorite or One of the 3 Best Live Albums ever in my opinion. Great Opener "Kill the King" and Ritchie's Strat Sound is absolutly over the Top on this Album !
Scorpions Tokyo Tapes is also a Very Very Great Live Recording , the Best Live Album from the Scorpions ever (from the Uli Roth Years). Tokyo Tapes Made it in my Top 10 of all Live Albums. But RAINBOW's On Stage is a Top 3 Live Album for me !!!
My Top 3 : KISS Alive II ; Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore ; Rainbow On Stage !
Both are great I'll go Tokyo tapes
Going with Tokyo tapes, It flat out rocks.
Man, I love both of those live albums. Tokyo Tapes is a stone cold classic, but On Stage gets underrated quite a lot IMHO
Saw the album cover back in the day, got the album, scorpions have been my band since. Saw them 4 times uli to matties
Live in the heart of the city, a massively underrated live album and my favourite.
i would love to hang out with you guys....i used to shop in brooklyn for alot of imports..(i think the store was called cheapo charlie's)...my first scorps album was in trance...which was followed by the rest that were available at the time (way before taken by force or tokyo tapes)....and i do love tokyo tapes, but...ronnie james dio is ronnie james dio and 'on stage' is amazing, if just for 'mistreated'....my vote has to go to rainbow....
Rainbow one of my all time favorite groups but Tokyo tapes just slays the song Dark lady alone beats on stage Uriah helps live album would have been a fairer competition or B,O,Cs on your feet now there's a killer
If I remember right, some of those live Rainbow recordings are done in my home town, Bremerhaven, it should say so on the inner sleeve...I was there, I talked to Ronnie after the concert....
There is no argument - tokyo tapes is the greatest live album of alltime - its my favourite - uli is the greatest living lead guitarist - a bold statement i know - i do like rainbow - it a good live album - ronnie is my favourite singer of alltime - him and coverdale - i hated voting against him - but its tokyo tapes all the way - the songs - the bands playing - the interplay between rudy and uli is remarkable - p.s nice tshirt pete lol
You two do make a good team.
Totally agree with your analysis of both bands.
I opened so many Scorpions fans' eyes because they thought they started their career with Blackout. When, for me, they ended it with the same album.
And for me, Rainbow without Dio is NOT Rainbow.
I had both of those, back in the day. Got to be Rainbow. The studio version of Kill The KIng was a bit anti-climactic, after the live one. Shame the studio version hadn't come out first.