Review Summary: Uli's departure from Scorpions sees him further develop his personal style and influence a whole new generation of guitarists.
Scorpions' switch from Michael Schenker to Uli Jon Roth has to be one of the most significant ones in the history of rock. With him, the Scorps went on to record, arguably, their best material, and right when they were ready to achieve commercial success, he quit. I suppose that back then, this move didn't make much sense to the eyes of the public, but in hindsight, it revealed one of Uli's greatest traits: integrity. His entire career seems to be driven purely by his artistic vision, and
Earthquake is not an exception.
At its core, Electric Sun's debut is a psychedelic trip literally dedicated to the memory of Jimi Hendrix, and this is quite apparent from the album opener which features an array of fiery leads and solos. Now, even though Uli is one of the three guitarists who managed to capture Jimi's spirit best without plagiarizing - Robin Trower and Frank Marino being the other two - this is much more than a Hendrix clone. Actually, this is one of the first attempts at neoclassical metal, in the way that became popular in the mid-to-late'80s. Just listen to the 10-minute title track and how Uli treats his guitar like a violin, how he creates tension, and his amazing ability to seamlessly blend monstrous sounds and delicate passages within seconds.
The album's runtime is ideal, clocking at 40 minutes, during which the listener is treated to a range of emotions, from meditative on "Japanese Dream" and contemplative on "Winterdays", to uplifting on "Sundown" and trippy on " Burning Wheels Turning". Of course, you can expect a few Hendrix-isms, as well as different scales than the usual pentatonic. However, the elephant in the room is Uli's nasally vocals and his heavy accent, which will put off some listeners and has made over the years numerous people wonder why didn't he just hire a more competent vocalist. Nevertheless, this is not enough to spoil the overall experience, created by his amazing playing.
Although few people would dare to quit Scorpions at the time Uli did, it turned out to be a wise move for both parties. The German outfit went on to record its most commercially successful material, whereas the Maestro followed his heart and, in the process, blessed us with some remarkable albums.
