Lonesome Crow is the debut studio album by the German rock bandScorpions. It was recorded soon after Scorpions became a fully professional band under the production ofConny Plank, apparently in only six or seven days, and released on 29 February 1972 in West Germany as the soundtrack to the German anti-drug movieDas Kalte Paradies,^[5] and May 1973 in the United States. The album's style is darkly melodic, typical for early Scorpions but unlike their later work.^[3]

Lonesome Crow
Studio album by Scorpions
Released	29 February 1972[1]
Recorded	October 1971
Studio	Star Studios (Hamburg,West Germany)
Genre	Hard rock[2] krautrock[2]
Length	40:37
Label	Brain
Producer	Conny Plank
Scorpions chronology
Lonesome Crow (1972) Fly to the Rainbow (1974)
Michael Schenker chronology
Lonesome Crow (1972) Phenomenon (1974)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Forces Paralleles	[4]

It is the band's only album with lead guitaristMichael Schenker – just 16 at the time of the recording – as a full-time member.^[6] He soon left to joinUFO and was replaced byUlrich Roth. Schenker would, however, rejoin briefly during the recording and touring of 1979'sLovedrive.

WithLonesome Crow, we were just a young band trying to find our way, trying to shape an artistic style to find the Scorpions DNA. There was a ballad with "In Search of the Peace of Mind", and a psychedelic rocker with the title track, "I’m Goin' Mad", [which] was a great rocker with Michael Schenker playing great solos. We were just a young band with talented guys, with no idea on where to go from here.For the subsequent album,Fly to the Rainbow, we brought in Uli Roth, who had aHendrix influence, and Rudolf and I became a songwriter team. WhenMatthias Jabs joined the band, we found our style, fast riffs but great melodies, along with the power ballads.

— Klaus Meine^[7]

Michael Schenker in later years has spoken bitterly about not getting his proper writing credit, with a blanket "all songs by Scorpions" when in his mind many of the songs were written by himself and Klaus alone. In particular Michael cites "In Search of the Peace of Mind" remaining, unjustly, in the Scorpions set list for years when it's in reality, his song. Apart from these occasional performances of "In Search of the Peace of Mind" up to 1978 and between 1996 and 2006, Scorpions have played no song fromLonesome Crow since the tour in support of their third albumIn Trance.^[8]

The songs "Action" and "I'm Goin' Mad" are re-recordings of the songs for their unreleased 1970 single on CCA label that were later released on the compilationPsychedelic Gems 2, making them the earliest released Scorpions recordings.[1]

The album had several different sleeves and was re-titledAction for its initial release in Scandinavia,The Scorpions for one 1976 release,^[9] andThe Original Scorpions, with a different running order, for a Japanese release in 1981 and its first-ever CD issue in 1986.^[10] The 1982 German reissue cover art was created by the artistRodney Matthews.

Credits forLonesome Crow adapted fromAllmusic.^[11]

Scorpions

• Klaus Meine – vocals
• Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitar
• Michael Schenker – lead and slide guitar
• Lothar Heimberg – bass guitar
• Wolfgang Dziony – drums

Production

• Conny Plank – producer
• Willem Makkee – mastering