Scorpions are a German hard rock band formed in Hanover in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker. The longest-existing, 1978-1992, and most successful line-up of the band included Schenker, Klaus Meine, Matthias Jabs, Francis Buchholz, and Herman Rarebell. The band's only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has been with the band continuously since their first album Lonesome Crow. Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, while bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.
Lonesome Crow featured Schenker's younger brother Michael on lead guitar, before he departed to join UFO. He was replaced by Uli Jon Roth, who was with the band for their next four studio albums, Fly to the Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer and Taken by Force, and their first live album Tokyo Tapes. Following Roth's departure, the band recruited Matthias Jabs and began moving towards a more melodic rock style on their sixth studio album Lovedrive, which also saw Scorpions reunite with Michael Schenker before he left again to pursue a solo career.