In Brief
The Scorpions are a textbook singles band: When the group--which plays the Universal Amphitheatre on Wednesday and Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Saturday--strikes the perfect balance between hard rock and Euro-pop, it can be quite compelling, but it only achieves that balance sporadically. True to form, the strongest tracks on their 13th studio album (“Wild Child,” “Stone in My Shoe”) are surrounded by sincere but sappy, easy-listening metal. Better to sit tight until their next greatest-hits package.
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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
* TimesLine 808-8463
To hear excerpts from the albums reviewed, call TimesLine and press * and the artist’s corresponding four-digit code.
Scorpions *5714
In 805 area code, call (818) 808-8463.
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