Herman Rarebell, aka Herman Ze German has been on the front lines of Heavy Rock for over 3 decades. He has written and performed such rock classics as “Rock You Like a Hurricane, "Dynamite", "Blackout", "Bad Boys Running Wild", "Tease Me Please Me", as a key member and drummer of the Scorpions. Herman Ze German released his solo project “Take it as it Comes” earlier this year on Dark Star Records.
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We had the pleasure of speaking with on July 9, 2010. Here is the text version of our conversation.
LoudTrax.com: Well Herman, it’s a real pleasure to speak to you, from here in Montreal, Canada. We’ll get to the Scorpions questions later on, but for now, let’s talk about what’s new.
Herman Rarebell: Let’s start by saying that I always had a great time in Montreal with the Scorpions and I wanted to say thanks to the fans for always showing their support over the years.
LoudTrax.com: Your latest album “ Take it As it Comes” was released in March of this year on Dark Star Records. Tell us about the new album and how it came about.
Herman Rarebell: In fact I have been working on this album for quite a while, it was a team work effort. I chose the songs to record carefully to ensure the quality for the listener. Taking a look at a few songs, for example, the title “Take it as it comes” really is my life philosophy, especially now-a-days. Be calm, be cool about things before you drive yourself crazy. There’s also a new modern version of the song I wrote many years ago with Klaus (Meine), “Rock you like a Hurricane”.
Song No. 13 “Your Love is Hurting” is a radio version of the ballad, the difference here is that my wife does the solo on the saxophone. I’m very happy with the end result.
LoudTrax.com: There’s been mixed reviews on this album from critics. More importantly though, what has been the reaction from your fans, the people that matter most, on the new album so far?
Herman Rarebell: The reaction was really great. There were some comments about the "Rock You Like A Hurricane" version, but I really wanted to make a new modern version of the song. Instead of having the guitar solos, I had the saxophone solo. This worked out well with my wife being such a great saxophone player. It was fun working with the family along with a great guitarist from Munich which make up a killer band for the record. Everyone in the band writes, looks and sounds great, a great band to go out and play live
LoudTrax.com: Are you planning a tour with this band?
Herman Rarebell: Well first I want to introduce this band and project to the public so they get to know the project and get used to the songs, and then and perform those songs live.
LoudTrax.com: After having had so much success with the live shows, and massive hit singles, what were your expectations and goals for your new solo album?
Herman Rarebell: I think the album has really good potential because there’s really good songs on it. The songs were written by myself, my wife, lead singer, guitarist, so everyone contributed. I acted as the producer and selected what songs worked best. Now I look forward to coming and performing these songs live.
LoudTrax.com: The album comes in a special 2 CD set which includes your audio book “My Life as a Scorpion”.
Herman Rarebell: The audio book and 2 CD set is a very limited edition, we only pressed 1000 of these, which I hope will get to the die hard fans. In the audio book "My Life as a Scorpion" I give inside information about the Scorpions, because after all I spent 20 years with them, so there’s lots to talk about. I made it a little bit funny and light, just me telling a story.
LoudTrax.com: I can imagine there were good times and not so good times in the band. What are some of the moments that you cherish the most about leaving your mark in the history of Heavy Rock?
Herman Rarebell: One moment for me was really the Moscow Music Peace Festival where we played in front of 135,000 fans at the Moscow stadium. You could see that the "Wind of Change" was going to happen because people did not want war, people wanted freedom. They had enough of communism. You could feel this atmosphere in the stadium and it was a great moment for me.
See Scorpions performing at Moscow Peace Festival
Of course when the (Berlin) Wall goes down and we played "The Wall" with Rogers Waters from Pink Floyd. There was 400,000 people watching this where the Wall was and this was just a fantastic moment for me.
LoudTrax.com: Scorpions started off the show...
Herman Rarebell: In the Flesh! We started the show and came to the show with these white long limousenes and there were about 40 motor bikes on stage, it looked awesome! So we started with "In the Flesh" and then played it later on. This was really a show that sticks in my mind until this day.
Watch The Scorpions perform In The Flesh at "THE WALL in BERLIN"
There was also in 1983 where we played the US Festival concert held in San Bernadino, California during Memorial Day Weekend of 1983 as a special guest to Van Halen. Imagine on this date Ozzy Osbournce and Motley Crue were the opening acts! In the afternoon, Quiet Riot played as well. 375,000 people attended!
Here is the video of Scorpions playing "No One Like You" at the US Festival
LoudTrax.com: Speaking of The Wall, have you seen Rogers Waters on tour this time around?
Herman Rarebell: Actually no I have not seen him this time. I’ve seen him on the last tour in Stuggart and I went to see him and it was good fun, but haven’t seen him since.
LoudTrax.com: Have you seen the Scorpions perform on the recent tour?
Herman Rarebell: Yes on the recent tour we saw each other in Munich but not since. They want to do 2 runs on their current tour. The first run is with the lineup they have now. Then in 2011 they want to go out with myself and special guest Michael Schenker, and Uli Jon Roth.
LoudTrax.com: So when you look at James Kottak, the current drummer, do you sometimes think “man I wish he would played that roll like this, or that part different…etc…”
Herman Rarebell: Well yes sometimes, because I created and wrote those parts on "Wind of Change", "Rock you Like a Hurricance", "Dynamite", and so on. It’s hard for him to copy exactly the way I play it, it’s my personality. It would be the same if someone would place me tomorrow in The Rolling Stones and ask me to copy Charlie Watts. You know what I couldn’t do it. Would still be good, as is the current drummer of the Scorpions, but would not be the original.
It’s not the original and I don’t think ever anyone can copy personality. If you look at Rudolf Schenker, he plays a flying V guitar. But if I give him a Fender Startoscaster, it will still sound like a Flying V! So we come back to James Kottak, he is a very good drummer, but he has his own style, he’s not me. I think when you take an original part out of a band, something is missing, it’s normal.
LoudTrax.com: Have the Scorpions heard your new album?
Herman Rarebell: I don’t know actually, I have not given it to them yet because I have not seen them since. I hope they have heard it, but I doubt as I did not hear any feedback form them.
LoudTrax.com: You mentioned in your audio book what your 5 “desert islands” records are and you spoke about the bands that influenced you. Can you tell us about someone who has had the most influence, not only on your drumming, but on your career as a musician and a rock star?
Herman Rarebell: For me most definitely Led Zeppellin. My favorite band of all time. I flipped out when I saw John Bonham for the first time in Koln, around 1971. I remember thinking to myself, “this is the way a drummer should sound”. In my opinion, no one has topped the drumming of John Bonham. He was my biggest influence and greatest teacher. Of course my own personality came along, but when you speak about drummers you have to speak of him the same way you have to mention Buddy Rich. Keith Moon was also a great influence on me not only the way he played but also his life philosophy which brings us back to “Take it as it Comes”. In fact I am now in Brighton, England, the town where The Who started in the 60s. Here you had the "Mods" and the Rockers and they had fist fights against each other. The Who were "Mods", always dressed well, and (Keith) Moon was the looney as we all know and this is where it all happened right here!
So returning to the question...
LoudTrax.com: Yes, Going back to Drum sounds and John Bonham, I strongly believe that if you would set up the exact same drum set he used, with the same pre amps, microcphones, and play the same songs he played, no one can sound exactly like him.
Herman Rarebell: Well this is exactly what I mean. James Kottak can play all my songs, but he will never sound like me.
LoudTrax.com: So what is it about your sound that is so unique? I don’t mean the drum skins, the mics - but more the approach that you take when you sit down on a drum stool and take the sticks in your hands.
Herman Rarebell: I play with Passion. Everything that I play, I must feel 100% about it with all my heart and soul. Otherwise, it makes no sense to play the song. This is why it took me a long time to think about this new album. We had many many songs, about 50, but we only chose 12 because I wanted to make sure that every song is a killer, at least for me.
LoudTrax.com: You are about to go on a promo tour in the US.
Herman Rarebell: Yes I am a few days in NYC, Chicago. I’m playing a gig with songs of mine in a club called Rockers. Also heading to Indiana, playing the Oklhama festival, where I will perform with Michael Schenker. We did the same thing in London a few weeks ago. And then form there then heading to LA.
LoudTrax.com: No Canada!?
Herman Rarebell: Actually not yet, you’re my first guy from Canada. I hope more people there and in the US will be aware of this album and that way it would make sense for me to come out and perform live.
LoudTrax.com: Let me get into your personal tastes. Tell us about some of your favorites. Say, Favorite Zeppelin, Yardbirds, and Scorpions.
Herman Rarebell: Yes sure let’s start with the Yardbirds. "Train Kept A-rollin" is a favorite of mine. From Zep, I have so many but definetly "Kashmir" is the killer one. But the all time best one for me is "Good Times Bad Times"! The drumming is unreal on that one!
Favorite Scorpions song is "Passion Rules the Game". I wrote this a long time ago, but we never played it live.
Well can I ask you something before we hang up? What is your favorite song from my album?
LoudTrax.com: Ok cool. I like "Rock You like A Hurricane", "Take it as it Comes" is also cool and kind of stuck with me the most. The new version of "Rock You Like a Hurricane" is fun to listen to. If you need the exact same version as the original, then what’s the point really?
Herman Rarebell: Well now you said it, what would be the point! I said to my wife, I don’t want to have the crazy guitars going as the original. So I thought to make it quiet, cool, and added the saxophone in there and I love it.
LoudTrax.com: It's been a real pleasure speaking to you Herman and thanks for doing this interview for our Rock, Metal, Punk download site LoudTrax.com
Herman Rarebell: It's been fun and hope to see you guys when we come back to Montreal!
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Thanks to Chip Ruggieri, Jeff Swanson and Jen Farhood for hooking this up!
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