After more successful world tours, in 1981, while recording Blackout, Klaus
Meine lost his voice. Not wishing to stand in the way of the band's success,
Klaus Meine wanted to pull out. But the unshakeable friendship between Rudolf
Schenker and Klaus Meine and the close and supportive relationship within the
band allowed the seemingly impossible to happen. After lengthy vocal retraining
and two operations on his vocal chords, Klaus Meine overcame the trauma. And
that was not all: in 1982, he re-emerged with a much increased vocal range. One
critic wrote: "They have given Klaus Meine metal vocal chords." The band's
decision to stand by their lead singer through this troubled time later proved
to be the most crucial the SCORPIONS ever took in the their entire career. It
was Klaus Meine who in 1989 composed their smash hit Wind of Change.
In 1982, on their second US tour as headliners with Iron Maiden as support act,
the SCORPIONS promoted their groundbreaking album Blackout, with Helnwein's
stunning sleeve design. The single No One Like You and the Blackout LP reached
the US Top Ten, the LP was voted Best Hard Rock Album of the year and awarded a
Platinum Disc. One hit followed another, and in the 1980s the SCORPIONS
captured the hearts of hard rock fans around the world.

http://www.scorps.net