In a new chat with Backstage Pass Rock-News, Klaus Meine talked about why he almost left the Scorpions during the early 1980s.
The frontman detailed how he felt during those times when he had vocal issues:
“For me, it felt like the end of the road because it was really serious. I went twice for surgery on my vocal cords and I had the feeling… We knew all the songs. I knew all the vocal lines and everything and I knew that would be quite a challenge to put the vocals on that album [‘Blackout’].”
Then, Meine shared what his bandmate, Rudolf Schenker, told him at the time:
“Fortunately, when I offered the band that I would leave the Scorpions, Rudolf Schenker said, ‘Come on Klaus. You do everything you can and we wait for you until your voice is back, until you’re ready to go.’ With all the tragedy around those ‘Blackout’ recordings but at the end of the day, it was such a triumph and since then, it feels like I’m on the longest encore in my life.”
Meine Wanted His Band To Find A New Singer
After Scorpions released their seventh album, ‘Animal Magnetism,’ Klaus had severe throat problems. The band was working on their next album, ‘Blackout,’ and Don Dokken helped with vocals while Meine recovered. The vocalist previously explained Classic Rock how he coped with the tough situation:
“Encouragement from Rudolf [Schenker] and the whole group. It got so bad that I suggested the guys find another singer. However, they had my back and I was able to keep going. I tried everything within the bounds of possibility.”
Klaus remembered the doctor who helped him get his voice back:
“In the process came across a Viennese specialist who worked with opera singers. He was the right doctor at the right time, and slowly but steadily helped me to rebuild my voice.”
Scorpions also had to cancel a March 2024 show in Mexico due to Meine’s major back surgery. Meine apologized to their Mexican fans and explained that despite progress in his recovery, he wasn’t fit enough to perform.
You can watch the rest of his interview below.