The album begins with the psychedelic "I'm Goin' Mad". Immediately striking is the lead guitar of soon-to-be UFO hotshot Michael Schenker. Schenker delivers some blistering leads, especially amazing given the fact that Schenker was about 16 years old during the recording of the album. The song consists mostly of chanting and shouting over a jazzy bass/drum rhythm and leads from Schenker. An interesting sonic experiment, but very different from the sound that the Scorpions would forge later in the decade. "It All Depends" is another late-60's-tinged tune, sounding very much like Cream as well as other late 1960's British blues/psych acts. A very "jammy" song, the lyrics and singing are pretty sparse compared to the very lengthy jam sections of the song. Not a bad song, but far too scattered and jam-like to be considered a song proper.
The album continues with "Leave Me". The raw vocal power of Klaus Meine becomes immediately apparent, a voice that can bellow like almost no other. Former bassist Lothar Heimberg delivers some pretty bouncy bass-lines as well, a very underrated talent on the four-string. Schenker is of course a highlight, and his leads will certainly please any fan of hard rock on this track. "In Search of the Peace of Mind" is an interesting track. It begins with a mellow acoustic introduction, accompanied by Heimberg's complex and rubbery bass. Meine sings a delicate psychedelic melody over the instruments, before Schenker's leads puncture the track. The song sounds like a bit of a cacophony, as each instrument seems to be vying for the control of the track in terms of loudness. Not a huge fan of the production on the track, but a decent song. The outro section of the song is quite trippy though, a nice highlight and a heavy closer to a pretty mellow song.
"Inheritance" is a fairly spaced-out track, like the rest of the album. The bass work is incredible, very intricate and slippery. Thundering drums remind of Black Sabbath, and clearly the baddest band from Birmingham had a influence on the young boys from Hanover. Very jazzy and jammy at the same time, the reflects the air of "space-rock" that permeated European rock bands during the early 1970s. The operatic vocals are quite haunting, and are a true highlight of this very unusual song. Like most early songs by the band, it often break into a jam, but with Schenker on the leads and Heimberg on the bass you really could do worse in terms of listening to a band jam. "Action" is a bizarre song, even for this album. The first half of the song is a fairly jazz-pop song, much in the vein of The Guess Who or other quasi-jazz rock bands. Half-way, the song shifts into a blues song.
The album closes with the title track. "Lonesome Crow" is certainly an oddball of a Scorpions song. The track begins with song horror movie-like sound effects, very creepy. A fairly heavy riff does come in, with Klaus Meine wailing over some crunchy Schenker leads. Immensely busy bass-lines give Schenker a run for his money, with Heimber being one of the most talented rock bassists of recent memory in terms of producing amazingly complex lines. Drummer Wolfgang Dziony also delivers a stellar performance, a very capable drummer. The song closes with a lengthy jazz-rock jam, with some truly ethereal sounds produced on the guitar by Schenker. A great close to a strange album.
"Lonesome Crow" is the most progressive album by the band. At times jazzy, often spacy, and nearly devoid of anything resembling a pop song, the album will certainly turn off fans of 1980' Scorpions and song such as Wind of Change and Rock You Like a Hurricane. But for fans of 1970's space-rock, early metal, and progressive rock will certainly find something to like about this odd album. Never dull sonically speaking, the album may lack a "hit", but it is an interesting and trippy ride. Pick it up, if you have an adventurous mind.
Rating-7.5/10
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