When a writer does pre-writing exercises, it is mainly to loosen up the creative juices and to get ready for a piece of writing that will become their best work. The Scorpions' Lovedrive is an audio example of this process; while the material is not terrible, it definitely is a prelude to what would come later.

The Scorpions recorded these eight songs in four months, adding to a schedule that saw them tour around the world, playing in Moscow before it was okay to do so and creating some great slices of heavy arena rock. One could argue that guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs are synonymous with "great guitar riff."

But the disc starts slowly with "Loving You Sunday Morning," which suffers from the mid-tempo crunch when the band drops the tempo and gets sappy. "Another Piece of Meat," is a solid track, one I consider pre-writing for later classics like "No One Like You." The groove is solid and drummer Herman Rarebell and bassist Francis Buchholz nail the up-tempo shifts, which are more energetic than "Loving You Sunday Morning." The lyrics are better as well.

Also, the ballad "Always Somewhere" is like any other track about being on the road and away from loved ones, giving it a universal appeal because it is about the desolation inside of the soul when the spark that makes life worthwhile is not around. Vocalist Klaus Meine sounds convincingly alone and sad on this track.

Other highlights include the instrumental "Coast To Coast," a showcase for the Schenker/Jabs guitar experience that has no low points, and the chaotic "Can't Get Enough," which is a pre-write of "Coming Home." The band pulls out an apparent reggae influence for "Is There Anybody There?," the least rocking song on this release but a refreshing departure from the rest of the material that works.

The title track and "Holiday" end this release. "Lovedrive" could have easily been the lead-off track as Schenker and Jabs introduce it with a great guitar riff, Meine sings in his thick German accent and the rhythm section pounds throughout the song. "Holiday" is the band's other ballad and, like other tracks on this release, is really pre-writing for "Still Loving You" or even "Winds of Change."

In short, this disc is solid but not great, functioning more as an indicator of where this band was headed.