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The Scorpions make acoustic debut

DPA/The Local
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The Scorpions make acoustic debut
The Scorpions are three years into a Farewell World Tour. Here they play in Beirut, Lebanon in July 2013 Photo: DPA

They are Germany's most successful musical export, inspiring other big hair bands such as Bon Jovi- and this Friday releasing their first acoustic recording. Power balladeers The Scorpions are this week's Germans of the Week.

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They have sold about 100 million records around the world, and are currently three years into a Farewell World Tour, playing their hits such as Wind of Change as well as a string of new songs to cigarette-lighter-waving fans.

The 1990 song composed by singer and frontman Klaus Meine became the tear-in-the-eye anthem of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and although wildly popular, did nothing for the band's rock credentials.

But in 2006 the band made a spectacular showing at the Wacken heavy metal festival, conquering a whole new audience many of whom had heard little of the 1965-founded band's back catalogue.

Now the Hannover-based rockers have taken a further step towards musical credibility and recorded an acoustic concert as part of the long-running MTV Unplugged series.

They played the show in September at an open-air venue in Greece, with a number of special guests including Aha's lead singer Morten Harket.

"It is a musically exciting project. We all grew a bit as musicians with this, because it is so different," said Meine, 65.

Sitting on bar stools as is tradition for the MTV Unplugged - and which even Nirvana managed to universal acclaim - was a challenge to The Scorpions.

"That was a change over, but in the end it worked well," said Meine.

The band played hits including Rock You Like a Hurricane and Still Loving You as well as, of course Wind of Change - this time with Harket singing too. The double CD and accompanying DVD of the concert will be released on Friday.

CLICK HERE for a photo gallery of The Scorpions

READ MORE: Did Springsteen's 1988 Berlin gig rock the Wall?

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