Pro-Ject has unveiled the Pro-Ject Scorpions Turntable, featuring the artwork from the German hard-rock band’s 1982 album, Blackout.
Since forming in Hanover in 1965, Scorpions have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Blackout was the band’s eighth studio album, and in 2017, Rolling Stone ranked it 73rd on their list of The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.
The album cover is based on a self-portrait by Vienna-born artist Gottfried Helnwein. The image shows Helnwein with bandages, his mouth frozen mid-scream, and forks pointed at his eyes. It forms part of his series of hyper-real, staged self-portraits exploring pain, trauma and identity.
The artwork wasn’t created for the album; it dates from around 1981-82. Band members Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine reportedly discovered the image in Stern magazine and sought Helnwein’s permission to use it. For the cover, Helnwein made only minor adjustments to colours and background to suit the LP format, leaving the central image intact.
The story behind the album’s title track is pure rock’n’roll. As Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker recalled to the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“Blackout was a song that actually came out of a situation when I was partying with the Judas Priest guys, Glenn and K.K., and with Def Leppard. It was a hard party – no question – and I had a blackout, which I didn’t even know existed. I told [drummer] Herman the story. He said, ‘You know what you had? You had a blackout.’ Then he added, “Oh, by the way, that’s a great title for an album.”’
The Pro-Ject Artist Collection celebrates the musicians and artworks that have shaped music and culture. The Scorpions Turntable is handmade in Europe, designed and built by Pro-Ject.
Based on the T2 turntable platform, the deck uses a belt-drive design with precision-engineered mechanics. It can reproduce a wide range of music with accuracy and consistency. The CNC-machined plinth has been enlarged for greater stability and is constructed from non-plastic materials to reduce unwanted vibrations. A heavy glass platter is used to minimise resonance, while the turntable feet help isolate the unit from external vibrations.
The Scorpions Turntable employs a straight 9in aluminium tonearm with low-friction bearings for accurate tracking. Its integrated headshell reduces vibration and the spring-based anti-skating mechanism allows adjustment for optimal cartridge performance. The turntable comes equipped with a pre-adjusted Pick it 25A Moving Magnet cartridge, ready to use straight from the box.
“The Scorpions are one of the most influential rock bands of all time,” says Heinz Lichtenegger, CEO of Pro-Ject Audio Systems. “This special edition turntable is designed for audiophiles, collectors and dedicated fans. It offers superb performance alongside an unmistakable visual impact.”
The Pro-Ject Scorpions Turntable is available now by special order in the UK, priced at £629.00. Henley Audio is the exclusive UK distributor of Pro-Ject.