Uli Jon Roth looked back on his decision to leave the Scorpions, noting how he doesn’t regret it at all but adding that he still maintains close relationships with former bandmates.
The German-born guitarist is often hailed as one of the pioneers of the neo-classical playing style, with his work on four early Scorpions albums (from 1974’s “Fly to the Rainbow” to 1977’s “Taken By Force”) having inspired many a guitarist out there.
Before leaving and kickstarting his own project named Electric Sun, Roth and the Scorpions had one last hurrah in the form of 1978’s “Tokyo Tapes”, the band’s first-ever live album.
Asked during a recent interview with “Vintage Rock Pod” to explain why he left the German hard rock heavyweights, the guitarist said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):
“I handed in my notice a year before, in 1977. The reason was not personal, it was just purely artistic. I started to write music like ‘Earthquake’ and other songs that I knew had no place in Scorpions; they wouldn’t have resonated with the other stuff.
“So in 1977, I led a little bit of a dual existence; I wrote some of the songs for Scorpions, like ‘The Sails of Charon’, ‘Your Light’, “I’ve Got to Be Free’ and some other stuff.”
“But I also already wrote this music for Electric Sun, which was very different. I was not so success-driven, and the band, obviously, we were getting more successful every year. We already had our first golden albums by then.
“But that wasn’t something that interested me; I was more into exploring music in a way that was more free. And in a band like that, I guess I had taken it as far as I could, at that point.
Had I stayed on for the other albums, I would’ve continued in the same vein as ‘Tokyo Tapes’, but the ‘Electric Sun’ stuff would’ve never been made.”
Asked if he regrets leaving the Scorpions, Roth added:
“No, I would’ve gone mad had I stayed. I had so many other things to say, and they needed saying. No. It was an easy decision and I had to make it. That was just a natural progression.
Asked if he was still friends with vocalist Klaus Meine and guitarist Rudolf Schenker when he left the band, Roth said:
“We’re very much on friendly terms. Nothing has changed, even though we were a great unit when I was in the band. And to this day, there’s a family feeling whenever we meet. I guess that will never change.”
Even so, the guitarist thinks that an all-out Scorpions reunion isn’t likely at this point:
“It’s very late in the day. I don’t know what their plans are; I would be open to anything. I would say it’s probably unlikely at this point.”