The Scorpions formed in Hanover, Germany during 1965. Targeting themselves at a world-wide audience from the beginning, their lyrics were written in English by their lead songwriter and vocalist, Klaus Meine. 1972 saw the release of their first LP, and the years since have seen 18 more, with a staggering 42 singles, with the most popular "Wind of Change" reaching the number 1 spot in 11 countries during the last quarter of 1989, becoming synonymous with the fall of the Berlin Wall which occurred only two months after the song was written.

The tour circuit is also no stranger to the Scorpions, having seen them as both supporting, at first, and headline acts on many occasions. Acoustica sees them performing "unplugged" at Convento do Beato, a monastery in Lisbon, Portugal during February 2001. On the playlist for the night, are the songs:

1. Loving You Sunday Morning
2. Is Anybody There
3. The Zoo
4. Always Somewhere
5. Life Is Too Short
6. Holiday
7. You And I
8. When Love Kills Love
9. Tease Me, Please Me
10. Dust In The Wind
11. Send Me An Angel
12. Under The Same Sun
13. Rhythm Of Love
14. Back To You
15. Catch Your Train
16. I Wanted To Cry
17. Hurricane 2001
18. Wind Of Change
19. Love Of My Life
20. Drive
21. Still Loving You

The Acoustica concert was recorded for the purpose of CD and DVD release, and the care taken in getting things "just right" can be seen. Filmed with 12 cameras, and given the Anamorphic 16x9 treatment, the concert is a pleasure to watch. There is a range of vibrant colours, both in clothing and lighting, on and off the stage, while still maintaing solid black levels. No artifacting was noticed, and aliasing was kept to a minimum, usually only appearing on the occasional guitar-neck closeup.

For your listening pleasure, you have the option of Dolby 5.1, DTS 5.1 or PCM Stereo. Whilst providing some separation in the front soundstage, and a little activity from the rear, the Dolby 5.1 mix seems to somewhat mute the upper end of both the music and Meine's vocals, taking away some of the brightness present in the other mixes.

Extra-wise, we are given a bag of treats, with Video Edits of some of the songs (When Love Kills Love, Send Me An Angel, Hurricane 2001, and the rehearsal of When Love Kills Love); a 14-minute Making of documentary, which includes interviews with the band members and behind the scenes footage (includes German subtitles as an option); Interviews with the band members, containing footage not included in the making of segment; a Discography listing their works; and a chronological Biography of the band, listing major achievements.

While not to everyone's musical tastes, Scorpions - Acoustica is a well produced concert, given top notch treatment for its DVD conversion. No Scorpions fan should be without it.