The guitarist Uli Jon Roth was born in Düsseldorf, Germany back in 1954 and was a member of Scorpions from 1973 to 1978, appearing on many classic albums of the band in the 70s. Since then he had released many records with his band Electric Sun and from his solo career.
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In an interview with Vintage Rock Pod (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar), the musician explained his decision to leave the German band in 1978, when they were getting bigger.
Uli Jon Roth explains why he decided to leave Scorpions
“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.”
He continued:
“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,” Uli Jon Roth said.
In the same conversation he said that he doesn’t regret leaving the group, because he is not a success-driven person and wanted to explore a different kind of music. However, he said he is always open for a reunion with the band and he has a good relationship with the members.
Uli has 2023 scheduled tour dates for England and 2024 dates in the United States.
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