Blackout is a 1982 album by the GermanHeavy metal band Scorpions. Blackout shows off their uncanny ability to pull off energetic songs and to produce an easily commercialisable brand of heavy metal with a pop shine. A hit single ("No One Like You") from this album was the first real success the band had in America. Other singles include the heavy title track, the furious "Dynamite", the hard rocking anthem "Can't Live Without You" and the ballad "When the Smoke is Going Down". It is of note that singer Klaus Meine had to undergo surgery on his vocal cords during the writing of the album and it was uncertain whether he would be able to record it. Demos of the material were recorded with Don Dokken as vocalist; however none of those recordings are featured on the album. Schenker could not choose between his guitar solos on 'China White', so the US and European releases differed in this small detail. A self-portrait of artist Gottfried Helnwein is featured on the cover of the album. Rudolf Schenker portrays this character in the "No One Like You" music video. The RIAA certified Blackout as Gold on June 24th, 1982 and Platinum on March 8th, 1984.
