It’s a season of boxsets, but this one comes in extra hot.

This October, hard rock band Scorpions are marking 30 years of Crazy World, their eleventh studio effort. Instead of a luxurious re-release of the album, the band will focus on the record’s sleeper smash, ‘Wind of Change’. 

The power ballad is getting a boxset of its own, commemorating the song’s immense impact — from topping the charts across Europe to its eventual association with the end of the Cold War. 

Limited to 2020 copies, ‘Wind of Change’ comes in a deluxe package with a 12“ vinyl & CD set — both formats list five different versions of the track, including a previously unreleased demo performed by Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine. 

It comes accompanied with an 84-page hardcover book, featuring rare and exclusive photographs, along with an interview with Meine. A songbook featuring the track’s vocal and piano arrangement is also included.

The jewel of this limited set is a handcrafted unique piece of the Berlin Wall, customized with the red “Wind of Change” star and a handwritten lyric by Meine.

The song was inspired by their trips to the former USSR in 1989. Performing to large crowds during a time of major socioeconomic reforms, the band wrote the song amidst the dissolution of the USSR and the reunification of Germany — marked by the fall of the Berlin wall.

Pre-orders for the set are now up on Scorpions’ official site. While this set is available online, a worldwide retail version (without the handcrafted piece) will be made available in November. 

Once you’ve made your order, dig into why some believe the band had an unlikely collaborator for ‘Wind of Change’: the CIA.

‘Wind of Change’ CD

1. ‘Wind of Change’ (Crazy World Version)
2. ‘Wind of Change’ (Scorpions & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Version)
3. ‘Ветер перемен’ (Russian Version)
4. ‘Viento de Cambio’ (Spanish Version)
5. ‘Wind of Change’ (Unreleased Demo Version by Klaus Meine)

‘Wind of Change’ LP

A

1. ‘Wind of Change’ (Crazy World Version)
2. ‘Wind of Change’ (Scorpions & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Version)

B

1. ‘Ветер перемен’ (Russian Version)
2. ‘Viento de Cambio’ (Spanish Version)
3. ‘Wind of Change’ (Unreleased Demo Version by Klaus Meine)

Other news:

New Order announce massive Power, Corruption and Lies boxset

Cowboy Bebop’s soundtrack is finally getting a wide vinyl release

Arca to release groundbreaking &&&&& mixtape on vinyl

Minecraft Volume Beta receives long-awaited vinyl pressing

Linkin Park announce Hybrid Theory 20th anniversary boxsets