Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads is a compilation album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1989. All songs on this album are from their tenure with Mercury Records, from 1979 to 1988, in addition to rare or never-before released material.
| Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | November 29, 1989[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1978–1989 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 61:28 (Europe) / 55:08 (US) | |||
| Label | EMI (Europe) Mercury (US) | |||
| Producer | Dieter Dierks, except "I Can't Explain" by Bruce Fairbairn | |||
| Scorpions compilations chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads | ||||
| ||||
| The Essential Scorpions cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| AllMusic |  (The Essential Scorpions)[4] |
Background
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2020) |
The record was released with different track listings in different regions: At all the compilation features several rare or completely unreleased tracks: There are remixes of "Big City Nights", "Lovedrive", "Holiday" and "Is There Anybody There", which were previously unreleased. Also included are two different versions of "Hey You". While the European pressing features a previously unreleased remix of the song, the US and Japanese editions are the only ones featuring the original version, which was released in 1980 as a single. Another rarity was a cover of The Who's "I Can't Explain", which was also included on that same year's Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell charity compilation album. The European CD edition also includes one more rarity: the version of "China White", which features a different solo, a solo that was just released on US editions of Blackout before.
The track listing and individual running times differ between the US, European and Asian editions. While the European pressing features 14 or 15 tracks, the original version of "Hey You" is missing and replaced by a remix. The US and Japanese version just feature twelve tracks and omit the re-recorded version of "Is There Anybody There?" as well as "Another Piece of Meat" and "China White", but it includes the longer, original version of "Hey You". The European edition was re-released with the title The Essential Scorpions in 2003.
Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads reached platinum status in the United States, and is the Scorpions' only compilation album to be certified at least gold by the RIAA there.[5]
Track listing
editEuropean edition
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | From the album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock You Like a Hurricane" | Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell | Love at First Sting, 1984 | 4:10 |
| 2. | "I Can’t Explain" | Pete Townshend | Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell, 1989 | 3:19 |
| 3. | "Rhythm of Love" | Schenker, Meine | Savage Amusement, 1988 | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Big City Nights (Remix)" | Schenker, Meine | Previously unreleased (Original version from Love at First Sting) | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Lovedrive" | Schenker, Meine | Lovedrive, 1979 | 4:50 |
| 6. | "Is There Anybody There? (Remix)" | Schenker, Meine, Rarebell | Previously unreleased (Original version from Lovedrive) | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Holiday (Remix)" | Schenker, Meine | Previously unreleased (Original version from Lovedrive) | 6:50 |
| 8. | "Still Loving You" | Schenker, Meine | Love at First Sting | 6:25 |
| 9. | "No One Like You" | Schenker, Meine | Blackout, 1982 | 3:54 |
| 10. | "Blackout" | Schenker, Meine, Rarebell, Sonja Kittelsen | Blackout | 3:49 |
| 11. | "Another Piece of Meat" | Schenker, Rarebell | Lovedrive | 3:21 |
| 12. | "You Give Me All I Need" | Schenker, Rarebell | Blackout | 3:37 |
| 13. | "Hey You (Remix)" | Schenker, Meine, Rarebell | Previously unreleased (Original version from the "Hey You" single, 1980) | 3:43 |
| 14. | "The Zoo" | Schenker, Meine | Animal Magnetism, 1980 | 5:29 |
| 15. | "China White (US-solo version)* (CD bonus track)" | Schenker, Meine | Blackout | 6:56 |
US and Japanese edition
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | From the album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock You Like a Hurricane" | Schenker, Meine, Rarebell | Love at First Sting | 4:12 |
| 2. | "I Can’t Explain" | Townshend | Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Still Loving You" | Schenker, Meine | Love at First Sting | 6:27 |
| 4. | "Big City Nights" | Schenker, Meine | Love at First Sting | 4:09 |
| 5. | "Lovedrive (Remix)" | Schenker, Meine | Previously unreleased (Original version from Lovedrive) | 4:51 |
| 6. | "Holiday (Remix)" | Schenker, Meine | Previously unreleased (Original version from Lovedrive) | 6:48 |
| 7. | "Blackout" | Schenker, Meine, Rarebell, Kittelsen | Blackout | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Rhythm of Love" | Schenker, Meine | Savage Amusement | 3:49 |
| 9. | "No One Like You" | Schenker, Meine | Blackout | 3:55 |
| 10. | "You Give Me All I Need" | Schenker, Rarebell | Blackout | 3:40 |
| 11. | "Hey You" | Schenker, Meine, Rarebell | Non-album single | 4:29 |
| 12. | "The Zoo" | Schenker, Meine | Animal Magnetism | 5:28 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] | 92 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[7] | 12 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 14 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 35 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 21 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 43 |
Sales and certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[12] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[13] | Gold | 25,000[13] |
| Germany (BVMI)[14] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[15] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "RIAA".
- ^ "Scorpions singles".
- ^ Weber, Barry. "Scorpions The Best of Rockers 'N' Ballads review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
- ^ Theakston, Rob. "Scorpions Essential review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
- ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Scorpions. Retrieved on 2011-02-22.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Scorpions – Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Scorpions – Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Scorpions – Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Scorpions – Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Scorpions Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Scorpions – Ballads & Rockers". Music Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "Scorpions" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Scorpions; 'Rockers'n'Ballads')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Rockers'n'Ballads')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Scorpions – Rockers 'n' Ballads". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 15, 2022.