Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads
| Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads | ||||
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| Compilation album by Scorpions | ||||
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Publication |
November 14, 1989 |
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| Label (s) | EMI Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
15th |
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running time |
68:30 |
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| occupation |
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Dieter Dierks , except Can't Explain : Bruce Fairbairn |
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Studio (s) |
Dierks Studios near Cologne, except Can't Explain : Wisseloord Studio , Netherlands |
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Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads is the fifth official compilation by the German hard rock band Scorpions , released in 1989. It is the first compilation of the band that, in addition to the already known material with Can't Explain, also contains a song that can only be found on this release or on the corresponding single.
background
The compilation of the compilation album was due to the expiry of a long-term contract with her producer Dieter Dierks and her record company, from which a compilation was still open. In addition to many classics, the Scorpions recorded the cover version of The Who song Can't 'Explain for the first time a song that was not composed by a member of the band. The song was produced for the first time since 1975 not by Dierks in his studios, but in the Netherlands by Bruce Fairbairn and the Scorpions themselves. Some of the songs were remixed: Big City Nights , Is There Anybody There and Hey You were by Harald Lepschies and The Scorpions at EMI Studios in Cologne, while Holiday was remixed by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York.
Title selection
Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads contains titles from 1979 to 1989, in which the Scorpions celebrated great successes in the USA, among others. So the albums Lovedrive , Animal Magnetism , Blackout , Love at First Sting and Savage Amusement were taken into account . The album also features the song Can't Explain , a cover version of the hit song by the British rock group The Who . In addition to well-known album versions of various songs, there are also remixes of songs such as Is There Anybody There as well as the version of China White , which has so far only been included in the USA on the album Blackout , which is characterized by an alternative guitar solo by Rudolf Schenker.
It should be noted that the European and US versions not only differ in terms of the title selection, but that there are also different versions of the songs. For example, the US version contains the original version of the song Hey You , while the European version contains a remix that is more than half a minute shorter.
Track list
European version
- Rock You Like a Hurricane (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell) - 4:12
- Can't Explain (Pete Townshend) - 3:21
- Rhythm of Love (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 3:48
- Big City Nights (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 3:55
- Lovedrive (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 4:49
- Is There Anybody There (Long Version) (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell) - 4:16
- Holiday (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 6:30
- Still Loving You (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 6:24
- No One Like You (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 3:55
- Blackout (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell, Sonja Kittelsen) - 3:48
- Another Piece of Meat (Rudolf Schenker, Herman Rarebell) - 3:32
- You Give Me All I Need (Rudolf Schenker, Herman Rarebell) - 3:36
- Hey You (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell) - 3:48
- The Zoo (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 5:29
- China White (US version) (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 6:56
US version
- Rock You Like a Hurricane (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell) - 4:12
- Can't Explain (Pete Townshend) - 3:21
- Still Loving You (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 6:27
- Big City Nights (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 4:09
- Lovedrive (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 4:52
- Holiday (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 6:46
- Blackout (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell, Sonja Kittelsen) - 3:50
- Rhythm of Love (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 3:48
- No One Like You (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 3:57
- You Give Me All I Need (Rudolf Schenker, Herman Rarebell) - 3:39
- Hey You (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell) - 4:29
- The Zoo (Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine) - 5:30
Single releases
As a single from this compilation, the cover Can't Explain appeared together with the song Lovedrive as the B-side and the long version of Is There Anybody There together with The Zoo and the album version of the title song.
reception
criticism
The HiFi magazine Audio judged the compilation: “The Prophet doesn't count for anything in his own country - the Hanoverian hard rockers Scorpions had to experience this. They are very successful - in the USA or England, even in distant Japan. The compatriots now have the opportunity to break down existing prejudices with this outstanding compilation. Over an hour of rock at its finest. Boys, Still Loving You. "
Holger Stratmann wrote in the rock magazine Rock Hard : “The noble rocker jacket hangs symbolically on the micro stand. Yes, that's right, the Scorpions are the likeable clean guys who rock, but never go overboard. The same goes for the sound: cracking, but always crystal clear guitars, soulful ballads, good melodies - no chaos! And that's a good thing, because there are enough nasty bad boys from LA and aggressive powercombos that flex the muscles. Still, I would have liked the Who cover 'Can't Explain' (the only new track on the album) from such a band, after all, the Who were the wildest in their best times. The Scorps do their job well, but the number doesn't suit them. Hey You , which has only been released as a single so far and long awaited by Scorps fans, is the absolute highlight of the album. It could hardly be better and catchier! The rest is what is called the »best of« - twelve Scorpions hits in a row, which I don't need to list here because everyone knows and loves them anyway (well, almost everyone!). However, you should have kept your hands off the original versions (a track like Is There Anybody There could only be made worse as a remix, and that's how it is - too perfect), otherwise Best Of Rockers N 'Ballads is a nice gift album. What luck (coincidence ?????) that it appeared just before Christmas ... ”.
Sales figures
In total, Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads has sold over 3 million times to date.
Chart positions and awards
The album reached number 14 in the German charts and number 43 on the US Billboard charts. In Sweden, the compilation was placed 35th, in Switzerland it reached number 21. In Canada and Germany, Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads was awarded gold, while the album was even awarded platinum in the USA.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Product descriptions Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads on Amazon.de
- ↑ Overview Scorpion's single Can't Explain on the band's official homepage ( Memento from March 24th 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Overview Scorpions Single Is There Anybody There (Long Version) on the official band homepage ( Memento from December 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://www.rockhard.de/index.php?smod=p209MJ56rKOyMTyuWz1iMUIfo2qAo2D9pz9wn2uupzDhpzI2nJI3pl5xMKEunJkJnJI3Wzqlo3IjFHD9pzuspzI2DioAQE3Wzyo3yo3youpzI2nioQE3Wzyo3Wamt2qAoQaL3Wzyo