Best of Scorpions by Scorpions, album cover
Album · Compilation

Best of Scorpions

LabelRCA
Popularity22.5

Best of Scorpions is a compilation from the German band, released by RCA on 17 November 1979. It gathers songs from the albums they made between Fly to the Rainbow and Taken by Force, so it covers the 1970s run that took them from early promise to a harder, more confident sound. Nothing is taken from their debut, Lonesome Crow.

It came out in the United States in the same year as Lovedrive, which makes it a useful snapshot of what the band had built before the 1980s arrived. The cover art changed with each edition: the original German sleeve showed a scorpion stinging a naked girl's hip, the Japanese release used a different image, and the 1984 US re-release put a man in a leather jacket and scorpion necklace on the front. That 1984 reissue was also the album's first appearance on CD.

Best of Scorpions: tracklist, credits and charts

11 tracks · 39:35

Tracklist

  1. 1Steamrock FeverRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:39
  2. 2Pictured LifeSchenker, Meine, Roth3:26
  3. 3Robot ManRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine2:47
  4. 4Backstage QueenRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:14
  5. 5Speedy’s ComingRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:39
  6. 6Hell-CatUli Jon Roth3:00
  7. 7He’s a Woman - She’s a ManSchenker, Meine, Rarebell3:20
  8. 8In TranceRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine4:47
  9. 9Dark LadyUli Jon Roth3:31
  10. 10The Sails of CharonUli Jon Roth4:25
  11. 11Virgin KillerUli Jon Roth3:47
Produced by
Dieter Dierks, Frank Bornemann, Snuff Garrett, Conny Plank
Recorded at
Dierks Studios, Musicland Studios, Studio Maschen, Star Studios
Recorded
1974–1977
Mixed by
Dieter Dierks
Engineered by
Dieter Dierks, Horst Andritschke, Mack
Labels
RCA, RCA Records
Length
39:35

Line-up

  • Francis Buchholz · bass guitar, background vocals
  • Herman Rarebell · drums (drum set)
  • Uli Jon Roth · guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, lead vocals
  • Rudolf Schenker · guitar, background vocals, electric guitar
  • Klaus Meine · vocals, lead vocals
  • Achim Kirschning · synthesizer, keyboard, organ, mellotron · guest
  • Rudy Lenners · drums (drum set)
  • Hans‐Jürgen Rosenthal · drums (drum set) · guest
  • Wolfgang Dziony · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals · guest
  • Lothar Heimberg · bass guitar, background vocals · guest
  • Michael Schenker · electric guitar, background vocals · guest

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
US Billboard 200 · 1979180

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

22.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1
ListenBrainz listeners
8.9k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
—
Deezer fans (all editions)

Released the same week

Also released on 17 November

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The best of 1979

All of 1979 →

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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikidata only
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz1979
Wikipedia infoboxNovember 1979
Wikidata17 November 1979
9 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
1979DERCA003362708214original
1984USRCA2083112532698other
1984DERCA035627008221other
1984DE—0035627400629other
1984USRCA078635351620other
1984ZARCA0035627400629other
1989XERCA0035627400629other
21 June 1989JPRCA4988017014394other
24 November 2017USAudio Fidelity780014226626other
Cover art sources

coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1424x1389, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08)

SourceSizeVerdict
coverartarchive ✓1424×1389upscaled: major: best source 1424x1389, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08)
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled