Scorpions – Bad for good: the very best of scorpions, tracklist, overview and contents

General overview

“Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions” is a greatest-hits compilation by Scorpions released in 2002. The editorial goal is to summarize, on a single disc, some of the band’s most representative tracks from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, adding two previously unreleased songs created specifically for this release.

Key facts

• Type: compilation / best of

• Release: May 28, 2002

• Label: Hip-O Records

• Number of tracks: 18

• Recording span (tracks included): 1979–2002

• Total running time: approximately 80 minutes (may vary by edition and platform)

Selection logic

The tracklist emphasizes the “hard rock + power ballad” axis that defined Scorpions’ international prominence, combining:

• highly recognizable radio and arena staples (e.g., “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” “Big City Nights”);

• central ballads and mid-tempo songs within their identity (e.g., “Still Loving You,” “Wind of Change,” “Send Me an Angel”);

• substantial coverage of the “Lovedrive / Animal Magnetism / Blackout / Love at First Sting / Savage Amusement / Crazy World / Face the Heat” cycle.

The set also stands out for the inclusion of a cover (“I Can’t Explain,” originally by The Who) and for the use of versions labeled “single version” for certain tracks, aligning with compilation-oriented listenability.

Tracklist (with source album and duration)

1. Rock You Like a Hurricane (from “Love at First Sting,” 1984) – 4:12

2. Loving You Sunday Morning (from “Lovedrive,” 1979) – 5:36

3. The Zoo (from “Animal Magnetism,” 1980) – 5:28

4. No One Like You (from “Blackout,” 1982) – 3:56

5. Blackout (from “Blackout,” 1982) – 3:47

6. Still Loving You (single version; from “Love at First Sting,” 1984) – 4:48

7. Big City Nights (from “Love at First Sting,” 1984) – 4:08

8. Believe in Love (single version; from “Savage Amusement,” 1988) – 4:04

9. Rhythm of Love (from “Savage Amusement,” 1988) – 3:48

10. I Can’t Explain (The Who cover; from “Best of Rockers ’n’ Ballads,” 1989) – 3:22

11. Wind of Change (from “Crazy World,” 1990) – 5:10

12. Send Me an Angel (from “Crazy World,” 1990) – 4:32

13. Don’t Believe Her (from “Crazy World,” 1990) – 4:54

14. Tease Me Please Me (from “Crazy World,” 1990) – 4:42

15. Hit Between the Eyes (from “Crazy World,” 1990) – 4:31

16. Alien Nation (single version; from “Face the Heat,” 1993) – 5:01

17. Cause I Love You (previously unreleased, 2002) – 3:44

18. Bad for Good (previously unreleased, 2002) – 4:02

The previously unreleased tracks: “Cause I Love You” and “Bad for Good”

The function of the two closing tracks is twofold:

• to add an element of novelty (not limiting the release to “already known” material);

• to connect the compilation to a then-current discographic present, signaling that the band’s catalog is not only “historical,” but still active.

From a practical perspective, the unreleased tracks can also imply differences in performing credits compared with much of the 1980s/early-1990s material, because they involve musicians associated with the band’s 2000s phase (particularly in the rhythm section).

Personnel 

By definition, the compilation captures multiple eras; therefore, the credits include different musicians depending on the tracks (for example, drums and bass vary across the decades). From a listening standpoint, the effect is stylistic continuity with subtle differences in sonic “texture” between historical recordings and the 2002 tracks—especially in drum sound, production approach, and overall mix character.

Commercial performance

Based on publicly available chart data, the compilation is reported to have entered the U.S. Billboard 200, reaching a peak position listed as No. 161 (reference week: June 2002, according to available summaries).

Overall assessment 

As a product, “Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions” fits the “single-disc, long runtime” compilation model designed to:

• attract new listeners through an immediate selection;

• offer fans a recap with a small incentive (the unreleased tracks);

• reinforce the band’s image around the most iconic songs and the most impactful ballads.

It is not an “encyclopedic” collection, but a singles-and-classics-oriented synthesis, heavily weighted toward 1979–1993 and extended briefly into 2002 via the two closing tracks.