Customer Reviews

The Hits 2

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I need to write a report for my history class. Unfortunately I can't do that because I'm listening to Prince (or the Artist as he is and should be called now). The Hits Vol.2 is an incredible collection of songs, even better than Vol. 1. The Artist is a genius, my favorite musician after Jimi Hendrix. I can only say that if you buy this album, be prepared to be blown away by every single track. My favorites (right now) are Controversy, I Wanna Be Your Lover, Head, Little Red Corvette, Rasberry Beret, Peach, and Cream, but that will change by tomorrow. Every single track is a funky little masterpiece. If you're not familiar with the Artist, buy this album. I should probably go work now.

Even though "The Hits 2" is just one-third of the set "The Hits/The B-Sides," this single disc compilation has enough brilliant material to stand entirely on its own. It's a freaky ride through the darker side of Prince's music during the Warner Brothers years, and at least half of these singles have "masterpiece" written all over them. Groundbreaking tracks like the eyebrow-raising "Head," the flawless "Kiss," and "Little Red Corvette" (one of the great American rock singles) show that Prince was one of the most vital musicians of the 1980s. Not only was he prolific (he released one album every calendar year), but he's the only artist in the 1980s to release FOUR classic albums in one decade: "Dirty Mind," "1999," "Purple Rain," and "Sign O the Times." Madonna couldn't do it. Neither could Bruce Springsteen. Michael Jackson came close, but still no cigar. Even Prince's "lesser" singles like "Sexy M.F." and "Cream" had more to offer than much of Top 40 radio. Of course, diehard fans are strongly recommended to get his 3 disc set that has a slew of his b-sides, but first-time listeners can't go wrong with picking this one up.

This may not be overall as good as the 17 track "Very Best Of Prince", but between this and "The Hits 1", this is the better of the two. It's alot sexier anyway. Every song is good, but you can't live without "Controversy", "Kiss", "Delirious", "Cream", and "Purple Rain". Again, every song is excellent. If nothing else, this includes "U Got The Look", with the classic lyrics "Your face is jammin', your body's hecka-slammin', if love is good, let's get to rammin'". Essential.

This is THE HITS 2, released as an individual disc for fans who didn't want to shell out the extra money to buy the 3 CD set which also included a b-sides disc. This is a great buy for casual fans who want a general overview of Prince's music. Hopefully after hearing it, you'll want to look into his other great albums!

The disc contains 16 of his hits, and 2 new songs. The songs are illogically sequenced, in no real special order from release of the singles (which would have made it more coherent). The new tracks, "Pope" and "Peach", don't really fit with the other songs, or the other new songs from HITS 1, but they are great songs nonetheless.

Some highlights among the set include "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "Raspberry Beret", "I Would Die 4 U", "Controversy", "Dirty Mind", "Little Red Corvette", "Kiss", and of course "Purple Rain". Other hits on the set include "Delirious", "Do Me, Baby", "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Cream", "Gett Off", "U Got The Look", "Sexy M.F.", and more.

THE HITS 2 is a stronger collection as whole than THE HITS 1, but if you buy this one, it goes without saying that THE HITS 1 is also a must buy.

if you're curious about prince buy this album. this is one of the best greatest hits packages i can remember, and easily supercedes 'hits 1'.

every track is awesome and the songs perfectly groove into one another. it contains the best prince tracks ever (controversy, dirty mind, i wanna be your lover, little red corvete, rasperry beret, get off, sexy m.f, pope and purple rain) and reminds you just how important this guy is.

a must for any soul, funk or dance fan. this is pretty damn incredible stuff

In 1993 Prince released a 3 CD set, called The Hits/The Bsides. Fans who wanted the bsides bought that collection, because that was the only way to get a hold of that cd. As well he also released the first two discs, The Hits 1 and 2 as separate discs. This one is The Hits 2, my favorite of the two. This one features hits ranging from his early hits to his early 90's hits. The grooves are undeniable, irresistable. No one can do a song like this, he was revolutionary because this music was new and exciting, no one else had ever created music like this. My favorites on here include Controversy, Diry Mind, I Wanna Be Your Lover, I Would Die 4 U, Raspberry Beret, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Kiss, and Purple Rain. This is a must have for fans of R&B/soul/funk/urban music. This is a great cd to start your Prince collection with if you are a new fan. Essential recording.

This hits collection provides an eclectic mix of Prince tunes, mostly of the sexier, darker, and more soulful variety. We get a peek into Prince's mega-hit Purple Rain with "I Would Die 4 U" and an extended version of the title track. There are also some lighter pop hits ("Little Red Corvette" and "Raspberry Beret") as well as the later chart topper, "Cream." Finally, the compilation includes a few lesser known hits such as "Controversy" and "Delirious" plus a number of songs which never saw any radio play. For die-hard Prince fans, this collection is a must-have, but more casual fans may struggle to recognize many of the songs here.

While I found "The Hits 1" to be fairly bland and tedious, "The Hits 2" is more palatable. The lyrics to "Controversy" set the stage to let you know this is no ordinary pop performer, traversing gender, race and decorum barriers over the course of the CD. "Am I black or white / Am I straight or gay?" indicate the man (?) has had some serious fun challenging precepts and provoking minds. Unfortunately, his music has not always been up to that task. "Controversy," "Head" and "Delirious" are memorable enough, but ostensible "hits," such as "Dirty Mind," "Do Me Baby" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover," are pedestrian at best. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" is a throw back to 1960's Motown and is rather good, though instead of Mary Wells or the Chiffons singing this love song to a would-be boyfriend, we get Prince in his usual falsetto. Bizarre. Anyway, highlights are too numerous to mention, though standouts for me are "Peach" and "Sexy M.F." This CD is not for children.

Prince ,for better or worse, is simply the most talented and eccentric pop icon of the last 25 years.I have had the delight of purchasing the Hits/B Sides box set recently,which should appeal to just about everybody who has ever danced, sung, or had any form of sexual fantasy that involved someone of the opposite sex ,or the same sex for that matter...why?What does Prince,or the Artist,or the former Love Symbol,or whatever produce that captures the imagination and the feel of a time?? This Hits 2 collection appeals on a personal and a general level.It is smooth funky melodic tight and danceable as well as being over the top sexually self obsessive and simply the most memorable collection of songs you will ever purchase.The lyrics are interesting to say the least,and leave the Blood Hound Gang gasping,and *Purple Rain* ,in my humble opinion is as memorable as anything produced by the Beatles,Jimi Hendrix,or whoever.

I would recommend you purchase this for the following songs alone,all defining moments in modern R&B,dance,pop and popular culture,*Little Red Corvette*,Rasberry Beret*,*Kiss* and *Purple Rain*.Prince sings and plays like no other,he delivers an infectious beat and redefined the terms funky and *bad*.His genius is erratic throughout his CD releases and he is self indulgent,which thankfully has been edited here ,to produce an excellent collection of his produced catalogue.I personally believe this is superior to *Hits1*,but that may be splitting hairs somewhat.

Prince was never afraid to say what he felt and had the talent to carry it out on record.He plays produces parades and pouts his way through the social fabric of the 80s like no other.He is an icon,and should be accorded that recognition.Every song on here will hold a memory for someone and it is simply A Grade pop from lyric to production.I would recommend that you purchase the box set,but once you sample this buy at least *Hits1*.For those who find songs like *Do Me Baby*,*SExy MF* and *GettOff* a little excessive jump the track,or live a little,there is certainly enough on here to satisfy you so that you think the money was well spent.Prince continues to produce but as he matures he is erratic but still captures brilliance on CD like no other.Unashamedly 5 stars,which is unusual for me..but what real characters exist out there anymore,and who hasnt Prince influenced in one way or the other???...he is a one off.

I think it's interesting how Prince's two "Hits" albums are laid out. You know, the first presents you with the lyrically accessible material, and the second is just loaded with the things that make Prince such a controversial artist. There's the obvious hypersexualized Prince - song titles such as "Do Me, Baby", "Cream", "Gett Off", "Dirty Mind", "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Head" and so forth should speak for themselves, plus "Little Red Corvette", "Delirious", and "Peach" are heavily, erm... metaphorical experiences. Hell, I'm surprised they didn't throw in "Darling Nikki" just for fun. But it also presents some of Prince's more Messianic material - "Purple Rain", "I Would Die 4 U". And, of course, you've got "Controversy", which addresses Prince's oft-question sexual orientation (not like it's anyone's business in the first place - besides, who gives a crap? It's the music that matters). "If I Was Your Girlfriend" is a whole different beast altogether, featuring Prince completely flipping gender roles on more than one occasion.
Now, here's the cool thing about Prince - he NEVER tried to carry a song on edgy lyrical content alone. Every one of these songs has a hook, a melody, a groove, and whatnot to stand on. So rather than just come off as a pervert, he comes off as an extremely talented pervert, which he is - all the discussion about his image and iconic status have blocked his merits as a singer, composer, and guitarist. That is just too bad.
Like the last "hits" album every tune here is fantastic. My favorites are the ones I discussed above - especially "Little Red Corvette" and "Purple Rain", though I've also got a soft spot for "Raspberry Beret". It's got a lot from Dirty Mind, one of my favorite Prince albums, and contains two of his best ballads, "Do Me Baby" (though sadly presented in edited form) and "Purple Rain".
My biggest problem with this is there are too many single edits - much like the first volume of Hits. "Controversy" is gutted, sadly; "I Wanna Be Your Lover" is one of those songs you need to hear in full; "Do Me, Baby", "Delirious", "Kiss" (TOTAL classic there), and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" also have amazing full versions. At least "Purple Rain" was untouched, because if they cut that one short I'd flip out. And wasn't "U Got the Look" a big hit? Because it missed the boat entirely.
It's true that neither of the "Hits" albums show off Prince's diversity, instead offering his funkiest hits - to quote Miles Davis, "Prince can certainly stretch", and you need to hear an album like Emancipation (my favorite Prince disc), Sign O' the Times (not one of my favorites but very diverse), Around the World in a Day, 1999, Controversy or Purple Rain to get the full idea of what Prince can do. But hey, the two "Hits" albums are a nice way to start your Prince collection, and that's all that counts. I'd also steer you towards Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and (for those looking for Prince at his most eccentric) the three-disc blowout Emancipation, a wonderful mix of ego, ambition, and a whole lotta music. I could go on about how this is missing a bunch of obscure Prince songs that I love - "Gotta Broken Heart Again", "Sexuality", "The Beautiful Ones" (arguably his best song, vying for that spot with "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man", "Little Red Corvette" and "Purple Rain"), "Temptation", "Paisley Park", "Play in the Sunshine", "3 Chains o'Gold", about half of Emancipation and so on and so forth, but what would be the good? That would take away further incentive to buy the original albums, which are amazing.