Ultimate Prince [Original recording remastered]

Prince | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B000E6EHI6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,153 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #21 in Music > R&B > Funk > General
  • #27 in Music > Dance & DJ > Electronica

Editorial Reviews

The artist who will forever be known as Prince-and could fittingly be known as "The Artist"-is one of the most brilliant, versatile and influential musical forces of his, or any, time. Prince took R&B and regally marched it into genre-blurring horizons previously unknown, fusing rock, funk, soul, psychedelia, pop, and singer-songwriter aesthetics into a sound that was mind-bending and booty-shaking. Sensual, literate, explosive, and groundbreaking, his artistry never stopped evolving and the hits and acclaim never stopped coming. His adventurous reinventions, bold experimentation, stellar instrumental and composing skills and genius for showmanship have placed him high in the pantheon of all-time superstars. "Unique" doesn't begin to describe his royal powers, showcased herein on the first-ever two-disc compilation of his masterful Warner Bros. years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The extended versions on Disc 2 are worth the money., August 23, 2006

By 

K. Eisenberger "dance music freak!" (Defiance, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Prince (Audio CD)

The double cd is finally out and for the Prince dance freaks that this cd is a major buy. There have been so many Prince collections out with Single mixes that for a collection to finally put out what was either on vinyl in the 80's or German cd singles is something good. The first disc should have been longer extended versions of his hits as well. A lot of his great dance cuts are not on here and that is bad-- No "Erotic City", "Housequake", "Anotherloverholeinyohead" and espcially "Batdance" are not here. BUT you get the mega rare "Let's Work" and to say that I finally own this track after being 11 years old and my mother not allowing me to buy it is beyond words. "Let's Work" is very rare and the original 12" is worth between 100-300 bucks .

Disc 1:
1- I Wanna Be Your Lover (Single-2:57)
2- Uptown (4:09)
3- Controversy (LP 7:15)
4- 1999 (Single 3:37)
5- Delerious (2:38)
6- When Doves Cry (Edit 3:47)
7- I Would Die 4 U (2:56)
8- Purple Rain (LP 8:40)
9- Sign O The Times (Edit 3:42)
10- I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (3:39)
11- Alphabet St. (LP 5:38)
12- Diamonds And Pearls (4:19)
13- Gett Off (4:31)
14- Money Doesn't Matter 2 Night (4:47)
15- 7 (5:08)
16- Nothing Compares 2 U (LIVE 4:57)
17- My Name Is Prince (4:03)

Disc 2:
1- Let's Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix- 7:36) number 1 dance.
2- Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix- 8:22) number 61 dance track.
3- Let's Work (Dance Remix- 8:02)-- number one along with "Controversy" for 6 weeks in 1981. Very very rare version.
4- Pop Life (Fresh Dance Mix-6:18)- Mixed by Sheila E and reached number 5 dance in 1985.
5- She's Always In My Hair (12" version 6:31)- B-side of "Rapsberry Beret"
6- Raspberry Beret (12" Version- 6:34) reached number 4 dance in 1985.
7- Kiss (Extended-7:16)- number one dance in 1986 but a very odd extended version!!!
8- U Got The Look (Long Look - 6:40) Sheena Easton and Prince at their best. Oddly never hit the dance charts.
9- Hot Thing (Extended Version- 8:30)- the b-side to the "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" 12" single. "Hot Thing" reached number 4 dance in 1988.
10- Thieves In The Temple (Remix-8:08)- Not the Junior Vasquez house mix but the Prince remix that recahed number 9 club and number one sales in 1990. From Graffiti Bridge soundtrack.
11- Cream (NPG Mix- 4:50)Huge pop and sales track from 1991. His last number one pop hit.

So buy it for the dance remixes or the single versions but until the actual Prince 4-5 cd box set comes out or Warner reiussues his Lps on remastered cds this is the best sounding Prince collection of dance hits out. A++++ for "Let's Work".

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where did the 12" of "Erotic City" go?, August 22, 2006

By 

Jason W. Bellenger (Byron Center, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Prince (Audio CD)

I wish Warner Bros. had stuck to the original 29-track listing instead of the revised one that went to the presses. The other reviewers are right. Amazon has the wrong tracklisting (the original), so if you think you are getting "Erotic City (12" Version)" you won't find it here, unfortunately! Apparently, it seems that the label wanted to throw all the 12" versions on the second disc and keep the original shorter versions, including 7" edits, on disc one. Both discs clock in close to 80 minutes each, so there's no room for any more tracks, unless of course a few more 7" edits were used on disc one or a track or two were removed. I'm not sure why we got edits of many of the tracks on disc one coupled with the full-length versions of "Purple Rain" and "Controversy".

Prince simply has too many chart hits to fill two discs. I love the idea of including 12" versions of the many hits. It's the first time I've heard many of these extended cuts. However, we still are missing the #1 single "Batdance" and the gold-selling "Partyman" from 'Batman'. I imagine that the idea was to offer fans a new Prince compilation to follow up the 2001 'The Very Best Of' release. By including the rare 12" versions many fans would be drawn in to picking up yet another Prince hits collection.

Despite the complaints the remastering easily makes up for it's faults. These songs are punchy, crisp, and full! From the soaring highs of "Let's Go Crazy" to the punchy drums of "Little Red Corvette" this is the ultimate Prince collection to own for the remastering. Originally, I was going to give this compilation a 5-star review based on the stunning sound alone. But by removing the 12" of "Erotic City" and only focusing on the Warner '79 - '93 era, instead of branching out into his mid/late-90's Warner cuts, I've decided to give it a generous 4 stars.

Perhaps including the original single versions of all cuts would have allowed his other charting singles, including those I listed above. I think the 12" versions should have been saved for a box set release or for possible album remasters. Placing them next to original edit and single versions just doesn't make sense here. Nonetheless, it's still a solid compilation all around.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another hits collection - but some nice mixes, August 22, 2006

By 

PSBChris (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Prince (Audio CD)

This seems to be a re-release of the single disc hits collection released a few years ago, and "THE HIT/B-SIDES" several years ago. However, there are some nice remixes included with this offering. Amazon has the tracks listed on this CD incorrectly. The correct tracklisting is:
Disc 1
1. I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER (SINGLE VERSION)
2. UPTOWN (SINGLE VERSION)
3. CONTROVERY
4. 1999 (SINGLE VERSION)
5. DELIRIOUS (SINGLE VERSION)
6. WHEN DOVES CRY (SINGLE VERSION)
7. I WOULD DIE 4 U
8. PURPLE RAIN
9. SIGN "O" THE TIMES (SINGLE VERSION)
10. I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN (SINGLE VERSION)
11. ALPHABET ST.
12. DIAMONDS AND PEARLS (SINGLE VERSION)
13. GETT OFF
14. MONEY DON'T MATTER 2 NIGHT
15. 7
16. NOTHING COMPARES 2 U
17. MY NAME IS PRINCE (SINGLE VERSION)

Disc 2
1. LET'S GO CRAZY (SPECIAL DANCE MIX)
2. LITTLE RED CORVETTE (DANCE REMIX)
3. LET'S WORK (DANCE REMIX)
4. POP LIFE (FRESH DANCE MIX)
5. SHE'S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR (12" VERSION)
6. RASPBERRY BERET (12" VERSION)
7. KISS (EXTENDED VERSION)
8. U GOT THE LOOK (LONG LOOK)
9. HOT THING (EXTENDED REMIX)
10. THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE (REMIX)
11. CREAM (N.P.G. MIX)