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The Very Best of Prince
 
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The Very Best of Prince

Prince
3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (128 customer reviews) More about this product

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The Very Best of Prince + Number Ones + Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller (CD+DVD)
Price For All Three: $37.47

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  • This item: The Very Best of Prince ~ Prince

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  • Number Ones ~ Michael Jackson

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  • Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller (CD+DVD) ~ Michael Jackson

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (July 31, 2001)
  • Original Release Date: July 31, 2001
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Rhino / Wea
  • ASIN: B00005M989
  • In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #886 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #5 in  Music > Alternative Rock > Alternative Styles > Rock > Neo-Psychedelia
    #30 in  Music > R&B > Funk
    #62 in  Music > Dance & Electronic

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. I Wanna Be Your Lover (Single Version) 2:58$0.99 Buy Track
listen  2. 1999 (Edit) 3:38$0.99 Buy Track
listen  3. Little Red Corvette 5:03$0.99 Buy Track
listen  4. When Doves Cry (Edit) 3:48$0.99 Buy Track
listen  5. Let's Go Crazy 4:39$0.99 Buy Track
listen  6. Purple Rain 4:06$0.99 Buy Track
listen  7. I Would Die 4 U 2:58$0.99 Buy Track
listen  8. Raspberry Beret 3:32$0.99 Buy Track
listen  9. Kiss 3:38$0.99 Buy Track
listen10. Sign 'O' The Times (Single Version) 3:42$0.99 Buy Track
listen11. U Got The Look 3:47$0.99 Buy Track
listen12. Alphabet St. 5:39$0.99 Buy Track
listen13. Thieves In The Temple 3:19$0.99 Buy Track
listen14. Gett Off 4:32$0.99 Buy Track
listen15. Cream (W/O Rap Monologue ) 4:11$0.99 Buy Track
listen16. Diamonds And Pearls (Edit) 4:21$0.99 Buy Track
listen17. Money Don't Matter 2 Night 4:47$0.99 Buy Track


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Taken literally, this album's title is sure to cause endless arguments. Nothing from Dirty Mind, not a trace of the early anthem "Controversy," no "Erotic City"--no non-LP cuts at all, save some edited single versions--and a cold shoulder to the criminally out-of-print Gold Experience. Damn. As a compendium of 17 key A-sides from 1979 to 1992, however, The Very Best of Prince is (ahem) a quick-'n'-dirty review of the days when the Artist was, in the estimation of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, one of the weirdest musicians in the Top 10. Blessed with both creative cunning and the wish to reach every listener possible, Prince revitalized rock and soul modes from the sex-crazed ("Little Red Corvette") to the cryptically spiritual ("Purple Rain"). Often he blurred lines between attitudes as surely as he did musical ones; the New Testament image of "Thieves in the Temple" became in his hands a complaint about a stolen girlfriend. Though a fine party artifact, this disc is still likely to prove too scanty even for many casual Prince fans. --Rickey Wright

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Customer Reviews

128 Reviews
5 star:
 (46)
4 star:
 (22)
3 star:
 (17)
2 star:
 (14)
1 star:
 (29)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (128 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Ideal For Casual Fans, March 20, 2003
By G. J Wiener (Westchester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
There seems to be some controversy regarding this one CD compilation. Some die hard Prince fans are offended that the record label released this one CD greatest hits when there were already two and three CD sets previously released on the market. Whereas I can understand these perspectives, I am choosing to evaluate the music on this compilation.

In spite of this CD not being all that comprehensive, I enjoy many of the songs on it. Little Red Corvette and 1999 are super classics as are the songs from Purple Rain. Well, I am not too crazy about I Would Die For U but the other tunes rule. Kiss is a funky soul number and Sign O The Times is kind of cool. Surprise gems are Cream and the hip hop Get Off. Alphabet Street and Thieves In The Temple are a bit to helter skelter for me.

Anyway, this compilation is for those who want a quick fix on Prince and aren't too interested in exploring him much further. Maybe that was the reason for this release in addition to the record company trying to bilk some more cash. Nonetheless, those fans seeking to explore this very creative artist should probably sample his originally released material or at least explore the other more comprehensive compilation sets out on the market.

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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Prince on the Pop Charts 1979-1991, August 2, 2001
By T. C Lane (Marina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The Hits/B Sides covered Prince's last years's on Warner Brothers, but this odd release focuses on 1979-1991 only. The idea is to cover his biggest crossover Pop Top 40 hits. No album cuts and if an album didn't have a Top 40 single (Like Controversy or Dirty Mind) it was skipped. So, while it's missing 4 Top 10's from this period: Batdance, Pop Life, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man and Delirious, all 4 of those are the least played of Prince's Top 10's. As for the inclusion of the Top 30 Money Don't Matter Tonight, well it's a great song that the compilers must have thought deserved a second chance. But at 73 minutes Warner had time to squeeze in the under 3 minute "Delirious", especially considering that the versions of When Doves Cry and 1999 are the single edits. And that's the rub of this whole set. Using single edits (when they had time for the album length versions), no liner notes, no alternate takes and live cuts to entice the Prince collector and cutting off the whole affair in 1991, when The Hits/B Sides didn't, makes for a compilation that can only be recommended for those who are skeptical of Prince and need a reason to take a chance. Nice cover photos, though. For Prince Newbies Only.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Yikes!, August 3, 2001
By Urb n' Spell (Yarmouth Village) - See all my reviews
If this is what record companies think are Prince's "best" no wonder why artists are always holding press conferences, demanding more control of their work. No wonder why most music on the radio seems like it was created on an assembly line. Of course, these are all classic songs, but they're not the BEST. For Time-Warner, they have essentially confined Prince's best to what made them the most money and when he was still with the company. (For example, his independently released single "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" is missing, which was one of his biggest hits ever, a single which reached number 1 even in countries where he never had number 1's before, like Spain. It later appeared on an album released by this company called "The Gold Experience".) What they should have called this is "Some Of Prince's Hit Singles" and not the best of Prince. The best of Prince would probably encompass too many cds to be affordable since he has recorded and released more material than almost anyone. Besides, everyone knows that Prince's "best" is LIVE, where the studio recordings function as a rough blueprint for additional creating and where the songs really come alive and change form. But studio recordings is what this company owns, not live material. (They own the master recordings for all his output with Warner Bros.) This is not a release the artist in question approved of anyway. There have already been two "Hits" cds (sold seperately) released by Warner Bros. which Prince was involved with compiling, as well as a "Hits" 3 cd set which also contains most of his rare b-sides. They have great liner notes written by Alan Leeds, Prince's tour manager from way back, and features material this disc doesn't cover. This is just a quick way for the company to make an extra buck. And the only reason anyone would give it a kinda-sorta favorable review with noncommital critisism is because they have money to make from it when you order it. Don't buy it unless you just like making donations to companies that are in no danger of going out of business any time soon.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, all the very best of Prince
I never realized how much of a Prince fan I was until I was singing along with all of these songs. One great song after another.
Published 3 months ago by B. Davis

5.0 out of 5 stars sooo happy
I am very happy with this cd. I loved Prince back in
the day and this cd reminded me how much. I love amazon.com. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Annmarie Thomas

5.0 out of 5 stars Artistic Genius
Sign of the Times! Definitely before his time in the 80s when he envisioned 1999. Queen of Pop.
ABrooks
Published 7 months ago by A. Brooks

4.0 out of 5 stars The Very Best of Prince......
Prince has had a long and varied career as a musician. Born in 1958 to John and Matti Nelson, his career started in 1977 with the release of his first album "For You". Read more
Published 8 months ago by blackaciddevil

5.0 out of 5 stars Prince all the way
On Friday and Saturday nights, I can not wait for the first beat of sound makes, telling me that one of my favorite artist of all times is about to sing. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Roberta Hotard

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all good!
I agree that Prince has way too many hits to fit onto one CD, but this is a nice collection. Usually there are 1 or 2 songs on a CD that I skip over, but not on this one. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Soda Pop

5.0 out of 5 stars Prince RULES
ALL the "Very Best" are really on this CD. ALL FUNK and no junk. Prince is the rare "jewel" in the crown of my music collection!!!
Published 11 months ago by opinion engine

5.0 out of 5 stars You Can't Really Go Wrong with a Prince Hits Collection
First off, I admit to being a huge, long-time Prince fan. That being said, it's pretty hard to argue that this 'Very Best of' isn't a jammin' collection. Read more
Published 15 months ago by R. Hutchison

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money if you're a true fan of Prince
This compilation cd of hits is despicable. It's not even half the hits that he put out. Me, myself, I was born at during the time of Purple Rain circa 1983. Read more
Published 22 months ago by N. Morris

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Prince
I was never THAT BIG a Prince fan but this certainly is 'good Prince' if that's what you're after. I think it hits all his major work.
Published 23 months ago by L. Lemanski

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