Disco de Prince: “Ultimate”

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.

This "Ultimate" collection simply doesn't do justice to the vast wealth of material available from one of the absolute best music artists of the last fifty years. Flawed for not only what it includes ( the painfully dated "Kiss" and "Cream" remixes, when the originals would do ) but also for what it doesn't ( superior singles like "Mountains" and essential tracks like "Erotic City" and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World".)Better than this two disc set of semi-rare remixes and single edits, the Prince back catalogue would be much better served by a complete overhaul. Imagine how good it would be to have remastered versions of classic Prince albums, each with a bonus disc of remixes and b-sides. Or better yet, how about a box set? "The Singles" set is woefully outdated, and there is so much more to Prince than the singles he releases anyway. But because Warner Brothers won't do the obvious and give Prince fans what they really want ( and indeed what this man really deserves ) this kind of thing is what we have to settle for.

Disc 1 consists of versions availiable on other compilations. Disc 2 is the real jem. All tracks on disc 2 are extended versions or remixes. "She's always in my hair", Let's Work" (so obscure, some may have never heard it before now, but is essential.) "Pop Life", "U got the look" are all great to FINALLY have released. All other tracks on disc 2 are great as well. Most compilations are incomplete, that applies to this one. These are some glaring ommisions:

1. Housequake (Seven Minutes Mo Quake)

2. America (The FULL 21:46 version)

3. I Wish U Heaven (10 Minutes and something )

4. Mountains

5. God (Instrumental Version)

6. Another Lonely Christmas

7. Girl

8. La, La, La, Hee, Hee, Heee (10:32)

9. Batdance (The Vikki Vale Mix)

10.Partyman

Edits just don't cut it for any compilation. Cutting any full length song for the sake of time or cost does these packages an injustice. Half versions of song's belong on the radio. Having said that, good job on Disc 2. Hopefully we can hear the tracks listed above in the near future.

Before all the negative votes start piling up, let it be known that I come to praise Prince, not to bury him.

While I am perfectly happy to have a lot of these songs on one disc, I am also disappointed that a few songs are missing. Add to that I really don't care about "rare dance mixes" (yawnnnnnnn), then I am the rare listener to have issues with the second disc. I would have been much happier with "Kiss," "Pop Life" and "Raspberry Beret" in their album versions, instead we are forced to listen to dopey raps and cornball dialogue. Hardly the stuff of genius, even if I believe Prince to be one.

I am also perfectly happy to get a single disc with the cream of doff albums like "Parade" or "LoveSexy." Prince had his run of unbeatabilty that lasted up to "Purple Rain." But after that, even for a boy-wonder, things got spotty. That said, I do wish the "Batman" stuff was here, and maybe he'd have switched "Nothing Compares 2U" with "AnotherLoverHoleInYourHead." These being my personal quibbles, of course.

Prince was the soul machine of the 80's...an unstoppable force of nature that packed dancefloors all while charting his own course. He took risks and made them pay off (or not, if you think about the "Under The Cherry Moon" movie). But he played guitar like a Hendrix and funked like James Brown with an admitted Joni Mitchell fixation. What is not to love? The three star rating is for the clumsily compiled songs here, not for the merit of the music.

Now when are we getting the classic albums remastered?

QUESTION:

How are you going to make the claim of creating "THE ULTIMATE"

Prince collection and not include the extended dance mixes of

"Erotic City" (1984), "Head" (1980), "Sexy Dancer" (1979) or

"Party Up" (1980)???

And they do exist too, because I had every one on 12" back in the day!

Not to mention true Prince fan jams like: "The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker",

"If I Was Your Girlfreind" and "Strange Relationship" (All 1987),

"Anothaloverholenyohead" (Extended Version--1986), "Ana-stesia" (1988)

"Lady Cab Driver", "A-U-T-O-matic" and "Irresistible Bitch" (all 1982)

"Party Man" & "Bat-Dance" (both 1989) or even his first hit....

the sizzling "Soft & Wet" (1978).

ULTIMATE PRINCE??--I think not!

When you let 20-ish music executives and studio interns who

weren't even around when most of this music was relevant and

current make the decisions about what exactly is an

"ULTIMATE PRINCE" collective, then what do you expect?

This is a cursory comp with a few good rare ditties that

they haven't included on any of the other mediocore comps!

The 3-Disc "Prince: Greatest Hits & B-Sides", released in

the early '90's was pretty comprehensive, but still lacking

in many ways as well.

I give this comp 3 stars and say that if you're a

youngster just getting into Prince and what impact

his music made on the 80's and early 90's,

then, by all means, this is one to buy!