The Very Best Of (2001)
1. I Wanna Be Your Lover
2. 1999
3. Little Red Corvette
4. When Doves Cry
5. Let's Go Crazy
6. Purple Rain
7. I Would Die For U
8. Raspberry Beret
9. Kiss
10.Sign 'O' the Times
11.U Got the Look
12.Alphabet Street
13.Thieves in the Temple
14.Gett Off
15.Cream
16.Diamonds and Pearls
17.Money Don't Matter 2 Night
Not quite perfect, but about as close as you're going to get when you’re restricted to a single disc. With an artist like Prince, who had such a ridiculously deep and impressive catalog, it’s always a challenge trying to condense the essentials into 70 minutes or so. Still, they give it a pretty good shot here.
If you're looking for a more thorough overview, you'd probably be better off picking up the Hits collections that came out back in 1993. Between the two volumes (and the additional B-sides disc), you get a much clearer picture of what Prince could really do. But if one disc is all you're after, this isn’t a bad summary of the high points.
Curiously, there’s nothing here recorded after 1993. That might raise an eyebrow or two, but it’s not really a huge oversight. By that point, Prince’s output had become a bit more hit-or-miss, so the bulk of what fans really want is already represented here. You don’t really walk away from this one feeling shortchanged.
One thing that works in its favor is the sequencing. Everything is laid out in chronological order, which makes for a nice little stroll through Prince’s evolution—from his early flirtations with pop and funk all the way to the commercial juggernaut he became in the mid-to-late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
All in all, not a bad place to start. But once you get a taste, don’t be surprised if you find yourself needing a lot more.
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