Ultimate Prince

Last updated

Ultimate Prince
Ultimate Prince.jpg
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedAugust 22, 2006
Recorded1979–1992
Genre
Length156:20
Label Warner Bros., Rhino
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
3121
(2006)
Ultimate Prince
(2006)
Planet Earth
(2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Pitchfork 8.6/10 [2]

Ultimate Prince is a greatest hits album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 22, 2006, by Warner Bros. Records. The two-disc set contains a disc of some previously released hits (some in single edit form; only "My Name Is Prince" had not been on a previous hits collection), and another of extended remixes of hits and a B-side, most of which had only been previously released as 12-inch singles.

Contents

Release date controversy

The album was originally slated to be released in North America on March 14, 2006, but was canceled just days before its release. This is likely due to Prince not wanting competition with his new 3121 , scheduled to be released only one week later. However, promo copies of the album had already been sent to some retailers and were sold before the album's recall. A second release date of May 22 was proposed, but was again canceled and the album's future was unknown for a time. Three months later, it was officially released on August 22, 2006, to generally positive reviews. [3]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200 the week of September 9, 2006; the next week it dropped to number one hundred twenty-three. [4] [5] It remained on the chart for sixteen weeks. [6]

The week following Prince's death the album sold 40,000 units and hit a new peak of four on the Billboard 200 during the week of May 14, 2016; it was the first time that Ultimate rose into the top 10 of the chart. [7]

In the United Kingdom the album opened at number 24 on September 2, 2006; the next week, it fell to number 29 and left the chart three weeks later. [8] Almost one year later, it re-entered at number 6 during the week of August 11, 2007. [8] The week following Prince's death, the album re-entered on the chart at number 10 and the next week; on May 5, 2016, it reached and peaked at number three. [8] Ultimate remained on the UK Albums Chart for twenty seven weeks. [8] It was certified platinum by the BPI on January 24, 2014, denoting shipments of 300,000 units. [9]

Track listing

Disc one: The Hits
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."I Wanna Be Your Lover" (single edit) Prince (1979)2:57
2."Uptown" (single edit) Dirty Mind (1980)4:11
3."Controversy" Controversy (1981)7:16
4."1999" (single edit; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 1999 (1982)3:38
5."Delirious" (edit; performed by Prince & the Revolution)19992:40
6."When Doves Cry" (single version) Purple Rain (1984)3:47
7."I Would Die 4 U" (single version; performed by Prince & the Revolution)Purple Rain2:58
8."Purple Rain" (performed by Prince & the Revolution)Purple Rain8:41
9."Sign o' the Times" (single edit) Sign o' the Times (1987)3:42
10."I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" (edit)Sign o' the Times3:41
11."Alphabet St." Lovesexy (1988)5:38
12."Diamonds and Pearls" (edit; performed by Prince & the New Power Generation) Diamonds and Pearls (1991)4:20
13."Gett Off" (performed by Prince & the New Power Generation)Diamonds and Pearls4:31
14."Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (performed by Prince & the New Power Generation)Diamonds and Pearls4:47
15."7" (single version; performed by Prince & the New Power Generation) Love Symbol Album (1992)5:08
16."Nothing Compares 2 U" (live; with Rosie Gaines) The Hits/The B-Sides (1993); originally performed by The Family 5:04
17."My Name Is Prince" (single version; performed by Prince & the New Power Generation)Love Symbol Album4:04
Disc two: The Remixes
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Let's Go Crazy" (special dance mix; performed by Prince & the Revolution)Purple Rain7:36
2."Little Red Corvette" (dance mix)19998:27
3."Let's Work" (dance remix)Controversy8:06
4."Pop Life" (Fresh Dance Mix; performed by Prince & the Revolution) Around the World in a Day (1985)6:18
5."She's Always in My Hair" (12" version; performed by Prince & the Revolution)"Raspberry Beret" single (1985)6:32
6."Raspberry Beret" (extended 12" version; performed by Prince & the Revolution)Around the World in a Day6:34
7."Kiss" (extended version; performed by Prince & the Revolution) Parade (1986)7:17
8."U Got the Look" (Long Look)Sign o' the Times6:43
9."Hot Thing" (extended remix)Sign o' the Times8:31
10."Thieves in the Temple" (remix) Graffiti Bridge (1990)8:08
11."Cream" (N.P.G. Mix Edit; performed by Prince & the New Power Generation)Diamonds and Pearls4:52

Personnel

Adapted from the AllMusic credits. [10]

Promo versions

A two disc promo version of Ultimate Prince was sent to radio stations and record stores in Spring 2006. This version has a different track listing from the official release. The promo features a few songs not on the official release, though it excludes the "Let's Work" remix. The promo also presents the songs in rough chronological order as opposed to separating out the remixes. The two disc version is speculated to be the first track listing; Prince later changed the track listing to remove some of the explicit language.

Two disc promo

Disc one
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Purple Medley" (performed by The Artist Formerly Known As Prince)non-album single (1995)11:04
2."I Wanna Be Your Lover" (single edit) 2:57
3."Uptown" (edit) 4:11
4."Controversy" (LP version) 7:15
5."1999" (edit; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 3:38
6."Little Red Corvette" (Dance Remix; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 8:22
7."Irresistible Bitch" (performed by Prince & the Revolution)B-side to "Let's Pretend We're Married" (1983)4:11
8."Let's Go Crazy" (Special Dance Mix; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 7:35
9."Erotic City" (12" version)B-side to "Let's Go Crazy" (1984)7:22
10."I Would Die 4 U" (single version; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 2:57
11."When Doves Cry" (edit) 3:47
12."Purple Rain" (performed by Prince & the Revolution) 8:41
13."Pop Life" (Fresh Dance Mix; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 6:18
14."She's Always in My Hair" (12" version; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 6:32
15."Raspberry Beret" (12" version; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 6:32
Disc two
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Kiss" (extended version; performed by Prince & the Revolution) 7:15
2."Sign "O" the Times" (single edit) 3:42
3."U Got the Look" (Long Look) 6:43
4."I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" (edit) 3:41
5."Hot Thing" (extended remix) 8:33
6."Alphabet St." 5:39
7."Thieves in the Temple" (remix) 8:08
8."Diamonds and Pearls" (edit; performed by Prince & The New Power Generation) 4:20
9."Gett Off" (performed by Prince & The New Power Generation) 4:31
10."Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (performed by Prince & the New Power Generation) 4:48
11."Cream" (N.P.G. Mix Edit; performed by Prince & the New Power Generation) 4:51
12."7" (acoustic version)B-side to "7" (1992)3:54
13."Sexy Mutha" (clean remix of "Sexy M.F."; performed by Prince & the New Power Generation)B-side to "My Name Is Prince" (1992)3:55
14."Nothing Compares 2 U" (live; performed with Rosie Gaines) 5:04
15."My Name is Prince" (single version; performed by Prince & the New Power Generation) 4:03

In-house promo sampler

  1. "Purple Medley"
  2. "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
  3. "Little Red Corvette" (Dance Mix)
  4. "Let's Go Crazy" (Special Dance Mix)
  5. "Erotic City" (12" Version)
  6. "Kiss" (Extended Version)
  7. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
  8. "Cream"

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Ultimate Prince
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [34] Platinum20,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [35] Platinum15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [9] Platinum300,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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