the Hits/B-Sides (Prince)

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The Hits/The B-Sides is a 1993 (and the first) greatest hits compilation album by Prince. It is a comprehensive 3-disc set with a great many of his hit single and fan favorites. Four new tracks - "Pink Cashmere", "Peach", "Pope", and "Power Fantastic" - are also included.

Disc one and two were released separately, under the titles The Hits 1 and The Hits 2, but the B-Sides disc could only be obtained by purchasing the full set. Fans sometimes complain that most of the songs (A-sides and B-sides) on The Hits/The B-Sides are represented in their single (edited) forms, but this was necessary given time constraints and the nature of a greatest-hits collection. Exceptions to this were "Alphabet St.", "Little Red Corvette" and "Purple Rain". This was also the first time the single version of "Kiss" was available on CD.

Among the previously unreleased material was the rare live version of "4 the Tears In Your Eyes", only previously available in a TV broadcast for the Live Aid concerts. Also included was a live version of "Nothing Compares 2 U", recorded on tour with the New Power Generation. The other 4 new tracks were outtakes. The oldest track was "Power Fantastic", a moody ballad once considered for the Dream Factory project of 1986. Another ballad, "Pink Cashmere" was broadcast before some of the Lovesexy Tours, dating it back to 1988. "Peach" and "Pope" were more recent and both were played live during some 1993 aftershows. "Pope" was actually in the short-lived musical ballet, Glam Slam Ulysses, which also spawned several songs later released on Come and The Gold Experience. Live jams of "Peach" often extended into the title track for Chaos and Disorder.

William's Comments

I have been a Prince fan for almost as long as I have listened to music. I still have most of his early stuff on vinyl. That's right...vinyl, real records baby.

The Hits/The B-Sides was a fantastic for me when it came out, because while I have records...I have no record player. (Mine fell to it's death during a move in college.) So, I when this compilation was released - I was able to hear all these great B-sides again...and some had never been released before.

But alas...in the late 1990's tragedy again struck my music world, when the fantastic CD set came up missing. I was crushed. But recently I was able to acquire it again...in digital form. And all is harmonious again.

Make sure to scroll all the way down and listen to some of the b-sides...they are raw and purely Prince.