It took the morality police a few days after the Super Bowl to catch back up with Prince. I guess he has been operating too far under the radar for the MP's to remember that back in the day he was one of their biggest targets.

But even the younger MP's have to recall that Prince became a music icon back in the 1980s, when neo-conservatism ran amuck through art. Prince had the courage to push back and this classic set shows his genius as hit after hit after hit - and a few surprises - are showcased in the 56 tracks.

The third disc of B-sides is full of rare songs that make the box set well worth the price. Not only is Prince a prolific artist, he made the singles a must for fans who wanted material not found on albums. Many of the cuts show Prince's wry sense of humor. My favorites include 200 Balloons, Shockadelica, How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore and Another Lonely Christmas.

Pop Life is my favorite song, but discs one and two deliver elegance - Nothing Compares 2 U - collaborations, Alphabet St (with Sheila E) and If I was Your Girlfriend (with Camille) & cuts that may have gotten lost in the wealth of output - Thieves In The Temple and Pope.

He dominated the music industry like few artists. And it looks like Prince and his guitar are ready again to shake things up and get the MP's all hot & bothered.

Maybe for next year's big game the NFL will play it safe and dust off ancient stadium rockers ZZ Top, with the hope that the 8-track tape they'll be lip-syncing to won't snap in the equally antique machine.

Prince is a musical genius.
2 words...BUY IT. You will not regret this purchase.

This set collects two discs of Prince's greatest hits, plus a bonus disc of "b-sides" which were previously unavailable on album. The hits speak for themselves; "When Doves Cry", "Kiss", "1999", "Little Red Corvette", etc. But what's really interesting to Prince fans is the "b-sides" disc. These songs were previously hard to find (unless you owned his original singles), and it's great to have them all on one disc. Some of these songs are as good as his hits. The disc even includes my personal favorite Prince song, "Erotic City". So, even if you already own all of Prince's albums, this collection is worth getting for the "b-sides" disc.

This is a fine collection of pop music by an important artist. A number of songs fade out early which is jarring if you're used to the album cuts. Hence, only 3 stars.

After purchasing the 3121 album, i was jonesing for some old Prince, i had some of the major hits already i've downloaded throughout the years, but wanted more. After doing a little research, everything i wanted, was in one set...the hits/b-sides! Im not even a huge Prince fan, just like some of his stuff, but i have to say, after paying this 3 disc set, WOW, this man could be a genius! Not only does it have all the hits i wanted, and have grown to love, the b sides cd is just as good! My surprise hit...Another Lonely Christmas! I love that song!!
I'm a fan of music, and in this 3 disc set, is the best collection of music and songs anyone could ask for. Prince is the man, plain and simple! If you don't think so...go buy this album, and see for yourself!!

There's so much quality collected here, I have to give it 5 stars.

A few years ago, I was in a record store, and I saw the Hits 1 and 2. I liked more songs from Hits 2, so I picked that one and bought it. I loved the music so much that I went back and bought Hits 1. This started me on a Prince whirlwind. I proceeded to buy the Batman Sdtrk, Parade, Purple Rain, Girl 6 Sdtrk, Sign O' The Times, For You and Prince. Then I find out that the Hits 1 & 2 were apart of a 3 cd box set, but the 3rd cd isn't sold separately. Isn't that a blip? I want the disc of B/sides, but I don't want to pay for the Hits 1 and 2 again. It would be double-dipping.

Like I said, Hits 2 is a better album than Hits 1, but Hits 1 is still stellar.

Some songs shouldn't be on here: Cream, Pope, Peach. These 3 songs are horrible in my honest opinion. A couple of his hits are objectionable to me as well: Delirious and Dirty Mind. The former being the corniest sounding song from him I've ever heard; and Dirty Mind is simply mediocre. Cream, Pope, and Peach should have been replaced with 3 of the tracks from the Batman album: Scandalous, Batdance, and Partyman.

The great thing about this collection is that it turns you on to much of his music that is missing. A desire is raised to listen to his album tracks and the extended versions of the edited cuts. But Prince's albums haven't been remastered. I will admit that all of the albums I bought from him sound good, except Sign. Obviously they transferred that LP to CD at a much lower volume and sound quality than the aforementioned albums. And it irritates me. Anytime I feel like listening to my fave Prince song in full length (If I Was Your Girlfriend), or any song from Sign, I have to turn the volume up really high.

Prince is one of the biggest and most important artists ever, yet no remastering. You have artists who came out 10 years ago getting remastered, but not Prince. If the sound quality of Sign wasn't so bad (this was my last Prince purchase), I wouldn't be so afraid to pick up MORE earlier albums like Controversy and 1999.

You have a fan who wants the music and is willing to pay for it. Get up off your laurels and remaster the music.

I will not wax philosophic about this collection only to say that if you're a fan of Prince this collection has to be the best I've ever seen.

You may wonder why I gave this collection four stars...well, to be honest...the collection of songs on the third disc just didn't do it for me personally...creative yes...enjoyable to listen to - no...the first two discs were fantastic...in fact, I replaced the 3rd CD with my "Gold Experience" CD...now my portable Prince collection is perfect!!

People throw around the word "genius" very casually...if they're referring to the mighty little purple one, they might be right...This is just an incredibly bountiful collection, from one of the greatest pop songwriters ever from any era...one of the greatest purveyors of funk, too! All of his mega, greatest stuff is here, as well as some mighty tasty b-sides. Superb.

The only reason.. and I mean the ONLY reason this does not get a 5 star rating is the unacceptable abscence of "Alexa De Paris". Probably the best instrumental song ever made.

Really, I mean three discs! How much more do you want?

This set conciseley covers Prince's greatest hits and almost/should have been hits. While obviously lacking in extended mixes, "imports", and other rarities, a great body of groundbreaking work is included here.

From the late 70s to pre-symbol, everything you remember from the radio is here in the first two discs. Its a huge collection of truly greatest hits from an extremely prolific and talented man. (Not like one of those compilations of 6 songs you love and 5 you've never heard that some artists put out.) THE HITS 1 & 2 is perfectly sufficient for the average Prince fan.

For those of us who like to go a little further, the third disc (The B Sides) is a virtually uncomparable collection of sometimes hard to find work. Some songs are obviously jumping points to other better known hits. Interesting as far as creation/inception knowledge, but sometimes redundant and frustrating. Some are the best kinds of songs, ones you heard a few times (or more) and forgot how much you loved them. Regardless, this disc is a collection that would be nearly impossible to put together on your own. Unless you're a collector, which is an entirely different matter.

The CD booklet was, to me, one of the more interesting parts. Done in an almost biographical format, it contains interesting information that I had forgotten about, or never knew at all. It reads like a story, reminding you that some of the music that sounds almost weak now was, at the time, groundbreaking. Though sometimes it is preaching to choir that is already converted, it's a choir that likes to be reminded.

This set is great for the average to borderline fixated fan, or for people who missed the early days. (If you're an 80's kid/fan, be prepared to buy disc 2 a few times.) Not nearly enough for the obsessed, but that's what import and specialty stores are for!

Prince is truly a one of a kind artist, muisician, vocalist and lyricist. This collection of hits and b-sides is so good that I do not know what I should truly write to justify his amazing genius. Songs like when doves cry, 1999, purple rain, controversy and so many more are some of the best funk/rock tracks ever written with stupendous lyrics, tremendous vocals, and melodies that are breathtakingly good. There is now way that I can do Prince justice in this brief review but I consider him to be one of the best rock/funk artists of all time and this is a must have for anyone that likes amazing music or is a fan of Prince.

If this body of work doesn't convince you that Prince is some kind of musical genius then nothing will.

Prince can do it all, from stripped down funk "Kiss", to driving rock :let's go crazy", "Peach" to heartfelt ballads "purple rain". The man is a freak.

The 3rd disc contains the b-sides and I think perhaps more of the experimental side of Prince, but it is brilliant none the less. My personal favourite is "Another lonely Christmas", with the bitter-sweet lyrics of a lover dying on Christmas day.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to add - the man is an awesome guitar player

Buy this and you won't be dissapointed.

In retrospect, the release of this compilation signalled the end of an era for Prince which led into a decade of mostly eccentric music that despite some highlights, was generally quite poor until the release of "Musicology" last year.

"Hits/B Sides" avoids some of the pitfalls of other "best of" collections. Firstly, it's thankfully not arranged in chronological order. Disc one opens with "When Doves Cry (5/5)" and "Pop Life (4/5)" before going all the way back to Prince's very first single "Soft And Wet (4/5)". "When You Were Mine (3.5/5)" is the first of 4 cuts from the album "Dirty Mind".

Some of Prince's more thought provoking music comes towards the end of Disc 1 (including the wondeful "Sign 'O' The Times (4/5), which is a good set up for the sleazier disc two. It opens aptly with "Controversy (4/5)". "Head (4.5/5)", "Sexy MF (5/5)" and "Cream (4/5)" are among the controversial joints. The middle section of Disc 2 is enormously impressive. "Raspberry Beret (5/5)", "If I Was Your Girlfriend (4/5)" and "Kiss (4.5/5) come back to back.

There are a handful of new songs. "Nothing Compares 2 U (4/5)" and "Pink Cashmere (4/5)" are highlights. Less impressive is "Pope (3/5)", which is an average New Jack Swing tune that could have easily slid onto "The Symbol Album".

The B Sides contain many treasures that many would never of heard of before. "Scarlet Pussy (3.5/5)" is a sleazy slice of Prince's darker side, while in contrast "I Love U In Me (4/5)" is a slower, sexier song. "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore (4/5)" is so good Alicia Keys covered it. There are plenty of great songs on The B-Sides disc ("Hello", "Irrisistable Bitch", "Shockadelic") but everything is overshadowed by "Erotic City (5/5)". One of Prince's most enduring songs, and one of the greatest floor fillers ever!

There is always arguments when "Best of" CD's are released as to what songs should have been included. Personally i think "Darling Nikki" and "Sometimes it Snows in April" should be on any Prince compilation, but as this is a "Hits" collection only singles are eligible. Still, i would have found room for "Batdance", "Paisley Park" and "I Wish U Heaven" (all of which were singles).

But these are minor grumbles. This is still a collection that shows Prince at the height at his powers. A must have.

It's been widely circulated the eccentric ways of Prince Rogers Nelson. It's a shame that the brotha hasn't gotten the overexposure from his music in recent times as his rumors have. At 26 I will always (unless otherwise shown) believe Prince is one of the most consistent Entertainers of all time. I've yet to see the brotha live but growing up I always felt right there with his music. I mean Adore, Let's go Crazy, When Doves cry shoot all those alone are enough to give a look at the album but he has more such as diamonds and pearls, 1999 etc. A tremendous and artistic brotha who deserves to be examined by the people in the younger generation who want to know what true artistry is and how to draw from it. Give this album a listen and I'm sure that if you don't fully agree you'll be hard pressed to argue it's not worth buying. Hey 3 cds are incentive enough. I have given it 4 stars because of the B sides but hey creativity is......what it is. One luv to all true music fans I believe you'll enjoy this one!

All U need know about this cd is that it has Erotic City on it. U cant get this song NEwhere and it is the best song ever. also all the big hits, its a great cd set

Couple of things to mention here.

First, the set is GOOD. Buy it if you are looking for a decent Prince hits (read mainstream) compilation.

Second, although it is satisfying, it does miss the mark for one main reason. It is simply unfair to limit a man with hundreds of great songs to only three discs. Darned if I could figure out how Warner's managed this feat. Why do I say it is unfair? Frank Sinatra's box set is 6 CDs long. Stevie Wonder's is 4. Smokey and the Miracles is 4. Temptations is 4. Why does Prince only rate 3 discs.

Also, there were some missing B-sides that are really worth having. Alexa De Paris? Love or Money? Violet the Organ Grinder?

On the Hits side, no Batdance, and no Partyman -- what gives? No Partup or Let's Work.

Oh, and no "specially remastered demos" or other such surprise goodies. No fair!

So, I say this is a good set to buy because it's all that's really available. But, hopefully, in the near future, Warner's will buy a clue and make a REAL box set in a long fancy box with at least 6 - 8 CDs on it.

Call him a genius, a wizard, a lengend, or just far ahead of his time. But the one thing you cannot call him is lazy. This magnum opus of music is far better than any greatest hits collection you can find of Prince, after one listen you can easily say that Prince Rogers Nelson is an icon.

Disc 1 & 2 are his released tracks from his Warner Brothers albums, and though the tracks aren't in chroniclogical order, it is well worth the funky voyage. With tracks like "Let's Go Crazy", "Dirty Mind", "1999", amongst others this album speaks for the legend in his own time. The Hits (disc 1 & 2) are sold individually.

Disc 3 is the real treat, they are the B-sides of the hits he released as singles. What makes this a prize is it's not like these tracks are not bad, they are excellent, as a matter of fact after one listen you'll wonder why Prince did not put thes on an album. The highlights are "Irresistable Bitch", "Feel U Up", and "She's Always In My Hair".

Warner Brothers released this when Prince opted out of his Warner Brothers contract, so to keep the fans happy they released the previously unreleased material.

To cut a long story short, this album is not a waste of time, listening and the most part money. 5 Stars all the way

I have written quite a bit on Prince's Warner Bros. dispute,its aftermath and all the problems with their handeling of his music catalog however, things only got worse with the release of The Hits/The B Sides.I originally purchased this on its release date in 1993 and was looking forward to getting the Bsides I was missing on CD. Back then it was a little tougher getting a decent collection of his B-sides unless you had the original singles on vinyl. I've been a Prince fan for at least 20 years and have collected his work on vinyl (albums, maxi singles and 7 in. singles) so, this package was a treat a the time however, I couldn't say the same about the A sides (the Hits) after one listen. Most of the tracks are the single edits and therefore rather unattractive since they fare lighter than their original full length counterparts. The sequence is also rather off since it begins with When Doves Cry and somehow works its way into earlier Prince. I wasn't thrilled to find out that WB skimped out on his better work from albums like PARADE,SIGN o THE TIMES,THE BATMAN SOUNDTRACK (Batdance was a #1 HIT)as well as some of his ballads. Instead, we get complete throwaway stuff like Peach and Pope which are great songs but when were they hits???? I would have rather liked the inclusion of Scandalous, Batdance, Mountains, and Money Don't Matter Tonight. The liner notes for the collection offered a great deal of information and great pictures but that does not excuse WB from missing out on some of his better stuff. Listening to some of the B-sides such as Power Fantastic,For the Tears in Your Eyes and How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? is the only real reason I have kept this disc set for over 11 years now. If you are really into Prince I would recommend this set for the B-sides and push for the original full length albums instead. The full length songs are best when left unedited for the listener experience, musical genius and overall appreciation of the music itself.

There have been many Kings, but only 1 PRINCE....
Has there ever been a collection of music that not only defines an artist and his entire catalogue, but pop culture from 1978 to 1990. This is one of the best musical purchases I have made. After buying this collection I'll be ready for any song that Prince plays at his concert in August. DISC 1: I love this disc. There are only a few songs I have heard on here. I love the classics like, WHEN DOVES CRY, LETS GO CRAZY, 1999, I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN, ADORE (my favorite) , AND I FEEL FOR YOU. But I found songs like SOFT AND WET and UPTOWN completely funky. I loved the ballads like DIAMONDS AND PEARLS featuring Rosie Gaines. PINK CASHMERE is so smooth and he's gonna make her a coat of...guess what? ALPHABET ST. is funky and playful, I love the rap in the middle too. SIGN O THE TIMES is very socially-conscious and teaches a lesson with every lyric. THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE is very rockish probably the most different song on this cd. DIAMONDS AND PEARLS is one of the most beautifully written love songs next to Adore and Nothing Compares to you. Rosie Gaines sings her ass off on this one. The last song on disc 1 is 7, is a very catchy song that shows Prince loving through thick and thin. DISC 2: CONTROVERSY, is a very funky track were Prince is retaliating back at all the B.S. he encounters. DIRTY MIND, is a very 80s sounding track that talks of him just wanting to lay ya'. I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER, is one of my fave Prince tracks its so funky and just oozes his ability to combine funk, pop, and pure musicianship. HEAD, is one of Prince's nastiest tracks. Even to this day, it's a shocker. DO ME BABY, is one of my fave Prince songs and very sexy, probably one of the sexiest songs he's done. A true burner! From numbers 7-11 is the highlight of the entire collection. These are the best string of songs from Corvette, to I would die for you, to beret, to if I was your girlfriend, to my fave up-jam from Prince Kiss. LITTLE RED CORVETTE has some of Prince's most personal and heartfelt lyrics even though have a hint of sexuality. if you don't know the words...u don't know the song. Sexy M.F. to Gett Off, to Cream are some of Prince's raunchiest. And how can you forget the spiritual PURPLE RAIN I love it, it can bring you to tears. One of his true bests. DISC 3: Are songs that you would never hear unless you bought the vinyl singles and heard the B-sides, but there are good b-sides like 200 BALLOONS, EROTIC CITY, SHE'S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR, HOW COME..., and POWER FANTASTIC At first I was skeptical about buying this cd, (even though I only paid 27 for it, I bought it at one of those hole in the wall shops). It was well worth it. I am now a Prince fanatic. His music has so many levels. The music is one, everyone can jam to a beat or croon to a slow jam, but after that there are his lyrics, and there is so much truth honesty, and brilliance. PRINCE IS ONE IN A MILLION!! BUY THIS SET! YOU WON'T NEED ANYTHING ELSE!!

Prince has recorded an enormous amount of stuff and figuring out which flavor of Prince and where to enter his catalog can be tough. HITS/B-Sides is a solid overview of his career, while offering enough quality B Sides and unreleased hits [How come U don't call me anymore, NOthing compares 2 u] to please those who own the original albums. This is definitely a 5 star purchase because the music is awesome and you'll listen to it many times. Anyone at all interested in Prince should pick this up.

It's a little awkward because things are not in chronological order as Warners wanted to release the two Hits discs individually as well. I don't think B-Sides is available as a separate disc. The liner notes are solid and provide a good intro to pre1993 Prince before things got testy with Warner Brothers.

Prince is a virtuoso musician. [maybe Prince is to R&B funk as Wynton Marsalis is to jazz, strong ego filled musicians who reinvigorate their genre while building strong institutions for dessimination of their art] He's not the source of black music like Sly, James, Stevie, Donny Hathaway Marvin Gaye, Kool and the Gang, EWF and those are artists you've got to check out first in my opinion. But when it comes to the 80s/early 90s, there's Prince and then there's everybody else.

This is a core document from an amazing artist.

Zero hesitation, 5 stars!

--souldrummer

Now they've used this word loosely for sooooo many cats but this 5'3 musician from Minneapolis wears that title well. An AMAZING collection of 56 CLASSICS! There really hasn't been anyone like Prince before and there'll probably be nobody like him ever again and this 3-CD boxset is a reason why. Even if you never heard of the man before this year when he performed with Beyonce', you would want to get into the cat because, well, he is just that damn great! SOOOOO many artists have looped his singles, some have sampled it, some have even covered some of the songs but none can ever capture the magic this man has and still has. If you want to understand greatness, get this greatest-hits collection, it's the only greatest-hits collection from this cat that you would ever need!

This cd is worth every penny.

However, I would like to see Prince come out with a "sequel" to this set. More Hits/More B-Sides would be the title.

I could envision 3 discs. 1 disc of hits that came up missing on this collection (Let's Work, Mountains, America, Hot Thing, My Name Is Prince, maybe even Batdance), a second "best 1994-2004" disc, and a third disc of even more rarities!

Well, back to this collection. It is a shame that some of these songs were edited down, but you gotta remember that they wouldn't all fit on this cd.. Disc 3 is all b-sides circa 1981-1989. You must realize that with Prince, "b-side" does equate to "bad filler that didn't make the album". Many of these songs were just as good as the songs you know and love.

Prince has always been a outgoing artist, whether he plays pop, rock, or R&B. I know that their has never been a compilation that sums up his full career, from 1978-1993. When this was released, it had become a glittering item in his catalog. Some may call it a greatest hits compilation, some might call it a box set, but it is a testament of one of the biggest stars in the 80's and 90's. One of my biggest disappointments were the tracks, they were edited. That's alright, because we all know his songs and albums. This collection will also tell us that he was leaving Warner Brothers soon, making his own record label called NPG Records. The B-sides disc is full of singles: that never made it on any Prince album and some unreleased material including the stunning, Power Fanastic. This is the ultimate Prince collection, in my opinion.

There's not enough I can say about this 3-Disc set of pure genius. Sure, most of the songs are single/radio edits, but where else are you gonna get all of these songs in one place. It's worth buying just for the disc of B-Sides. These are spectacular, especially "17 Days", "Erotic City", "Another Lonely Christmas", and "God", all "Purple Rain" B-Sides. Many others are just as good. And the hits speak for themselves. I just wish there were songs from "Batman" here, but I own that so I guess it doesn't matter. If you love Prince, you will love this set. It will be on constant rotation in your CD player.

this CD i thpught was going to be good...prince dissapoints.

This has got to be the best greatest hits package ever and it went to the man himself. All his greatest work is here plus an extra disc of b sides. Forget that best of Prince that warner brothers came out with and spend a little extra money and get the real thing.
This package is full of funk,r&b,rock and jazz.

The hits are augmented with a handful of new songs ("Pope", "Peach", "Pink Cashmere"), and Prince's versions of songs he wrote which were made famous by other artists ("When You Were Mine", "I Feel For You", and a live version of "Nothing Compares 2 U").

There are definitely a few tunes missing that you wish were here, like "Money Don't Matter 2 Night", "Mountains", "Take Me With U", "Let's Pretend We're Married", "D.M.S.R", "The Morning Papers", "Batdance" (no songs here from the Batman soundtrack for some reason), "Insatiable", "My Name Is Prince", "America" and "Paisley Park" (originally slated to be the first single from "Around The World In A Day", but abruptly demoted to a mere album track in favor of "Raspberry Beret"). And the abridged version of "1999" is disappointing, but oh well.

An artist as insanely prolific as Prince, both in terms of raw output and in the number of singles he's released, is just not going to be able to cram everything on three discs, particularly when one disc is devoted to a roster of obscure but interesting B-sides.

Unless you're a die-hard fan, you probably won't be listening to the B-sides disc very often. These mostly non-commerical tunes definitely expose Prince's genius a little more and definitely have some historic merit, but for the average pop music fan they just aren't catchy enough to bear frequent listens. Exceptions to that rule are the 80's club hit "Erotic City" and "She's Always In My Hair", in which the lyrics awkwardly make reference to the controversey surrounding Prince's no-show for the "We Are The World" recording session in 1985.

Prince is a musical genius as we all know, but I feel the product is cool when everything you do or say has all to do with the man above! I say this not as a judge, because there is only one judge, but as a tool for him to know that my most inner inspiration from his music is his fight to battle the elevator!!!!!

This 3 CD Greatest Hits Compilation has it all. Slick and slipery Rhythm & Blues, Edgy Rock N Roll, Happening Hip Hop, Passionate Ballads, and even a touch of jazz. Its goes beyond styles as Prince delivers a fresh approach to many of the 56 songs. Some songs he does the high pitched falsetto, others a resonant baritone, and still more with a medium pitched tones.

Some of the songs are edited but at least they are tasetful edits like I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man and 1999. The B sided CD is truly Grade A. The Tears In Your Eyes and God are touching ballads. The first two discs are loaded with suprises. Enjoy hearing the original versions of I Feel For You which was written for Chaka Kahn and When You Were Mine which was performed by Cindi Lauper. Pop Life is quite delightful and Nothing Compares To U is a stunning duet. I'm especially fond of Gett Off and Cream in spite of their sexual explicit lyrics. Its the music that does it for me with many funky twists.

Whereas casual fans might prefer the single CD set, this 3 CD package is truly fully loaded with excellent music. In this case, it may be best to hold out for this more comprehensie set as it stands strong on both depth and style.

Buy this, put disc 3 in your player, start at track 15, listen to those last 6 tracks and you'll hear some of Prince's most melodically detailed, emotionally complex, personal songs ever. Every thing else is also great, but I keep going back to these tracks (as well as "Girl" on disc 3). I wish that "Sometimes it snows in April" was here...

Prince has always been able to write catchy hooks, and put a good beat down to his music. But it's his words that have always done him in. With songs like Gett Off, Cream, and Sexy mf, its hard to enjoy the music, with out having to listen to his sometimes vulgar lyrics... Disk one - 4 stars, disk two - 2 stars, disk three- 0 stars. This shows how the power of music can do good and bad, but the for the most part, it show the power of music when it sucks.

This set represents Prince's musical evolution from wunderkind to icon to artistic genius. I would have preferred the inclusion of more "Parade" tracks ("Girls and Boys" "Anotherlover . . ."), but the "Hits" portion is well-balanced. Prince fans should buy this set for the B-Sides ("killer b's"), which by themselves are a remarkable accomplishment. How about a collection of 12" versions next, WB?

This is an essential set for casual and hardcore Prince fans alike.

Question: Is this Prince 3-CD collection, comprising the Hits 1, Hits 2, and the B-Sides, the latter of which is available only in this three-pack, worth it for the Prince fan? Well, yes!

This collection aptly gathers the multitude of hits accumulated by the Purple One from 1978 up till 1992, when his [Symbol] album heralded a change in things to come, such as his name from 1993 to 2000. This was also Prince at his most potent.

In glancing through, one can tell by the number of singles per album which was considered his weakest--Parade, LoveSexy, and Graffiti Bridge boast only one song. Albums like Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign 'O' The Times are thought to be the notable peaks in the Prince mountain range. Around The World In A Day would definitely be the most colourful. The importance of Dirty Mind is brought to light here with the number of songs from it included here. Not one of his best sellers, but it did define Prince as an artist in his own right instead of being a second-rate Stevie Wonder.

This collection is an asset in several ways. One, it has the single edit of songs like "1999," "When Doves Cry," "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man," "Controversy," and "I Wanna Be Your Lover." Mix tape makers, rejoice! Second, there are a few new songs scattered on the first two discs, such as "Pink Cashmere," the hard-driving "Peach," and "Pope." His rendition of "Nothing Compares 2 U," originally done by his project group The Family, (Sinead O'Connor fans take note and pull out your hair, if you have any) unfortunately does not compare to the original.

Most of my favorite songs made it here except for "Mountains" from Parade. Minor complaint really. However, here's an experiment: program the first CD so that it plays in this sequence: "Soft And Wet," "I Feel For You," "Uptown," "1999," "Let's Go Crazy," "Pop Life," "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man," "Alphabet St.," "Thieves In The Temple," and "7." Notice the shift in styles, especially from "Crazy" to "Pop Life?" The man, like David Bowie, keeps on evolving!

It's the B-Sides material that is the real treat. Many of these could have become singles in their own right, such as "17 Days," "Gotta Stop Messin' Around," the naughty "Erotic City," and the rockabilly "Horny Toad." "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" should be familiar to fans of Stephanie Mills and Alicia Keys, both of whom covered this B-side to the "1999" single. "4 The Tears In Your Eyes" is different from the version he did on the We Are The World album. "200 Balloons" is the only representative of the Batman soundtrack to make it here.

Face it, material like Emancipation, Chaos & Disorder, and the Crystal Ball were released merely to get out of his contract with Warner Bros. and is hence substandard Artist material compared to the treasure trove found in this definitive compilation. Final note: one or two A-sides from the Batman soundtrack may have helped, but all three CDs are brimming to the max, so...

The genius of Prince and his musical output (particularly from the 80's) automatically earn this release 5 stars. Casual listeners of The Artist Formerly Known As the Artist and/or the Artist Formerly Known As Prince may be satisfied with the individually sold "Hits 1" or "Hits 2," or even the recent release "Best Of Prince," however, this particular collection would appeal to his more rabid fans, or Prince completists, because of the B-sides disc.

I did run out and purchase this when it was initially released, but the problem with compiling a collection like this is that a) Prince has had so many singles, there will always be room for squabbling about which songs deserve to be on a hits compilation and b) because there are SO many hits, many of them had to be represented here in their radio edits, in order to cram as many tracks onto it as possible.

For those of us who are already big Prince fans, especially those who would shell out the cash to pay for a 3-disc set for the B-sides, chances are we already have most of the A-side tracks in their full-length versions on Prince's regular album releases. What really needs to be done with an artist as prolific as Prince is to release a BOX SET retrospective. An even better idea would be to release a multi-disc set of those precious B-sides in their entirety. Because I purchased a lot of his singles on 12" vinyl throughout his career, I know that both his A and B sides were edited down for radio and 7" singles.... classics like "Erotic City," "She's Always In My Hair," etc. originally clocked in much longer than the 3-or-4 minute versions available here.

Although my interest in his music waned throughout the 90s, I still go back to his earlier albums regularly, and with a CD burner of my own, it makes it even easier for me to compile my own "hits" collections. Still, The Hits/The B-Sides definitely represent an artist at his zenith. This is a perfect place for the uninitiated to begin a Prince collection. Now, if we could only get those full-length B-sides properly compiled....

and you will be playing them all over and over again. he plays over 20 instruments,sings like a banshee, writes and produces like a dream and even makes other singers stars....what else can you say about him?...i normally wouldn't reccomend spending 40 plus bucks on a box set unless there's a lot of good music on it, and there is a lot of good music on it! ...the b-sides alone are worth the money! prince could've put out a whole album of b-sides at his peak and it would've gone platinum easy...my personal favorite is " irresistible b----." " pope " sounds good loud. and " purple rain " has a majestic quality that may bring you to tears... buy THIS greatest hits package....