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The Hits / The B-Sides, Warner Bros. Records (1993) The Hits / The B-Sides © 1993, Warner Bros. Records
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The Hits / The B-Sides

Warner Bros. Records

Most truly essential compilations contain a few stars from pop’s astrological map; these three contain a whole galaxy.

Released along with The Hits 1 and The Hits 2 this 3-disk set came as one of three separate releases (disks one and two sold separately and containing the single releases), the triple disk set The Hits / The B-Sides combined both plus the B-side releases (disk 3).

Warner Brothers, who wanted to recoup the considerable advance they had given Prince in order to produce the Love Symbol Album, the first of five albums in what was the most expensive deal in music history, paid Prince to not be involved with this greatest hits release at all. Prince instead charged a considerable fee for the production of the cover photos for The Hits / The B-Sides releases. Prince was vehemently opposed to the concept of greatest hits albums, for in his opinion they epitomised the end of a musician’s career, rather than their peak. Warner Brothers, however, were simply maximising the return on their recent $100m investment, by which time had only seen one of five albums released under this contract. This experience marked the beginning of a long and bitter demise in Prince’s relationship with the label. The Hits / The B-Sides was the final album released from Paisley Park Records, Warner shutting down the lable on 1 February 1994. The triple-disk collection was certified Platinum by RIAA on 1 December 1993.

The album peaked at number 19 in Billboard’s chart (although it eventually re-entered the charts and climbed to number 4 in the week following Prince’s death in 2016).

Batman is the only previously released Prince album not represented across the two A-side disks due to licensing restrictions (200 Balloons, a rejection from the original soundtrack, released as the B-side to number 1 chart single Batdance, reappears on disk 3 for that reason).

The set contains three previously unlreleased tracks. Peach and Pope were newly recorded (1992 and 1993). Pink Cashmere was recorded in 1988, and the orchestration added in 1990.

Prince | The Hits/The B-Sides
Photography by Herb Ritts

Data

Production
Prince
Label
Paisley Park Records
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records
Cover/Design
Herb Ritts and Jeff Gold
Released
27 years, 7 months ago on 13 September 1993
Running Time
3:45:53 (56 track set)
US Chart Peak
4
UK Chart Peak
4
Orig. Formats

Tracklist

Disk 1

  1. When Doves Cry
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (3:47)
  2. Pop Life
    Around The World In A Day(1985)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (3:41)
  3. Soft And Wet
    For You(1978)
     (3:02)
  4. I Feel For You
    Prince(1979)
     (3:24)
  5. Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
    Prince(1979)
     (3:48)
  6. When You Were Mine
    Dirty Mind(1980)
     (3:43)
  7. Uptown
    Dirty Mind(1980)
     (4:09)
  8. Let's Go Crazy
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (4:39)
  9. 1999
    1999(1982)
     [feat. Lisa Coleman, Jill Jones and Dez Dickerson] (3:36)
  10. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
    Sign O’ The Times(1987)
     (3:38)
  11. Nothing Compares 2 U [duet with Rosie Gaines] (4:57) 1
  12. Adore
    Sign O’ The Times(1987)
     (4:39)
  13. Pink Cashmere (6:13) 1 & 2
  14. Alphabet St.
    Lovesexy(1988)
     [feat. Cat Glover] (5:38)
  15. Sign O' The Times
    Sign O’ The Times(1987)
     (3:42)
  16. Thieves In The Temple
    Graffiti Bridge(1990)
     (3:19)
  17. Diamonds And Pearls
    Diamonds And Pearls(1991)
     [Prince & the New Power Generation] (4:19)
  18. 7
    Love Symbol Album(1992)
     [Prince & the New Power Generation] (5:09)
Running Time
74:49

Disk 2

  1. Controversy
    Controversy(1981)
     (3:35) 1
  2. Dirty Mind
    Dirty Mind(1980)
     (3:49)
  3. I Wanna Be Your Lover
    Prince(1979)
     (2:56)
  4. Head
    Dirty Mind(1980)
     [feat. Lisa Coleman] (4:43)
  5. Do Me, Baby
    Controversy(1981)
     (3:55)
  6. Delirious
    1999(1982)
     (2:38)
  7. Little Red Corvette
    1999(1982)
     [feat. Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson] (4:55)
  8. I Would Die 4 U
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (2:56)
  9. Raspberry Beret
    Around The World In A Day(1985)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (3:31)
  10. If I Was Your Girlfriend
    Sign O’ The Times(1987)
     (3:46)
  11. Kiss
    Parade(1986)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (3:45)
  12. Peach [feat. sample of Kim Basinger] (3:48) 1 & 2
  13. U Got The Look
    Sign O’ The Times(1987)
     [duet with Sheena Easton] (3:46)
  14. Sexy M.F.
    Love Symbol Album(1992)
     [Prince & the New Power Generation] (4:29)
  15. Gett Off
    Diamonds And Pearls(1991)
     [Prince & the New Power Generation] (4:30)
  16. Cream
    Diamonds And Pearls(1991)
     [Prince & the New Power Generation] (4:12)
  17. Pope [feat. Mayte] (3:28) 2
  18. Purple Rain
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (8:40)
Running Time
74:41

Disk 3

  1. Hello
    Around The World In A Day(1985)
     [A-side: Pop Life] (3:23)
  2. 200 Balloons
    Batman(1989)
     [A-side: Batdance] (5:05)
  3. Escape
    Lovesexy(1988)
     [A-side: Glam Slam] (3:30)
  4. Gotta Stop (Messin' About)
    Dirty Mind(1980)
     [B-side: Uptown] (2:54)
  5. Horny Toad
    1999(1982)
     [A-side: Delirious] (2:12)
  6. Feel U Up
    Batman(1989)
     [A-side: Partyman] (3:44) 3
  7. Girl
    Around The World In A Day(1985)
     [A-side: America] (3:47)
  8. I Love U In Me
    Batman(1989)
     [A-side: Arms Of Orion] (4:12)
  9. Erotic City
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [A-side: Let's Go Crazy] (3:55)
  10. Shockadelica
    Sign O’ The Times(1987)
     [A-side: If I Was Your Girlfriend] (3:30) 3
  11. Irresistible Bitch
    1999(1982)
     [A-side: Let's Pretend We're Married] (4:11)
  12. Scarlett Pussy
    Lovesexy(1988)
     [A-side: I Wish U Heaven] (4:18)
  13. La La La, He He Hee
    Sign O’ The Times(1987)
     [A-side: Sign O' The Times] (3:21)
  14. She's Always In My Hair
    Around The World In A Day(1985)
     [A-side: Paisley Park] (3:27)
  15. 17 Days
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [A-side: When Doves Cry] (3:55)
  16. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
    1999(1982)
     [A-side: 1999] (3:50)
  17. Another Lonely Christmas
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [A-side: I Would Die 4 U] (4:51)
  18. God
    Purple Rain(1984)
     [A-side: Purple Rain] (4:02)
  19. 4 The Tears In Your Eyes
    We Are The World(1985)
     [Prince & the Revolution] (3:23)
  20. Power Fantastic (4:45) 1 & 4
Running Time
75:49

1 Released as singles.
2 Previously unreleased.
3 Intended for release on the aborted album Camille.
4 Intended for release on the aborted album Dream Factory.

Singles from The Hits / The B-Sides

Pink Cashmere single from The Hits / The B-Sides, Warner Bros. Records (1993)

Pink Cashmere

Warner Bros. Records

Released
31 August 1993
US Chart Peak
50
UK Chart Peak
No Release
Formats
  1. Pink Cashmere (6:12)
  2. Soft And Wet (3:01)
Peach single from The Hits / The B-Sides, Warner Bros. Records (1993)

Peach

Warner Bros. Records

Released
4 October 1993
US Chart Peak
107
UK Chart Peak
14
Formats
  1. Peach (3:48)
  2. Mountains (3:58)
  3. Partyman [Edit] (3:07)
  4. Money Don't Matter 2 Night [Edit] (4:12)
Controversy [reissue] single from The Hits / The B-Sides, Warner Bros. Records (1993)

Controversy [reissue]

Warner Bros. Records

Released
29 November 1993
US Chart Peak
No Release
UK Chart Peak
5
Formats
  1. Controversy [Edit] (3:35)
  2. The Future [Remix] (6:25)
  3. Glam Slam (5:04)
  4. D.M.S.R. (8:15)

The Hits / The B-Sides – review

Here was the situation. The most expensive and successful artist ever and signed less than a year ago to your label decides to ‘kill’ his name and change it to an unpronounceable symbol – Prince love symbol, coupled with the fact you feel their music is growing less commercial, what does your label do? Smash the emergency glass and unlock that star’s vault to re-package a greatest hits collection. This is the release where the relationship between Prince and Warner Brothers soured. Prince was doggedly opposed to greatest hits packages and saw this one as his tombstone when Warner asked him to pick a cover for it. But there is plenty of redeeming aspects about this release because in typical Prince fashion there was a ton of material to choose from. Watered down from five disks to three, thrown into this compilation are a couple of unreleased tracks, Pope and Peach and a long-awaited Prince version of Nothing Compares 2 U. The real reason for seeking out the triple-disk set and falling prey to Warner’s master plan to make every fan own this collection, is that it resurfaces many much cherished and long lost B-sides for the first time on CD, notably 4 The Tears In Your Eyes and Power Fantastic – dedicating the B-sides to an entire disk. Prince had Warner worked out: “everybody wants to sell what’s already been sold …” but Warner Brothers too realised Prince had reached his commercial peak … “all that glitters ain’t gold”. As one highly respected DJ at the time put it plainly: “The Hits / The B-Sides is essential to anyone’s music collection”. Good music aplenty here and as a set it alleviates the need to change CDs to fit all the compass points to Prince’s Warner Brothers career in to one sensational listening session.

The Hits / The B-Sides

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