Ultimate (Prince album)
| Ultimate | ||||
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| Prince's compilation album | ||||
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Publication |
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admission |
1979-1992 |
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| Label (s) | Warner Bros. Records / Rhino Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Contemporary R&B , electronic dance music , funk , hip-hop , pop , rock music |
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Title (number) |
28 |
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running time |
156: 33 |
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| occupation | Prince, Prince and The Revolution , Prince and The New Power Generation | |||
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Studio (s) |
Alpha Studios ( Burbank (Los Angeles County) ) |
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Ultimate ( English for Das Nonplusultra ) is the fifth compilation album by the American musician Prince and the last to be released during his lifetime. The album was released on August 21, 2006 as a double CD on the music label Rhino Records , a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records . The first CD contains singles from Prince albums that were released between 1979 and 1993. The second CD contains maxi versions of songs that were originally released between 1980 and 1991. Previously unreleased tracks can not be found on Ultimate .
Music critics showed little interest in the album, and neither Prince nor Warner Bros. Records did any music promotion worth mentioning . Nevertheless, Ultimate achieved platinum status in the UK, for example . After Prince's death in April 2016, the compilation achieved top ten rankings in some countries, which it had not before.
Emergence
After Prince was again internationally successful in 2004 with his album Musicology , Warner Bros. Records wanted to release a greatest hits album from him. Although he had split up with Warner at the end of 1999 in a dispute, the major label was still entitled to a Prince album in order to finally end the contract between him and the music label . In addition, Warner owned the copyrights to all songs that Prince recorded for this label during his career at the time.
Warner Bros. Records hired Mathieu Bitton (* 1974) and Geoffrey Dicker (* 1977), two creative consultants, to design the album Ultimate . Bitton worked for the American design agency Candy Tangerine and had been a Prince fan since 1984; For example, in 1987 he bought the then withdrawn Black Album for 1,500 US dollars (then around 2,300 German marks ). He had also acquired a large Prince collection over the years. Warner became aware of him when he was the art director responsible for the cover design of the album Up from the Catacombs - The Best of by Jane's Addiction in 2006. Bitton "didn't know there was a Prince project in the works" when Warner contacted him with a request to work on a new Prince album.
Geoffrey Dicker has been a Prince fan since the Controversy album was released in 1981 and created a list of originally 40 songs, consisting of album versions and remixes previously not released on CD. Warner was enthusiastic about this idea and Dicker presented the label with a double CD with ultimately 29 songs and the following tracklist :
| No. | song | year |
|---|---|---|
| A-1 | Purple Medley | 1995 |
| A-2 | I want to be your lover | 1979 |
| A-3 | Uptown | 1980 |
| A-4 | Controversy | 1981 |
| A-5 | 1999 | 1982 |
| A-6 | Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix) | 1982 |
| A-7 | Let's Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix) | 1984 |
| A-8 | Erotic City (12 ″ version) | 1984 |
| A-9 | Purple Rain | 1984 |
| A-10 | When Doves Cry | 1984 |
| A-11 | I would die 4 u | 1984 |
| A-12 | Pop Life (Fresh Dance Mix) | 1985 |
| A-13 | She's Always in My Hair (12 ″ version) | 1985 |
| A-14 | Raspberry Beret (Extended Version) | 1985 |
| B-1 | Kiss (Extended Version) | 1986 |
| B-2 | Sign "☮" the Times | 1987 |
| B-3 | U Got the Look (Long Look) | 1987 |
| B-4 | I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man | 1987 |
| B-5 | Hot Thing (Extended Remix) | 1987 |
| B-6 | Alphabet St. | 1988 |
| B-7 | Thieves in the Temple (Remix) | 1990 |
| B-8 | Diamonds and Pearls | 1991 |
| B-9 | Gett off | 1991 |
| B-10 | Money Don't Matter 2 Night | 1991 |
| B-11 | Cream (NPG Mix) | 1991 |
| B-12 | 7 (acoustic version) | 1992 |
| B-13 | Sexy Mutha (Remix by Sexy MF ) | 1992 |
| B-14 | Nothing Compares 2 U | 1993 |
| B-15 | My name is Prince | 1992 |
Warner Bros. then invited Prince to a meeting to introduce him to the double CD and to ask his opinion on it. Prince, however, did not agree with the submitted concept of Ultimate and decided to cross the tracks Erotic City and Sexy Mutha from the tracklist due to the overly clear lyrics . He also changed the order of the songs; on Disc I he only wanted album versions and on Disc II only remix versions. Geoffrey Dicker said, "I don't know why Prince wanted the album to be split in two, but he did, and both Warner and Rhino reassured him."
On February 2, 2006, the US magazine Billboard reported that Rhino Records would like to release a double CD with remastered hits and remixes of Prince songs on March 14 . During this time Prince was under contract with the major label Universal Records and wanted to release his album 3121 - a week later - on March 21st. When Prince fans found out about the planned release of Ultimate , some of them complained online on the Warner Bros. Records Internet forum, accusing the record company of just wanting to make money with Ultimate . Warner was unimpressed by these allegations and launched an extensive advertising campaign ; For example, advertisements for the double CD could be found at Best Buy and in various record stores across the country. There was also a commercial for the album on US television. Some people pre- ordered Ultimate from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble , and Warner started shipping promo CDs to stores.
Mathieu Bitton was enthusiastic about the advertising campaign: "For me, and this is not meant to be a play on words, it was the ultimate project," he told the online magazine PopMatters.com. Geoffrey Dicker expressed a similar opinion, who was of the opinion that years of being a Prince fan “paid off”.
Ultimate vs. 3121
Shortly before the originally planned release date of Ultimate on March 14, 2006, Prince contacted Warner Bros. Records and asked that the release of Ultimate be canceled as he was busy with music promotion for his album 3121 , which was released on March 21, 2006 should appear. According to Mathieu Bitton, Warner agreed to "heed his wishes". In his opinion, the record company could have reacted differently: "But they [Warner] have real respect for Prince, and I hope he recognizes this." Warner urged retailers to return CDs to the major label that had already been shipped . However, Geoffrey Dicker pointed out, "We planned the release date [ Ultimate ] long before Prince announced his 3121 deadline ." Now it looked like Warner wanted to join Prince's wave of success, but "in reality it was easy a stupid coincidence. "
Ultimately, Warner Bros. Records withdrew the album Ultimate , while Prince released his album 3121 on Universal Records , as originally planned, on March 21, 2006. 3121 could be number one on the US album charts and music critics rated the album as very positive.
Those responsible at Rhino Records , a subsidiary of Warner Bros Records, were looking for a new release date for Ultimate and decided on May 22, 2006, but this date, for unknown reasons, did not materialize to the public. Ultimately appeared Ultimate Rhino Records on 21 August 2006, and five months after the release of 3121 . Warner and Rhino Records did not organize music promotion this time.
Design of the cover
Mathieu Bitton worked on the cover design as art director and designer for Ultimate for a month. The CD case is in a cardboard slipcase that is completely white . On the front, the name “Prince” is written in purple in the center and underneath the title “Ultimate” in silver . The song titles are numbered in purple on the back of the cardboard slipcase, the song titles themselves are shown in silver. In addition, a variation of the androgynous symbol that Prince used as a pseudonym from 1993 to 2000 is printed in purple on the back .
The booklet is designed as a fold-out cover with a photo of the Prince collection of sound carriers by Mathieu Bitton on the inside ; all record covers , picture discs and special editions of both single and album releases from 1978 through 1992 by Prince are available. The photographs of Prince, which can also be found in the booklet and date from 1978 to 1990, were made by photographers Allen Beaulier, Jeff Katz, Joe Giannetti and Larry Williams.
music
The music from the Ultimate album can be assigned to different genres; for example, the songs Sign "☮" the Times and Money Don't Matter 2 Night come from Contemporary R&B , Uptown and Gett Off from Funk , Delirious and I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man from pop music and She's Always in My Hair from the field of rock music . The maxi and remix versions can be assigned to the genres of electronic dance music and hip-hop .
List of titles and publications
Ultimate was released on August 21, 2006 in the UK and a day later in the US. The compilation was released as a double album on compact disc and as a download .
Disc I.
| No. | song | author | length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I wanna be your lover (edit) | Prince | 2:57 |
| 2 | Uptown (edit) | Prince | 4:08 |
| 3 | Controversy | Prince | 7:15 |
| 4th | 1999 (edit) | Prince | 3:36 |
| 5 | Delirious (edit) | Prince | 2:38 |
| 6th | When Doves Cry (edit) | Prince | 3:48 |
| 7th | I would die 4 u | Prince and The Revolution | 2:56 |
| 8th | Purple Rain | Prince and The Revolution | 8:40 |
| 9 | Sign "☮" the Times (edit) | Prince | 3:42 |
| 10 | I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (edit) | Prince | 3:38 |
| 11 | Alphabet St. | Prince | 5:38 |
| 12 | Diamonds and Pearls (edit) | Prince and The New Power Generation | 4:19 |
| 13 | Gett Off (edit) | Prince and The New Power Generation | 4:30 |
| 14th | Money Don't Matter 2 Night | Prince and The New Power Generation | 4:46 |
| 15th | 7th | Lowell Fulson , Jimmy McCracklin | 5:08 |
| 16 | Nothing Compares 2 U (duet with Rosie Gaines ) | Prince | 4:57 |
| 17th | My Name Is Prince (edit) | Prince, Tony Mosley | 4:04 |
With the exception of My Name Is Prince , all 17 songs on Disc I have already appeared on the compilations The Hits / The B-Sides (1993) or on The Very Best of Prince (2001). The song Controversy is available in the album version on Ultimate , which was not the case on the Greatest Hits compilations before. Nothing Compares 2 U was only released as a promotional sound carrier and not as a single . The order of the tracklist consists of the following ten Prince albums:
- 1979: Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover
- 1980: Dirty Mind - Uptown
- 1981: Controversy - Controversy
- 1982: 1999 - 1999 and Delirious
- 1984: Purple Rain - When Doves Cry , I Would Die 4 U and Purple Rain
- 1987: Sign "☮" the Times - Sign "☮" the Times and I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
- 1988: Lovesexy - Alphabet St.
- 1991: Diamonds and Pearls - Diamonds and Pearls , Gett Off and Money Don't Matter 2 Night
- 1992: Love Symbol - 7 and My Name Is Prince
- 1993: The Hits / The B-Sides - Nothing Compares 2 U
Disc II
| No. | song | author | length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Let's Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix) | Prince and The Revolution | 7:35 |
| 2 | Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix) | Prince | 8:27 |
| 3 | Let's Work (Dance Remix) | Prince | 8:05 |
| 4th | Pop Life (Fresh Dance Mix) | Prince and The Revolution | 6:19 |
| 5 | She's Always in My Hair (12 ″ version) | Prince and The Revolution | 6:32 |
| 6th | Raspberry Beret (Extended Version) | Prince and The Revolution | 6:36 |
| 7th | Kiss (Extended Version) | Prince and The Revolution | 7:16 |
| 8th | U Got the Look (Long Look) (Duet with Sheena Easton ) | Prince | 6:43 |
| 9 | Hot Thing (Extended Remix) | Prince | 8:32 |
| 10 | Thieves in the Temple (Remix) | Prince | 8:08 |
| 11 | Cream (NPG Mix) | Prince and The New Power Generation | 4:52 |
Only the four maxi versions of Let's Work (1980), Raspberry Beret (1985), Pop Life (1985) and U Got the Look (1987) had not previously been released on CD. The song She's Always in My Hair (1985) serves as the B-side of Raspberry Beret and Hot Thing (1987) is the B-side of I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man ; neither of the B-sides had previously been published on CD in the maxi version.
reception
Press
Ultimate received little attention from music critics , so only a few reviews can be found.
Eric Neigher from the online magazine SlantMagazine.com was very satisfied and gave four out of five stars. Among other things, he wrote that, given the recent successes of Musicology (2004) and 3121 (March 2006), new Prince fans would not be disappointed with Ultimate . For older Prince fans could Ultimate "a convenient way to be, to all the records, bootleg - tapes and MP3 's in one package and friendly to consolidate."
Mark Richardson of Pitchfork Media praised the double CD and gave it 8.6 out of 10 stars; but he complained that the songs When You Were Mine (1980) by Dirty Mind and Erotic City (1984) are not available on Ultimate .
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic gave three out of five stars, but said: “People who only want to hear Prince hits” would be “better served with The Hits / The B-Sides (1993) and The Very Best of Prince (2001) " become. Although the best-of albums mentioned above are not perfect, they are still better than Ultimate .
Charts and awards
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Chart placements | ||
 Germany (GfK)
|
19th (3 weeks) | 3 |
 Austria (Ö3)
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22nd (5 weeks) | 5 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
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9 (8 weeks) | 8th |
 United Kingdom (OCC)
|
3 (27 weeks) | 27 |
 United States (Billboard)
|
6th (16 weeks) | 16 |
Ultimate achieved the highest ranking in the countries mentioned in May 2016 after Prince's death. In 2006 the album could not place in the German charts, in Austria it reached number 46, in Switzerland number 58, in Great Britain number 24 and in the USA number 61. Ultimate has been sold around one million times worldwide since 2006 and internationally Awarded gold and platinum status:
- UK: 1 × platinum for 300,000 copies sold on January 24, 2014
- NZ: 1 × platinum for 15,000 copies sold on May 22, 2016
literature
- Ronin Ro: Prince - Inside The Music And The Masks. St. Martin's Press, New York 2011, ISBN 978-0-312-38300-8 , OCLC 428027211 .
Web links
- Princevault.com , Ultimate album information
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Ro (2011), p. 344.
- ↑ a b c d Ro (2011), p. 345.
- ↑ Ro (2011), p. 345., "I don't know why Prince wanted them split out, but he did, and Warner and Rhino appeased him with that."
- ↑ Ro (2011), p. 345., "It's like being a die-hard fan for all these years has paid off."
- ↑ a b Ro (2011), p. 346.
- ↑ a b Ro (2011), p. 348.
- ↑ a b Booklet of the DoCD Ultimate by Prince, Warner Bros. Records, 2006
- ↑ Ultimate. In: Princevault.com. October 11, 2017, accessed January 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Eric Neigher: Prince - Ultimate. In: SlantMagazine.com. August 21, 2006, accessed March 16, 2017 . , "Nevertheless, given the recent success of Musicology and 3121, newbies looking for the OG magic will not be disappointed with Ultimate. In fact, even for veterans, the album can be a convenient way to consolidate all those records, bootleg tapes, and MP3s into a single, friendly package. "
- ↑ Mark Richardson: Prince - Ultimate Prince (Rhino: 2006). In: Pitchfork.com. September 5, 2006, accessed March 16, 2017 . , "If the absence of When You Were Mine is the biggest complaint on Disc 1, worse is the lack of Erotic City on Disc 2:"
- ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine: Prince - Ultimate. 2017, accessed on March 16, 2017 .
- ↑ Prince. officialcharts.de, accessed on February 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Prince. austriancharts.at, accessed on February 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Prince. hitparade.ch, accessed on February 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Prince. officialcharts.com, accessed February 16, 2019 .
- ^ Prince - Chart History. billboard.com, accessed February 16, 2019 .
- ^ BPI - Certified Awards Search. Retrieved March 16, 2017 .
- ^ The Official NZ Music Charts. In: nztop40.co.nz. May 23, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2017 .