Rihanna spent ninth week at #1 with “Work”

Work Rihanna with Drake

Writer(s): Jahron Braithwaite, Matthew Samuels, Allen Ritter, Rupert Thomas, Aubrey Graham, Robyn Fenty, Monte Moir (see lyrics here) Released: January 27, 2016 First Charted: February 13, 2016 Peak: 19 US, 12 DG, 18 ST, 9 RR, 111 RB, 2 UK, 14 CN, 5 AU, 22 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.3 UK, 32.5 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1475.0 video, 1868.68 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: After her seventh album, Unapologetic (2012), Rihanna intended to take a hiatus from recording. It lasted a week and she found herself back in the studio. She released three singles in 2015 and then, at the onset of 2016, released “Work,” the lead single from her eighth album, Anti. It became her 14th #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, putting her just behind The Beatles, Mariah Carey, and Elvis Presley. WK It was also her 50th song to chart on the Hot 100 and 27th to hit the top ten. WK She also became the first artist to have #1 songs from seven consecutive studio albums. SF It was her third collaboration with Drake, following 2010’s “What’s My Name?” and 2011’s “Take Care.” SF The song was written in the summer of 2015 by a team while at Drake’s house. One of the writers, Sevn Thomas and Boi-1da, who’d previously worked with Drake, crafted the dancehall rhythm SF and then sent it to PartyNextDoor, who wrote the lyrics, which talk about working for money as well as fragile relationships. WK Drake then wrote and recorded a verse before the song was played for Rihanna. WK However, her label didn’t care for the Caribbean flavor of the song and it was nearly passed on to Alicia Keys. However, Rihanna fought to keep it, saying “this is my family’s favorite song.” SF Billboard’s Taj Ran said the song had “deep roots in Jamaica’s club scene that spun off from reggae in the 1970s.” WK Forbes’ Hugh McIntyre described the song as urban with hip hop influences and “island vibes,” WK an observation echoed by Rolling Stone’s Daniel Kreps, who said it had a “tropical house vibe.” WK Slant Magazine’s Alexa Camp called it an understated midtempo jam” which “recalls Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’s masterful production work on Janet [Jackson]’s The Velvet Rope.” WK Complex’s Zach Frydenlund said the song “is slower and very rhythmic with Rihanna showing off her vocal skills over the crafty production.” WK By contrast, The A.V. Club’s Robin Reiff said “the sheer repetition of the hook creates a built-in experiation date for when this song transitions from catchy to mildly annoying.” WK Rolling Stone called it a “barely-there tune,” but noted it was still irresistible. WK The song’s “off-kilter” nature led The Guardian to name it the best track of 2016. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/6/2021; last updated 7/29/2023.

In Concert: The Who

The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, image from chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk

Venue: Sprint Center; Kansas City, MO

The Players: Pete Townshend (guitar, vocals), Roger Daltrey (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Simon Townshend (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Pino Palladino (bass), Zak Starkey (drums), Loren Gold (keyboards, backing vocals), John Corey (keyboards, backing vocals), Frank Simes (musical director, keyboards, backing vocals, assorted instruments)

Opening Act: Slydigs

“We’re late. Thanks for waiting.” It was the perfect opening line from Pete Townshend to open the Kansas City show which had been postponed twice. Judging from the full house, no one seemed to mind the wait.

Only Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey remain from the original incarnation of the Who, although Pino Palladino and Zak Starkey have been long-time band replacements for John Entwistle and Keith Moon respectively. Daltrey doesn’t have the voice he once did, but still could hit the classic scream on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and belted out the powerful “Love Reign O’er Me.” He and Townshend engaged the audience in plenty of stage banter and broke out their trademark moves of mike swinging and windmilling on the guitar.

My favorite moment was “The Rock,” a largely unknown instrumental accompanied by a powerful video showcasing world history moments during the history of the Who. The song was part of a trifecta of tunes from 1973’s Quadrophenia (the others being “I’m One” and “Love Reign O’er Me.” There was also a four-song set from 1969’s Tommy amongst a largely hits-based set list. See full list below.

The Set List:

1. I Can’t Explain
2. Who Are You
3. The Seeker
4. The Kids Are Alright
5. I Can See for Miles
6. My Generation
7. 5:15
8. Pictures of Lily
9. Behind Blue Eyes
10. Bargain
11. Join Together
12. You Better You Bet
13. I’m One
14. The Rock
15. Love Reign O’er Me
16. Eminence Front
17. Amazing Journey
18. Sparks
19. Pinball Wizard
20. See Me Feel Me
21. Baba O’Riley
22. Won’t Get Fooled Again

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Resources and Related Links:

• The Who’s DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry
• The Who: The Good, the Bad…and Their Top 30 Songs (6/27/12)
• Now Presenting the Half Time Show Starring the Theme Songs of CSI (2/8/10)

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K-Tel Top 100 Songs

First posted 4/27/2016; updated 8/12/2020.

K-Tel: Top 100 Songs

In 1966, K-Tel released its first compilation, 25 Country Hits. Over the next two decades, the company would release more than a hundred compilations, most focused on the pop hits of the day. A 2013 Forbes article called the company “the spotify of the 1970s.” The company was founded by Philip Kives, a business executive, entrepreneur, and marketing expert from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was born on February 12, 1929, and died at age 87 on April 27, 2016. In honor of him, the DMDB presents a list of the top 100 songs to appear on K-Tel compilations and the top 20 K-Tel compilations (see list here). Top 100 Songs: Act “Song” (Year), featured K-Tel albums 1. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954), 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats, 25 Rock Revival Greats, Rockin’ and Rollin’, Juke Box Jive 2. Derek & the Dominos “Layla” (1971) 22 Explosive Hits, Today’s Super Greats Part 1 3. Roy Orbison “(Oh) Pretty Woman” (1964) 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats, 25 Rock Revival Greats, Rockin’ and Rollin’ 4. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976) Music Machine, The Magic of Abba 5. Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958) 25 Rock Revival Greats, Rockin’ and Rollin’ 6. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978) High Energy 7. Carl Perkins “Blue Suede Shoes” (1956) 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats 8. Elvis Presley “Suspicious Minds” (1969) Elvis Love Songs 9. Little Richard “Tutti Frutti” (1955) Hometown USA 10. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971) Believe in Music, Today’s Super Greats Part 2 11. Elton John “Your Song” (1970) Elton John: Milestones 12. Elvis Presley “Love Me Tender” (1956) Elvis Love Songs 13. Fats Domino “Blueberry Hill” (1956) 25 Rock Revival Greats, Rockin’ and Rollin’ 14. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Proud Mary” (1969) 20 Super Hits – The Best of CCR 15. The Penguins “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” (1954) Hometown USA 16. Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1978) High Energy 17. Jerry Lee Lewis “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” (1957) Hometown USA 18. Elvis Presley “It’s Now or Never” (1960) Elvis Love Songs 19. Del Shannon “Runaway” (1961) Juke Box Jive 20. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (1982) Hit Explosion 21. Chic “Le Freak” (1978) High Energy 22. Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Balls of Fire” (1957) 25 Rock Revival Greats, Rockin’ and Rollin’ 23. The Platters “The Great Pretender” (1955) 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats 24. Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977) heartbeat of the ‘70s 25. Blondie “Call Me” (1980) Power Play, Rock 80, Women of Rock 26. Elvis Presley “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (1960) Elvis Love Songs 27. The Knack “My Sharona” (1979) Power Play, Rock 80 28. Buddy Holly “Peggy Sue” (1957) 60 Flashback Greats of the ‘60s 29. The Five Satins “In the Still of the Night” (1956) Hometown USA 30. James Taylor “Fire and Rain” (1970) 20 Dynamic Hits 31. Paul Anka “Diana” (1957) Juke Box Jive 32. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps “Be-Bop-A-Lula” (1956) 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats 33. Tony Orlando & Dawn “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” (1973) 22 Fantastic Hits, Superstars Greatest Hits 34. Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (1983) Hot Tracks 35. Irene Cara “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” (1983) Street Beat 36. Harry Nilsson “Without You” (1971) Reflections 37. Bo Diddley “Bo Diddley” (1955) 25 Rock Revival Greats, Rockin’ and Rollin’ 38. James Brown “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965) 60 Flashback Greats of the ‘60s 39. Little Richard “Long Tall Sally” (1956) 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats, 25 Rock Revival Greats, Rockin’ and Rollin’, Hometown USA 40. Free “All Right Now” (1970) 20 Power Hits 41. Olivia Newton-John “Physical” (1981) Women of Rock 42. 10cc “I’m Not in Love” (1975) Music Express 43. Boston “More Than a Feeling” (1976) The Rock Album 44. Commodores “Three Times a Lady” (1978) Spotlight, Together 45. Pretenders “Brass in Pocket” (1979) Rock 80, Certified Gold 46. Isaac Hayes “Theme from Shaft” (1971) Super Bad 47. Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (1980) Sound Waves 48. The Everly Brothers “Wake Up Little Susie” (1957) Rockin’ and Rollin’, 25 Rock Revival Greats, 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats 49. Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (1983) Women of Rock 50. The Drifters “Save the Last Dance for Me” (1960) Rock ‘N’ Roll Fever 51. The Box Tops “The Letter” (1957) 20 Explosive Hits, Today’s Super Greats Part 3 52. The Everly Brothers “Bye Bye Love” (1957) 24 Great Tear Jerkers 53. Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music” (1976) Disco Rocket, Music Machine 54. Cream “Sunshine of Your Love” (1967) 60 Flashback Greats of the ‘60s 55. Gerry Rafferty “Baker Street” (1978) Spotlight 56. Michael Jackson “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (1979) Hitline, Wings of Sound 57. George McCrae “Rock Your Baby” (1974) 20 Dynamite Hits, Disco Mania, Souled Out 58. Diana Ross “Upside Down” (1980) Sound Waves 59. Donna Summer “I Feel Love” (1978) Disco Fire 60. Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975) Music Express 61. Roger Miller “King of the Road” (1965) 24 Great Truck Driving Songs 62. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Fortunate Son” (1969) 20 Super Hits – The Best of CCR 63. Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (1973) Music Machine, Elton John: Milestones 64. Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (1974) 20 Dynamite Hits 65. Elton John “Bennie and the Jets” (1973) Elton John: Milestones 66. The Kingston Trio “Tom Dooley” (1958) Good Time Music 67. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bad Moon Rising” (1969) 20 Super Hits – The Best of CCR 68. Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961) Elvis Love Songs 69. The Orioles “Crying in the Chapel” (1953) 24 Great Tear Jerkers 70. Sister Sledge “We Are Family” (1979) Hitline 71. The Byrds “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” (1965) 20 Power Hits Vol. 1 72. The Tokens “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)” (1961) Juke Box Jive, Goofy Greats, Good Time Music 73. The Turtles “Happy Together” (1967) Rock ‘N’ Roll Feer, 60 Flashback Greats of the ‘60s 74. The Four Seasons “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962) The Greatest Hits of Franki Valli & the Four Seasons 75. The Platters “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1958) 24 Great Tear Jerkers 76. Elton John “Crocodile Rock” (1973) 22 Fantastic Hits, 20 Power Hits, Elton John: Milestones 77. Van McCoy “The Hustle” (1975) Disco Mania 78. Elton John & Kiki Dee “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (1976) Elton John: Milestones 79. Andy Gibb “Shadow Dancing” (1978) Starburst, Disco Nights 80. Blue Öyster Cult “Don’t Fear the Reaper” (1976) The Rock Album 81. Elton John “Daniel” (1973) Right On, Elton John: Milestones 82. Dion “Runaround Sue” (1961) Hometown USA, 60 Flashback Greats of the ‘60s 83. Charlie Rich “Behind Closed Doors” (1973) Country Road 84. Tammy Wynette “Stand by Your Man” (1968) Country Road 85. Toy Orlando & Dawn “Knock Three Times” (1970) 20 Power Hits Vol. 2, Today’s Super Greats Part 2 86. Elton John “Rocket Man” (1972) 22 Fantastic Hits, 20 Power Hits, Superstar’s Greatest Hits, Elton John: Milestones 87. The Emotions “Best of My Love” (1977) Disco Fire 88. The Crystals “Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)” (1963) Rock ‘N’ Roll Fever 89. Bill Withers “Lean on Me” (1972) 22 Fantastic Hits, Super Bad Is Back, Superstars Greatest Hits 90. Tommy James & the Shondells “Crimson and Clover” (1968) Superstars Greatest Hits 91. The Four Seasons “Sherry” (1962) Greatest Hits of Franki Valli & the Four Seasons 92. Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting” (1974) Disco Mania, Out of Sight 93. Bachman-Turner Overdrive “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” (1974) Out of Sight 94. The Police “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (1981) Radio Active, The Hit List 95. Wilbert Harrison “Kansas City” (1959) Juke Box Jive 96. Sonny James “Young Love” (1956) The Best of Country Music Vol. 7 97. Andy Gibb “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” (1977) Music Machine 98. Gary Numan “Cars” (1979) Rock 80 99. The Dixie Cups “Chapel of Love” (1964) 60 Flashback Greats of the ‘60s 100. Kiss “Rock and Roll All Nite” (1975) Disco Mania, Hit Machine Resources and Related Links: K-Tel Top 20 Albums

K-Tel: Top 20 Albums

First posted 4/27/2016; updated 8/12/2020.

K-Tel: Top 20 Albums

In 1966, K-Tel released its first compilation, 25 Country Hits. Over the next two decades, the company would release more than a hundred compilations, most focused on the pop hits of the day. A 2013 Forbes article called the company “the spotify of the 1970s.” The company was founded by Philip Kives, a business executive, entrepreneur, and marketing expert from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was born on February 12, 1929, and died at age 87 on April 27, 2016. In honor of him, the DMDB presents a list of the top 100 songs (see list here) to appear on K-Tel compilations and the top 20 K-Tel compilations. (years covered, year of release): 1. Rock Revival Greats (1954-65, 1972) 2. Rockin’ and Rollin’ (1954-65, 1972) 3. 25 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Greats (1954-64, 1972) 4. Hometown USA (1954-66, 1979) 5. Juke Box Jive (1954-66, 1975) 6. Elton John: Milestones (1970-79, 1980) 7. Elvis Love Songs – 16 Original Hits (1956-71, 1981) 8. Music Machine (1973-77, 1977) 9. 24 Great Tear Jerkers (1955-65, 1976) 10. 20 Super Hits – The Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968-71, 1978) image from discogs.com, my first EVER album purchase! 11. High Energy (1978-79, 1979) 12. Rock 80 (1978-80, 1980) 13. Music Express (1973-75, 1975) 14. Women of Rock (1978-84, 1986) 15. Believe in Music (1971-72, 1972) 16. 20 Dynamite Hits (1972-74, 1974) 17. 60 Flashback Greats of the ‘60s (1957-70, 1972) 18. Right On (1973-76, 1976) 19. 22 Fantastic Hits (1972-73, 1973) 20. Hit Machine (1974-76, 1976) Resources and Related Links: K-Tel Top 100 Songs

Beyoncé’s Lemonade released

Lemonade Beyoncé

Released: April 23, 2016 Peak: 11 US, 110 RB, 11 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.4 UK, 5.9 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Pray You Catch Me Hold Up (8/16/16, 13 US, 6 RB, 11 UK, 37 CN, 25 AU, platinum single) Don’t Hurt Yourself (with Jack White) Sorry (5/3/16, 11 US, 4 RB, 33 UK, 40 CN, 74 AU, platinum single) 6 Inch (with The Weeknd) Daddy Lessons Love Drought Sandcastles Forward (with James Blake) Freedom (with Kendrick Lamar) (9/6/16, 36 US, 21 RB, 40 UK, 60 CN, 62 AU) All Night (12/6/16, 38 US, 23 RB, 60 UK, 73 CN) Formation (2/6/16, 10 US, 6 RB, 31 UK, 32 CN, 17 AU, platinum single) Total Running Time: 45:42

Rating: 4.348 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” The well-known proverb is spoken by Hattie White, Beyoncé’s grandmother-in-law, in the song “Freedom.” WK It serves as the the premise behind Beyoncé’s sixth studio album, a cathartic exploration of the emotional turmoil she endured after her husband, rapper and business mogul Jay-Z, cheated on her. In an interview with Elle magazine, she said, “Everyone experiences pain, but sometimes you need to be uncomfortable to transform.” WK She uses “her heartbreak masterpiece, Lemonade” RS500 “to demand contrition from her adulterous partner, assert her excellence, reflect upon the bonds with the men in her life, and their relationships with other women, and wonders if her trust can be earned back.” AMG She announces on the album, “Nine times out of 10 I’m in my feelings.” RS500 However, this album goes beyond the anger and hurt of a woman scorned. This is an “expansive and personal statement, tapping into marital breakdown and the state of the nation.” RS500 The song cycle explores “her husband’s infidelity in a generational and racial context.” WK “It was a different side than she’d shown before, raging over infidelity and jealousy, but reveling in the militant-feminist-funk strut of Formation.” RS500 Melina Matsoukas, who directed that song’s video, said Beyoncé “wanted to show the historical impact of slavery on black love, and what it has done to the black family, and black men and women – how we’re almost socialized not to be together.” WK Musically, Beyoncé is “claiming her place in all of America’s music traditions.” RS500 The album is rooted in R&B, but also incorporates Americana, blues, country, electronica, funk, gospel, hip-hop, reggae, rock, soul, and trap. WK She drew inspiration from female black singers including Bessie Smith, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Memphis Minnie, and Dionne Warwick. WK The album samples and interpolates a number of hip-hop and rock songs and also includes guest spots from James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and Jack White. WK There is “an apparent disregard for appealing to commercial radio that makes Lemonade a distinct addition to her catalog.” AMG It was, in fact, dropped “as a Saturday-night surprise, knocking the world sideways.” RS500 However, the album was not only commercially successful, but the most acclaimed of her career, WK landing a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year and winning for Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video. It was named Album of the Year by Rolling Stone and Dave’s Music Database. In 2020, Pitchfork’s Marc Hogan called oit one of the great art pop albums of the last 20 years. WK The Associated Press named it the album of the decade. WK “The cathartic and wounded moments here resonate in a manner matched by few, if any, of Beyoncé's contemporaries.” AMG “There’s more power in the few seconds she chokes back tears while singing ‘Come back’ – timed with the backing vocal in Isaac Hayes’ version of ‘Walk on By’ – than there is in most contemporary ballads.” AMG Lemonade can “be heard as the dark flipside of [previous album] Beyoncé. When ‘Dishes smashed on the counter’ is bleakly observed, just before ‘Pictures snatched out the frame/Bitch, I scratched out your name and face’ is delivered with seething wrath, it’s hard to not flash back to ‘Drunk in Love,’ in which the presumably same couple were revelrous in the same room.” AMG “She sometimes eclipses herself in terms of raw emotion, as on the throttling…Don’t Hurt Yourself,” AMG a “blues metal with Jack White.” RS500 He said, “she took just sort of a sketch of a lyrical outline and turned it into the most bodacious, vicious, incredible song.” WK The song uses an excerpt from a Malcolm X speech and samples Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” a song originally performed by Memphis Minnie that referenced the displacement of hundreds of thousands of African Americans during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. WK That song and Daddy Lessons, on which she goes “outlaw country,” RS500 illustrate how genres established by African Americans are now seen predominantly as white music. WK “After the first three-quarters play out in compelling if somewhat erratic fashion, Lemonade closes with a torrid stretch. Freedom is a marching anthem of resilience and preservation, produced by Just Blaze with a glowing guest verse from Kendrick Lamar.” AMG “All Night is a tangle of emotions and hints at reconciliation, facilitated by the horns from OutKast’s ‘Spottie Ottie Dopaliscious.’ And then, at last, there's the strutting ‘Formation,’ simultaneously a tack-on and an ideal finale, where Beyoncé delights in her blackness, femininity, and Southern origin with supreme wordplay.” AMG Notes: The streaming edition of the album included a demo of “Sorry.” A sixty-five minute film aired on HBO which featured 11 chapters which corresponded to the songs on the album. It was released as a second disc to Lemonade.

Resources and Related Links: AMG All Music Guide review by Andy Kellman RS500 Rolling Stone (9/22/2020). “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 9/24/2020; last updated 4/21/2022.

Prince: Retrospective 1958-2016

Prince: Artist Profile, 1958-2016

Born: Prince Rogers Nelson Date: June 7, 1958 Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota Died: April 21, 2016 – accidental fentanyl overdose Where: Chanhassen, Minnesota Known As: R&B singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Overview: Prince was born into music. His father was a jazz musician named John Lewis Nelson, who went by the stage name of Prince Rogers. As the product of a broken home, Prince found refugee in music early on. He mastered multiple instruments in his early teens and even fronting his first band, Grand Central. RH While rooted in R&B, he “made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone.” RH His music and personality were “androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative. His colorful image and revolutionary music made Prince a figure comparable in paradigm-shifting impact to Little Richard, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and George Clinton.” RH He found his greatest success in the 1980s with 1999, Purple Rain and Sign ‘O’ the Times, but his “deep discography is full of funky treasure.” RH He was a prolific artist all the way up to his death in 2016, releasing 39 albums during his lifetime and reportedly recording from 500 to well over a thousand complete songs. WK He also wrote songs which were successful hits such as others, including “Nothing Compares 2 U” for Sinéad O’Connor (#1, 1990), “Manic Monday” (#2, 1986) and Chaka Khan (“I Feel for You,” 1984). There are reportedly hundreds of unreleased songs in his vault. On the Web: Prince.com (official site) Facebook Wikipedia Lists: Top 100 Prince songs Spotify Podcast: Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Prince, 1996-2016 based on this list. It debuts August 10, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

The Studio Albums: Hover over an album for the name and year of release. Click to see its DMDB page. Compilations: H1 The Hits/The B-Sides (1978-93, released 1993) VB The Very Best of (1979-92, released 2001) U Ultimate (1978-92, released 2006) 4 4Ever (1978-93, released 2016) A Anthology (1995-2010, released 2018) Note: The Hits/The B-Sides was released as a 3-CD set, but The Hits 1 and The Hits 2 were also released as individual albums. The raised letter codes listed after songs indicate apperances on any of these compilations (see codes above). Appearing after song titles are, when relevant, the date the song was released as a single and its peaks on various charts. Click for codes to singles charts. Archives: Live Albums:

Beginnings (1978-1981): “A demo tape by the young prodigy resulted in major-label interest, and an 18-year-old Prince signed to Warner Bros., insisting on the right to self-produce. His first two albums, For You (1978) and Prince (1979), unveiled a budding genius and one-man band. For You included Soft and Wet, an early glimpse at Prince’s uncensored sexuality, while the latter produced Prince’s first hit, I Wanna Be Your Lover (#11).” RH For You (1978): Soft and Wet (6/7/78, 92 US, 94 CB, 12 RB) H1,4E Just As Long As We’re Together (10/23/78, 91 RB) Prince (1979): I Wanna Be Your Lover (9/22/79, 11 US, 12 CB, 12 RB, 41 UK, 62 CN) H2,VB,U,4E Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? (1/23/80, 13 RB) H1,4E Still Waiting (3/25/80, 65 RB) I Feel for You H1 “Interest in the youthful rising star was further kindled by Dirty Mind (1980), a provocative and sinuously funky album that appeared like a directional marker at the start of the Eighties. The jittery, New Wavish When You Were Mine became a club hit, yet Dirty Mind largely proved too hot to handle for radio. Still, the rising buzz about Prince continued when he opened for the Rolling Stones on their 1980-81 tour. Prince’s fourth album, Controversy (1981), was highlighted by the pulsing title track.” RH Dirty Mind (1980): Uptown (9/10/80, 5 RB) H1,U,4E Head (10/11/80) H2,4E Dirty Mind (11/26/80, 65 RB) H2 When You Were Mine (9/2/81, B-side of “Controversy”) H1,4E Controversy (1981): Controversy (9/2/81, 70 US, 72 CB, 3 RB, 5 UK, 15 AU) H2,U,4E Let’s Work (1/6/82, 9 RB) U,4E Do Me Baby (7/16/82) H2 Sexuality (88 AU) The Breakthrough (1982-1983): 1999, a self-produced double album, proved to be Prince’s breakthrough. He “toned down, if not entirely tamed, the hardcore sexuality, and the longish, danceable tracks appealed to disco and New Wave fans alike. Whereas many saw divisions in the culture – in terms of everything from musical preferences to skin color – Prince forged a party-minded unity around the various audiences’ shared interests.” RH Critic Kurt Loder wrote that the album “marked the point at which Prince’s seamless fusion of white rock and roll and black dance-funk became commercially undeniable.” RH The album gave Prince his first two top-10 hits and the undeniable title cut. 1999 (1982): 1999 (9/24/82, 12 US, 14 CB, 33 A40, 4 RB, 2 UK, 6 CN, 2 AU) H1,VB,U,4E Little Red Corvette (2/26/83, 6 US, 6 CB, 15 RB, 17 AR, 2 UK, 5 CN, 8 AU) H2,VB,U,4E Delirious (8/17/83, 8 US, 9 CB, 18 RB, 27 CN) H2,U,4E Let’s Pretend We’re Married (11/23/83, 52 US, 46 CB, 55 RB) Piano & a Microphone (recorded 1983, released 2018): Mary Don’t You Weep (6/7/18, --) 17 Days (9/6/18, --) Why the Butterflies (9/13/18, --) Purple Reign (1984-1987): Prince’s next project was the semi-autobiographical Purple Rain. The movie grossed $80 million and the accompanying album won an Oscar for Best Soundtrack. On its way toward 13 million in sales thanks to 4 top-10 hits, including the #1 hits When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy, it established Prince as a superstar. Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984): When Doves Cry (5/16/84, 15 US, 14 CB, 18 RB, 31 AR, 4 UK, 13 CN, 11 AU) H1,VB,U,4E Let’s Go Crazy (7/18/84, 12 US, 12 CB, 11 RB, 19 AR, 7 UK, 2 CN, 10 AU) H1,VB,U,4E Purple Rain (9/21/84, 2 US, 12 CB, 4 RB, 18 AR, 6 UK, 3 CN, 41 AU) H2,VB,U,4E I Would Die 4 U (11/28/84, 8 US, 10 CB, 11 RB, 58 UK, 12 CN, 96 AU) H2,VB,U,4E Take Me with U (with Apollonia, 1/25/85, 25 US, 27 CB, 40 RB, 7 UK) 4E Not one to rest on his laurels, Prince already had another album ready to go in 1985. Around the World in a Day was his second consecutive #1 album and it gave him two more top-10 hits. He followed that up in 1986 with Parade, the soundtrack to the film Under the Cherry Moon, and another #1 hit with Kiss. Around the World in a Day (1985): Raspberry Beret (5/10/85, 2 US, 11 CB, 12 RB, 40 AR, 25 UK, 8 CN, 13 AU) H2,VB,U,4E Paisley Park (5/24/85, 18 UK, 38 AU) 4E Pop Life (7/10/85, 7 US, 7 CB, 8 RB, 60 UK, 65 CN, 67 AU) H1,U,4E Parade (1986): Kiss (2/5/86, 12 US, 12 CB, 14 RB, 6 UK, 4 CN, 2 AU) H2,VB,U,4E Mountains (5/7/86, 23, US, 19 CB, 15 RB, 45 UK, 45 AU) 4E Anotherloverholenyohead (7/2/86, 63 US, 74 CB, 18 RB, 36 UK) Girls & Boys (8/4/86, 11 UK) 4E Dream Factory (1986): Witness 4 the Prosecution (8/14/20, --) After the Revolution (1987-1991): The double album Sign ‘O’ the Times was Prince’s first since 1999 to not give the Revolution a co-credit. It was his “most musically expansive and lyrically incisive album,” RH often considered his best work by critics. “ On the sobering Sign ‘O’ the Times…Prince enumerated a catalog of social ills – AIDS, crack, gang violence – over a skeletal funk track.” RH That song and two others from the albums were top-10 hits. That same year, Prince opened “Paisley Park – a 65,000-square-foot multimedia production facility, with three studios and a soundstage.” RH Sign O’ the Times (1987): Sign ‘O’ the Times (2/18/87, 3 US, 4 CB, 13 RB, 10 UK, 5 CN, 29 AU) H1,VB,U,4E If I Was Your Girlfriend (4/6/87, 67 US, 78 CB, 12 RB, 20 UK) H2,4E U Got the Look (w/ Sheena Easton, 7/14/87, 2 US, 3 CB, 11 RB, 11 UK, 22 CN, 90 AU) H2,VB,U,4E I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (11/3/87, 10 US, 10 CB, 29 UK, 33 CN) H1,U,4E Hot Thing (11/3/87, 63 US, 69 CB, 14 RB) U Adore H1 He also recorded The Black Album in 1987. The “controversial, hardcore set…was aborted shortly before its intended release” RH but eventually was made available in 1994. 1988 saw the release of Lovesexy and another top-10 hit with Alphabet Street. The Black Album (recorded 1987, released 1994): When 2 R in Love (11/28/89, --) Lovesexy (1988): Alphabet Street (4/23/88, 8 US, 9 CB, 3 RB, 9 UK, 14 CN, 20 AU) H1,VB,U,4E Glam Slam (7/11/88, 44 RB, 29 UK) 4E I Wish U Heaven (10/15/88, 18 RB, 24 UK) Prince found himself back at #1 again in 1989 with the soundtrack for Batman and its lead single, Batdance. “Prince’s dense, tangled funk meshed with film producer Tim Burton’s dark, gothic vision.” RH Prince made his own moive – his third – in 1990 with Graffiti Bridge. While the movie was a flop with critics and fans, the soundtrack was yet another top-10 success for Prince and featured the top-10 hit Thieves in the Temple. Batman (soundtrack, 1989): Batdance (6/8/89, 11 US, 13 CB, 11 RB, 18 MR, 2 UK, 11 CN, 2 AU) 4E Partyman (8/25/89, 18 US, 15 CB, 16 RR, 5 RB, 14 UK, CN 31, 38 AU) The Arms of Orion (with Sheena Easton) (10/16/89, 36 US, 33 CB, 29 RR, 21 AC, 27 UK) Scandalous (11/28/89, 5 RB, 95 AU) The Future (5/18/90, --) Graffiti Bridge (soundtrack, 1990): Thieves in the Temple (7/17/90, 6 US, 11 CB, 11 RB, 7 UK, 5 CN, 16 AU) H1,VB,U,4E New Power Generation (10/20/90, 64 US, 54 CB, 27 RB, 26 UK, 91 AU) The New Power Generation (1991-1993): For 1991’s Diamonds and Pearls, Prince assembled a new backing band, the New Power Generation. It was his “most accessible and hit-filled album since Purple Rain. Everything about it was elaborately conceived, including the holographic cover.” RH It gave him two more top-10 hits with the title cut and the #1 Cream. Diamonds and Pearls (1991): Gett Off (6/7/91, 21 US, 6 RB, 4 UK, 25 CN, 8 AU) H2,VB,U,4E Cream (9/9/91, 12 US, 12 CB, 15 UK, 2 CN, 2 AU) H2,VB,U,4E Insatiable (11/4/91, 77 US, 3 RB) Diamonds and Pearls (11/25/91, 3 US, 11 CB, 40 AC, 11 RB, 25 UK, 5 CN, 13 AU) H1,VB,U,4E Money Don’t Matter 2 Night (3/3/92, 23 US, 20 CB, 4 RB, 19 UK, 19 CN, 18 AU) VB,U Thunder (6/15/92, 28 UK) Strollin’ (7/18/92, 4 UK) The Originals (archives: 1981-91, released 2019): Nothing Compares 2 U (2018, --) In 1992, Prince released what became known as The Love Symbol Album because of the symbol which was a fusion of the symbols for male and female. Prince would adopt the symbol as his name in 1993. The album gave him another top-10 hit with 7. In August of that year, Prince signed a contract extension with Warner Bros. for six more albums at $10 million apiece. However, that relationships would quickly sour. Love Symbol Album (1992): Sexy M.F. (6/30/92, 66 US, 55 CB, 76 RB, 4 UK, 11 CN, 5 AU) H2,4E My Name Is Prince (9/29/92, 36 US, 20 CB, 25 RB, 7 UK, 5 CN, 9 AU) U,4E 7 (11/17/92, 7 US, 6 CB, 61 RB, 27 UK, 3 CN, 25 AU) H1,U,4E The Morning Papers (3/13/93, 44 US, 35 CB, 7 RR, 68 RB, 52 UK, 8 CN, 87 AU) Damn U (12/12/93, 32 RB)

The Hits/The B-Sides Prince

Released: September 14, 1993 Recorded: 1978-1993 Peak: 4 US, 6 RB, 4 UK, 4 AU, 67 CN Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.4 UK, 2.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop

The Hits 1: (1) When Doves Cry (2) Pop Life (3) Soft and Wet (4) I Feel for You (5) Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? (6) When You Were Mine (7) Uptown (8) Let’s Go Crazy (9) 1999 (10) I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (11) Nothing Compares 2 U (live) (12) Adore (13) Pink Cashmere (14) Alphabet Street (15) Sign ‘O’ the Times (16) Thieves in the Temple (17) Diamonds and Pearls (18) 7 The Hits 2: (1) Controversy (2) Dirty Mind (3) I Wanna Be Your Lover (4) Head (5) Do Me Baby (6) Delirious (7) Little Red Corvette (8) I Would Die 4 U (9) Raspberry Beret (10) If I Was Your Girlfriend (11) Kiss (12) Peach (13) U Got the Look (with Sheena Easton) (140 Sexy MF (15) Gett Off (16) Cream (17) Pope (18) Purple Rain The B-sides: (1) Hello (2) 200 Balloons (3) Escape (4) Gotta Step Messin’ About (5) Horny Toad (6) Feel U Up (7) Girl (8) I Love U in Me (9) Erotic City (10) Shockadelica (11) Irresistible Bitch (12) Scarlet Pussy (13) La La La He He Hee (14) She’s Always in My Hair (15) 17 Days (16) How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? (17) Another Lonely Christmas (18) God (19) 4 the Tears in Your Eyes (20) Power Fantastic Total Running Time: 225:53

Rating: 4.341 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About The Hits/The B-sides: The Hits/The B-Sides was Prince’s first compilation. The three-box set consisted of two discs known as The Hits 1 and The Hits 2, which were also sold as individual albums, and also packaged together with a third disc of B-sides. All three configurations went platinum with the three-pack reaching the highest chart peak (#19). While the majority of the important hits are present (#1 “Batdance” is noticeably absent), the non-chronological nature is distracting. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Gotta Stop Messin’ About (5/29/81 single-only release) B, 4E How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? (9/24/82, B-side of “1999”) B Horny Toad (8/17/83, B-side of “Delirious”) B Irresistible Bitch (11/23/83, B-side of “Let’s Pretend We’re Married”) B 17 Days (5/16/84, B-side of “When Doves Cry”) B Erotic City (7/18/84, B-side of “Let’s Go Crazy”) B God (9/26/84, B-side of “Purple Rain”) B Another Lonely Christmas (11/28/84, B-side of “I Would Die 4 U”) B 4 the Tears in Your Eyes (live, studio version released on We Are the World, 1985) B She’s Always in My Hair (5/15/85, B-side of “Raspberry Beret”) B, U Hello (7/10/85, B-side of “Pop Life”) B Girl (10/2/85, B-side of “America”) B Power Fantastic (previously unreleased, recorded 3/19/86) B La La La He He Hee (2/18/87, B-side of “Sign ‘O’ the Times”) B Shockadelica (5/6/87, B-side of “If I Was Your Girlfriend”) B Escape (7/11/88, B-side of “Glam Slam”) B Scarlet Pussy (9/20/88, B-side of “I Wish U Heaven”) B 200 Balloons (6/8/89, B-side of “Batdance”) B Feel U Up (9/15/89, B-side of “Partyman”) B I Love U in Me (10/16/89, B-side of “The Arms of Orion”) B Pink Cashmere (8/31/93, 50 US, 33 CB, 14 RB, 7 CN, 87 AU) H1 Peach (10/16/93, 14 UK, 28 AU) H2,4E Nothing Compares 2 U (live, 12/18/93, 62 RB) H1,U,4E Pope H2 Notes: In addition to being released as part of the 3-CD The Hits/The B-Sides collection, The Hits 1 and The Hits 2 were released as individual albums.

The Very Best of Prince

Released: July 31, 2001 Covers: 1979-1992 Peak: 11 US, 2 UK, 2 AU, 11 CN Sales (in millions): 2.66 US, 0.6 UK, 3.75 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop

Tracks: (1) I Wanna Be Your Lover (2) 1999 (3) Little Red Corvette (4) When Doves Cry (5) Let’s Go Crazy (6) Purple Rain (7) I Would Die 4 U (8) Raspberry Beret (9) Kiss (10) Sign ‘O’ the Times (11) U Got the Look (12) Alphabet Street (13) Thieves in the Temple (14) Gett Off (15) Cream (16) Diamonds and Pearls (17) Money Don’t Matter 2 Night Total Running Time: 73:18

Rating: 4.340 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About The Very Best of: The Very Best of covered the same years as the previous The Hits/The B-Sides, but was a welcome addition to fans looking for a single-disc retrospective of Prince’s work. A few top tens are absent (“Delirious,” “Pop Life,” “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man,” “7”) and, once again, the #1 hit “Batdance.” Overall, though, this is an ideal starting point for someone looking for a quick overview. After Prince’s death in 2016, this collection skyrocketed back on the charts to #1.

Ultimate Prince

Released: March 14, 2006 Covers: 1978-1992 Peak: 6 US, 3 UK, 6 AU, 12 CN Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.3 UK, 0.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop

Disc 1: (1) I Wanna Be Your Lover (2) Uptown (3) Controversy (4) 1999 (5) Delirious (6) When Doves Cry (7) I Would Die 4 U (8) Purple Rain (9) Sign ‘O’ the Times (10) I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (11) Alphabet Street (12) Diamonds and Pearls (13) Gett Off (14) Money Don’t Matter 2 Night (15) 7 (16) Nothing Compares 2 U (live) Disc 2 (remixes): (1) Let’s Go Crazy (2) Little Red Corvette (3) Let’s Work (4) Pop Life (5) She’s Always in My Hair (6) Raspberry Beret (7) Kiss (8) U Got the Look (9) Hot Thing (10) Thieves in the Temple (11) Cream Total Running Time: 2:36:20

Rating: 3.900 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About Ultimate: This two-disc compilation is a completely unnecessary and obvious cash grab. It still covers the same years as the previous collections, adding the unnecessary Purple Medley and a handful of minor hits which hadn’t been on previous collections (Let’s Work, Hot Thing, My Name Is Prince). With one disc focused on hits and the other on remixes, it is a disappointment for fans who just want the hits as they are familiar with them and it is a sleazy way to get Prince die-hards to plop down for a two-disc collection when they really just want the remixes. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Purple Medley (3/14/95, 84 US, 74 RB, 33 UK, 40 AU) U

4ever Prince

Released: November 22, 2016 Covers: 1978-1993 Peak: 33 US, 4 RB, 21 UK, 36 AU, 40 CN Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK, 0.1 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/pop

Disc 1: (1) 1999 (2) Little Red Corvette (3) When Doves Cry (4) Let’s Go Crazy (5) Raspberry Beret (6) I Wanna Be Your Lover (7) Soft and Wet (8) Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? (9) Uptown (10) When You Were Mine (11) Head (12) Gotta Stop Mesisn’ About (13) Controversy (14) Let’s Work (15) Delirious (16) I Would Die 4 U (17) Take Me with U (18) Paisley Park (19) Pop Life (20) Purple Rain Disc 2: (1) Kiss (2) Sign ‘O’ the Times (3) Alphabet Street (4) Batdance (5) Thieves in the Temple (6) Cream (7) Mountains (8) Girls & Boys (9) If I Was Your Girlfriend (10) U Got the Look (with Sheena Easton) (11) I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (12) Glam Slam (13) Moonbeam Levels (14) Diamonds and Pearls (15) Gett Off (16) Sexy MF (17) My Name Is Prince (18) 7 (19) Peach (20) Nothing Compares 2 U

Rating: 4.603 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

About 4Ever: This collection reaks of being another cash grab, considering it was released within a year of Prince’s death and covers the same years as the previous three collections. However, as a two-disc set, this is actually superior to The Hits, if you aren’t interested in the B-sides which come with the latter. Once again, we maddeningly get songs in non-chronological order, but we get eight songs never released on a previous Prince collection: Gotta Stop Messin’ About (1981 single-only), Moonbeam Levels (unreleased song from 1982), Take Me with U, Paisley Park, Mountains, Girls & Boys, Glam Slam, and, finally, Batdance. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Moonbeam Levels (recorded 7/6/1982, released 2016) 4E

The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (1993-1996): In 1993, Prince changed his name to “an unpronounceable cipher: a hybrid of the symbols for male and female.” RH By his own suggestion, he was then referred to as “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.” In 1994, he released Come, an album of new material, and The Black Album, which had originally been slated for 1987 and was shelved. 1-800-NEW-FUNK (1994): Love Sign (with Nona Gaye) (7/2/94, 72 US, 32 RB) Come (1994): Letitgo (8/9/94, 31 US, 17 CB, 16 RR, 10 RB, 30 UK, 20 CN, 22 AU) Space (11/1/94, 71 RB, 91 AU) Before year’s end, he released his last top-10 hit, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. It was featured on the 1995 album The Gold Experience, which was released in the midst of contract negotiations with Warner Bros. He contended that the one-sided contract rendered him a slave. He was released from the contract. Chaos and Disorder was his last album released by the label. The Gold Experience (1995): The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (2/24/94, 3 US, 15 CB, 12 RR, 25 AC, 2 RB, 12 UK, 6 CN, 12 AU, sales: 0.57 million) Shhh (7/2/94, 62 RB) A I Hate U (9/8/95, 12 US, 13 CB, 36 RR, 3 RB, 20 UK, 25 CN, 33 AU) A Gold (11/18/95, 88 US, 54 CB, 39 RR, 92 RB, 10 UK, 39 CN, 94 AU) A P. Control A We March A Endorphinmachine A Girl 6 (1996): Girl 6 (4/13/96, 76 RB) His Most Prolific Years (1996-1998): Without the restrictions of the label, Prince went on a spree releasing material over the next few years. In 1996, he released the single-disc Chaos and Disorder and the three-disc Emancipation. In 1998, he released the five-CD set Crystal Ball which consisted of four discs of archival material and a new disc of material called The Truth. He released New Power Soul that same year, making for ten discs’ worth of material over three years, “much more material than most artists manage in a lifetime.” RH Chaos and Disorder (1996): Dinner with Delores (6/12/96, 36 UK) A Chaos and Disorder A Emancipation (1996): Betcha by Golly Wow! (11/13/96, 31 US, 16 RR, 38 A40, 10 RB, 11 UK, 9 CN, 18 AU) Jam of the Year (1/11/97, --) The Holy River (1/13/97, 58 US, 15 RR, 31 A40, 19 UK, 31 CN) Somebody’s Somebody (1/13/97, 15 RB) Emancipation A The Love We Make A The Truth (1997): The Truth (2/14/97, --) 3rd Eye A Crystal Ball (archival box set: 1998): Dream Factory (recorded 1985) A Crucial (recorded 1986) A Strays of the World (recorded 1993) A New Power Soul (1999): The One (6/20/98, 44 RB) Come On (11/21/98, 65 UK) The Return of Prince (1999-2003): In 1999, Prince signed a deal with Arista to distribute Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. He still retained ownership of the music, but had the benefit of major-label distribution. It was also the first time Prince reverted back to his name. Over the next few years, he released a series of albums which were marketed primarily through his website. The Rainbow Children was “a mystical and spiritually themed suite,” RH One Nite Alone…Live was a three-disc set, and N.E.W.S. was a collection of “lengthy, jazz-funk instrumentals.” RH Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999): The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (10/5/99, 63 US, 65 UK) A I Love U, But I Don’t Trust U A The Rainbow Children (2001): The Work Part 1 (4/10/01, --) A Muse 2 the Pharaoh A 1+1+1 Is 3 A N.E.W.S. (2003): West A The Revival (2004-2010): In 2004, Prince had his first top-10 album in nearly a decade with Musicology. He followed that with the gold-selling 3121, his first #1 album since 1989’s Batman soundtrack. Planet Earth and the simultaneously released Lotusflow3r and MPL Sound albums also hit the top 10. The Chocolate Invasion (2004): U Make My Sun Shine (with Angie Stone) (4/10/01, --) A Supercute (4/14/01, --) When I Lay My Hands on U A The Slaughterhouse (2004): Northside A Musicology (2004): Musicology (4/10/04, 44 RB, 29 AU) A Call My Name (5/29/04, 75 US, 27 RB) A Cinnamon Girl (9/6/04, 43 UK) 3121 (2006): Te Amo Corazon (12/20/05, 67 RB, 7 CN) Black Sweat (3/11/06, 60 US, 83 RB, 43 UK, 2 CN) A Fury (6/27/06, 70 RB, 60 UK) Satisfied (8/12/06, --) Planet Earth (2007): Guitar (7/9/07, 81 UK) A Chelsea Rodgers (8/6/07, --) A Somewhere Here on Earth A Lotus Flow3r (2009): Dreamer A 4ever A MPL Sound (2009): U’re Gonna C Me (10/09) A Ol’ Skool Company A Dance 4 Me (2009, --) 20Ten (2010): Future Soul Song A

Anthology 1995-2010 Prince

Released: August 17, 2018 Covers: 1995-2010 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: R&B/pop

Tracks: (1) Emancipation (2) Black Sweat (3) P. Control (4) Crucial (5) The Love We Make (6) I Hate U (7) The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (8) I Love U, But I Don’t Trust U Anymore (9) Gold (10) Guitar (11) Dream Factory (12) The Work, Pt. 1 (13) Call My Name (14) Strays of the World (15) Shhh (16) Dreamer (17) Chaos and Disorder (18) Endorphinmachine (19) Musicology (20) Northside (21) When I Lay My Hands on U (22) Beautiful Strange (23) Future Soul Song (24) 3rd Eye (25) U’re Gonna C Me (27) Dinner with Delores (28) Ol’ Skool Company (29) 4ever (30) West (31) Xpedition (32) Muse 2 the Pharaoh (33) Somewhere Here on Earth (34) U Make My Sun Shine (35) 1+1+1 Is 3 (36) Chelsea Rodgers (37) We March

Rating: 3.069 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

About Anthology 1995-2010: This was the second compilation released by Prince’s estate after his death. It was only made available digitally. It was released at the same time as his latter period albums were made available via stream platforms other than Tidal. The most notable omission was “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” because of a long-running copyright dispute. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Empty Room (1992) A Beautiful Strange (2001) A Xpedition (2003) A

His Last Few Years (2010-2016): After simultaneously releasing MPL Sound and Lotus Flow3r, Prince came back with another pair of albums in 2014. Like their predecessors, were also top-10 albums. In between his 2009 and 2014 album releases, Prince released a series of singles through is website. Some of those songs also showed up on his 2015 releases Hit N Run Phase One and Hit N Run Phase Two. Welcome 2 America (recorded 2010, released 2021): Welcome 2 America (2021, --) Art Official Age (2014): Breakfast Can Wait (2/5/13, --) Breakdown (4/18/14, --) Clouds (8/25/14, --) Plectrumelectrum (2014): Fix Ur Life Up (4/14/13, --) Pretzel Body Logic (1/28/14, 90 UK) Hit N Run Phase One (2015): Fall in Love 2 Nite (with Zooey Deschanel) (3/14/14, 50 RR) Hard Rock Lover (2015, --) This Could B Us (2015, --) Hit N Run Phase Two (2015): Extraloveable (with Andy Allo) (11/23/11, --) Rock and Roll Love Affair (10/6/12, 22 AC) Screwdriver (1/22/13, --) Groovy Potential (8/13/13, --) Baltimore (2015, --) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Prince RH Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (rockhall) WK Wikipedia page for Prince Wikipedia page for The Hits/The B-Sides Wikipedia page for The Very Best of Wikipedia page for Ultimate Wikipedia page for 4Ever Wikipedia page for Anthology 1995-2010 First posted 7/1/2008; updated 8/10/2021.