[2016-11-22] Prince "4Ever" 2CD compilation (NPG/Warner)

Eddie Scott · 27 Jan 2007

Description
Prince 4Ever will bring together 40 of PRINCE’s best-loved songs, including the hits “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Kiss,” “Little Red Corvette,” “Purple Rain,” “Raspberry Beret,” “Sign O’ The Times,” “Alphabet Street,” “Batdance,” “Cream,” and “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” Prince 4Ever includes “Moonbeam Levels” -- a previously unreleased song originally recorded in 1982 during the "1999" sessions and later considered for the never released "Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic" album. Prince 4Ever will also arrive with a 12-page booklet of never-before-seen photos by photographer Herb Ritts.

Tracklist
[CD1]
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 (Messin' 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 *

[CD2]
1. Kiss *
2. Sign "O" the Times
3. Alphabet St.
4. Batdance
5. Thieves in the Temple
6. Cream **
7. Mountains *
8. Girls and Boys *
9. If I Was Your Girlfriend
10. U Got the Look
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 **

* Prince and The Revolution
** Prince and The New Power Generation
+ previously unreleased

Disc 1, Tracks 1-2 and 15 from 1999 (Warner Bros., 1982)
Disc 1, Tracks 3-4, 16-17 and 20 from Purple Rain: Music from the Motion Picture (Warner Bros., 1984)
Disc 1, Tracks 5 and 18-19 from Around the World in a Day (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1985)
Disc 1, Tracks 6 and 8 from Prince (Warner Bros., 1979)
Disc 1, Track 7 from For You (Warner Bros., 1978)
Disc 1, Tracks 9-11 from Dirty Mind (Warner Bros., 1980)
Disc 1, Track 12 from B-side to "Let's Work" 12" single (Warner Bros., 1982)
Disc 1, Tracks 13-14 from Controversy (Warner Bros., 1981)
Disc 2, Tracks 1 and 7-8 from Parade: Music from the Motion Picture "Under the Cherry Moon" (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1986)
Disc 2, Tracks 2 and 9-11 from Sign "O" the Times (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1987)
Disc 2, Tracks 3 and 12 from Lovesexy (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1988)
Disc 2, Track 4 from Batman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Warner Bros., 1989)
Disc 2, Track 5 from Graffiti Bridge: Music from the Motion Picture (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1990)
Disc 2, Tracks 6 and 14-15 from Diamonds and Pearls (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1991)
Disc 2, Tracks 16-18 from The Love Symbol (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1992)
Disc 2, Tracks 19-20 from The Hits/The B-Sides (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1993)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDP1PZY/?tag=imwan-20

NoURider · **Joined:** 21 Jul 2006 **Posts:** 3308

Not a bad compilation, but a totally unnecessary one. Is this the first posthumous release, excepting the vinyl (some reason I thought there was another slight comp.)?
Understanding they need to get the vault in order, I would have imagined they have something deeper than simply one 'unreleased' track - or simply why bother (I know...cash grab).

Renny · 26 Jun 2006

1 unreleased song, on a 2CD set.

maybe used someday, but no way new.

alantig · 20 Sep 2006

One B-side from a 12" besides the unreleased track. Underwhelming, to be sure. Some deeper cuts, but really nothing I'd consider compelling.

Jimbo · 19 Jul 2006

Prince sort of disowned "Batdance," which hasn't appeared on any earlier comp, despite being a #1 single.

I'd love to see a cross-licensed, multi-disc set with all of his charted hits. Oh, and this one should have "Erotic City."

The Hits/The B-Sides continues to be my go-to compilation.

RackleNut · **Joined:** 07 Nov 2006 **Posts:** 1356

my favorite non-"hit" Prince track is "pink cashmere" - i honestly thought i'd see it here.
i do hope the mastering is spot-on, even if it's unlikely i purchase this.

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Oct 21, 2016 11:50 am

Bump: Added the cover image to the first post.

NoURider · **Joined:** 21 Jul 2006 **Posts:** 3308

It is a great pic of the man.

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 26163

A decent comp, but not much better than that.

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Oct 21, 2016 8:17 pm

Amazon USA now has it up for pre-ordering:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDP1PZY/?tag=imwan-20

Steve · 21 Oct 2004

Just what Prince would have wanted!

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2651

Apparently the unreleased song is a leftover from Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic which IMO is the worst Prince studio album.

Steve · 21 Oct 2004

Another article said it was from the 1999 sessions.

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2651

If it's from 1999 then I'd gladly pay for 2 CDs to get the one song!

EDIT:
Just checked the Prince Vault ( princevault.com ) , what is probably the definitive Prince website in terms of song information. They have Moonbeam Levels as being from the 1999-era.
http://princevault.com/index.php?title=Moonbeam_Levels

Looks like I'm in for the comp.

Tricky Kid · **Joined:** 23 Sep 2007 **Posts:** 8297

Quote:

Moonbeam Levels is an unreleased song recorded on 6 July 1982 (the day before Lady Cab Driver), at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA. NPG Records and Warner Bros. announced in October 2016 that Moonbeam Levels will be released as the only previously-unreleased track on the first posthumous compilation of Prince's music, Prince 4ever.

It was never placed on a configuration of the 1999 album, but was considered for inclusion on the aborted Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic album (different from the 1999 album Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic), and was included as the ninth and final track on the mid-January 1989, configuration of the album before it was abandoned when Prince began work on the Batman soundtrack album.

In early 2002, during an online chat to promote the second year of the NPG Music Club, the moderators asked if members would be interested in a pristine copy of Moonbeam Levels, hinting that it might be available as part of the membership package. The song, however, remained unreleased.

It is not yet known if the version planned for inclusion on Prince 4ever is the same version as was recorded in 1982, or if Prince did any additional work on the track at any other point. More information will be added here as it becomes known.

http://www.princevault.com/index.php?ti ... eam_Levels

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2651

Never thought to check YouTube :facepalm:

Does sound like something between 1999 and Purple Rain.

Really good song...but now that I've heard it I'm not nearly as anxious to buy the comp.

GodsComic · 03 Aug 2006

JosephC wrote:

Never thought to check YouTube :facepalm:

Does sound like something between 1999 and Purple Rain.

Really good song...but now that I've heard it I'm not nearly as anxious to buy the comp.

Prior to his passing, you would never find any Prince there. Now there is a plethora of vault material.

Steve · 21 Oct 2004

Next up: a Prince hologram at the Grammys.

Geff R. · 27 Sep 2006

alantig wrote:

One B-side from a 12" besides the unreleased track. Underwhelming, to be sure. Some deeper cuts, but really nothing I'd consider compelling.

I've got the b side, If the 1 unreleased track is something special, guess I could buy a 1 song mp3 from Amazon.

Geff R. · 27 Sep 2006

Just heard it. Meh.

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 26163

JosephC wrote:

Apparently the unreleased song is a leftover from Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic which IMO is the worst Prince studio album.

That album was OK.

There is far worse than that though IMO like Lovesexy, The Black Album, Come and Grafitti Bridge which wasn't even all Prince material.

Geff R. · 27 Sep 2006

I like Lovesexy & The Black Album. Agree on the other 2; though the absolute worst thing he ever did was probably Batman.

[2016-11-22] Prince "4Ever" 2CD compilation (NPG/Warner)

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