http://www.npgmusicclub.c...tastop.mp3
http://www.npgmusicclub.c...escape.mp3

http://www.npgmusicclub.c...lloons.mp3

is GlamSlam Escape the edit from The Hits/B-Sides? Or is it the 12" version???

ThomasBjj said:

It's the same version as on the b-sides. In fact, all three tracks appear on the b-sides.

Every copy of 'The Hits/B-Sides' should be burned, for the way they butchered songs, like 'Adore', for example. I never bought it. The problem is that people's perceptions of Prince's songs are based on snipped versions, if they don't have the original albums. I always thought that WB really fucked Prince on that, with the cheesy D&P "artwork", and such.

In my reporting of '200 Baloons' on NPGMC, I referred to it as "extended", which was incorrect, when I realised it was the same version I have on vinyl.

Peace.

G.

Giovanni777 said:

I actually don't mind that some of the songs on the Hits are truncated - it doesn't actually ruin the songs unless you are already aware there are full-length versions - in which case you probably already own the original albums anyway, so you're not losing out. Adore was not even a 'hit' or a 'single' so your average fan would only remember it from radio play back in the day.

The purpose of such collections is to give someone new to Prince's music a broad experience of his music - if it piques their interest and they then go onto buy the original albums, what a delight it must be to discover the full-length versions. In fact, you could argue that the ploy of using edited versions actually helps to drive the sales of the original albums, since fans will strive to obtain the longer versions - a clever marketing scheme.

I hardly think Warners were intent on sabotaging Prince and their own profits at the time!

And it's worth buying the collection for the b-sides alone. Not every fan has had the chance to buy the singles as they have been released, especially new fans.

There is no official extended version of 200 Balloons, as far as I am aware. You shouldn't get people excited before checking!!

metalorange said:

Have to agree there -- I don't have a problem with the edited versions of songs on the The Hits/B-Sides. The edited versions were the ones that were released as singles and were "hits" after all -- the album versions are exactly that -- album versions. If anything, I'd question why some songs that were actually "hits" were excluded (i.e. Mountains, Batdance [although I think Batman copyright laws got in the way of that one]) and others that never got radio play are included (i.e. Head, Sexy MF). Honestly, does anyone feel like Sexy MF holds more importance in Prince's catalog than Mountains does?

I suppose you could argue that the compilation should have been called something like "Definitive Prince" rather than "The Hits." At least there's some obvious subjectivity involved with the word "Definitive" -- not everything on the 2 hits discs were hits, or even singles.

Doozer said:

Well, Sexy MF was a single and I seem to remember it got into the top 10 here in the UK - so you've got to look at the Hits from a global perspective. Some songs may have been hits in different parts of the world but not others. I don't remember any of Prince's songs pre-Little Red Corvette having radio play over here, but I don't mind them being on there of course. Despite Prince being against the 'Best of' collection, it was a lot more concise for casual fans.

metalorange said:

Why don't they just sell all of those extended/full length versions. They will sell! there are a whole lot of Prince fans out there who will buy them.

DBW said:

That is the $50,000 question...

Doozer said:

Prince is scared that his previous genius will overshadow any new project he will release, knowing his stuff is not up to par.

Remember Don't Play Me?

My only competition is… well, me in the past
And time and time, if time existed, movin' ever so fast

HamsterHuey said:

I think it's laziness, personally. And not listening to the people who have followed him for so long. We're there for the new stuff, but we'd like access to some of the more rare material from the past, too.

Doozer said:

It would then turn into a 5 or 6 disc set (at least) if ALL of those songs appeared unedited, and WB probably felt it'd be too expensive for a lot of casual buyers. They were just trying to fit in as many songs as possible onto a reasonably sized and priced set.