I just noticed that iTunes has an Prince Essentials download posted (like they do for many artists/styles). Songs can be purchased for 99c each, $24.75 for each 'disc', or $74.25 for an entire package (not exactly a bargain). Like the other iTunes Essentials packages, it's divided into "The Basics", "Next Steps" and "Deep Cuts", each containing 25 tracks. The tracklist is as follows (bear in mind that iTunes does not have access to NPG Records / NPGMC material, so apart from the Musicology single, it's all WB stuff:


The Basics:
1999 6:15 Prince 1999 $0.99
When Doves Cry 3:48 Prince Prince: The Hits 1 $0.99
Kiss 3:46 Prince Parade - Under the Cherry Moon (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Raspberry Beret 3:32 Prince Around the World in a Day $0.99
I Wanna Be Your Lover 5:49 Prince Prince $0.99
Let's Go Crazy 4:39 Prince Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Controversy 7:15 Prince Controversy $0.99
Do Me Baby 7:43 Prince Controversy $0.99
Diamonds and Pearls 4:45 Prince Diamonds and Pearls $0.99
Erotic City 3:55 Prince Girl 6 (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Nothing Compares 2 U 4:19 Prince Ol' Skool: Love Jams, Vol. 2 $0.99
Take Me With U 3:54 Prince Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Musicology 4:24 Prince Musicology - Single $0.99
U Got the Look 3:47 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99
Cream 4:13 Prince Diamonds and Pearls $0.99
Let's Work 3:54 Prince Controversy $0.99
Gett Off 4:30 Prince Diamonds and Pearls $0.99
Soft and Wet 3:03 Prince For You $0.99
Sign 'o the Times 4:56 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99
D.M.S.R. 8:17 Prince 1999 $0.99
Darling Nikki 4:14 Prince Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? 3:51 Prince Girl 6 (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
I Would Die 4 U (Live) 2:49 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
The Beautiful Ones 5:14 Prince Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Adore 6:30 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99


Next Steps:
Baby I'm a Star 4:24 Prince Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Dirty Mind 4:14 Prince Dirty Mind $0.99
Sexy M.F. 5:26 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
I Feel for You 3:25 Prince Prince $0.99
Pop Life 3:42 Prince Around the World in a Day $0.99
When You Were Mine 3:47 Prince Dirty Mind $0.99
Alphabet St. 5:39 Prince Prince: The Hits 1 $0.99
Insatiable 6:39 Prince Diamonds and Pearls $0.99
International Lover 6:37 Prince 1999 $0.99
Mountains 3:57 Prince Parade - Under the Cherry Moon (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
She's Always in My Hair 3:27 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man 3:40 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99
Irresistable Bitch 4:12 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
Anotherloverholenyohead 4:00 Prince Parade - Under the Cherry Moon (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Damn U 4:25 Prince The Love Symbol Album $0.99
Sexuality 4:21 Prince Controversy $0.99
Let's Pretend We're Married 7:21 Prince 1999 $0.99
Girls and Boys 5:30 Prince Parade - Under the Cherry Moon (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Thieves in the Temple 3:20 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
7 5:09 Prince The Love Symbol Album $0.99
Automatic 9:28 Prince 1999 $0.99
Computer Blue 3:59 Prince Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
If I Was Your Girlfriend 5:01 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99
America 3:42 Prince Around the World in a Day $0.99
Delirious 4:00 Prince 1999 $0.99


Deep Cuts:
Head 4:44 Prince Dirty Mind $0.99
Lady Cab Driver 8:19 Prince 1999 $0.99
Around the World in a Day 3:28 Prince Around the World in a Day $0.99
God 4:03 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
17 Days 3:55 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
Money Don't Matter 2 Night 4:46 Prince Diamonds and Pearls $0.99
Why You Wanna Treat Me so Bad? 3:49 Prince Prince: The Hits 1 $0.99
Partyup 4:24 Prince Dirty Mind $0.99
Gotta Stop (Messin' About) 2:55 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
Bambi 4:23 Prince Prince $0.99
Another Lonely Christmas 4:52 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
Pink Cashmere 6:15 Prince Prince: The Hits 1 $0.99
And God Created Woman 3:18 Prince The Love Symbol Album $0.99
Private Joy 4:29 Prince Controversy $0.99
Hot Thing 5:39 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99
Sister 1:31 Prince Dirty Mind $0.99
Strollin' 3:47 Prince Diamonds and Pearls $0.99
Ballad of Dorothy Parker 4:02 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99
Strange Relationship 4:01 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99
Love 2 the 9's 5:45 Prince The Love Symbol Album $0.99
Venus de Milo 1:55 Prince Parade - Under the Cherry Moon (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) $0.99
Crazy You 2:17 Prince For You $0.99
I Love U in Me 4:13 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
4 the Tears in Your Eyes (Live) 3:24 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides (Box Set) $0.99
The Cross 4:48 Prince Sign o' the Times $0.99


Your thoughts?
[Edited 3/21/05 17:53pm]

What???!!! And essential Prince song list and no Jughead?????

they got "partyup" on there...it betta not be censored.

this isn't really prince "essentials" it's missing some major tracks

booyah said:[quote]I just noticed that iTunes has an Prince Essentials download posted (like they do for many artists/styles). Songs can be purchased for 99c each, $24.75 for each 'disc', or $74.25 for an entire package (not exactly a bargain). Like the other iTunes Essentials packages, it's divided into "The Basics", "Next Steps" and "Deep Cuts", each containing 25 tracks. The tracklist is as follows (bear in mind that iTunes does not have access to NPG Records / NPGMC material, so apart from the Musicology single, it's all WB stuff:


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You are thinking of paying for these songs, yeah? why dont you just rip them from CD(buy,borrow,loan) or download them for free like everybody else.

Next they,ll be putting Water into bottles and trying to sell it!

I think it's quite cool that iTunes does this with many, many artists. iTunes is as fun to surf and explore as it is an easy way to buy music from your couch and have it at your fingertips instantly. Although, I often do wonder how artists feel about having their work chopped up into basically homemade best-of discs and promoted as such.

Advantages:
Opens the door for new fans (and old ones) to easily pick up/rediscover tracks;
Free promotion for the artist, who still makes money off the sale of the tracks

Disadvantages:
Artists' work is cut-and-pasted together without their input;
No album art or liner notes
DRM (although the iTunes DRM is reasonable, it still puts restrictions on how and where you can listen to your tunes.)

I don't quite know why anyone would buy these collections as they're packaged, though, when you could just as easily pick-and-choose your own tracks as single downloads.

For $74 you could just about own all those songs on CDs easily found at used record stores, and you would own the music outright (no DRM) and could rip the tracks into higher quality AAC, MP3 or other format and not be restricted on how many computers/iPods/CDs your music could live on.

Do they thrown in a bonus "essential set" of Tony M's stuff

For non-fans there's good stuff in there; but what non-fan is gonna buy that collection for that much?

[b]As a real fan with an iPOD... it's great havin all the albums, remixes, 12", live shows, bootlegs, related artists in there and hit random in your PURPLE PLAYLIST - you never know what's coming - nearly 2000 tracks! Top. [/b]