I always thought weird that TVBOP was lacking 6'42 of music on the CD, as if there were room for Batdance or My Name is Prince, and they deleted it at the last minute.
For an artist so prolific, it was nonsense to let that void of 6'40 unused.
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Of course, there were so called legal rights that prevented from Batdance or TMBGITW to make the cut, but I think that could have been worked out easily.
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Partyman was for instance on a maxi of Peach, with the Jack Nicholson intro skipped.
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Strange too the visuals from the Scandalous music video were so upfront, when there no Batman singles included in it, and that Scandalous was an all time flop ( sadly).
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Money Don't Matter 2Night was a worldwide hit, but not a huge hit, to deserve to be on a very best of.
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Also, when you look at Spotify numbers today, songs that were not hits, such as Adore or Do Me Baby, are more listened to than some of the hits included here.
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It s also a missed opportunity to include something unreleased/ rare for the fans.
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What would have been your tracklist with about 80 minutes of CD?
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So here is what would have been I think a more efficient tracklist :

1. I Wanna Be Your Lover (2:58)
2. 1999 (3:37)
3. Little Red Corvette (4:56)
4. When Doves Cry (3:47)
5. Let s Go Crazy (4:40)
6. Purple Rain (8:40)

I would skip I Would Die 4U which was a flop outside the US

7. Raspberry Beret (3:32)
8. Kiss (3:38, the album version is shorter!)

9. Manic Monday (2:51)
10. Sign O the Times (3:42)
11. U Got The Look (3:47)
12. Alphabet Street (5:38)
13. Batdance single edit (4:06)
14. Thieves in the Temple (3:21)
15. Nothing Compares 2 U (4:40) Originals version, that basically replaces MDM2N.
16. Gett Off (4:31)
17. Cream (4:13)
18. Diamonds and Pearls (4:19)
19. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

RODSERLING said:

Blasphemy! One of his best songs. Non-Americans just don’t ‘get it’ (no offense)

AvocadosMax said:

I don't think it was even released in the first place everywhere in Europe.
Much like Sexy MF was a hit in Europe and a flop in the US, so it wasn't included in TVBOP.

straight pop bangers:

wanna be yr lover

1999

LRC

delirious

when doves cry

lets go crazy

i would die 4 u

raspberry beret

kiss

u got the look

could never take the place

alphabet st

batdance

thieves in the temple

gett off

cream

sexy mf

Hum... A very best of without Purple Rain is unsellable.
It would be like MJ s best of without Billie Jean.

This was more of an upbeat pop classics sequence

But yeah, purple rain and diamonds and Pearl's should be on any greatest hits set

What’s glaringly absent from TVBOP is “7” which was a top ten pop hit. There’s room on the CD for it and the credits even mention the 1992 version of NPG (“introducing Mayte”) when nothing from Symbol is represented. Weird.

fms said:

Exactly what I was going to say... Didn't make any sense for "7" to not be included. Needless to say, but I didn't get that one when it was released. Already have all of the albums and The Hits/B-Sides. When "The Rainbow Children" was released, I practically forgot TVBOP even existed.

One thing I don't get is why some didn't dig "Ultimate". To finally have those 12" extended versions on CD was awesome at that time.
[Edited 1/7/21 10:08am]

I like to hear a compilation of deeper cuts that the masses might not know, but are stone cold classics in their own right...

17 Days

Anna Stesia

She's Always In My Hair

Joy In Repetition

The Love We Make

Sometimes It Snows In April

etc

PS Why does the 'e' of my name drop down???

[Edited 1/9/21 17:51pm]

[Edited 1/9/21 17:52pm]

[Edited 1/11/21 18:24pm]

fms said:

I thought at the time the "1992" Was for the single version of D&P, and the photo of the single cover of Money..
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"7" Was a flop outside the US, it peaked only at #56 on the Eurocharts (!). While My Name is Prince was #10 and Sexy MF #8. It would have made then nonsense to put 7 on a " Very best of".
Contrary to worldwide #1 singles, such as Batdance, NC2U, Manic monday, TMBGITW...
[Edited 1/10/21 5:37am]

Dandroppedadime said:

Stone cold classics for who exactly?

rebelenterprise said:

Why including a track that was a flop outside the USA?
Money Don't Matter for instance, performed better worldwide than 7.

When I say that americans are too focused on themselves.
If a movie or an album is a domestic flop, no matter if it s a huge success in Europe, Asia... It would stay a flop for them.
The same is true of a domestic success, they can't imagine it could be a flop elsewhere.
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And yes Ultimate was cool, but they should have included two discs of 12', not just one...
[Edited 1/10/21 2:37am]
[Edited 1/10/21 5:38am]
[Edited 1/10/21 5:38am]