The Hits 2 - Prince (CD 1993)

While the second set in the 2-disc Prince "The Hits" collection is pretty much the same as the first (lot of old hits with a few not-really hits, plus 2 new songs), there's a definite distinction. The songs here pick up a few of the ones I was expecting on the first disc. "Controversy" the opener, not technically a "hit" was still pretty popular, probably more so 3 years later when PURPLE RAIN came out and people started going back to pick up his older records. I remember the line "Am I black or white, am I straight or gay" being a big question mark when my cousin first played this song for me, and us, in our 12- and 13-year-old minds, not able to believe people were singing songs like this. This is where the distinction between discs 1 and 2 comes in. The first set were the regular hits, the pop songs you can play pretty much anywhere. Disc 2, however, displays some of the songs you don't want your mother to hear. "Controvery", "Dirty Mind", "Do Me, Baby", "Sexy M.F."--PRINCE, THE HITS 2 is definitely a collection you listen to with the windows rolled up.

"Controvery" is as good an opening song as any, except maybe "Little Red Corvette", but maybe that's just my own bias--I've always loved "Corvette" and get a little bored with "Controversy" after a while, however, and thankfully, this time it's the edited version and for once I'm not complaining. "Dirty Mind", "I Wanna Be Your Lover", and "Head" follow. Once again, another "hit" that was never released. There were 2 singles from 1980's DIRTY MIND, and "Head" was not one of them, so why is it on here? Because it's such a "racy" song? Please. If we can't stick strictly to the "hits", let's at least include only songs that were actually released as singles, okay? "Head" does however melt beautifully into the edited version of "Do Me, Baby" from 1981's CONTROVERSY. "Delirious" from 1999 is here, but for some reason it's edited, too. It's not even a very long song, so editing it here only succeeds in making it shorter and by the time it's over, you might not even realized it was on. "Little Red Corvette" (did I mention I've always loved this song?) reminds me why I got into Prince in the first place. With that beat, and those guitars, how can anyone not love this song? Anyway.

"I Would Die 4 U" and "Raspberry Beret" are nothing more than simple pop pleasure, one single unnoticed, and another pretty big hit, both great songs. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" closes side 1--the edited version--and this is probably the one time I wish to God they'd included the album version because there's no way this song was a hit, but it's so good (easily my favorite Prince and, to be honest, my favorite song period, ever), anyone not familiar with it could have at least discovered for themselves if they'd picked up this set. But whatever, I wasn't consulted.

"Kiss" opens side 2, followed by the first of the new tracks. "Peach" is a middle-ground song. It succeeds where it needs to, but fails where it shouldn't. The music is raunchy and rough, an old-school rock guitar song with some heavy bass and drums to back it up. But with lyrics like "She was pure / every ounce / I was sure / when her t!tt!es bounced / every way / she's a winner / take a gay / preacher to a sinner", you're almost embarrassed by how simple and . . . not-Prince those lyrics are. Thank God for a catchy riff, huh?

"U Got the Look" makes an appearance next and I can't believe I sometimes forget how good a song it is. Now, why "Sexy M. F." is on here, I don't know. It wasn't a hit, and in its album version just seems to ramble on forever. In fact, before just now I didn't even realize the song is only 5:35. I would have sworn it was closer to 7 minutes. "Gett Off" and "Cream", both big enough to be called hits, are followed by the last of the Hits new songs. "Pope" is not what you'd expect from 1993 Prince--maybe 1998 or 1999, but in '93 he was still making music that was more definitely Prince and not so . . . hip-hop. Good song, though, I think. It's funky and funny and doesn't really make a bit of sense, but I think it's better even than some of the "hits" so far. Don't know if it was ever released (I know "Peach" was), but with the heavy dance beat and catchy chorus, it could have been. Hell, if some of the crap that becomes hits nowadays has a chance, surely "Pope" could have gotten at least into the top 20.

The closer is a no-brainer. Like there's EVER going to be a Prince hits collection that doesn't end with "Purple Rain". Please.

Personally, I like Hits 1 better. Hits 2 has my favorite song in the world, and some other GREAT stuff, but I think song for song, Hits 1 is more interesting. Maybe it's the reliance on so many older songs and even less "hits" than the first set. I mean, when you look at it, Hits 2 has 6 actual HITS, songs everyone in the free world knows and can probably hum on cue. But that's only 6 songs out of 18, only a third of the entire record. All the rest is just stuff he released--whether it flew up the charts or not was apparently not important for a "hits" collection--and a couple new songs to round things out. The point is, to keep this short and simple, The Hits 2 has some GREAT stuff on it, but in my opinion it's not so much about hits as it is trying to come up with that 2nd disc for a boxed set. If you ask me, the boxed set was great at 3 CDs, but would have been a hundred times better if it had been hits on disc 1, the B-sides on disc 3, and instead of a few unreleased songs sprinkled throughout the Hits, put a whole disc worth of unreleased older stuff on the second disc. Hits, unreleased, and B-sides, now THAT'S a box set worth the money.