The Hits/The B-Sides

The Hits/The B-Sides is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It was released on September 10, 1993, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is a comprehensive three-disc set consisting of many of his hit singles and fan favorites.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	B+[5]
Entertainment Weekly	A[2]
MusicHound Rock	4.5/5[6]
Music Week	[7]
NME	6/10[3]
Q	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
Tom Hull	A−[11]

The Hits/The B-Sides
Box set by Prince
Released	September 10, 1993 (1993-09-10)
Studio	Paisley Park, Chanhassen
Genre	Dance-rock[1] funk[2] pop[3]
Length	227:03
Label	Paisley Park Warner Bros.
Producer	The New Power Generation Prince The Revolution Tommy Vicari
Prince chronology
Love Symbol (1992) The Hits/The B-Sides (1993) Come (1994)
Alternative cover
Album covers for The Hits 1 and The Hits 2
Singles from The Hits/The B-Sides
"Pink Cashmere" Released: August 31, 1993 "Peach" Released: November 18, 1993 "Controversy" Released: December 11, 1993 "Pope" Released: February 23, 1994

Album information

Discs one and two were released separately, under the titles The Hits 1 and The Hits 2 respectively, but The B-Sides disc could only be obtained by purchasing the full set. The separate Hits discs and the full set were all released on the same day. Most of the songs (A-side and B-sides) on The Hits/The B-Sides are represented in their edited single form. Exceptions to this were "Alphabet St.", "7", "Little Red Corvette", "Sexy MF", "Let's Go Crazy", and "Purple Rain". This compilation marks the first time the single version of "Kiss" was made available on CD. The third disc of B-sides also featured the 7-inch edits, with the exceptions of "200 Balloons", "17 Days", "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)", "Horny Toad", "Irresistible Bitch", "I Love U in Me", "God", and "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" which were all original full-length recordings from the original singles.

Among the previously unreleased material was the rare live version of "4 the Tears in Your Eyes", only previously released in a 1985 TV broadcast for the Live Aid concerts. Also included was a live version of "Nothing Compares 2 U", recorded live January 27, 1992, at Paisley Park with the New Power Generation. The other four new tracks were outtakes. The oldest track was "Power Fantastic", a moody ballad once considered for the Dream Factory project of 1986. Another ballad, "Pink Cashmere", was broadcast before some of the Lovesexy World Tour shows, dating it back to 1988 originally for his abandoned Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic project. "Peach" was regularly played on the Act I Tour (1993) and "Pope" was played live during some 1993 after shows. "Pope" was actually in the short-lived musical ballet Glam Slam Ulysses, which also spawned several songs later released on Come, The Gold Experience and Crystal Ball. Live jams of "Peach" often extended into the title track of Chaos and Disorder.

Commercial performance

In the United States the album debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200 the week of October 2, 1993, with more than 87,000 copies sold combining the two abbreviated versions, Hits 1 and Hits 2; the last two debuted at numbers 46 and 55, respectively, the same week.^[12] The next week, the album dropped to number 32 on the chart.^[13] It was present on the chart for 18 weeks.

The week following Prince's death, the album sold 40,000 equivalent copies (24,000 in pure album sales) thus allowing the album to re-enter the Billboard 200 at number 6.^[14][15] The next week it sold 106,000 units and hit a new peak of number four on the chart.^[16] The album was certified platinum by the RIAA on September 14, 1993, for shipments of one million.^[17]

As of April 2016 Hits 1 has sold 1,451,000 copies and Hits 2 sold 1,738,000 units according to Nielsen SoundScan, combined, they sold over 3,189,000 copies in the United States.^[18]

In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number four the week of September 25, 1993, the next week it fell off to number 12 and remained on the chart for 18 weeks.^[19] Hits 1 debuted and peaked at number five on September 25, 1993, while Hits 2 opened at number six the same weeks and two weeks later it reached and peaked at number five.^[19] The Hits/The B Sides was certified gold by the BPI on July 22, 2013, denoting shipments of 100,000 units.^[20]

Track listing

All songs performed by Prince, except where noted.

Disc one: The Hits 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Album	Length
1.	"When Doves Cry" (single edit)		Purple Rain (1984)	3:48
2.	"Pop Life" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		Around the World in a Day (1985)	3:42
3.	"Soft and Wet"	Prince Chris Moon	For You (1978)	3:03
4.	"I Feel for You"		Prince (1979)	3:25
5.	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?"		Prince (1979)	3:48
6.	"When You Were Mine"		Dirty Mind (1980)	3:43
7.	"Uptown" (single edit)		Dirty Mind (1980)	4:09
8.	"Let's Go Crazy" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		Purple Rain (1984)	4:39
9.	"1999" (single edit; performed by Prince and The Revolution)		1999 (1982)	3:38
10.	"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"		Sign o' the Times (1987)	6:29
11.	"Nothing Compares 2 U" (live 27 January 1992; performed by Prince and The New Power Generation featuring Rosie Gaines)		Previously unreleased (1992)	4:58
12.	"Adore" (edited version)		Sign o' the Times (1987)	4:41
13.	"Pink Cashmere"		Previously unreleased (1988)	6:15
14.	"Alphabet St."		Lovesexy (1988)	5:39
15.	"Sign o' the Times" (single edit)		Sign o' the Times (1987)	3:43
16.	"Thieves in the Temple"		Graffiti Bridge (1990)	3:20
17.	"Diamonds and Pearls" (single edit; performed by Prince and The New Power Generation)		Diamonds and Pearls (1991)	4:20
18.	"7" (performed by Prince and The New Power Generation)	Prince Jimmy McCracklin Lowell Fulsom	Love Symbol Album (1992)	5:09
Total length:				75:40

All tracks are written by Prince, except where noted

Disc two: The Hits 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Album	Length
1.	"Controversy" (single edit)		Controversy (1981)	3:35
2.	"Dirty Mind" (single edit)	Prince Dr. Fink	Dirty Mind (1980)	3:49
3.	"I Wanna Be Your Lover" (single edit)		Prince (1979)	2:58
4.	"Head"		Dirty Mind (1980)	4:43
5.	"Do Me, Baby" (single edit)		Controversy (1981)	3:57
6.	"Delirious" (single edit; performed by Prince and The Revolution)		1999 (1982)	2:39
7.	"Little Red Corvette" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		1999 (1982)	4:56
8.	"I Would Die 4 U" (single version; performed by Prince and The Revolution)		Purple Rain (1984)	2:56
9.	"Raspberry Beret" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		Around the World in a Day (1985)	3:32
10.	"If I Was Your Girlfriend" (single edit)		Sign o' the Times (1987)	3:46
11.	"Kiss" (single version; performed by Prince and The Revolution)		Parade (1986)	3:46
12.	"Peach"		Previously unreleased (1992)	3:48
13.	"U Got the Look" (featuring Sheena Easton)		Sign o' the Times (1987)	3:47
14.	"Sexy M.F." (performed by Prince and The New Power Generation)	Prince Tony M. Levi Seacer Jr.	Love Symbol Album (1992)	5:26
15.	"Gett Off" (performed by Prince and The New Power Generation)		Diamonds and Pearls (1991)	4:30
16.	"Cream" (performed by Prince and The New Power Generation)		Diamonds and Pearls (1991)	4:13
17.	"Pope" (featuring Mayte)		Previously unreleased (1993)	3:28
18.	"Purple Rain" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		Purple Rain (1984)	8:40
Total length:				74:31

Disc three: The B-Sides

No.	Title	Writer(s)	A-side	Length
1.	"Hello" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		"Pop Life" (1985)	3:24
2.	"200 Balloons"		"Batdance" (1989)	5:06
3.	"Escape"		"Glam Slam" (1988)	3:30
4.	"Gotta Stop (Messin' About)"		Non-album single (1981), later released as a B-side of "Let's Work" (1982)	2:55
5.	"Horny Toad"		"Delirious" (1983)	2:12
6.	"Feel U Up"		"Partyman" (1989)	3:44
7.	"Girl" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)	Prince Bobby Z. Matt Fink Lisa Coleman Brown Mark Wendy Melvoin	"America" (1985)	3:48
8.	"I Love U in Me"		"The Arms of Orion" (1989)	4:13
9.	"Erotic City" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		"Let's Go Crazy" (1984)	3:55
10.	"Shockadelica"		"If I Was Your Girlfriend" (1987)	3:31
11.	"Irresistible Bitch"		"Let's Pretend We're Married" (1983)	4:12
12.	"Scarlet Pussy" (performed by Camille)	Prince (but credited to his alter ego, Camille)	"I Wish U Heaven" (1988)	4:18
13.	"La, La, La, He, He, Hee"	Prince Sheena Easton	"Sign o' the Times" (1987)	3:22
14.	"She's Always in My Hair" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)	Prince Bobby Z. Fink Coleman Brown Mark Melvoin	"Raspberry Beret" (1985)	3:27
15.	"17 Days" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)	Prince Fink Coleman Melvoin	"When Doves Cry" (1984)	3:55
16.	"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"		"1999" (1982)	3:51
17.	"Another Lonely Christmas" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)	Prince Bobby Z. Fink Coleman Brown Mark Melvoin	"I Would Die 4 U" (1984)	4:52
18.	"God" (performed by Prince and The Revolution)		"Purple Rain" (1984)	4:03
19.	"4 the Tears in Your Eyes" (live)		Previously unreleased; studio version released on the USA for Africa album We Are the World (1985)	3:24
20.	"Power Fantastic"		Previously unreleased (1986)	4:45
Total length:				76:28

Charts

The Hits/The B-Sides Weekly charts Initial weekly chart performance for The Hits/The B-Sides Chart (1993) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 5 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] 57 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 10 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 58 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 15 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[26] 11 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 19 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 9 UK Albums (OCC)[19] 4 US Billboard 200[29] 19 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[30] 6 2005 weekly chart performance for The Hits/The B-Sides Chart (2005) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 40 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[32] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 11 Weekly chart performance for The Hits/The B-Sides upon Prince's death Chart (2016) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 4 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 23 French Albums (SNEP)[33] 101 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 71 Italian Albums (FIMI)[34] 67 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 1 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 19 US Billboard 200[35] 4 2019 weekly chart performance for The Hits/The B-Sides Chart (2019) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 172 Year-end charts Year-end chart performance of The Hits/The B-Sides on the year of Prince's death Chart (2016) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] 23 US Billboard 200[38] 159

The Hits 1 Weekly charts Initial weekly chart performance for The Hits 1 Chart (1993) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 19 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[40] 7 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] 46 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[41] 14 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[42] 10 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[43] 20 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[44] 12 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[45] 15 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[46] 8 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[47] 10 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] 22 UK Albums (OCC)[49] 5 US Billboard 200[50] 46 Weekly chart performance for The Hits 1 upon Prince's death Chart (2016) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 40 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[40] 53 Dutch CombiAlbums (MegaCharts)[41] 55 Dutch Midprice Albums (MegaCharts)[41] 11 French Albums (SNEP)[51] 108 Italian Albums (FIMI)[52] 60 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[44] 17 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[53] 17 Year-end charts 1993 year-end chart performance for The Hits 1 Chart (1993) Position European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[42] 91 UK Albums (OCC)[54] 51

The Hits 2 Weekly charts Initial weekly chart performance for The Hits 2 Chart (1993–94) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[55] 20 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[56] 9 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] 50 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[57] 15 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[42] 11 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[58] 19 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[59] 14 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[60] 8 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[61] 6 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[62] 10 UK Albums (OCC)[63] 5 US Billboard 200[64] 54 Weekly chart performance for The Hits 2 upon Prince's death Chart (2016) Peak position Dutch CombiAlbum (MegaCharts)[57] 46 Dutch Midprice Albums (MegaCharts)[57] 9 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[65] 13 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[62] 70 Year-end charts 1993 year-end chart performance for The Hits 2 Chart (1993) Position European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[42] 68 UK Albums (OCC)[54] 39

Certifications

Certifications and sales for The Hits/The B-Sides

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[66]	2× Platinum	140,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[67]	Platinum	15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[68]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[20]	Gold	100,000*
United States (RIAA)[17]	Platinum	1,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates for The Hits/The B-Sides

Country	Date	Label
Germany[69]	September 10, 1993	Warner
United Kingdom[70]	September 13, 1993
United States[71]		Paisley Park Warner Bros.

See also

• The Hits Collection, accompanying home video of select music videos from Prince.

References

1. "The Definitive Guide to Dance-Rock". Spin. 21 (10). October 2005.
2. Browne, David (September 17, 1993). "THAT #@?% (Prince symbol)!". Entertainment Weekly. p. 86. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
3. NME.COM (September 12, 2005). "NME Reviews - Prince : The Hits/The B-Sides - NME.COM". NME.COM.
4. Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "The Hits/The B-Sides". AllMusic.
5. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Prince: The Hits/The B-Sides". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. p. 252. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
6. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 897. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
7. Jones, Alan (September 18, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 17. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
8. "Prince - Hits/The B-Sides CD".
9. Wright, Christian (July 17, 1997). "Prince The Hits 1 Album Review". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
10. "Prince: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
11. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Rock (1970s)". tomhull.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
12. Mayfield, Geoff (October 2, 1993). "Between The Bullets" (PDF). Billboard. p. 113. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
13. "Top 200 Albums". Billboard 200. Billboard. October 9, 1993. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
14. Hernandez, Victoria (April 25, 2016). "Prince Dominates Album Sales After His Death". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
15. Caulfield, Keith (April 24, 2016). "Prince Rules at No. 1 & 2 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart with 'The Very Best Of' & 'Purple Rain'". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
16. Caulfield, Keith (March 5, 2016). "Prince Sets Record With Five Albums in Top 10 of Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
17. "American album certifications – Prince – The Hits/The B-Sides". Recording Industry Association of America.
18. Beech, Mark (April 21, 2016). "Measuring Prince's Musical Impact: A Look At The Sales Numbers". Forbes. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
19. "Prince | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
20. "British album certifications – Prince – The Hits/The B-Sides". British Phonographic Industry.
21. "Australiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
22. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2262". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
25. "Charts.nz – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
26. "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
27. "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
29. "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
30. "Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
31. "Ultratop.be – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
32. "Danishcharts.dk – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
33. "Lescharts.com – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
34. "Italiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
35. "Beyonce Earns Sixth No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Lemonade'". Retrieved May 2, 2016.
36. "Ultratop.be – Prince – The Hits / The B-Sides" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
37. "Top Selling Albums of 2016". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
38. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
39. "Australiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
40. "Austriancharts.at – Prince – The Hits 1" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
41. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – The Hits 1" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
42. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts - Eurochart Hot 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music & Media. December 18, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
43. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – The Hits 1" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
44. "Charts.nz – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
45. "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
46. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
47. "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
48. "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
49. "Prince | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
50. "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
51. "Lescharts.com – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
52. "Italiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
53. "Portuguesecharts.com – Prince – The Hits 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
54. "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. January 15, 1994. p. 25. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
55. "Australiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
56. "Austriancharts.at – Prince – The Hits 2" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
57. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – The Hits 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
58. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – The Hits 2" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
59. "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – The Hits 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
60. "Charts.nz – Prince – The Hits 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
61. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
62. "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Hits 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
63. "Prince | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
64. "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
65. "Portuguesecharts.com – Prince – The Hits 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
66. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
67. "New Zealand album certifications – Prince – The Hits/The B-Sides". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 20, 2016. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)^{[dead link]}THE FIELD archive-url MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION from obsolete website.
68. Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
69. "The Hits/The B-Sides - Prince: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon Germany. May 26, 1993.
70. "The Hits / The B-Sides: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon UK. May 26, 1993.
71. "Prince - The Hits / The B-Sides - Amazon.com Music". Amazon. May 26, 1993.