Prince (November 12, 2001) – The Very Best Of Prince Album USA: RIAA Gold Certification

USA: RIAA GOLD CERTIFICATION

The Very Best Of Prince reached a major US sales milestone on November 12, 2001, when the 17-track Warner Bros. compilation was certified Gold by the RIAA for 500,000 copies.

RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS

FEATURE	DETAILS
Artist	Prince
Title	The Very Best Of Prince
Album Type	Compilation
UK Release	May 21, 2001
US Release	July 31, 2001
Certification Date	November 12, 2001
Certification	RIAA Gold
Certified Level	500,000
Label	Warner Bros.
Running Time	73:18
Tracks	17

ORIGINAL RELEASE ARTWORK

FRONT COVER	BACK COVER

ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVES / INSERTS

INSERT / BOOKLET 1	INSERT / BOOKLET 2

DISC ARTWORK

CD DISC	CD TRAY / INNER ARTWORK

INTRODUCTION

THE COMPILATION	THE NOVEMBER 12 MILESTONE
The Very Best Of Prince was Prince’s fourth compilation album, bringing together seventeen Warner Bros.-era recordings originally released between 1979 and 1991. The collection appeared first in the UK on May 21, 2001 and subsequently in the United States on July 31, 2001. The tracks are arranged chronologically according to their original release as singles.	The specific event documented by this Chronicle took place on November 12, 2001, when the RIAA awarded The Very Best Of Prince Gold certification in the United States for 500,000 copies. The achievement came only a few months after the American release. The album subsequently progressed to RIAA Platinum status in September 2002.

BACKGROUND / RELEASE CONCEPT

BACKGROUND	RELEASE CONCEPT
The Very Best Of Prince followed almost eight years after the earlier The Hits compilation releases and concentrates exclusively on recordings from Prince’s Warner Bros. catalogue. The seventeen selections span material originally issued between 1979 and 1991, providing a concise overview of this period of Prince’s recording career.	Rather than introducing new material, the album collects seventeen tracks that had all previously been released as singles. The programme begins with I Wanna Be Your Lover and moves chronologically through major recordings including 1999, When Doves Cry, Purple Rain, Kiss and Sign O’ The Times, before ending with material from Diamonds And Pearls.

RELEASE HISTORY / PROMOTION

RELEASE HISTORY

PROMOTION

The compilation was released in the UK on May 21, 2001 and in the United States on July 31, 2001 through Warner Bros. The album performed considerably more strongly in several European territories than it initially did in the United States, reaching No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 in the Netherlands. Its continuing sales ultimately produced a sequence of later certifications and chart re-entries.

No new commercial single was released specifically to promote The Very Best Of Prince because all seventeen tracks had already appeared as singles. A six-track German radio sampler was issued containing When Doves Cry, Purple Rain, Kiss, Cream, 1999 and Money Don’t Matter 2 Night.

ORIGINAL CD TRACKLIST

TRACKS 1–9	TRACKS 10–17
1. I Wanna Be Your Lover – 2:57 2. 1999 – 3:35 3. Little Red Corvette – 4:58 4. When Doves Cry – 3:49 5. Let’s Go Crazy – 4:39 6. Purple Rain – 8:45 7. I Would Die 4 U – 2:57 8. Raspberry Beret – 3:31 9. Kiss – 3:46	10. Sign O’ The Times – 3:44 11. U Got The Look – 3:58 12. Alphabet St. – 5:38 13. Thieves In The Temple – 3:19 14. Gett Off – 4:27 15. Cream – 4:12 16. Diamonds And Pearls – 4:20 17. Money Don’t Matter 2 Night – 4:48

ORIGINAL CASSETTE TRACKLIST

SIDE A	SIDE B
• I Wanna Be Your Lover – 2:57 • 1999 – 3:35 • Little Red Corvette – 4:58 • When Doves Cry – 3:49 • Let’s Go Crazy – 4:39 • Purple Rain – 8:45 • I Would Die 4 U – 2:57 • Raspberry Beret – 3:31 • Kiss – 3:46	• Sign O’ The Times – 3:44 • U Got The Look – 3:58 • Alphabet St. – 5:38 • Thieves In The Temple – 3:19 • Gett Off – 4:27 • Cream – 4:12 • Diamonds And Pearls – 4:20 • Money Don’t Matter 2 Night – 4:48

PERSONNEL / MUSICAL CONTRIBUTORS

EARLIER RECORDINGS	LATER RECORDINGS
Prince – vocals and instruments except where otherwise credited Lisa Coleman – vocals, keyboards Jill Jones – vocals Dez Dickerson – vocals, guitar Wendy Melvoin – guitars, backing vocals Brown Mark – bass, backing vocals Dr. Fink – keyboards Bobby Z. – drums, percussion Novi Novog – violin Suzie Katayama – cello David Coleman – cello	Sheila E. – drums Sheena Easton – co-lead vocals Eric Leeds – saxophone, flute Atlanta Bliss – trumpet Rosie Gaines – vocals, keyboards Michael B. – drums Levi Seacer, Jr. – guitar, bass Sonny T. – bass Tommy Barbarella – keyboards Tony M. – vocals Kirk Johnson – percussion, vocals Damon Dickson – percussion, vocals

PRODUCTION

CREDIT	DETAILS
Principal Production & Arrangement	Prince
Engineers represented across recordings	Gary Brandt, Peggy Mac, David Leonard, Susan Rogers, David Z., David Tickle, Coke Johnson, Eddie Miller, Joe Blaney, Tom Garneau, Michael Koppelman
Mixing	Includes Bob Mockler, David Z., Michael Koppelman, Keith “K.C.” Cohen
Label	Warner Bros.
Album Type	Compilation
Running Time	73:18

CHART PERFORMANCE – 2001

TERRITORY	CHART	PEAK	WEEKS
USA	Billboard 200	66	25
USA	Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	72	4
UK	UK Albums Chart	2	18
Netherlands	Album Top 100	3	21
Germany	Top 100 Album Chart	5	14
France	SNEP Top 40 Compilation	6	6
Belgium	Ultratop Albums Flanders	18	11
Austria	Alben Top 75	13	11
Australia	ARIA Top 50	40	2

CERTIFICATIONS

TERRITORY	ORGANISATION	DATE	CERTIFICATION
USA	RIAA	November 12, 2001	Gold – 500,000
USA	RIAA	September 21, 2002	Platinum – 1 million
Canada	CRIA	February 19, 2002	Gold – 100,000
UK	BPI	August 17, 2001	Silver & Gold – 100,000
UK	BPI	January 23, 2004	Platinum – 300,000
UK	BPI	November 28, 2014	2× Platinum – 600,000
UK	BPI	May 12, 2023	3× Platinum – 900,000
Australia	ARIA	June 7, 2004	Gold – 35,000
Australia	ARIA	August 4, 2008	2× Platinum – 140,000

PROMOTIONAL RADIO SAMPLER

DETAIL	INFORMATION
Format	6-track promotional CD
Country	Germany
Catalogue	PRO2721
Tracks	When Doves Cry / Purple Rain / Kiss / Cream / 1999 / Money Don’t Matter 2 Night

PRESS & PROMOTION

FULL-PAGE ADVERTISEMENT

[IMAGE – FULL-PAGE ADVERTISEMENT]

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL 1	PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL 2
[IMAGE – PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL 1]	[IMAGE – PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL 2]

CONTEXT AND NOTES

HISTORICAL CONTEXT	ARCHIVAL SIGNIFICANCE
Documented: The Very Best Of Prince contains seventeen previously released singles drawn from Prince’s Warner Bros.-era catalogue between 1979 and 1991. Documented: the album received RIAA Gold certification on November 12, 2001 for 500,000 copies and progressed to US Platinum status on September 21, 2002. No new commercial single was issued specifically to promote the compilation.	November 12, 2001 provides the specific reason for documenting this edition on this date. It is the US RIAA Gold certification date rather than the album’s original release date. The distinction is important within the Chronicle: the album itself had been released earlier in 2001, while November 12 marks the documented 500,000-copy certification milestone.

CONCLUSION

THE COLLECTION IN RETROSPECT	ARCHIVAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Very Best Of Prince presents a chronological seventeen-track overview of Prince’s Warner Bros.-era singles, beginning with I Wanna Be Your Lover and concluding with Money Don’t Matter 2 Night. The collection subsequently developed a long commercial life beyond its original 2001 release.	The November 12, 2001 Gold award provides a clearly defined milestone in the compilation’s history. Later certifications, including US Platinum status and further UK and Australian awards, demonstrate how the collection continued to accumulate sales after that initial certification.

SOURCES / COPYRIGHT & ARCHIVAL USE

SOURCES

Prince Vault

Sleevographia2

Warner Bros. Records

RIAA

BPI

ARIA

CRIA

The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince

COPYRIGHT & ARCHIVAL USE

All magazine scans, photographs, programme material, recordings, record artwork and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.