A 3-disc bundle of the artist's pivotal new millennium pop party dance music, Ultimate Rave brings together CDs of 1999s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic and its 2001 remix Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic alongside a DVD containing the full-length performance version of Rave Un2 the Year 2000. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic features a surprising amount of guest artists (Chuck D, Eve, Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow) and a clutch of radio-friendly tracks while Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic was one of the first full releases for Prince's innovative NPG Music Club members; highlights include a remix of Hot Wit U that incorporates elements of the Prince-penned Vanity 6 hit "Nasty Girl" and the previously unreleased "Beautiful Strange."
This collection documents the late Prince Far I's (aka Michael Williams) final period with the Trojan label. These are frequently referred to as his best years, despite the fact that Psalms for I and Under Heavy Manners are graded as his finest albums. But it comes down to track-for-track, the dub 12" singles, and the sound system tracks that he cut with one of the greatest bands in the history of reggae, the Arabs – mainly made up of the Roots Radics band with cats like Flabba Holt, Style Scott, Chinna Smith, and Bingy Bunny. Prince Far I's Cry Tough Dub Encounter albums are well known for their visionary quality and stridently spaced out effects. Far I was his own producer from 1977 on, and he did a better job than anybody who had worked with him previously, whether it be Adrian Sherwood, Joe Gibbs, or Bunny Lee. With the exception of the first cut on this two-disc set, "Heavy Manners" produced by Joe Gibbs, the Prince was at the helm for everything else here. Of the 40 selections, four complete albums are represented, and a few singles.
A 3-disc bundle of the artist's pivotal new millennium pop party dance music, Ultimate Rave brings together CDs of 1999s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic and its 2001 remix Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic alongside a DVD containing the full-length performance version of Rave Un2 the Year 2000. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic features a surprising amount of guest artists (Chuck D, Eve, Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow) and a clutch of radio-friendly tracks while Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic was one of the first full releases for Prince's innovative NPG Music Club members; highlights include a remix of Hot Wit U that incorporates elements of the Prince-penned Vanity 6 hit "Nasty Girl" and the previously unreleased "Beautiful Strange."