POP pixie, The Artist Formerly Known as..., Squiggle, complete nutter. Prince has been called many things during his career. But one thing that has never been in any doubt is his musical genius.

One of the most original and influential singer songwriters of all time, Prince has been an integral part of many people's lives with his music and controversial behaviour alike, selling albums in excess of 60 million across the globe.

Mentioned in the same breath as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Stevie Wonder and other musical legends, Prince's award-winning music is timeless and appeals to all generations and people from all walks of life with its mix of funk, soul, hip-hop, pop, and even rock, influences.

Now, with the great man enjoying yet another revival, following the success of his comeback album, 3121, and his appearance at this year's Brit Awards, it is the perfect time for the release of Ultimate, a collection of 28 singles and key tracks originally released between 1978 and 1996.

With more than two-and-a-half hours of music, disc one includes the Grammy-winning Kiss and Purple Rain and additional Prince classics like When Doves Cry, Sign O' The Times, Raspberry Beret and U Got The Look.

On disc two are rare tracks and remixes including the N.P.G. mix of Cream, the dance mix edit of Little Red Corvette, a fresh dance mix of Pop Life and the 12-inch of the brilliant Raspberry Beret.

The Recorder Review has five copies of the album to give away. See the Review in this week's Ilford, Newham and Barking and Dagenham Recorders.

© Newham Recorder 2006