He was one of the most intuitive and perfectionist multi-instrumentalist musicians and song stylists of the past 40 years – for anyone with a pair of ears, Prince was as real a deal as it ever got.

This collection (the first of which we can safely presume is many) acts as the precursor to standalone albums being reissued from next year. Given our awareness of the songs, gathering 40 of the man’s best-known across two discs may seem like a futile exercise, but as a unified entry point into Prince’s musical multiverse it’s impossible to deny how brilliant it all sounds.

Fact: just because you know the songs (including 1999, Let's go Crazy, Raspberry Beret, Purple Rain, Kiss, Sign O' the Times, Cream, If I was your Girlfriend, Diamonds and Pearls, When Doves Cry) doesn't make them any the less vital.