The two-disc set features 40 songs from Prince's tenure with Warner Bros. Records and features recordings from all of his albums between 1978's For You and 1993's The Hits/The B-Sides. It is the first Prince compilation to include his number-one hit single "Batdance" from the soundtrack album to the 1989 film Batman.[5] Aside from "Purple Rain", single edits of songs were used over album versions when possible.[6]
4Ever features the first official release of the song "Moonbeam Levels", which had previously circulated on bootlegs of Prince's unreleased material in a low-quality form.[7] The song had been recorded in 1982 during the sessions for 1999 and was subsequently considered for the unreleased 1988–89 album Rave unto the Joy Fantastic.[8]
4Ever received positive reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote in an AllMusic review that while 4Ever was not a definitive album, "in terms of consumer value, it might be the best single Prince compilation".[9] Chris Gerard stated in a PopMatters review that "by and large, Prince 4Ever is [a successful compilation], and its inclusion of the lesser-known singles adds greatly to its appeal".[6] Tony Clayton-Lea stated in the Irish Times that the compilation "may seem like a futile exercise" because Prince's hits were already well known, but it served as a great introduction to Prince's music.[10]Craig Mathieson wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that 4Ever was "the starter kit Prince greatest hits package", although he lamented that no songs released after 1993 could be included because they were past Prince's tenure with Warner.[11]
Critics also anticipated that 4Ever was an indicator of more Prince music being released posthumously, given the inclusion of "Moonbeam Levels". Gerald said 4Ever was "obviously intended to be the opening salvo in what fans can expect to be many years worth of posthumous Prince releases".[6] Mathieson also noted the abundance of unreleased Prince music in his review.[11]
