Prince ‘Piano & a Microphone 1983’ album to be released on Sept. 21
by Jay Gabler
June 07, 2018
This spring, Prince's estate announced that an album of previously unreleased recordings would be released in the fall. Today, marking the 60th anniversary of the icon's birth, Warner Bros. made it official: on Sept. 21, they'll release a nine-track, 35-minute album recorded at his Chanhassen home studio in 1983.
The songs on Piano & a Microphone 1983 include "Purple Rain," Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," and "Mary Don't You Weep" — a spiritual that will play during the end credits of Spike Lee's upcoming movie BlacKkKlansman. That song has now been released.
Recorded four years before Paisley Park opened, these rehearsal tracks were cut at Prince's legendary purple house on Lake Riley. The album's cover art is a photo taken by Allen Beaulieu, backstage on the 1999 Tour. "For fans of Prince’s spontaneous live medleys," notes the press release, "tracks 1-7 of the album are presented in that same format as they were originally recorded."
17 Days
Purple Rain
A Case Of You
Mary Don’t You Weep
Strange Relationship
International Lover
Wednesday
Cold Coffee & Cocaine
Why The Butterflies