To celebrate what would have been Prince’s 60th birthday, the Prince Estate and Warner Bros. have announced the release of a live album recorded by the legendary artist back in 1983.
Titled Piano & A Microphone, the album features nine tracks that were privately recorded at Prince’s home studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Noteworthy songs from the 35-minute project include a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” an early version of the then-unreleased classic “Purple Rain,” and a rare recording of the historical African-American Spiritual “Mary Don’t You Weep,” which will also be featured on the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s upcoming BlacKkKlansman film.
“This raw, intimate recording, which took place at the start of Prince’s career right before he achieved international stardom, is similar in format to the Piano & A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016,” Prince Estate entertainment advisor Troy Carter said in a statement. “The Estate is excited to be able to give fans a glimpse of his evolution and show how his career ultimately came full circle with just him and his piano.”
This won’t be the last time that unreleased music by the late icon will be brought to the public’s eye. In addition to Microphone, the Prince Estate has partnered with Tidal and Jay-Z to release a full-length Prince album in 2019 that will honor the artist’s enduring legacy.
Prince’s Piano and A Microphone will be released this fall on September 21st, and is available for pre-order now.
Track list for Piano & A Microphone:
“17 Days”
“Purple Rain”
“A Case Of You”
“Mary Don’t You Weep”
“Strange Relationship”
“International Lover”
“Wednesday”
“Cold Coffee & Cocaine”
“Why The Butterflies”
