Prince - Piano & A Microphone 1983

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 and A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016. The nine track, 35-minute album features a previously unreleased home studio cassette recording of Prince at his piano captured in 1983. The private rehearsal provides a rare, intimate glimpse into Prince’s creative process as he worked through songs which include 17 Days and Purple Rain (neither of which would be released until 1984), a cover of Joni Mitchell’s A Case Of You, Strange Relationship (not released until 1987 on his critically acclaimed Sign O’ The Times album), and International Lover. The album also includes a rare recording of the 19th Century spiritual Mary Don’t You Weep which will be featured during the end credits of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman in theatres August 2018. For fans of Prince’s spontaneous live medleys, tracks 1-7 of the album are presented in that same format as they were originally recorded.