The Prince Estate, in partnership with Warner Bros. Records, release the Piano & A Microphone 1983 album on what would have been Prince’s 60th birthday. 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 featured during the end credits of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman.
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.