Piano and a Microphone 1983
Demo album by
Prince
ReleasedSeptember 21, 2018 (2018-09-21)
RecordedLate summer or Autumn 1983
StudioKiowa Trail home studio (Chanhassen, Minnesota)
Length34:21
Label
Prince chronology
Anthology: 1995–2010
(2018)		 Piano and a Microphone 1983
(2018)		 Originals
(2019)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubB[3]
The Guardian[4]
Pitchfork8.5/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Piano and a Microphone 1983 is a posthumously released demo album by Prince, released on CD, vinyl, and digital formats on September 21, 2018.[7][8] It is the first album released by the Prince estate consisting solely of material from his archive, the Vault.[9]

Background

The album was discovered as a single cassette tape in Prince's vault at Paisley Park. The music was recorded in one take in 1983 at Prince's Kiowa Trail home studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The session is nearly 35 minutes of Prince's vocals while he played piano and segued between songs.[9][10]

The session includes alternative versions of previously released and yet-to-be released songs, cover versions, and sketches of songs.[11] Four of the album's nine tracks were previously unreleased – "Mary Don't You Weep", "Wednesday" (originally recorded by Jill Jones for a deleted scene in Purple Rain), "Cold Coffee & Cocaine", and "Why the Butterflies".

Critical reception

The New York Times called the album "a glimpse of a notoriously private artist doing his mysterious work"[9] while Adam Mattera in Echoes cited "Mary Don't You Weep" as "a telling choice that points both to his political awareness and gospel heritage – not something people would have expected from a 25 year-old more famous at the time for his flasher mac, high heels and songs about incestuous siblings and used condoms".

Track listing

All songs composed by Prince, except where indicated.

Piano and a Microphone 1983 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."17 Days"Prince, Lisa Coleman, Matthew Fink, Wendy Melvoin6:23
2."Purple Rain" 1:27
3."A Case of You"Joni Mitchell1:41
4."Mary Don't You Weep"Traditional, arranged by Prince4:42
5."Strange Relationship" 2:39
6."International Lover" 3:49
7."Wednesday" 2:00
8."Cold Coffee & Cocaine" 5:13
9."Why the Butterflies" 6:27
Total length:34:21

Notes

  • Track listing adapted from Entertainment Weekly.[12]
  • Tracks 1 through 7 (which constitute Side A of the vinyl edition) are presented as a continuous medley, as they were originally recorded.
  • "International Lover" contains an uncredited medley performance of "Do Me, Baby".

Charts

References

  1. ↑ "Piano & A Microphone 1983 by Prince". Metacritic.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Piano and a Microphone 1983 Allmusic. Retrieved 2019-03-22
  3. ↑ "A rare view of Prince, plus Metric and more in this week's new music". The A.V. Club. 21 September 2018.
  4. ↑ Morris, Damien (September 23, 2018). "Prince: Piano & a Microphone 1983 review – intensely intimate". The Guardian.
  5. ↑ "Prince: Piano & a Microphone 1983 Album Review – Pitchfork". pitchfork.com.
  6. ↑ Grow, Kory (September 21, 2018). "Review: Prince's 'Piano & A Microphone 1983' is a Revealing Snapshot of the Pop Genius in His Prime". Rolling Stone.
  7. ↑ "Prince Estate Plots New Album 'Piano and a Microphone 1983'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  8. ↑ Aswad, Jem (June 7, 2018). "Prince Estate Announces 'Piano & a Microphone 1983' Album,' Shares Song (Listen)". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 Pareles, Jon (19 September 2018). "Alone in the Studio in 1983, Prince Is Revealed". New York Times. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  10. ↑ "1983 Prince home studio rehearsal set for release in September". 947wls.com. June 8, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Prince's New 'Piano & A Microphone 1983' Basement Tape Is as Simple as It Sounds". Billboard. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "Unheard Prince album 'Piano & A Microphone 1983' to be released by estate". EW.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Prince Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2018. 39. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Prince". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  25. ↑ |"Prince on Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Prince". Oricon. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2018". Ultratop. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
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