What sounds like recordings straight from the rehearsal room, intimate and raw, is Prince's new posthumous album, "Piano & A Microphone 1983." You've never been this close to Prince.
Image: Allen Beaulieu
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Prince, who to the shock of his many fans worldwide died two years ago, would have celebrated his 60th birthday this June.
Now, for all of 35 minutes, he is back, sitting at the piano and playing music, back in the early 1980s. Listening to the tracks, it is easy to imagine lounging in a comfortable chair, reading a book while Prince sings and tinkers on the piano. It sounds as if he were all by himself, very relaxed, raw and intimate.
Of course he is not playing in his living room, but in in a studio, where occasionally, sound engineer Don Batts gave the artist brief instructions during the recording, for instance to lower his voice.
Start of a career
Some of the songs recorded in this 1983 session became world hits, including "Purple Rain," which many see as the best song of all times, and "17 Days," which was the B-side of When Doves Cry.
Album cover of "Piano & A Microphone 1983"Image: WMG
He covered Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," and the track "StrangeRelationship" appeared on the album Sign O' The Times in 1987.
The first single from the new album, "Mary Don't You Weep," released on June 7, Prince's birthday, is a song that shows the artist's incredibly wide range of vocal range and pitch. The song takes the listener on a roller-coaster ride of moods and right into Prince's passionate universe.
Other songs, including "Cold Coffee & Cocaine," were never previously released, so fans can look forward to unfamiliar tracks as well as quite a few private, previously unpublished photos of the artist.
Workaholic
Prince is said to have written more than 1,000 songs, many of them under pseudonyms and many of which have yet to be released.
Prince left no will, so legal issues had to be clarified before the release of Piano & A Microphone 1983. Prince's sister and five half brothers and sisters were declared the heirs to his estate and they have been careful with new releases. Two best-of compilations were released posthumously so far.
This newly released album is a true gem — intimate, playful and soulful songs by a musical genius who wasn't aware at that point that he'd one day become one of the world's top icons of pop.
Prince: The pop legend's life in pictures
Pop genius Prince's music influenced an entire generation. His fashion sense also had a marked impact. The pop star legend, who died in 2016 at the age of 57, would have turned 65 on June 7, 2023.
Image: Nick Laham/Getty Images
Birth of a star
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7, 1958. He had a strong interest in music early on and is said to have written his first song at the age of seven. At 20, he released his debut album, "For You." His 1979 album "Prince" went platinum due to the success of the singles "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover."
Image: PA/picture alliance
'Purple Rain'
His next three records, "Dirty Mind" (1980), "Controversy" (1981), and "1999" (1982), established Prince's trademark of blatantly sexual lyrics and infusion of funk, dance, and rock. In 1984, he named his backup band "The Revolution" and released "Purple Rain," which served as the soundtrack to his film debut. According to Prince, the color purple symbolized the end of the world.
Image: Ross Marino/RKA/MPI/Captital Pictures/picture alliance
Musical genius
Prince played a total of 15 musical instruments, among them guitar, drums, keyboard, electric bass and synthesizer. He often played all the instruments himself in studio productions. His global hits included songs like "Kiss" and "When Doves Cry," as well as "Purple Rain" from 1984.
Image: David Brewster/Star Tribune/Zuma/picture alliance
Debut as a director brought mixed rewards
In 1986, Prince directed and starred as a gigolo named Christopher Tracy in the musical, "Under the Cherry Moon." Despite the film's poor performance and many Golden Raspberry Awards — a parody honor highlighting the worst of cinema — the soundtrack album was critically praised as Prince's finest record yet. "Kiss" hit number one on the Billboard chart and "Mountains" reached number 23.
Image: Keystone/dpa/picture-alliance
One artist, many names
After releasing the albums "Around the World in a Day" (1985) and "Parade" (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released several solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991. He changed his stage name in 1993 to an unpronounceable symbol, which became known as the "Love Symbol." In 2000, he began referring to himself as "Prince" again.
Image: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Love-life that both turbulent and tragic
Prince was romantically linked to many celebrities, including Kim Basinger, Madonna and Carmen Electra. In 1996, he married his 22-year-old backup singer Mayte Garcia (pictured). They had a son named Boy Gregory, who died shortly after birth from Pfeiffer syndrome — a genetic bone disorder. Two years after their divorce, Prince married Manuela Testolini. She filed for divorce in May 2006.
Image: Captital Pictures/picture alliance
Never-ending success
While his guitar may have gently wept, Prince did manage to sell over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Image: Vince Bucci/Getty Images
Prince's final years
In this image, Prince is attending a match at the French Open involving Rafael Nadal in 2014. That year, Prince released a new single, "The Breakdown." He also announced that he had re-signed with his former label, Warner Bros., after an 18-year split. His penultimate album "Hit n Run Phase One" was available on the music streaming service Tidal before being released as a CD in September 2015.
Image: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images
A pop icon dies
His final album, "HIT 'n Run Phase Two," was first released exclusively on the Tidal streaming service on December 11, 2015. Prince was in the middle of what would be his last tour — the Piano & A Microphone Tour — when he had to postpone two performances stating that he was "battling flu." Prince was found dead at his Paisley Park complex in Minnesota on the morning of April 21, 2016.
