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Piano & A Microphone 1983

Prince Format: Audio CD

1,394 ratings

-21% $11.78

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Track Listings

1	17 Days (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
2	Purple Rain (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
3	A Case of You (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
4	Mary Don't You Weep (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
5	Strange Relationship (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
6	International Lover (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
7	Wednesday (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
8	Cold Coffee & Cocaine (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
9	Why the Butterflies

Editorial Reviews

Recorded in 1983 at Prince's Kiowa Trail home studio in Chanhassen, MN & engineered by Don Batts, Piano & A Microphone 1983 is a nine track, 35-minute album features a previously unreleased home studio cassette recording of Prince at his piano. 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, 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.

Product details

Language ‏ : ‎ English
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.59 x 4.96 x 0.08 inches; 1.62 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Warner Records
Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2018
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ June 7, 2018
Label ‏ : ‎ Warner Records
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07DKJGNSF
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #35,003 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #22,373 in Pop (CDs & Vinyl)

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1,394 ratings

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TIM MEIER

It's at the most beautiful sound and soul they made that man he is God

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2022

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What is there not to like don't be stupid don't ask you if there's something there's going strong if you want to hear a live album and you've never been to a concert what did you miss something out

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Jason Stein

Seriously?

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2018

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Since Prince died in 2016 all we've gotten is.......well, a hits compilation, a remastered and expanded "Purple Rain", "Anthology 1995-2010" and now "Piano & a Microphone 1983". Really? I mean, really? That's it? Over two years later and that's all anyone can offer fans of Prince?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the "4ever" two disc compilation, but I already had most of the music on there as a fan. I liked the remastered and expanded "Purple Rain" but want more than that, like a remastered and expanded "Sign 'O' the Times" amongst other older Prince albums.

And so here we have the 'first' compilation of 'unreleased' Prince music from his alleged 'vault' of treasures. Turd. Like I really wanted nine songs of Prince noodling about in his studio on a piano. Garbage. Really. I don't know how anyone here has given this four or five stars. I felt there was absolutely nothing to hear here. It was like if I sat down at my own piano and noodled about. Would anyone really want to hear that? No. People (fans included) want to hear the 'good stuff'. What is that? For me, the 'good stuff' was getting 20 b-sides back in 1993 on Prince's 3 disc "The Hits" compilation. That, I found satisfying. Where's that stuff Warner Bros.? Hmm? I know Prince must have finished product lying around in that mythical 'vault'.

With "Piano & a Microphone" I learned nothing. The only song I might have enjoyed was "Cold Coffee & Cocaine". Why? Simple. It was the most complete sounding song here, and it showcased Prince's sense of humor. In fact, I was reminded of "Bob George" and "Cloreen Baconskin" (which also happened to be recorded in 1983).

Dear Warner Bros. and Prince estate holders, I want the good stuff. "Piano & a Microphone" is NOT the GOOD stuff. You could have released this album 10 years from now, after you release all the good stuff.

That being said, at the cost of alienating many a Prince fan, what I really want from the vault is the good stuff from Prince's most creative years--1978-1995. After that, I have to say, I'm not really interested. I'm not really interested in 1996-2015 because, in my not-so-humble-opinion, those years were radically mediocre Prince years.

What would satisfy me? Okay, how about the next thing you release is a box set of all of Prince's Warner Bros. albums digitally remastered and expanded 1978-1995--that means "For You" through "The Gold Experience", but if you tossed in "Chaos & Disorder" (1996) I wouldn't balk. This box set should be done the way David Bowie's box sets recently have been done where you get the albums digitally remastered, but then 1-2 discs of the singles and b-sides remastered on separate discs. You could do it all in one enormous box set, or you could break it into several box sets. You have to include just about everything from 1978-1995/1996--b-sides, demos, unreleased tracks, The Black Album, Batman, Graffiti Bridge, etc. Everything 1978-1996. The ENTIRE Warner Bros. era. Even The Beautiful Experience EP in 1994. Physical merchandise please! No digital download stuff like "Anthology 1995-2010". In fact, you could do each album individually like how Paul McCartney has been doing his back catalogue.

Here's how "Piano & a Microphone" compares to Prince's other works:

1978 For You: Two Stars
1979 Prince: Three Stars
1980 Dirty Mind: Four Stars
1981 Controversy: Four Stars
1982 1999: Four Stars
1984 Purple Rain: Five Stars
1985 Around The World In A Day: Four Stars
1986 Parade: Three and a Half Stars
1987 Sign O The Times: Five Stars
1987 The Black Album: Three Stars
1988 Lovesexy: Four Stars
1989 Batman: Three Stars
1990 Graffiti Bridge: Three Stars
1991 Diamonds & Pearls: Five Stars
1992 0)+>: Four Stars
1994 Come: Three Stars
1995 The Gold Experience: Four Stars
1996 Chaos and Disorder: Two Stars
1996 Emancipation: Two and a Half Stars
1997 Crystal Ball/The Truth: Two and a Half Stars
1998 New Power Soul: Two Stars
1999 The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale: Two and a Half Stars
1999 Rave Un2 The Dawn Fantastic: Two and a Half Stars
2001 The Rainbow Children: Three Stars
2003 N.E.W.S.: Two Stars
2004 Musicology: Three Stars
2006 3121: Three Stars
2007 Planet Earth: Two and a Half Stars
2009 Lotusflow3r: Three and a Half Stars
2009 MPLSound: Two and a Half Stars
2010 20Ten: Two and a Half Stars
2014 Art Official Age: Three Stars
2014 Plectrumelectrum: Three Stars
2015 HITNRUN Phase One: Three Stars
2016 HITNRUN Phase Two: Three Stars
2018 Piano & a Microphone 1983: One Star

27 people found this helpful

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Bryan Gibson

The Marvelous Mr. Nelson

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2018

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This previously unreleased collection of Prince material is essential listening for any artist, no matter his or her discipline, for it is a glimpse at then-works-in-progress, at the bare bones before flesh was added. Here we get to examine one minute and twenty-six seconds of the gestation of what would eventually be christened one of Mr. Nelson's masterworks “Purple Rain.” We are ghosts, standing over the composer's shoulder as he pieces together what would inevitably become one of his smoothest, funkiest tracks “17 Days.” The collection is also further proof that even a brilliant mind produces nothing meaningful without also putting in the work—that “Purple Rain” developed into a three movement opus from such rudimentary beginnings is indication that the Artist spent many nights and days transforming an idea into an unforgettable piece of art comparable, I believe, to Beethoven's 9th. And there are fun moments too, such as in “Coffee and Cocaine,” where Prince briefly struggles to find a noun to rhyme with “house,” deciding on “mouse,” and then poking fun at himself for selecting so obvious and so ridiculous a word, “kind of cheesy.” The record's highlight, however, is unquestionably “International Lover,” where Prince confirms something I've long suspected common to great artists: the ability to know when never to do too much. The final version of “International Lover” is very close to what it was from the start—mainly a voice, a piano, and a Prince. Luckily for us, Mr. Nelson trusted both his instincts and his ears.

25 people found this helpful

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Rashid Darden

Piano Bar Prince is Cool.

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

I am a Prince fan but not a Prince aficionado. That means I am not someone who chased Prince bootlegs or participated in Prince message boards when he was living. I was content to wait for studio releases in the Warner Brothers era.

I was happy to hear that efforts were being made to preserve and release his songs and albums from the infamous vault. Piano & A Microphone doesn't disappoint at all--it's a great early entry for the many, many releases that are sure to follow.

I call this "Piano Bar Prince" because listening to it makes me think of undiscovered talent at a Frenchmen Street jazz bar in New Orleans. He's just jamming, churning out songs we all know with new arrangements and others songs we don't know. It's great, and also jarring. You're hearing early talent from a man you know is now dead. He lived up to his potential and only showed us his best in life, but even his demos are scaled back genius.

The album makes me miss Prince even more. And it makes me grateful that we walked this earth at the same time.

110 people found this helpful

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Christian Hernandez

Interesting but very short album.

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

It’s always great to have demo versions from your fav artists, but this record playing time is extremely short. This LP should have been expanded to include more Prince demos.

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ERE

You’ve Gotta Really Love Prince...

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

This album makes my heart so happy. I get to be in a room with Prince while he plays, experiments, creates, celebrates, flexes his muscles, and just has fun doing what he does best. It’s like being allowed to read the hand-written notes an author wrote in preparation for writing his great novel. I got to see behind the curtain a little, and it made me laugh and cry to be lucky enough to get a peek inside how his genius mind worked. If you’re looking for an album to sing along to, this isn’t it. If you want to appreciate him, to see how he worked, to be in the studio with him for a minute, you’ll love this.

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Peter Lee

Wonderfully intimate

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2018

Verified Purchase

The things you need to know: This is an official release of a cassette recording made by Prince back in 1983 of him basically messing around on the piano. It hasn't been remastered or remixed at all, so there's background hiss, you hear him giving instructions to whoever it is that is recording him, the sound fades at one point due to a flaw on the cassette, and you can hear Prince sniffing as he plays. This isn't something he would have released himself but was instead recorded for personal use. It's also short - 30-odd minutes, that's all.

I've been a huge Prince fan since I first heard his music back in 1983, and since then I've seen him play live countless times, bought everything I could lay my hands on, and still grieve for him today. One thing I didn't do though was seek out unofficial releases, sold at record fairs and the likes, or more recently found online, so I'd never heard this set before, and didn't even know of its existence. For me, this was all new.

As much as I loved his music I felt that since about 1990 he lost much of his spark, which he only regained when he played live. On record he overproduced himself, putting layer upon layer of keyboards on many tracks, buffing out any rough edges, often killing great songs stone dead in the process. When he was on stage though we heard those edges, and the songs came back to life.

I was delighted to hear this recording because it is unpolished. You can hear that roughness, the flaws in the sound, and it's all so intimate. I listened to it the first time on headphones, and it felt like I was there in a room with him, listening to him play on a nearby piano. It feels startlingly real, and natural. I wish he'd released more stuff like this when he was alive.

The album is essentially split into two halves. The first section (forming side 1 of the vinyl) is a medley. Some songs are played almost or in full, and others - noticeably "Purple Rain" - are a fragment, a part of a verse. It's thrilling to hear him move from song to song, not pausing between them, and the styles shift from the poppy stomp of When Doves Cry B-side "17 Days", to the bluesy "Mary Don't You Weep". At the end of the section you hear Prince ask the person recording to turn the tape over, and if you're listening on vinyl you flip the disk. The second half consists of two longer tracks, "Cold Coffee and Cocaine" sounds like a song written for The Time, and Prince sings it in a strangulated voice. It's a fun and amusing track. "Why The Butterflies" is inspired by Jill Jones (she says so in the sleeve notes) and is a long, quiet track with sparse vocals.

If you buy the deluxe edition, the packaging is like a hardback book. Inside you'll find a heavyweight vinyl copy of the album, a large booklet with sleeve notes notably from Lisa Coleman and Jill Jones, a black & white print, and the album on CD. There isn't a download code for an MP3 version.

Should it have been a bonus disk with something else? Should it have been released at all? Would he have wanted the world to hear him like this? We could argue about such questions forever. But for this Prince fan, I absolutely love this record, and it's my favourite Prince album since 1988.

63 people found this helpful

Andrew M. Davies

How was this allowed out

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

Prince was a perfectionist. I'm sure he wouldn't want to have released this. Its him a piano and a load of doobie dahs that you hear in any jazz club. He was most likely playing for his own pleasure never expecting it to reach the light of day and being the perfectionist he was would be mortified that this was released.

17 people found this helpful

A. J. Fisher

The music is still very much alive!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

A great insight into Princes unreleased recordings. As a long standing fan I have been disappointed with some of the the releases since his tragic death. However, this is a real treat to listen to these cool grooves with such a stripped down accompaniment as the title of the CD suggests. Despite this CD running at little over 30 mins and the sound quality not being up to today's pristine digital standards (but it is fine to listen to and not as bad as some of his bootlegs) I recommend it to be part of anyone's collection, in particular you Prince fans... I feel you won't be let down.

6 people found this helpful

JanT

I so much wanted to love this (quality control fail)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

As I like to discover the origins of artists I follow, this is a grand way to get an insight of the processes Prince used to come up with songs and arrangments.

The cd sounds great, the booklet is informative, overall packaging is beautiful as is the photo quality. BUT the crux of the biscuit - the vinyl - is a catastrophy. The center hole appears to be made manually with a hammer and a nail, is not in the center, has sharp edges (see photo), and causes the vinyl record (especially on side 1) to wow and flutter close to a half note, making it impossible to listen to.

Sad to see such a small lack of detail attention destroy an otherwise great product.

4 people found this helpful

Gutzuwissen

Gehört dazu...

Reviewed in Germany on November 17, 2018

Verified Purchase

Ich bin seit vielen Jahren ein großer Bewunderer dieses Künstlers. Ich hatte das große Glück, ihn mehrmals live zu erleben, habe alle offizielle und auch einige inoffizielle Veröffentlichungen. Sein Tod hat mich brutalst getroffen.
Seine künstlerischen Entscheidungen haben mich jahrzehntelang begleitet und beeinflusst.
Was er wann und wie veröffentlicht hat, welches Video er wo gepostet und warum wieder entfernt hat, welche Tour und welches Konzert als nächstes kommt, war ein wichtiger Teil meines Lebens.
Dabei hatte ich immer sehr großen Respekt vor seinem Willen.
Welcher Künstler hat schon so genau die Kontrolle über sein Werk?
Daher tue ich mich etwas schwer mit den Dingen, die seit dem 21. April 2016 veröffentlicht werden.
Wenn ich mir vorstelle, jemand würde nach meinem Tod meine Festplatte durchsuchen und halb angedachte Texte oder unfertige Videos oder Fotoarbeiten finden und veröffentlichen, dreht sich mir der Magen um.
So geht es mir teilweise auch bei Prince.
Wenn er gewollt hätte, dass diese Dinge veröffentlicht werden, hätte er es veröffentlicht.
Hat er aber nicht.
Nun also diese private Aufnahme von '83.
Ich habe sie mir gekauft und ich schäme mich ein wenig dafür.
Denn natürlich hätte ich sehr gerne mal gelauscht, wenn er in seinem Studio sitzt und einfach so vor sich hin spielt.
Das er unglaublich kreativ war, das er auch am Piano großartig war das war mir alles klar.
So konnte ich der Versuchung nicht widerstehen, es mir anzuhören.
Wer sich für das Phänomen "Prince" interessiert, wer verstehen will, was das für ein Künstler war, wird hier sicher fündig werden.
Er hätte es niemals veröffentlicht.
Ich hoffe, dass zukünftige Veröffentlichungen (wenn überhaupt) mit dem notwendigem Respekt getätigt werden.
Remasterte Versionen seiner Alben mit Bonus Material (Live Versionen, Mixe, Alternative oder Roh-Versionen) wären mir willkommen.
Material, das Prince selber nicht für die Veröffentlichung würdig fand, sollten da bleiben, wo sie sind.
Dieses ist jetzt nun mal da und gehört für mich nun zum Gesamtwerk.
Ich bin gespannt, was da noch so passiert...

38 people found this helpful

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