{"product_id":"prince-piano-and-a-microphone-1983-180-gram-vinyl","title":"Piano and A Microphone 1983 (180 Gram Vinyl)","description":"As the first major release from Prince's vault (the 2017 expanded edition of Purple Rain was announced prior to his 2016 death), Piano \u0026amp; a Microphone 1983 is disarmingly casual. Its prosaic title is a precise description of the album's content -- it is nothing more than Prince sitting at a piano, playing whatever comes to his mind for just over half an hour -- yet even if the record delivers upon that promise, it's not quite as simple as it seems. For one, there's a level of intimacy on Piano \u0026amp; a Microphone unlike anything else in Prince's catalog. While there may have been some editing sleight of hand to make these 35 minutes appear to be a continuous performance, there's no production to speak of, yet it still bears the hallmarks of a studio recording; the music is too clear to be anything but. Despite early appearances of \"17 Days,\" \"Purple Rain,\" and \"Strange Relationship,\" this can't be called a demo session: Prince plays his recent \"International Lover,\" hauls out the spiritual standard \"Mary Don't You Weep\" -- a song he could in no way have been considering for inclusion on an album -- and plays a bit of Joni Mitchell's \"A Case of You.\" The brevity of \"A Case of You\" and \"Purple Rain\" -- both hover around 90 seconds -- highlights this session's informality, but that point is hammered home at the end of the record when Prince goofs through \"Cold Coffee and Cocaine\" in a voice he'd later perfect on \"Bob George\" and tries to find a concrete song within \"Why the Butterflies.\" Far from detracting from Piano \u0026amp; a Microphone, these loose ends are the reason to listen to the album. The whole affair plays like the listener is eavesdropping on Prince creating, and there simply can't be a reissue more valuable than that. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGenre: Pop\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRSD Date: n\/a\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFormat: Vinyl\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReleased: 09\/21\/2018\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBest Sellers: Top Seller\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Prince","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44590127415529,"sku":"TUUOH9-MPFK-00","price":32.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/3523\/8633\/files\/prince-piano-and-a-microphone-1983-180-gram-vinyl_ISTlz.jpg?v=1740715484","url":"https:\/\/www.vibinvinyl.com\/products\/prince-piano-and-a-microphone-1983-180-gram-vinyl","provider":"Vibin' Vinyl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}