206Michelle said:

TKO said:

After having a chance to listen to it in full this morning, I still feel the same way about it as I did when it was announced. It should have been an extra disc in PR Deluxe (maybe it was the planned second disc of unreleased material that was promised but not delivered?), or a part of a Lost Tapes or Bootleg Series release.

There are great moments, especially vocally, but the playing sounds like the sketchpad piano playing that it is, and because of the title, people might buy it expecting it to showcase some of his better playing, which is far from the case.

There are some cool moments, making it a worthy listen, but the releasing it in this form, as a stand-alone, is a mistake. Maybe not a crucial mistake in the grand scheme of things, but a disappointing one for sure.

On a related note, I think Tidal should release Welcome 2 America next year. From Morris Hayes' description of it, it sounds like a great project, and maybe considering the current climate, a prescient one as well.

TKO said:

MIRvmn said:

TKO said:

I can't believe certain fans are boycotting this.

#1 on Digital Sales and #1 on CD & Vinyl right now.

Imagine how good it would be if he could actually debut at #1 on Billboard 200.

We could be getting SO MUCH more material and faster. If the sales are bad there's little chances they release more albums in short period of time.

I'm not surprised since it got more promotion than PR Deluxe and I'm glad P&M 1983 is doing well. Let's hope they start releasing some of Prince's 50+ unreleased studio albums soon [Edited 9/22/18 13:24pm]

I bought my copy of the CD! I'm happy to add it to my collection!

ethanthomas said:

TKO said:

I can't believe certain fans are boycotting this.

#1 on Digital Sales and #1 on CD & Vinyl right now.

Imagine how good it would be if he could actually debut at #1 on Billboard 200.

We could be getting SO MUCH more material and faster. If the sales are bad there's little chances they release more albums in short period of time.

It appears that the buying public is intelligent enough to hear the beauty of the recording and not get bogged down by hyper-analysis. Why the butterflies for example, defies description and is one of the truest demonstrations of his genius ever recorded. Music historians will understand this.

Also, P&M 1983 has been receiving great reviews, overall, from critics.

Guardian review: https://www.theguardian.c...983-review

.

MTSU Sidelines: http://mtsusidelines.com/...-powerful/

.

Arab Times review: http://www.arabtimesonlin...ce-talent/

.

Europe 1 review (in French): http://www.europe1.fr/cul...ce-3761858

.

Testspiel.de review (in german): https://www.testspiel.de/...ht/346507/

.

Aftonbladet review (in Swedish): https://www.aftonbladet.s...d-rotterna

.

Rockol (italian) - https://www.rockol.it/rec...phone-1983

TKO said:

I can't believe certain fans are boycotting this.

.

Why not?

It is a terrible choice, especially when looking at the Vault.

It is very short.

It should have been a bonus disc somewhere.

.

#1 on Digital Sales and #1 on CD & Vinyl right now.

.

What is this `digital sales`you write about?

A CD is digital, right?

.

Imagine how good it would be if he could actually debut at #1 on Billboard 200.

.

Commercial success can be done without Billbored.

.

We could be getting SO MUCH more material and faster. If the sales are bad there's little chances they release more albums in short period of time.

.

That is not a driver.

When the money runs out, or rather when they notice it will, they will have to change the one release per year mantra.

Rolling Stone (italian) - https://www.rollingstone....e-origini/

Reading the comments on here makes me think that P fans will always moan, Piano and Microphone 1983 is amazing but no...they moan.

ohw look the anything but perfect preserved cassette tape can also be purchased in 44.1Khz/24bit Hi-Res audio

....the irony of lossless HQ files made available for the generation who still buy music. http://www.hdtracks.co.uk...phone-1983

[Edited 9/23/18 6:07am]

[Edited 9/23/18 6:18am]

LOL! BOYCOTT!! LOL..I really dislike how bulky the packaging of the deluxe is and going to order the regular vinyl. They got me three times! Cd, Deluxe, Vinyl Regular edition! I need a copy to go in the case with all the other Prince vinyl the Deluxe is too big and going on the bookcase next to 21 nights.

govinda said:

Reading the comments on here makes me think that P fans will always moan, Piano and Microphone 1983 is amazing but no...they moan.

Yeah BOO HOO! "I had it on bootleg for 20 years and now they are releasing it. It is not worthy." Well in complaining go and attack Prince's genius. No one could touch him. This is a good release and not many artists can sit down in front of a piano and knock out something worthy of release. I had it too for years but had so many bootlegs haven't listened to it in years and it is rediscovered on release. SO THERE!

bizarre isn't it....a shitty tape I got 25+ years ago & listened to not more than 10 times ever is now on constant repeat! WTF...I/we took so much for granted!

& in other breaking news...Curt Stegers has just declared it THE best album ever!,,,high praise indeed!

genuniely intrigued as to what the actual sales figures will look like globally. Excellent promotion all round & incredible reviews. Haven't got a clue how streaming downloads are actually accounted for these days & nor can I be arsed researching it before Bart pipes in!

Now there is a wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_and_a_Microphone_1983

Princevault: http://www.princevault.co...phone_1983

SuperFurryAnimal said:

govinda said:

Reading the comments on here makes me think that P fans will always moan, Piano and Microphone 1983 is amazing but no...they moan.

Yeah BOO HOO! "I had it on bootleg for 20 years and now they are releasing it. It is not worthy." Well in complaining go and attack Prince's genius. No one could touch him. This is a good release and not many artists can sit down in front of a piano and knock out something worthy of release. I had it too for years but had so many bootlegs haven't listened to it in years and it is rediscovered on release. SO THERE!

I never did the bootleg circuit. I discovered a few of these recordings not long after he passed, when some kind soul had posted a bunch of the unreleased music on YT, which was soon removed - but not before I was able to grab it and save it. When I heard "Why The Butterflies" (listed on YT as "Momma") I was astounded, because I had never before heard anything like it from Prince, Then, not long after that I grabbed the 17 Days demo too. It was like Christmas - these unexpected fantastic little musical gifts that I had never heard before. I think it's fantastic.

[Edited 9/23/18 9:28am]

SchlomoThaHomo said:

The problem is that until fans lower the standard of what they THINK they are going to get and deserve, and realize this, they are always going to be let down. Its like Mariah Carey still thinking she has a good album in her when she is going to keep giving you the same old thing. In this case the artist is NOT HERE so he really has no say, but does he? We dont know what is slated what is being looked at what is even in WORKING condition, just becausee we saw a photo or police photos of the vault and the stuff looked ok, we really are assuming from grainy photos that there are things that actually can be salvaged in there. At this point those going through this are taking their time, YES this is going to be a long process so stop thinking every month you are getting PRINCE music, because you are not going to be geting it. The reality is that you may get this release and then get something from Tidal at some point if that release is for real or not, and then maybe a studio album remaster here and there, thats really all you might get. This release is what it is, something that they had a good copy of, that they could work with, also was from a time where they feel is a good starting point and maybe from here they look into more things, maybe a concert from that era, maybe a blu ray dvd of some kind, who knows, we dont know that is for sure. Its not like PRINCE had these things cataloged and in order and this and that, he was not good at keeping order to things and neither were people he tended to hire (1800NEWFUNK) anyone. Orders for crystal ball being written down on note pads lost, some people still never got the damn album, so spare me on how others should be looking deeper or this or that, the problem is how did PRINCE store this stuff, what is even releasable at this point, I mean look at the Beatles ANTHOLOGY series, that first disc of them in the later 50's in clubs, is so BAD quality wise that should never have been on the market at all its so bad and at the time 3/4 members were alive and the wife of the 4th approved that mess. Even FREE AS BIRD and REAL LOVE the two imposter Beatle songs, are so awful quality wise with Johns vocals on a tape that sounds like he is locked in a closet somewhere, that shouldnever have been allowed. So I think the estate does not want anything that sounds really bad out there, YES this release is short, but it was a sitdown session and its concise.

govinda said:

Very happy this is getting critical praise and seems to be off to a good start sales-wise. I picked up the CD and may get the deluxe as well.

Listening to it was both awe-inspiring and very sad. I love Prince on the piano and his vocals are incredible on this. It's haunting in its intimacy and with the hindsight that the last shows I saw were just Prince and a piano.

I'm happy the historical accuracy of the recording was respected, and nobody inserted new beats or vocals to make it more commercial. The powers that be were so impressed by this 35 minute recording that they let it stand alone, and I'm impressed by their faith, and that it seems to have paid off.

i just got this new release and i'm shocked by the quality of the sound... it's just unlistenable, they just published raw sound from a 1983 cassette without any improvement a modern technologie could provide...

it's such a shame, i mean a can't put this on mys sound system, all i hear is a hissing sound...

laforet99 said:

i just got this new release and i'm shocked by the quality of the sound... it's just unlistenable, they just published raw sound from a 1983 cassette without any improvement a modern technologie could provide...

it's such a shame, i mean a can't put this on mys sound system, all i hear is a hissing sound...

Stop trolling.

rdhull said:

laforet99 said:

i just got this new release and i'm shocked by the quality of the sound... it's just unlistenable, they just published raw sound from a 1983 cassette without any improvement a modern technologie could provide...

it's such a shame, i mean a can't put this on mys sound system, all i hear is a hissing sound...

Stop trolling.

Exactly. My vinyl copy sounds EXCELLENT coming through my system. And the CD sounds just fine in my car. Maybe it's the crappy equipment you're using...

not a troll... if you can't hear the hissing sound you should stop listening to music, your ears are just fucked up badly.

I'm sure i'm not the only one here that can hear that hissing sound, i mixed that album withe the "one night alone" album, and compared to the purity of one night alone this new release is just pure garbage.

I hope some fans with sound engeneering skills will soon make an improved version that i will gladly download.

Next time i will think twice before buying an album made by the "prince estate"... for now they look like a bunch of unqualified amateurs that have no idead where they want to go and what they are doing.