Prince — Demos & Rehearsals 1983–1984 (2-CD Set)
The Purple Rain Era — Before the Album Existed
This two-disc collection drops you directly into the creative period that produced one of the greatest albums ever made. Thirteen tracks across 129 minutes — demos, studio outtakes, and rehearsals from 1983 and 1984 that document Purple Rain taking shape before a single note had been officially released.
The Standout Recordings
Purple Rain in a piano and strings only version is one of those recordings that stops you cold — stripped of the full band arrangement, the song reveals itself as something almost unbearably simple and powerful. Purple Music appears in two versions: the Long Version piano arrangement and a shorter full-instrument take that shows how differently Prince could approach the same material. The Beautiful Ones appears twice — once as a studio outtake and once in an uncut version that extends beyond the album cut. And I Would Die 4 U is represented by a full thirty-minute rehearsal — one of the longest single Prince rehearsal recordings in collector circulation, capturing the song being worked through, extended, and pushed in directions the final version never went.
Irresistible Bitch, Chocolate, Toy Box, and two R&B Piano Jam improvisations complete a collection that covers both the structured songwriting and the loose exploratory playing that characterised Prince's most productive era.
Audio quality is clear on most tracks — strong listening throughout.
Tracklisting
| # | Track |
|---|---|
| 1 | God |
| 2 | Purple Rain (Piano and Strings Only) |
| 3 | R&B Piano Jam #1 |
| 4 | R&B Piano Jam #2 |
| 5 | Purple Music (Long Version — Piano Version) |
| 6 | Purple Music (Shorter Version — All Instruments) |
| 7 | Instrumental |
| 8 | The Beautiful Ones (Studio Outtake) |
| 9 | Irresistible Bitch |
| 10 | Toy Box |
| 11 | I Would Die 4 U (Rehearsal — 30 minutes) |
| 12 | Chocolate |
| 13 | The Beautiful Ones (Uncut) |
Product Details
| Format | 2-Disc CD Set (CD-R) |
| Total Runtime | 129 minutes |
| Years Covered | 1983–1984 |
| Audio Quality | Clear on most tracks |
| Packaging | Plain packaging |
| Note | Unofficial collector's edition — not an official release |
Delivery Info
UK orders arrive in 2 working days. Europe in 5 days. Rest of the world approximately 8 days.