Prince could make even a stolid metaphor comparing a lover’s coldness to an inanimate rock sound funky, as he proved on “Stone,” an unreleased song that has been languishing in the Purple One’s vault until now.
“Take your icy hand and press it on this heart of stone,” he sings at one point, though listeners are likely more distracted by the song’s heavy beat and buoyant bass. Prince recorded the track, which was written by songwriters Sandra St. Victor, Tom Hammer, and Jules Van Even, in 1995, the same year he released The Gold Experience, but it’s set to get an official release on the upcoming all-unreleased-music compilation, Timeless, due Aug. 28.
The 10-song track list for the compilation plucks a song from every decade of Prince’s career, ending with a live performance of “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?,” which he recorded in the year of his death, 2016. The album will be available to stream and for purchase on CD and vinyl. The Prince Estate is previewing the album this week during its “Prince Celebration” in Minneapolis.
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The Prince Estate released “With This Tear,” another song that will feature on Timeless, in April, to mark the 10th anniversary of his death. The artist recorded that song in November 1991, about a month after he released Diamonds and Pearls. Unlike “Stone,” Prince wrote the song himself and played every instrument on the recording. Celine Dion ended up recording the song in 1992, and a snippet of it appeared on Carmen Electra’s self-titled album the following year.
Timeless track list:
1. “I Am You” (1977)
2. “Tick Tick Bang” (1981)
3. “Heaven” (1985)
4. “I Wonder” (1989)
5. “With This Tear” (1991)
6. “Stone” (1995)
7. “Calabama” (2003)
8. “The Guilty Ones” (2007)
9. “Bestest Friend” (2012)
10. “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore? (Live)” (2016)
