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Prince could make even a hackneyed metaphor – the coldness of a lover compared to a lifeless stone – sound funky. Proof of this is “Stone”, an unreleased song, which until now lay dormant in the depths of the Purple One’s archives.
“Take your icy hand and press it on this heart of stone,” he sings at one point – although the listeners are probably distracted by the song’s heavy beat and driving bass anyway. Prince recorded the track, written by songwriters Sandra St. Victor, Tom Hammer and Jules Van Even, in 1995, the same year he released The Gold Experience. He will officially appear on the upcoming compilation “Timeless,” which contains exclusively unreleased material and will be released on August 28th.
The compilation’s ten songs span every decade of Prince’s career and end with a live version of “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?”, which he recorded the year of his death, 2016. The album will be available for streaming as well as on CD and vinyl. The Prince Estate is premiering the record this week as part of its “Prince Celebration” in Minneapolis.
Ten decades, ten songs
Back in April, the Prince Estate released “With This Tear,” another song that will be featured on “Timeless,” on the tenth anniversary of his death. Prince recorded it in November 1991, about a month after the release of Diamonds and Pearls. Unlike “Stone”, the piece was written solely by him, and he also played all the instruments himself. Celine Dion recorded the song in 1992; an excerpt from it appeared on Carmen Electra’s self-titled album the following year.
“Timeless” – Tracklist:
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. “Best Friend” (2012)
10. “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore? (Live)” (2016)