Nothing Left But Stone: ‘Timeless’ Collects 10 Unreleased Prince Recordings
The faithful fans hoping for more music from Prince’s vault have something to look forward to.
Timeless, a new collection from NPG Records and Legacy Recordings, offers 10 previously unreleased recordings spanning the breadth of the Minneapolis legend’s career, from a 1978 home recording to a live take of a favorite B-side from one of his final concerts. The album will be available on CD and vinyl on August 28.
Prince’s version of “With This Tear,” an early ’90s ballad given to Celine Dion and released to mark the 10th anniversary of his passing this past April, will feature on the album, along with new focus track “Stone,” a pop/funk number tracked in 1995 and based on a track from R&B singer Sandra St. Victor. “Stone” was considered for an early configuration of Prince’s 1996 triple album Emancipation, though many of the songs included here aren’t known to be strictly tied to known projects. Other highlights include the original, rockabilly-flavored version of “Tick, Tick, Bang” (later released in alternate form on 1990’s soundtrack to the Purple Rain sequel Graffiti Bridge); the late ’80s outtake “I Wonder” (considered for inclusion on an unreleased follow-up to 1998 outtakes collection Crystal Ball) and early ’00s cut “Calabama,” played for fans at a Paisley Park Celebration event in 2024.
The album starts with “I Am You,” a home recording dating back to the era of Prince’s debut For You (1978) and closes with a live take on “1999” B-side/fan favorite “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?” taken from one of the intimate Piano & A Microphone concerts that Prince staged in several small theaters before his passing in 2016 – ultimately encompassing each decade of his career as a musician. (The penultimate track “Bestest Friend” is one of the genuine revelations of the set, noted by the official announcement as sourced from 2012 but with no known record of the track to fans.) The album is mastered by Chris James, the engineer behind several of Prince’s final albums including Art Official Age (2014), 3rdEyeGirl’s PlectrumElectrum (2014) and HITnRUN phase two (2016). (There is unconfirmed speculation that he may have mixed some of the tracks which never had final, releasable mixes.)
While it remains to be seen if a newly-curated single-disc album of outtakes will sate the feelings of the Prince fan community – one often overcome by bad vibes from the top – it is at least technically true that The Vault is opening once more. Timeless will be available August 28 on CD, vinyl and digital and can be pre-ordered below. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)
Timeless (NPG/Legacy, 2026)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (140-gram Purple Marbled Vinyl)
- I Am You
- Tick, Tick, Bang (Original Version)
- Heaven
- I Wonder
- With This Tear
- Stone
- Calabama
- The Guilty Ones
- Bestest Friend
- How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? (Live)
Track 2 recorded in 1981. Alternate version included on Graffiti Bridge (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1990)
Track 3 recorded in 1985
Track 4 recorded in 1989. Offered for possible inclusion on Crystal Ball Volume II
Track 5 recorded in 1991. Re-recorded by Celine Dion for Celine Dion (Epic, 1992)
Track 6 recorded in 1995
Track 7 recorded in 2003
Track 8 recorded in 2007. Lyrics included in 21 Nights book (Atria, 2008)
Track 9 recorded in 2012
Track 10 recorded live on the Piano & A Microphone Tour – February-April 2016. Studio version released as B-side to “1999” (Warner Bros., 1982)
Smells like just a teaser for some kind of mega box… It’s random enough.