Vault Unlocked: Prince Estate Drops 'Timeless' Album for 10th Anniversary of His Passing

The Prince estate has officially released "Timeless," a captivating 10-song vault collection on Friday, August 28th, featuring rare and previously unreleased material from the legendary pop icon's extensive archives. This collection marks a significant event as part of a year-long commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Prince's passing. Released in partnership with Legacy Recordings, the Estate emphasizes that "Timeless" is the first Prince release to encompass every major era of his illustrious career, presenting recordings that span from his teenage years in Minneapolis in 1977 up until 2016, the year he tragically died of an accidental fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016, at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota.

The album opens with the horn-spiked funk jam “I Am You,” a track recorded in 1977 at Minneapolis’ Sound 89 studio when Prince was merely 19 years old. Like the majority of the collection, this track was almost entirely written, arranged, performed, and produced by Prince himself, serving as a heartfelt plea for a lover's return. Following this early gem is the blistering, punky "Tick Tick Bang" from 1981, which later appeared on the "Graffiti Bridge" album nine years later with a more pronounced funk sound.

Mid-career highlights on "Timeless" include "Heaven," a sparse pop jam from 1985 that features backing vocals from Prince’s former girlfriend and Revolution band member Susannah Melvoin. From 1989, "I Wonder" offers a loping, gospel-country vibe. The emotional and lush piano ballad "With This Tear" from 1991 was notably recorded before Prince gifted the song to Celine Dion, who subsequently included it on her self-titled 1992 LP. Both "With This Tear" and "Stone," a previously unreleased slow-burn R&B tune from 1995, were issued as singles from the collection ahead of the album's full release.

The later period of Prince's career is represented by tracks like the 2003 hand-clapping soul jam “Calabama,” the rock burner “The Guilty Ones” from 2007, and the majestic “Bestest Friend” from 2012. The collection culminates with a live rendition of the fan-favorite non-album 1999 B-side “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?” This live version was recorded at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, on March 4, 2015, just a month before his passing.

The entire set was expertly mixed and mastered by the Grammy-nominated engineer/producer Chris James, known for his work on "Plectrumelectrum." Compilation production was overseen by estate co-manager L. Londell McMillan, who articulated the profound significance of the album in a statement. McMillan remarked, "Timeless describes Prince in many ways, even beyond his musical genius. Prince was indeed one of only one, a legendary artist and master musician with unprecedented style, faith, courage, dignity and brilliance. His overall essence and spirit remains timeless. This current album covers 5 decades of Prince’s music from 1977 through 2016 with unreleased music from the Prince Vault, all on one album." He encouraged listeners to enjoy this project alongside Prince's legendary catalog, with the promise of more releases in the future.

In conjunction with the album's release, the estate also unveiled an official music video for “The Guilty Ones,” which features a compilation of various live performances and music video footage spanning Prince’s illustrious career.