Rare Prince Recording From Paisley Park Released
- A previously unreleased piano version of "With This Tear" recorded at Paisley Park has been issued. - The track was recorded in 1991 and has now been mixed for a 2026 archival release. - The release adds to ongoing archival projects that renew local interest in Paisley Park's music history (djmag.com).
Prince’s estate has released “With This Tear,” a previously unheard 1991 Prince recording from Paisley Park, opening a new 2026 rollout of music from his vault. (rollingstone.com) The song arrived through NPG Records and Legacy Recordings on April 20, 2026, one day before the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death on April 21, 2016. It was recorded at Paisley Park in November 1991. (legacyrecordings.com) Prince wrote, produced, arranged and performed the track himself, and the 2026 release was newly mixed and mastered by Chris James, an engineer who worked on *Art Official Age*, *Plectrumelectrum* and *HITnRUN Phase Two*. (consequence.net) “With This Tear” was not unknown to Prince listeners; he gave the song to Céline Dion, who recorded and released her version on her 1992 self-titled album. The newly issued take is Prince’s own piano-led recording from that same period. (legacyrecordings.com) The release is the first track from what the estate has described as a never-before-released Prince album project built from vault recordings scheduled to appear during 2026. That makes this single less a one-off tribute than the opening move in a larger archival campaign. (rollingstone.com) Paisley Park is central to that campaign. The studio and museum complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota, is also hosting anniversary programming tied to Prince’s death, including “A Day 2 Reflect | A Night 2 Remember” on April 21 and Celebration 2026 from June 3 to June 7. (shorefire.com) (classicpopmag.com) Prince’s archive has produced major posthumous releases before, including expanded editions of *1999*, *Sign O’ The Times* and *Diamonds and Pearls*. This year’s plan points back to unreleased material rather than another deluxe reissue. (rollingstone.com) The new release also comes with a music video assembled from archival footage and photos, underscoring how the estate is packaging the song as both a standalone single and a preview of what is still in the vault. For Prince fans, the immediate next marker is June at Paisley Park, where the archive itself is again part of the event. (legacyrecordings.com)
