John Prine Box Set ‘Crooked Piece of Time’ Will Include First Seven Albums

A new John Prine box set, Crooked Piece of Time, featuring the singer-songwriter’s first seven albums, will be released October 23rd via Rhino.

The seven-CD collection comprises Prine’s output on Atlantic and Asylum Records, released between 1971 and 1980. These include favorites such as his 1971 self-titled debut, 1973’s Sweet Revenge, 1975’s Common Sense and 1980’s Storm Windows.

The seven albums will be presented in mini-LP replica sleeves, while the collection will also come with poster inserts and a 20-page booklet featuring new liner notes from journalist and Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke. The collection’s cover art is a portrait of Prine painted by Joshua Petker, based on a photo taken by Jim Shea.

Crooked Piece of Time arrives about five months after Prine died from complications related to Covid-19 at the age of 73. In June, Prine’s family released his final recorded song, “I Remember Everything,” which was produced by Dave Cobb and co-written by Prine and long-time collaborator Pat McLaughlin.

Prine saw a late-career resurgence of sorts in the years before his death, especially as a new generation of artists — including Margo Price and Jason Isbell — namechecked him regularly as a key influence. In 2016, Prine released For Better, or Worse, his first album in nearly a decade, while in 2018, he released what became his final album, The Tree of Forgiveness.