Not into Radiohead, but the version in their video I enjoy more than Prince's concert version. It might be different if Prince did a studio version. His live version may have just served the purposes of that particular show, hence the slowed down approach, and that extended intro -- which I get kinda tired of. Usually, it seems Prince is the one who speeds up a version of someone else's song.
Still, I love his covers 98 percent of the time. Not bad. Ha!

I liked it alot.

nice to hear a cover, looove this song! i was holding my breath with the lyrics but he went all grandad and didnt sing them right. i wished he moved around more on the stage and put more passion to the performance.
but i can let that go cos he was like a banquet of fineness

I love this performance and love radiohead. This is an iconic song and cemented my love for radiohead on first listen a long long time ago.

Prince's version is simply incredible, something that totally stands on its own, and the guitar solo is euphoric.

I dont know how far people's head is up their ass when they complain about the lyric change. I would not expect anything less from Prince, and the change fits Prince to a tee. I love it because he stayed true to who he is, not pretending to be or "get" where radiohead is coming from.

Great song, great original recording and great cover by Prince. On my top 10 list of Prince live recordings and Prince guitar solos.
Magical

It was cool. If anything, I think it's slightly over-rated though. It's just his rendition of it in the style of the way he plays tracks like Joy In Repetition, Empty Room, Beautiful Strange etc. - lots of dynamics, build ups to killer guitar solos etc. Cool no doubt, but nothing that really surprised me. And the whole "I'm not to sing the word 'creep'" came across a bit... snobby.

violetblues said:

So the man who HATES it when others cover his songs, is allowed to a) cover other people's songs and b) CHANGE the lyrics if they don't please him.

violetblues said:

I actually agree with you there: it's typical Princian hypocrisy: "do as I say, not as I do".

i thought it was ok as a 'surprise' at Coachella. live he's always gonna do a pretty good job with a guitar track. but... i find the whole lyric change thing frustrating. i don't hate it... in fact i don't really care, as if you were there you would've been caught up in the moment... but watching it back time and time again it's frustrating as you can barely hear what's going on lyrically. but is it meant to be listened back time and time again? usually i would say no. but he did stick it up on LotusFlow3r.

there we go my inconclusive opinion. it's just a bit weird i guess. like the whole crimson and clover cover. why?

violetblues said:

Then why would he bother to do it at all?

violetblues said:

I agree. I think he SHOULD have changed the lyrics. In fact, I'd go further. I think he should have changed the music and the way he sang it too.

And he should have called it something else. And he should have released it instead of Purple & Gold.

BartVanHemelen said:

Yep Prince is a hypocrit and a bit of ass among other things no doubt.

Its one thing to love certain art and a performance but not condone everything he has ever done.
Radiohead, the audience and most every major music critic also praised that performance, lets not let famdom get the best of people