Was listening again to the killer extended version of CB on Purple Rain re-issue the other day and it got me thinking. When Prince formed 3rdEyeGirl and moved towards a heavier rock sound I thought that would have been a perfect time to pull out CB and add it to the setlist, perhaps re-imagined and stretched out in the way Let's Go Crazy was. Never happened. It then dawned on me that while P played pretty much everything from Purple Rain (even Darling Nikki was part of the sampler set) in the last decade, CB, despite being a fan favourite (especially the extended version) was not performed at all to my knowledge.

Anyone have any insight into why? When was it last played live?

Thanks in advance,

Rob

I don't know for sure about why he rarely played it. My only guess is that maybe it was because the second solo was based on his father's song "Father's Song" and after John L. died, he thought it was inappropriate to play it? That's all I can come up with but that is only a wild guess on my part.

According to Princevault, the last two performances of it were:

http://princevault.com/in...puter_Blue

• 28 May 2006: Club 3121 Empire Ballroom, Las Vegas, NV, USA (during acoustic guitar set) ;
  
  20 March 2014 (show 2): The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA (interpolation in Something In The Water (Does Not Compute))

RodeoSchro said:

I don't know for sure about why he rarely played it. My only guess is that maybe it was because the second solo was based on his father's song "Father's Song" and after John L. died, he thought it was inappropriate to play it? That's all I can come up with but that is only a wild guess on my part.

That's a very far-fetched idea. (Wild, indeed!) He certainly tinkered with "Father's Song" throughout the years after John's passing.

Where's the line there, though? He mentions his mother and father in "When Doves Cry" - still sang that.

What about songs with Jonathan Melvoin's input? He's dead, too.

It just isn't logical, in any fashion, that he'd not play one particular song because his father's melody happened to be part of it.

I tend to believe that perhaps the message of the song and the anger in it wasn't what Prince was putting out anymore. But for whatever reason, he seems to have singled that one song out. It really would have been a great jam song for 3rd Eye Girl, or just in general. Even with all those dates at the 02, nothing.

TrivialPursuit said:

RodeoSchro said:

I don't know for sure about why he rarely played it. My only guess is that maybe it was because the second solo was based on his father's song "Father's Song" and after John L. died, he thought it was inappropriate to play it? That's all I can come up with but that is only a wild guess on my part.

That's a very far-fetched idea. (Wild, indeed!) He certainly tinkered with "Father's Song" throughout the years after John's passing.

Where's the line there, though? He mentions his mother and father in "When Doves Cry" - still sang that.

What about songs with Jonathan Melvoin's input? He's dead, too.

It just isn't logical, in any fashion, that he'd not play one particular song because his father's melody happened to be part of it.

I tend to believe that perhaps the message of the song and the anger in it wasn't what Prince was putting out anymore. But for whatever reason, he seems to have singled that one song out. It really would have been a great jam song for 3rd Eye Girl, or just in general. Even with all those dates at the 02, nothing.

Like I said, just a wild guess. Maybe after his conversion to Jehjovah's Witness, he felt the first solo would be associated too much with fellatio? We'll never know.

I agree it would have been a perfect song for the 3EG iteration. Or any time, for that matter. If he ever did a trilogy of "Take Me With U/Guitar/Computer Blue" I'm sure I would have died of ecstasy. And the good kind, not the drug kind, LOL.

XNY said:

I love Computer Blue, especially the extended version... but from his interviews about the Revolution, I'm only guessing he thought CB was too cold and electronic to continually perform live. We'll never know for sure but that's my opinion. Same with Darling Nikki.

Maybe because it was too intimately connected to the Revolution. I doubt it being cold and electronic is it, since is is seriously funky. Something in the Water is definately cold and electric but he played it.

He also playe Darling Nikki as far as the Rave years

He also almost never played anything from Lovesexy

maybe the lyrics were not to be reinvoked

maybe he couldn't play the fast part

TheFman said:

maybe he couldn't play the fast part

It's something I wondered about also. It is SUCH a staple, but it never showed up in any of his harder rock sets.

I always gathered he somehow did not feel it was proper to play without Wendy or something. It's the same with the original Old Friends 4 Sale; something about it hit too close to the heart,stirred up feelings he did not want to be reminded about in later life, or felt resentful about, maybe

[Edited 11/29/17 0:54am]

I've always just thought he didn't think it felt right without Wendy & Lisa's intro.

RodeoSchro said:

TrivialPursuit said:

That's a very far-fetched idea. (Wild, indeed!) He certainly tinkered with "Father's Song" throughout the years after John's passing.

Where's the line there, though? He mentions his mother and father in "When Doves Cry" - still sang that.

What about songs with Jonathan Melvoin's input? He's dead, too.

It just isn't logical, in any fashion, that he'd not play one particular song because his father's melody happened to be part of it.

I tend to believe that perhaps the message of the song and the anger in it wasn't what Prince was putting out anymore. But for whatever reason, he seems to have singled that one song out. It really would have been a great jam song for 3rd Eye Girl, or just in general. Even with all those dates at the 02, nothing.

Like I said, just a wild guess. Maybe after his conversion to Jehjovah's Witness, he felt the first solo would be associated too much with fellatio? We'll never know.

I agree it would have been a perfect song for the 3EG iteration. Or any time, for that matter. If he ever did a trilogy of "Take Me With U/Guitar/Computer Blue" I'm sure I would have died of ecstasy. And the good kind, not the drug kind, LOL.

Since Prince became a JW in the late 90's and John L passed in 2001 and the song was played on at least 2 occasions ever since, both theories fall completely flat.

We have no way to know why the song wasn't much played, it's as simple as that. I agree that it would have been great with 3EG, but hell, maybe for example he felt the song wouldn't work without keyboards: it's a rock song but as far as the studio version goes, take away the keyboards and the drum machine and the whole thing collapses. Or maybe he didn't like it anymore. Or maybe he just didn't think of it. Who knows...

Like Oldfriends4sale said, many songs, even from the 80's, weren't ever played again. I was indeed noting the other day, while listening to a Lovesexy show, that save for Alphabet St. and Anna Stesia, the album wasn't ever played again (AFAIK) after 1988. It's a pity. Same goes with a lot of other songs. I guess his catalogue was just too vast and since he felt obligated to play the hits, that left him with limited options in regards to the hundreds of available songs. Maybe one day certain collaborators can reveal some info as to what made him favor certain songs over others.

Never mind Compter Blue, I would have thought When You Were Mine would have been a nailed on set-list regular for 3EG but I think they only played it once on their debut?

databank said:

RodeoSchro said:

Like I said, just a wild guess. Maybe after his conversion to Jehjovah's Witness, he felt the first solo would be associated too much with fellatio? We'll never know.

I agree it would have been a perfect song for the 3EG iteration. Or any time, for that matter. If he ever did a trilogy of "Take Me With U/Guitar/Computer Blue" I'm sure I would have died of ecstasy. And the good kind, not the drug kind, LOL.

Since Prince became a JW in the late 90's and John L passed in 2001 and the song was played on at least 2 occasions ever since, both theories fall completely flat.

We have no way to know why the song wasn't much played, it's as simple as that. I agree that it would have been great with 3EG, but hell, maybe for example he felt the song wouldn't work without keyboards: it's a rock song but as far as the studio version goes, take away the keyboards and the drum machine and the whole thing collapses. Or maybe he didn't like it anymore. Or maybe he just didn't think of it. Who knows...

Like Oldfriends4sale said, many songs, even from the 80's, weren't ever played again. I was indeed noting the other day, while listening to a Lovesexy show, that save for Alphabet St. and Anna Stesia, the album wasn't ever played again (AFAIK) after 1988. It's a pity. Same goes with a lot of other songs. I guess his catalogue was just too vast and since he felt obligated to play the hits, that left him with limited options in regards to the hundreds of available songs. Maybe one day certain collaborators can reveal some info as to what made him favor certain songs over others.

Do you know how much of the song he played those times? The whole thing? Snippets? Verse/chorus only? Either of the two solos?

I'm glad I got to see Prince do this song on the "Purple Rain" tour a few times, but dang! Every other time I ever saw him, I prayed he'd do the song and rip the second solo to shreds!

Didn't Prince only do the instrumenal breakdown that's essentiall Father's Song in 2001?

RodeoSchro said:

databank said:

Since Prince became a JW in the late 90's and John L passed in 2001 and the song was played on at least 2 occasions ever since, both theories fall completely flat.

We have no way to know why the song wasn't much played, it's as simple as that. I agree that it would have been great with 3EG, but hell, maybe for example he felt the song wouldn't work without keyboards: it's a rock song but as far as the studio version goes, take away the keyboards and the drum machine and the whole thing collapses. Or maybe he didn't like it anymore. Or maybe he just didn't think of it. Who knows...

Like Oldfriends4sale said, many songs, even from the 80's, weren't ever played again. I was indeed noting the other day, while listening to a Lovesexy show, that save for Alphabet St. and Anna Stesia, the album wasn't ever played again (AFAIK) after 1988. It's a pity. Same goes with a lot of other songs. I guess his catalogue was just too vast and since he felt obligated to play the hits, that left him with limited options in regards to the hundreds of available songs. Maybe one day certain collaborators can reveal some info as to what made him favor certain songs over others.

Do you know how much of the song he played those times? The whole thing? Snippets? Verse/chorus only? Either of the two solos?

I'm glad I got to see Prince do this song on the "Purple Rain" tour a few times, but dang! Every other time I ever saw him, I prayed he'd do the song and rip the second solo to shreds!

I must admit I don't, but still...

Could it be because Prince, Lisa, Wendy and his Dad are credited as writers on Computer Blue and he didnt want to pay royalties? I am not proficient in how royalties are paid so I am just throwing this out there.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

Could it be because Prince, Lisa, Wendy and his Dad are credited as writers on Computer Blue and he didnt want to pay royalties? I am not proficient in how royalties are paid so I am just throwing this out there.

Not sure in the US but in France, since it's virtually impossible to control who plays what when on stage, royalties for all live shows are thrown in the basket and shared based on record sales and TV/radio airplay.

In any case, given how many covers Prince played on stage, this theory makes no sense at all.

Computer Blue =

Are you saying I make no sense?

databank said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

Could it be because Prince, Lisa, Wendy and his Dad are credited as writers on Computer Blue and he didnt want to pay royalties? I am not proficient in how royalties are paid so I am just throwing this out there.

Not sure in the US but in France, since it's virtually impossible to control who plays what when on stage, royalties for all live shows are thrown in the basket and shared based on record sales and TV/radio airplay.

In any case, given how many covers Prince played on stage, this theory makes no sense at all.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

Are you saying I make no sense?

databank said:

Not sure in the US but in France, since it's virtually impossible to control who plays what when on stage, royalties for all live shows are thrown in the basket and shared based on record sales and TV/radio airplay.

In any case, given how many covers Prince played on stage, this theory makes no sense at all.

Depends. Are you human or are you a theory?

Because mwould have to pretend fellatio on him during the middle part.