The everyone LOVES radiohead thread!

[EJ]

I never got into Kid A until I started hearing live versions of it. That really turned the album around for me.

OKC is still their magnum opus.

[bodysnatcher]

I mostly agree with Spenno, but I do like OKC, too. For me, Pablo Honey and The Bends don't really exist. Radiohead weren't really very good at being a '90s rock band. They always sounded like they were just jumping on a fad, mainly at the behest of their label.

I’m completely flummoxed as to how Brett and Spenno, two posters with whom I very often share musical tastes, don’t find The Bends to be absolutely brilliant

I agree that The Bends is great. And essential to their catalogue to bridge PH to OKC. I never listened to The Bends until after the OKC release, strangely. But I dug it immediately. Not as much as OKC, which I prefer. But I don't see The Bends as jumping on a fad at all. If they were fad-jumping, it'd be way more superficial of an album. There is some serious thought, decisions, and artistic growth happening on this record.

[bodysnatcher]

i don't like ranking things in general, but i certainly can't rank radiohead albums. i've tried it 100 times over the years, and can never do it.

[Brett]

I mostly agree with Spenno, but I do like OKC, too. For me, Pablo Honey and The Bends don't really exist. Radiohead weren't really very good at being a '90s rock band. They always sounded like they were just jumping on a fad, mainly at the behest of their label.

I’m completely flummoxed as to how Brett and Spenno, two posters with whom I very often share musical tastes, don’t find The Bends to be absolutely brilliant

To be fair, I haven't really listened to it much, probably just a handful of times all the way through. I might have been more appreciative had I not heard OKC through In Rainbows before going back and trying the older material.

[Chris_H_2]

I've never thought of Kid A as particularly accessible, let alone more accessible than Amnesiac.

really? the opening chords to everything in it's right place are some of, if not the, most iconic chords to start either a radiohead song or album in the catalog. i think they even give airbag a run for their money.

the national anthem is iconic, and kid a's version of morning bell is way more listener-friendly than the amnesiac version.

optimistic was the only true "radio-friendly" song from either album (other than i might be wrong), and idioteque is still a staple.

as for amnesiac, it obviously has i might be wrong, which rivals optimistic in terms of "accessibility," but i think the live versions of most of those songs sound better than the album version (e.g., like spinning plates)

[Birds in Hell]

I liked The Bends a lot at the time, same for OK Computer.

As my tastes broadened, I lost track of the band and didn't really listen to Kid A, Amnesiac, Thief and In Rainbows until around seven or eight years ago (I think).

The pre-Kid A albums don't really stand up for me anymore, I just don't find their guitar-heavy material from that period very enjoyable.

[bada]

I was a first three album super fan and then casual after that. It's been a while since I really dove in.

[bodysnatcher]

[epilogue]

I've never thought of Kid A as particularly accessible, let alone more accessible than Amnesiac.

really? the opening chords to everything in it's right place are some of, if not the, most iconic chords to start either a radiohead song or album in the catalog. i think they even give airbag a run for their money.

the national anthem is iconic, and kid a's version of morning bell is way more listener-friendly than the amnesiac version.

optimistic was the only true "radio-friendly" song from either album (other than i might be wrong), and idioteque is still a staple.

as for amnesiac, it obviously has i might be wrong, which rivals optimistic in terms of "accessibility," but i think the live versions of most of those songs sound better than the album version (e.g., like spinning plates)

I'm not sure I equate "iconic" with "accessible" the way you do.

And, for me, and I know I'm completely alone in this, but National Anthem hasn't ever really done much for me. I couldn't hum/sing it right now if my life depended on it.

[dad]

Kid A
OK Computer
In Rainbows
The Bends
The King of Limbs
Hail To The Thief
Amnesiac
A Moon Shaped Pool
Pablo Honey

Sure, I'll play:

OK Computer
Amnesiac
In Rainbows
The Bends

Kid A
Moon Shaped Pool
Hail to the Thief

Pablo Honey
King of Limbs

Those top four are all time brilliant classics. Fucking perfect records.

The next three move a lot for me. Sometimes I put HTTT above Kid A. These are really good but flawed albums that have wonderful highs. How much I like them depends a lot on my mood and our environment. Moon Shaped Pool, for example, is an amazing subway/walking around NYC album but I don't always find I want to put it on at home.

The bottom two are uneven with only a couple of songs on either that I have any desire to listen to anymore. I mostly don't think about either of those as full albums until they come up in a thread like this.

good to see someone who'll place Amnesiac high in their ranking.

[tragabigzanda]

[VinylGuy]

All this talk made me want to listen to these guys.

Yesterday was Amnesiac, and yeah is still a sub par album. Some stand outs mixed with some filler. Now its Hail To The Thief. Its way better.

Ok Computer
In Rainbows
The Bends
Kid A
A Moon Shaped Pool
Hail To The Thief
Amnesiac
KoL

[Kevin Davis]

I mostly agree with Spenno, but I do like OKC, too. For me, Pablo Honey and The Bends don't really exist. Radiohead weren't really very good at being a '90s rock band. They always sounded like they were just jumping on a fad, mainly at the behest of their label.

I’m completely flummoxed as to how Brett and Spenno, two posters with whom I very often share musical tastes, don’t find The Bends to be absolutely brilliant

To be fair, I haven't really listened to it much, probably just a handful of times all the way through. I might have been more appreciative had I not heard OKC through In Rainbows before going back and trying the older material.

I don't really care for The Bends much either, for many of the reasons you initially stated, and I've heard it a ton. Yorke's falsetto at that time has this really undisciplined, mewling-cat quality to it that I find really unappealing. I do really like some of the B-sides though -- "India Rubber," "Talk Show Host," "Molasses," "Bishops Robes" -- but my understanding is that many of those post-date the album sessions, so maybe that's where my interest in Radiohead really begins. And OK Computer I think is extraordinary.

[bodysnatcher]

[tragabigzanda]

[warehouse]

the bends is a difficult album to look at considering it was followed by one of the single greatest rock records known to man. i still think its one of the best albums of the decade. fake plastic trees is timeless, i think street spirit still holds up to anything they've done, and songs like just, high and dry, my iron lung are all great rock songs from a band that isnt really only making rock n roll music.

[smallest_oceans]

Are the radiohead/tv live concerts worth watching? https://www.radiohead.tv/

any recommendations?

[VinylGuy]

Fuck Daydreaming is such a beautiful song.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

Something to bring comfort during these strange times:

RADIOHEAD "Take Me Back: Live Recordings 2000-2018"

101 There There (2003-05-25 London)
102 15 Step (2017-04-17 Berkeley)
103 The National Anthem (2008-08-09 Jersey City)
104 Morning Bell (2000-10-07 Dublin)
105 I Might Be Wrong (2001-08-17 Jersey City)
106 Climbing Up The Walls (2000-09-16 Nijmegen)
107 Talk Show Host (2000-07-04 Berlin)
108 Packt Like Sardines (2001-05-28 Vaison-la-Romaine)
109 Jigsaw Falling Into Place (2008-08-22 San Francisco)
110 Dollars And Cents (2001-05-30 Verona)
111 No Surprises (2017-04-21 Indio)
112 Little By Little (2011-09-29 New York City)
113 In Limbo (2001-06-01 Nurnberg)
114 Identikit (2017-06-18 Hilvarenbeek)
115 Where I End And You Begin (2003-11-26 London)
116 Pyramid Song (2008-08-22 San Francisco)
117 Paranoid Android (2000-10-06 Dublin)
201 Airbag (2006-08-15 Avenches)
202 Videotape (2006-06-17 Manchester)
203 Bangers And Mash (2008-06-06 Dublin)
204 Let Down (2016-07-29 Chicago)
205 Staircase (2011-09-29 New York City)
206 Nude (2008-06-18 Milan)
207 Ful Stop (2017-04-21 Indio)
208 Go To Sleep (2004-04-15 Osaka)
209 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi (2008-10-05 Saitama)
210 Myxomatosis (2003-11-27 London)
211 Like Spinning Plates (2006-08-15 Avenches)
212 Bodysnatchers (2016-07-29 Chicago)
213 Karma Police (2006-06-17 Manchester)
214 Idioteque (2000-09-24 London)
215 Reckoner (2008-10-05 Saitama)
216 Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000-10-07 Dublin)
217 Everything In Its Right Place (2000-09-16 Nijmegen)

Exceptional SOUNDBOARD excerpts from a variety of sources.

Artwork by Stanley Donwood
Design by ridleybradout

ASS BLASTER 051
Fan-Made Project! Not For Sale!

Download

[dad]

Something to bring comfort during these strange times:

RADIOHEAD "Take Me Back: Live Recordings 2000-2018"

101 There There (2003-05-25 London)
102 15 Step (2017-04-17 Berkeley)
103 The National Anthem (2008-08-09 Jersey City)
104 Morning Bell (2000-10-07 Dublin)
105 I Might Be Wrong (2001-08-17 Jersey City)
106 Climbing Up The Walls (2000-09-16 Nijmegen)
107 Talk Show Host (2000-07-04 Berlin)
108 Packt Like Sardines (2001-05-28 Vaison-la-Romaine)
109 Jigsaw Falling Into Place (2008-08-22 San Francisco)
110 Dollars And Cents (2001-05-30 Verona)
111 No Surprises (2017-04-21 Indio)
112 Little By Little (2011-09-29 New York City)
113 In Limbo (2001-06-01 Nurnberg)
114 Identikit (2017-06-18 Hilvarenbeek)
115 Where I End And You Begin (2003-11-26 London)
116 Pyramid Song (2008-08-22 San Francisco)
117 Paranoid Android (2000-10-06 Dublin)
201 Airbag (2006-08-15 Avenches)
202 Videotape (2006-06-17 Manchester)
203 Bangers And Mash (2008-06-06 Dublin)
204 Let Down (2016-07-29 Chicago)
205 Staircase (2011-09-29 New York City)
206 Nude (2008-06-18 Milan)
207 Ful Stop (2017-04-21 Indio)
208 Go To Sleep (2004-04-15 Osaka)
209 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi (2008-10-05 Saitama)
210 Myxomatosis (2003-11-27 London)
211 Like Spinning Plates (2006-08-15 Avenches)
212 Bodysnatchers (2016-07-29 Chicago)
213 Karma Police (2006-06-17 Manchester)
214 Idioteque (2000-09-24 London)
215 Reckoner (2008-10-05 Saitama)
216 Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000-10-07 Dublin)
217 Everything In Its Right Place (2000-09-16 Nijmegen)

Exceptional SOUNDBOARD excerpts from a variety of sources.

Artwork by Stanley Donwood
Design by ridleybradout

ASS BLASTER 051
Fan-Made Project! Not For Sale!

Download

listening to disc one now.