I know there's a few fans on here (judging by the Lets Quiz Music thread). So which album wins? It's The Bends right? No, wait, it's OK Computer, no, hold on, it's Hail To The Thief. It can't be KidA or Amnesiac, no one bought those at the time did they?. Discuss..
Exactly. My 1st listen of Ok Computer was otherworldly. But I wish Radiohead went back to sounding like they did on The Bends straight after recording it, instead of the direction they went in. Both classic albums far superior to anything else they did. Some great B sides and unreleased songs knocking around in this era too.
I think a sign of how great The Bends is, is that if you made a playlist of 20 of your favourite Radiohead songs it'd be hard to discount any one track off the album. I didn't care much for Kid A at the time of its release but I've been playing it more and more of late. The track, How To Disappear Completely, which was penned by Thom after the band's disastrous Glastonbury performance (in his eyes and ears anyway) is gorgeous.
In Rainbows for me. The Bends is a really underrated album that is just perfect indie rock, I've never really brought into the hype around OK Computer, Kid A is a technical masterpiece but my god it creates such a dark and depressing world for itself I can hardly bring myself to listen to it. And then In Rainbows is just perfection throughout for me. All flows perfectly despite a massive range of genres and styles incorporated, as if it was made for me to be honest.
In Rainbows is a great shout. House Of Cards, Reckoner, Weird Fishes, top, top songs. Wasn't this the album where the band did a honesty box thing and asked the punters to pay what they thought the album was worth?
The Bends is top for me. I'm not a fan of Bullet Proof..., but all the other tracks are immense. Fake Plastic Trees is not just my favourite Radiohead track, it's probably my favourite song full stop. Not much love going on for Pablo Honey (understandable), but I will stick up for Amnesiac. Pyramid Song, You and Whose Army?, I Might Be Wrong and Like Spinning Plates are all solid tracks and if you view it as the second half of a double album with Kid A (as the band intended), I think it holds up pretty well. I like Hail To The Thief (There There is a banger) but it always feels like it has three tracks too many to make it a great album. Don't ask me which ones I'd cut though...
My thoughts exactly. The bends has the bigger highlights, ok computer is just a great album from start to finish, and better imo
I think most Radiohead fans would agree that Kid A, the band's fourth album, was a little disappointing in that the direction they took was a million miles away from the electric guitars, indie roick style that the group were loved for, and Kid A went one length further in that all but one of the songs on the record didn't feature guitars at all. But that one song, that beautiful melodic song that Thom sang so incredibly on that made the listener think that he was lost and then was found, is an amazing piece of work.
If I had to pick a favourite, and I admittedly haven't heard much of in rainbows or any of a moon shaped pool, I think I would just have to say the bends. Any great album(and they had 3 I've heard) needs a great opener, Planet Telex sounds like it came from wherever Planet Telex is. Also looking for no or very little filler, again The Bends trumps it's 2 great follow ups just. And also, that closer. Street Spirit(Fade Out) is just gorgeous whilst being heartbreaking and that guitar is wondrous. Special mention for Pablo honey, few good tracks on it and Pyramid Song is worth mentioning amnesiac but much prefer Kid A in the robot years. OK Computer is a great album but one or 2 filler tracks
If you've any time to spare today Vito, watch the band play the whole of the album live in the basement. The opener, Weird Fishes, is a thing of rare beauty. I love Ed's haunting backing vocals..
Don't think I'll ever forget first hearing that straight after the chaotic feedback of karma police. Agreed.
It's a grower, Bleeds, needs at least four or five listens before you realise you've fallen in love with it.
Yeah, I was much the same with it. Went from being an album I really enjoyed to, after a couple more listens, one of my favourites ever. Also, off later to watch a string quartet live at Wells Cathedral play 2 and a half hours of Radiohead this evening, hopefully be as spectacular as it sounds.
Ok Computer is one of the best albums ever for me, The Bends is also amazing. Both 10/10 albums. I've tried 4 times now to get into Kid A and just can't, I don't hate it but it's not at the same level as the two I mentioned in my opinion. I've only recently started listening to their other albums, Pablo Honey is fairly mediocre but has it's moments and I really enjoyed In Rainbows on first listen. The others are still to come...
It's not an easy listen after the radio friendly albums that came before it, but as I've said before, How To Disappear Completely is a beautiful song. It's Thom distancing himself from the band in an out of body kind of way, and then feeling well enough to return as his voice depicts about two thirds of the way in...
