Please explain Radiohead

steve(thelil) · June-23rd-2003, 08:11 PM

For a band I read so much (great stuff) about I have no familiarity.

Stuckinagroove · June-23rd-2003, 08:53 PM

Certainly! To me they're the best of the rock bands right now (maybe of the last 20yrs, imho). I use the term "rock" loosely because they're a lot more than that. I think jazz fans dig them for their quirky lyrics, unconventional song structures, and beautiful soundscapes that go beyond the typical wall o' guitars sound. They also have intangibles like great album artwork.

If you dig groups slightly left of mainstream like bjork, tortoise, or the flaming lips, you'll probably dig them.

If you want to hear more of their rock side, check out the bends, or OK Computer. Kid A and Amnesiac are their more electronic/experimental albums (By pop standards, anyway), and therefore more interesting to jazz fans perhaps.
Hail To the Thief is also very good, a bit of a recap/transitional album.

Kid A is my favorite album by them but you really can't go wrong with any of them IMO.

Dr Dave · June-23rd-2003, 10:31 PM

I had the same situation, and a friend made me a compilation CD. Basically, they are an above-average-intelligence English Mope-Rock band, except on Kid A and maybe some others the band is barely in evidence; it's mostly electronica stuff. I predict you will greatly enjoy "Kid A" which features a song called "Packt Like Sardines In A Crush" in which the singer sings "Get off my case, I'm a reasonable man." Which sounds like something you would sing.

Vince Kargatis · June-24th-2003, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dr Dave
Iit's mostly electronica stuff.

Your compilation cd must not have been very representative if this is what came from it - this isn't remotely true of at least half their discography.

steve(thelil), you've heard of, uh, AMG, right?

bobetterblues · June-24th-2003, 03:08 AM

"I'm a Reasonable man, get off my case, get off my case" Is on Amnesiac not Kid A. I listened to it today as a matter of fact.

Pablo Honey, OK Computer, and The Bends are all guitar driven. And don't be thrown by the electronica in Kid A and Amnesiac....there's a still a lot of guitar, piano, and rhodes on that album.

I simply love Radiohead. They are very artistic and uncompromising. The moods they create are very powerful and I think every person can relate differntly to the music. Great lyrics, and very musical for a popular band.

I think the only reason they are popular is because they are undeniably good. There's not one gimmic in this music.

steve(thelil) · June-24th-2003, 07:49 AM

AMG? You mean they sould like my favorite electronica band, the Austrian Mutant Gerbils?

Dr Dave · June-24th-2003, 09:07 AM

I'm no expert, Vince. Can't even get the song attributions right. The main thing is, I like the music, whatever it is.

Clay Fink · June-24th-2003, 09:21 AM

I listened to a few samples on Amazon and found them to be a big yawn. Of course that's not based on a fair test, but it was my first impression. Ditto for the Flaming Lips.

I kind of got tired of that fey prog sound in about 1980. Though I should give them a try, I suppose.

Stuckinagroove · June-24th-2003, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Clay Fink
I listened to a few samples on Amazon and found them to be a big yawn. Of course that's not based on a fair test, but it was my first impression. Ditto for the Flaming Lips.

I kind of got tired of that fey prog sound in about 1980. Though I should give them a try, I suppose.

Yeah, I'd probably yawn at poor quality 10 second samples of anybody. You're right, that's not a fair test. Also I wouldn't necessarily call them prog, although there may be hints of that in some songs...

Joe Milazzo · June-24th-2003, 04:38 PM

Excellent live band. Didn't they just record a club show for airing on MTV?

They also dig Mingus. And Jeff Buckley.

BFrank · June-24th-2003, 08:22 PM

I don't know what it is, but I just can't get past the vocals. He really grates on my nerves.

steve(thelil) · June-24th-2003, 10:24 PM

Me too. although I'm probably being unfair. because I haven't heard anything knowingly yet.

Chris D · June-25th-2003, 10:50 AM

All this recent Radiohead talk got me to pull out "OK Computer" last night and listen to it on headphones, for the first time. (I'd always played it over the speakers.)
Man, what a great headphone record! All the layers and textures are really, um, groovy.

June-25th-2003, 12:11 PM

i think Yorke is an amazing pop vocalist, a lot of range and emotion in his voice, he's not just spitting out words.

i also think they're among the more ambitious bands out there, one of the few able to have great commercial success and still do what they want (their record company wanted them to hold off on releasing "Kid A" but they didn't).

Sampling a song or a clip here and there just won't work for them. I think they're a band that's worth hearing record by record, because they've created a really unique and rich sound (that, yes, of course, works in a variety of influences). I think "The Bends" is very different than "OK Computer" both in sound and conception, and I think both are among the best rock records of the last 15 years or so.

So, if you do like rock, I think they're worth the investment of time and some money (used stuff floating around all the time). If you gave up on rock after Bowie went to white suits and dance music, then you might either need to hear Radiohead or need to stick with what's already getting your mojo going.

stonemonkts · June-25th-2003, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by achilles
i think Yorke is an amazing pop vocalist, a lot of range and emotion in his voice, he's not just spitting out words.

i also think they're among the more ambitious bands out there, one of the few able to have great commercial success and still do what they want (their record company wanted them to hold off on releasing "Kid A" but they didn't).

Sampling a song or a clip here and there just won't work for them. I think they're a band that's worth hearing record by record, because they've created a really unique and rich sound (that, yes, of course, works in a variety of influences). I think "The Bends" is very different than "OK Computer" both in sound and conception, and I think both are among the best rock records of the last 15 years or so.

So, if you do like rock, I think they're worth the investment of time and some money (used stuff floating around all the time). If you gave up on rock after Bowie went to white suits and dance music, then you might either need to hear Radiohead or need to stick with what's already getting your mojo going.

Agree 100% with everything in this post.

It always amazed me how very different each album was in turn. Pablo Honey, The Bends, and then OK Computer are three remarkable recordings. What followed was very bold and inventive, IMO. The best pop band by far in the past 15 years (at least from what I've heard).

bobetterblues · June-25th-2003, 03:56 PM

Scott,

I don't think listening to ten songs spread out across their five albums would do you or them justice. Just start with OK Computer, find it used, or I'll even burn it for ya. (I don't want to hear it) Then we'll go from there.

Enforcer · June-25th-2003, 03:56 PM

They sure make some great videos. That one with the guy on the sidewalk who won't get up is maybe the coolest video I've ever seen.

Talking out of his ass but with conviction,
Larry

bobetterblues · June-25th-2003, 07:03 PM

Yeah, that was a great video! It was off of The Bends. That's one of my favorite songs from that album.

Gentle Giant · July-7th-2004, 02:53 PM

I'm upping this thread because I can't recall whom to thank for opening my eyes to this group. It was in another thread and I must've posted something about qualities I dig in music, and someone responded with a link to a lengthy article about them that appeared in the New Yorker a couple of years ago.

I printed out the article and kept it around for a while without reading it. Finally, a few weeks ago when I was getting ready to go out to donate blood, it occurred to me that this would be a good opportunity to read the article. So, with my blood gushing out into a plastic bag, I read about Radiohead and became very curious about the band.

Finally (again), I asked a colleague who actually listens to rock recorded in the last 15 years if he had any, and he loaned me The Bends. I am close to the end of the first listen and while I wouldn't say this experience has been completely revelatory, this music has undeniable intelligence and impact. I'm listening while I work so I haven't been following the lyrics or paying undivided attention, but I'm constantly being diverted by compelling sounds, melodies, and harmonies (I have a talent for being able to stay focused on writing while listening to music, so it's notable when I stop what I'm doing to examine a CD booklet). Just now, the song Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was threw me for a loop. I can't wait to spend more time with this CD.

So thanks to whomever it was who hipped me to that article. If that person can repost the link, it might be of use to others who are curious to this impressive band.

Enforcer · July-7th-2004, 02:59 PM

The tune by them that really struck me a couple of years ago was Knives Out (I think that's what it was called). Just a really, really creative tune, I thought.

Larry

Jesse · July-7th-2004, 03:02 PM

Radiohead is one band I can listen to, outside of improv, that doesn't leave the guilty pleasure residue. Another is Sigur Ros, the latter being a magnet for derision by some serious music sorts.
I L-O-V-E a guilty pleasure, and imagine that thread has been spent here?

Squaredancecalling Steve · July-7th-2004, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse
I [I

L-O-V-E[/I] a guilty pleasure, and imagine that thread has been spent here?

Redundancy never stopped anybody here before, man, go for it!

AntManBee · July-7th-2004, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

Redundancy never stopped anybody here before, man, go for it!

If that's the case, then I'll take the chance to chime in with a few opinions.

I began to listen to Radiohead only just recently. I could never stand Thom Yorke's vocals before and more or less gave up on them before "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" came out. Their early stuff sounded a little bit too much like the Pink Floyd of the indie pop generation. Anyway, I finally decided to give these albums a try and ended up liking "Amnesiac" a fair bit. Probably because they seem to use Yorke's voice more like an integrated sound than as the actual centre of the music as I think they did before. He's simply not the main focus as I thought him to be before.

"Kid A" still pretty much sounds like a pop band trying to be experimental to my ears but it has its moments for sure.

I must say though that I expected even "Amnesiac" to be much weirder than it was. I was led to believe so by the reputation it quickly earned after its release, but I assume that reputation was given by a straighter pop audience.

I like the way they use sound and production on "Amnesiac" (and to some extent "Kid A"). I haven't given "Hail to the Thief" any serious listening yet, but maybe I should give it a try as well.

Gentle Giant · July-7th-2004, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse

Radiohead is one band I can listen to, outside of improv, that doesn't leave the guilty pleasure residue. Another is Sigur Ros, the latter being a magnet for derision by some serious music sorts.
I L-O-V-E a guilty pleasure, and imagine that thread has been spent here?

Sure, but it's worth digging up. Guilty pleasure threads enable me to tell everyone (again) how much I adore Karen Carpenter's voice.

Stuckinagroove · July-7th-2004, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

I'm upping this thread because I can't recall whom to thank for opening my eyes to this group. It was in another thread and I must've posted something about qualities I dig in music, and someone responded with a link to a lengthy article about them that appeared in the New Yorker a couple of years ago.

I printed out the article and kept it around for a while without reading it. Finally, a few weeks ago when I was getting ready to go out to donate blood, it occurred to me that this would be a good opportunity to read the article. So, with my blood gushing out into a plastic bag, I read about Radiohead and became very curious about the band.

Finally (again), I asked a colleague who actually listens to rock recorded in the last 15 years if he had any, and he loaned me The Bends. I am close to the end of the first listen and while I wouldn't say this experience has been completely revelatory, this music has undeniable intelligence and impact. I'm listening while I work so I haven't been following the lyrics or paying undivided attention, but I'm constantly being diverted by compelling sounds, melodies, and harmonies (I have a talent for being able to stay focused on writing while listening to music, so it's notable when I stop what I'm doing to examine a CD booklet). Just now, the song Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was threw me for a loop. I can't wait to spend more time with this CD.

So thanks to whomever it was who hipped me to that article. If that person can repost the link, it might be of use to others who are curious to this impressive band.

Welcome to the club.

The bends is a great starting point. You might as well go in order and get OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac and then Hail to the thief. I don't count Pablo Honey, their first album-probably the weakest. Out of these Kid A is my favorite; its probably their most "experimental" album (By pop standards). I'd go with OKC or Kid A as your next purchase. Hail to the thief is sort of a recap of where they've been musically.

john williams · July-7th-2004, 08:07 PM

I saw Radiohead live a couple of months ago and have to say next to a Lou Reed show it was the best rock gig ever for me. The only album I don't own is Pablo Honey and that's simply because I got pretty sick of Creep as they did.

I recently bought "Com Mag" a minor release Japanese import of remixes and unreleased songs. It's certainly a worthy addition to any radiohead collection IMO.

1. 2+2=5 [Live]
2. Remyxomatosis [Cristian Vogel Remix]
3. I Will [Los Angeles Version]
4. Paperbag Writer
5. I Am a Wicked Child
6. I Am Citizen Insane
7. Skttrbrain [for Tet Remix]
8. Gagging Order
9. Fog (Again) [Live]
10. Where Bluebirds Fly
11. 2+2=5 [CD-ROM Track] [Live]

stonemonkts · July-7th-2004, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBW

The only album I don't own is Pablo Honey and that's simply because I got pretty sick of Creep as they did.

While I agree with Stuck that it is not as substantial as The Bends, OK Computer, or Kid A, I still think Pablo Honey is quite good. I used to give it equal play along with TB and OKC. It is actually worth getting simply to see how amazingly unique each of their first three releases were, back-to-back-to-back.

If they stopped making records after The Bends, they'd still be considered one of the best pop groups in history, imho. Ok Computer was just mind-boggling.

As to their resemblance to Pink Floyd, I see Radiohead more as a sort of Borg of pop music, a band who assimilated dozens of other artists and then basically produced a quite original product for themselves.

john williams · July-7th-2004, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonemonkts

While I agree with Stuck that it is not as substantial as The Bends, OK Computer, or Kid A, I still think Pablo Honey is quite good. I used to give it equal play along with TB and OKC. It is actually worth getting simply to see how amazingly unique each of their first three releases were, back-to-back-to-back.

I will probably get it one day but I always put it back in the rack when I see it's still full price.

Yes, the Borg of pop [rock?] is very appropriate.

stonemonkts · July-7th-2004, 10:16 PM

Yeah I meant rock. I sometimes use "pop" instead of rock; probably shouldn't.

Gentle Giant · July-7th-2004, 10:29 PM

I don't get the harsh reaction to the lead vocals. Sure, he can be a little affected when he sings, but he reminds me a lot of Peter Hammill.

While The Bends is the only CD I've heard so far (twice today), I don't hear such a strong Floyd influence. I guess it shows up on their more electronic albums, but when I think of a band that wears its Floyd allegiance on its sleeve, I think of Marillion.

I guess I hear more of a Physical Graffiti/Presence/In Through the Out Door-period Zeppelin, maybe by way of Jeff Buckley. Maybe even some 70s prog and metal, with Purple, Genesis, Van der Graaf, and Yes in the forefront.

The article I read about them emphasizes their Oxford educations and highly literate and philosophical attributes. I like the way they incorporate such a broad array of styles, dynamics, and effects. That a group this eclectic can be popular is kind of encouraging.