Dug this thread up because I've been on a Radiohead kick lately...
Aims, has HTTT grown on you more?
I gotta say that the only one that really 'collects dust' for me is
Pablo Honey. It's good, and I really enjoy most of the songs, but as an overall album I don't think it's anywhere near as 'rock-my-socks-off' fantastic as their other albums. To be fair, it's the last album of theirs I finally got (didn't start buying/listening to their stuff till the Bends era), so it might still need some time to grow on me. I just think as a band they've made leaps and bounds, musically/artistically, from that debut album.
Creep is still a favorite song, but now I've put Karma Police above it, High and Dry below it, and added Idioteque and Where I End and You Begin to form my top 5 Radiohead songs. I think. LOL
Oh, and I do finally have a 'real'
The Bends now, too. We were trying to remember the other day how old my little brother was when he downloaded the album for me years ago (um, when everybody was 'doing it', lol). And thanks to you, Aims, too, for floating me by with another copy till I got the real thing. One of the things I've really come to appreciate with Radiohead is the artwork for their albums... it's quite unique and interesting (and sometimes humorous and head-scratching...). I still recommend the Bends as the best 'starting place' to people who don't know much Radiohead music but want to get into it. It's a fantastic album.
Somewhere along the way since last year, I've also acquired
Amnesiac, finally, which I think is VERY GOOD. I still think my favorite downloads (I Might Be Wrong, Dollars and Cents) that I listened to before I had the album are currently my favorite tracks, even after knowing all the others. This has become Sean's favorite album, so we listen to it often. I know some fans were not much into this album when it came out, but MY GOD, the music is so good! (When it came out, I read so many reviews that were not so good that I put it toward the bottom of my list for a while... MISTAKE!) And the b-sides/'previously unreleased songs' from the singles for this album are, IMHO, just as good. I've come to the conclusion that they must leave off certain tracks more because they don't 'fit' with the overall feel or theme of the album and NOT because they are in any way 'inferior' songs for this band.
Kid A... Ok, I seriously go through Idioteque withdrawals if I let too much time pass without listening to this album. I think this is one of their more underrated albums. It was released before Amnesiac, but made at the same 'time'. It's got everything (uh, excepting singles and lyrics in the booklet, lol). For being an 'experimental' album, I think the band gave us quite a bit to enjoy with the experiment... It's certainly artistic, but in a completely different way than OK Computer was. More ambient-sounding, I think this album has some of my most favorite melodies within the songs, while OK computer holds more of a lyrical fascination for me.
I read a fan review once that said something like 'only Radiohead could get away with repeating words - or even just short syllables of words- in a way that's not only NOT annoying, but downright fascinating and pleasing to listen to'... I totally agree. Thom's voice lends a LOT to being able to pull that off, but even just the music somehow hypnotizes me in that way... particularly on this album.
I think Amnesiac is a great follow-up to this album. They're like twins to me, really.
[Aims, do they still collect dust? lol]
OK Computer is now my second favorite since HTTT came out. But for a long time I listened primarily only to this cd for my Radiohead fix (with a few spins of my Bends copy here and there), because it gave me EXACTLY what I was looking for when I was craving their music: Thom's perfect whiny/wailing/crooning voice, music that's both driving/energetic AND thoughtful/softer at times (and other times completely indescribable), and lyrics that wrapped around my brain for MONTHS-- hell, many of them still do wrap around me as I ponder what they're trying to 'say'.
Some people say this album is overrated (ahem, Paulo...) but I just don't understand that claim... at the time this came out ('97) I was pretty heavily into Boys For Pele and REALLY enjoying the experimental/different kinds of things Tori was doing with that album, so maybe my mind was just open for that 'something different' sound that was being offered on OK Computer. I don't know. But for whatever reason it totally grabbed me, and still continues to do so each and every time. Sean doesn't take to this album as strongly as HTTT or Amnesiac, though, so I can understand the difference of opinion.
But every song to me is pure pleasure. LOL, I even find the weird 'Fitter Happier' to be brilliant for the way it makes me roll my eyes, get creeped out, feel all mushy (the saliva line is so sweet) and ultimately wonder "how on earth did they come up with the idea for making this 'song'?" Paranoid Android, the first time I heard it, made me think "did I just hear one song or 3?"... it's so layered and good that it took me a while to get it all fully. And that's the thing, really... this album had me coming back again and again to 'get' everything. Part of the enjoyment for me was the sheer fact that I was enjoying something that sounded so, well, indescribable!
I know I love the ordering of the tracks on this album, too, because I NEVER want to jump around as I listen to them... they all fit perfectly before/after each other. It's cohesive and just wonderful!
Hail To The Theif... I think they really outdid themselves with this album. Yeah, I read those reviews, too, about how this album sounded like them going back to their 'guitar-roots' and how it was a combination of Bends/Ok Computer-type stuff... I know some fans were disappointed when they listened to the album and completely disagreed with (and were even a little disappointed by) what the reviewers were 'promising' by making the comparison...
But really, do we want artists to keep reproducing what they've already thrilled us with in the exact same ways when they've got so much more up their creative sleeves? I don't.
And I think with this album they seriously took their shirts off and just let us have it all!
We DO get some mighty fine guitar, but so much more... some of their best lyrics are in these 14 tracks, along with some of their most interesting-sounding music ever. Personally, I love to be surprised by an artist first, then let the songs find their way into me... some get under my skin easier/faster than others, of course, but I love when they all find a niche in me so that I feel like I've been completely consumed by the album in a way that's somehow familiar (because I already know I love the artist) but new and different (because they do something ELSE that's wonderful that they haven't done before). THIS album does that for me, even a bit more than OK Computer did. It WOWed me for sure, and Sean and I both still say WOW everytime we listen to it.
Ok, so I just really rambled on about how I feel about the different albums now after having another year to take all of their music in. Sorry if anyone was looking for specific comparisons of musical styles or whatever between the albums... I just wanted to share that I think
they are one of the best bands of our time and if you haven't checked them out yet, YOU MUST!!! I've also been collecting quite a few of their singles and EPs and it's been so fun getting to 'know' the band all over again through their b-sides in each era. Such good stuff!
And if you already know and like the Hail To The Thief album, you should definitely check out the
Com Lag 2+2=5 EP because besides the excellent live version of 2+2=5, it's got SUPERB remixes/different versions of some other HTTT songs ('Remyxamatosis', 'Skttrbrain' [mine seems to void of any glitches that were causing a recall of some of the cds, thank God] , and a very smooth, drum-backed 'I Will'-- Oh, God Thom's voice on the 'little babies' eyes part is sooo good!--) plus a FABULOUS live version of 'Fog' (a beautiful piano-only version here, and one of my favorite b-sides from Amnesiac)... and some more HTTT b-sides, including my VERY favorite b-side so far, 'Paperbag Writer'... Ahh, I LOVE the funky groove of that song... the bassline is so simple yet so awesome! And the violins (I think).. downright chilling! Ohhh! I just love it!
My second favorite is the next song on the cd, "I Am A Wicked Child'... amazing that they could follow the electronica-sound of the former track with this bluesy-harmonica-laden track and have it sound SO GOOD! These guys just make all their unique sounds 'gel' so well together on one disc. 'Gagging Order' (an Ok Computer 'leftover') is Thom and guitar, sounding acoustically happy, but melancholy, together... I love that, too... it's so quiet and pretty and SIMPLE compared to most of the intricate songs on this cd. The instrumental stuff is also good... anyone who saw Radiohead touring in support of HTTT will recognize 'Where Bluebirds Fly' because they played it as the background music before they came out on stage... it's another electronica-driven song... reminds me a lot of Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors.
Anyway, some people might not appreciate the incredible 'extremes' this band can go into as they move from track to track on this EP, and so opinions will differ... but I'll tell you I'm enjoying the heck out of this EP, just like all their others.
And it's got cool artwork, too... btw, I read that the bear on the front is saying "hai, chiizu", which is what you would say in Japanese just prior to taking a picture ("chiizu" meaning "cheese"). *waits for Helen to notice this and confirm it, lol*
I can't wait to see what they do next!
[/glow]
