Radiohead

Why is Kid A such a great album?

Also, what do you guys think about Radiohead? I think they are a good band to come back to time to time.

I blew them off for years but then discovered their best of album recently and was pleasantly surprised. The later stuff isn't nearly as good as the nineties stuff, of course.

OK Computer is much better. I know I might have bottles thrown at me, but as a non fan that owns a few of their albums, a lot of it starts to sound like background sounds.

Technician said:

I blew them off for years but then discovered their best of album recently and was pleasantly surprised. The later stuff isn't nearly as good as the nineties stuff, of course.

I like some of their post 2000 stuff, Kid A and Amnesiac are both pretty good.

geo said:

OK Computer is much better. I know I might have bottles thrown at me, but as a non fan that owns a few of their albums, a lot of it starts to sound like background sounds.

It differs compared to OKC because a lot of it is simple textures, but there are so many that it usually progresses like earlier Radiohead songs.

I like Kid A and Amnesiac much more than their later albums except for some stuff off of In Rainbows.

They are amaze-balls. Can't get enough of them when I'm mapping.

They're one of my favourite bands. Kid A is an awesome headphone album, Bends and OK Computer are classics. Hail to the Thief doesn't get mentioned much amongst their best work but is a brilliant album and Amnesiac is pretty cool. Haven't really got into th others so much. I'd also recommend the Eraser by Thom Yorke if you like he more electronic Radiohead stuff.

To celebrate this thread I've made a Radiohead radio station on iTunes. I'd need to go digging through a lot of CDs and my iPod seems to be MIA.

They're alright. I like 'em. I'm not super into them, though. Not yet, anyways.

Never liked them, I find their music to be really depressing.

My good friend is a super-fan-boy of RH. He claims Reckoner is the best song ever and also claims that every album is amazing except for their first album. I don't really get why people foam at the mouth for RH. I don't like a lot of the electronica sounds they produce. A good example of a song that I think exemplifies everything I don't like about Radiohead is Bloom: repetitive electronic sounds, bad electronic sounds and overall, a song that sounds like they are trying to express what it's like to be sick. All that said, there are some songs that I like such as Weird Fishes, Codex and Videotape.

Let me just say that I'm a huge Radiohead fan, and they're obviously one of the best bands ever. It's unreal how good they are.

But Reckoner sucks, and 90% of In Rainbows is jam band garbage.

The golden era of Radiohead was right between The Bends and OK Computer, where the best Radiohead song, Permanent Daylight, was released as a B-side to My Iron Lung. My Iron Lung isn't the greatest song by itself, but when you consider that it's a deconstruction of Creep, it's amazing.

OK Computer is, of course, a classic.

From a cynical point of view, Kid A and Amnesiac happened when Radiohead were sick of guitars, Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows happened when Radiohead were sick of computers and guitar effects.

Hail to the Thief is OK Computer's less talented older brother. There, There is OK and A Wolf At The Door is alright too. Scatterbrain is... nah, it's rehash.

I've never listened to King of Limbs because the last two records were so boring I was worried I'd start to think of Radiohead badly.

From a less cynical point of view, Kid A and Amnesiac changed alternative rock forever, again, after OK Computer. There basically weren't synth-based songs in alt-rock before then. The Pumpkins tried it a little (Eye), but they never fully committed (Adore). Garbage was more or less a guitar band masquerading as a trip-hop act. Everyone else doing it was basically a NIN wannabe (remember the corporate band Orgy?).

And, if you don't cry when listening to Videotape, you're dead inside. Song is fucked up.

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Also a tip of the hat to Jonny Greenwood's complete fucking genius. Listen to Bodysong and you'll understand what makes Radiohead so magical.

Also Phil Selway is a wildly talented drummer. His range and technical ability are top-tier.

Radiohead is a lot like Pink Floyd, but they are separated by a couple decades.

I've only heard Paranoid Android because it was used in an anime and Karma Police because someone recommended me the music video. Both fantastic songs. I'll try listening to more stuff inspired by this thread. I thought many people hate them because last.fm has that popular tag "better than Radiohead".

Fantastic band love them since the mid 90s, KidA and Amnesiac are my favorites. Thom Yorke also made a lot of great solo stuff.

Radiohead are super cool. I was totally obsessed with them in high school, and still enjoy the heck out of their music.

I wasn't huge on The King of Limbs; I do enjoy it if I put it on, but it's not one that I'd usually go for. I get what they were aiming for with it, but eh... Now if the Supercollider/The Butcher single was included on the album that'd maybe be a different story.

OK Computer and Amnesiac were my favorites for a long time. Hail To The Thief really didn't initially leave a huge impression but really snuck up on me after a while.

edit:

Ladna said:

I'm a huge Radiohead fan, which is why I hate everything they've recorded in the last 10-15 years

okay

I was hooked after watching the videos for Paranoid Android and Karma Police back in middle school.

Aha well, maybe it's a compliment that I hold them to a super high standard? And I said I like Videotape! But I take your point :)

I think they're overrated.

Meh, radiohead sucks, I heard it's best song and wasn't impressed at all, I like the cool guitar moments but they're too short.

I know a good band once I hear it. This sounds like linkin park and I don't like linkin park nowadays because I discovered :rock, metal and ska.

Plus, @glaice is correct.

joe-ilya said:

This sounds like linkin park

You're obviously entitled to dislike Radiohead but this sounds like a bizarre claim to me. Are you sure you listened to the right band?

EDIT: linked quotes. Nice.

Radiohead:

Linking park:


Two best albums of the bands sound the same, only linkin park is more rocky and aggresive.

Linkin Park is not anything like Radiohead lmao. Radiohead has almost (?) zero hip-hop influence, unlike Linkin Park, which is busting out a "yo" and scratching the records just about every song.

So sublime sounds like linkin park?

Joe, as much as I'm enjoying these baffling Radiohead Linkin(g) Park comparisons, can we at least try not derailing the thread with video links to random other bands?

Or just not derailing the thread at all, if possible? (-:

I'm not so keen on their early stuff, but I really like Kid A and Amnesiac - I recall they cited Autechre as being influential in the change in their sound, from regular indie guitar based stuff to something more electronic and abstract, which got me interested in listening to it. I have In Rainbows and King of Limbs and have listened to each of them maybe once, and thought they were very good, but haven't listened to them since - I guess it's a few places removed from the stuff I like to have on these days, but I certainly liked them, and the production was super.

I bloody love this remix:

Adore the band, if I had to name a favourite, they'd be it. U2 was my go-to favourite for a long time until I was suggested by a friend to listen to In Rainbows, and that got me to check out their discography, starting with OK Computer. It took me a while to really 'hear' the songs (especially Paranoid Android, that took me a while before I could really appreciate it), but No Surprises had me immediately hooked and is the only song I can play on the guitar so far, albeit simply, heh.

What I like about them is that a lot of their songs are quite unique. I think their biggest strength is being able to transition through many different musical/lyrical styles and still manage to hold up consistently.

Also, what do you guys think about Radiohead?

I absolutely cannot stand Radiohead. Hey, you asked.

Creep is a catchy song, though.

Heh. Kid A is what I've got in my car's CD player right now. Since apparently I'm stuck a generation back. D:

It's kinda interesting because Radiohead is a band I never thought I'd like, yet here we are. Welpo.

They're hit and miss with me. Some of their songs/parts of songs I really like, Airbag being one of the songs, and the Pyramid Song. Also I absolutely love the chorus in Lotus Flower. Plus other songs/parts that I can't remember the names of. I bought OK Computer when I was younger and have heard stuff from most of their subsequent albums over the years, but don't remember much of it. One day I'll sit down and listen to all of their albums again so that I'll know what songs I like.

I've got three of their CD's, Pablo Honey, OK Computer, and The Best Of. I'd probably say that I like the greatest hits one the most. They definitely have some good tracks, but I've never really been able to get all that in to them. Maybe if I give the albums a re-listen then I'll feel differently.

Admittedly, the one thing I always associate Radiohead with is how everyone back in high school made them out to be the ultimate "indie, anti-mainstream" band, and how edgy, cool, and hipster it made them feel to listen to them. If they were so anti-mainstream, then why was I able to buy two of the three cd's I have of them in Wal-mart? And why have they have showed up on multiple pop hit's collections?