Released 8th May 2016
I bought it: twice! When I realised pre-ordering the CD from their website didn’t come with a download version, I bought a download version too. Well played.
Where I was…
Bringing us up to date, I’ve been living in York for the last four years, and am now married to the man I met five years ago. I mentioned this in 10 Years 10 Albums, but my main way of listening to music is either at work or on the train to work, neither a great environments for giving something my full attention. I always told myself I’d never put Radiohead on my commuting playlist as I don’t want them to just become the soundtrack to my daily drudgery. But with little other options, that’s how I first heard A Moon Shaped Pool.
What I thought then…
When Burn The Witch came out it was immediately clear that Radiohead were having a laugh again. Listening to the album on repeat covered a few journeys to Leeds and back, and my only real gripe was, after waiting years for a studio version of True Love Waits, the one we were finally given was...not what I thought it would be. But the songs that preceded it were rich, rewarding and a strong reminder of why I love this band so much.
What I think now…
This album mixes the focus, intent and playful experimentation of their last few albums into a polished whole. Gloom and love, intimacy and isolation, it’s all here. I’m so glad they’re still making music, let alone music like this. And True Love Waits sounds a hell of a lot better when not listening to it on a train.
---
Let Me Hear Both Sides - Conclusions
This didn’t contain as many revelations as 10 Years 10 Albums did. Listen to every song released by my favourite band? It was never going to be a chore. Even if this was the first time I’d played a few of these albums in ages, so many of the songs were old favourites.
I was surprised how down on Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief I was, as I don’t remember having strong feelings against them at the time. Saying that, even the albums I like the least have songs I love. Including Pablo Honey? OK, songs I like.
In September I’m going to see Radiohead for the fourth time, in Berlin of all places, and listening to all this has got me even more excited and impatient for that weekend to arrive. I cannot wait to see the new songs mixed with the old and for them to move me to tears all over again.
Wednesday 10 August 2016
The King of Limbs
Released 18th February 2011
I bought it: The day it was released.
Where I was…
Looking at the date, I would have only just been back at work after recovering from an operation that would have a massive effect on my life. And little did I know I was just a couple of months away from meeting my future husband. Quite the crossroads.
What I thought then…
I downloaded it from their website the moment it was announced, so it is possible that I listened to it at work that Friday. However my main memory is walking up Kirkstall Road to Morrisons in the snow on Saturday morning, playing this on my journey. It felt like quite a sparse album compared to its predecessor. I nearly got tickets for that tour, but something in the back of my mind told me these new songs weren’t going to be that thrilling live.
It was quite a fractured campaign too, a short album bookended by various extra tracks being released, nothing really fitting together. Basically, after being deeply in love with In Rainbows, this could not possibly match up, but they’ve never been a band to repeat themselves.
Speaking of meeting my other half a few paragraphs ago, I remember being out on a pub crawl for our second date (yes, really) and Lotus Flower came on. It was massively out of place in this rowdy bar full of pissed Leeds students.
What I think now…
It’s possibly very telling that this is the only Radiohead album I don’t own on CD. Bloom, Morning Mr Magpie and Lotus Flower are all fine additions to the body of work, the rest do not inspire strong feelings. And then came a very long wait. There seems to be a new habit forming of bands splitting only to reunite for some instant nostalgia three or four years later. I like how Radiohead are happy to take their sweet time, owing nothing to nobody. What came next was certainly worth the five years it took.
Next:
We know where you live / Let me hear both sides...
I bought it: The day it was released.
Where I was…
Looking at the date, I would have only just been back at work after recovering from an operation that would have a massive effect on my life. And little did I know I was just a couple of months away from meeting my future husband. Quite the crossroads.
What I thought then…
I downloaded it from their website the moment it was announced, so it is possible that I listened to it at work that Friday. However my main memory is walking up Kirkstall Road to Morrisons in the snow on Saturday morning, playing this on my journey. It felt like quite a sparse album compared to its predecessor. I nearly got tickets for that tour, but something in the back of my mind told me these new songs weren’t going to be that thrilling live.
It was quite a fractured campaign too, a short album bookended by various extra tracks being released, nothing really fitting together. Basically, after being deeply in love with In Rainbows, this could not possibly match up, but they’ve never been a band to repeat themselves.
Speaking of meeting my other half a few paragraphs ago, I remember being out on a pub crawl for our second date (yes, really) and Lotus Flower came on. It was massively out of place in this rowdy bar full of pissed Leeds students.
What I think now…
It’s possibly very telling that this is the only Radiohead album I don’t own on CD. Bloom, Morning Mr Magpie and Lotus Flower are all fine additions to the body of work, the rest do not inspire strong feelings. And then came a very long wait. There seems to be a new habit forming of bands splitting only to reunite for some instant nostalgia three or four years later. I like how Radiohead are happy to take their sweet time, owing nothing to nobody. What came next was certainly worth the five years it took.
Next:
We know where you live / Let me hear both sides...
In Rainbows
Released 10th October 2007
I bought it: here’s the dumb thing... for an album you didn’t even have to pay for to get a legal copy, I still downloaded it illegally. It was a couple of years before I finally got it on CD.
Where I was…
What a difference four years make! Here I was, a year after graduating, living in Leeds and about to start the job I still have today. After a year of working for Wetherspoons I was still living and acting like a student, and that would take a couple years of the new job to fully shake off.
It was during this “era” that I’d see Radiohead live a few times, first in Barcelona in 2008 and then Leeds festival in 2009, plus a Thom Yorke solo set at Big Chill 2010. I’d also begun this blog by then, so you can see what I thought of those shows here, here and here.
What I thought then…
Like a few obsessions I had around this time, I fell for In Rainbows hard. It was short, sharp and fucking beautiful. I loved the whole “pay what you feel” thing too, even if I gleefully ignored it. I liked that they were still causing trouble and making amazing music at the same time.
What I think now…
My favourite Radiohead album. There is something effortlessly beautiful and amazing about this collection of songs. Even the tracks I like a little less are wrapped up in such a brilliant way that I struggle to find fault, perhaps it because it stands at such a stark contrast to HTTT’s sprawling intentions. It’s the ultimate combination of perfect songs and great memories to go with them. If you haven’t given In Rainbows a spin in a while, do it now. You will not be disappointed.
Next:
There’s an empty space inside my heart...
I bought it: here’s the dumb thing... for an album you didn’t even have to pay for to get a legal copy, I still downloaded it illegally. It was a couple of years before I finally got it on CD.
Where I was…
What a difference four years make! Here I was, a year after graduating, living in Leeds and about to start the job I still have today. After a year of working for Wetherspoons I was still living and acting like a student, and that would take a couple years of the new job to fully shake off.
It was during this “era” that I’d see Radiohead live a few times, first in Barcelona in 2008 and then Leeds festival in 2009, plus a Thom Yorke solo set at Big Chill 2010. I’d also begun this blog by then, so you can see what I thought of those shows here, here and here.
What I thought then…
Like a few obsessions I had around this time, I fell for In Rainbows hard. It was short, sharp and fucking beautiful. I loved the whole “pay what you feel” thing too, even if I gleefully ignored it. I liked that they were still causing trouble and making amazing music at the same time.
What I think now…
My favourite Radiohead album. There is something effortlessly beautiful and amazing about this collection of songs. Even the tracks I like a little less are wrapped up in such a brilliant way that I struggle to find fault, perhaps it because it stands at such a stark contrast to HTTT’s sprawling intentions. It’s the ultimate combination of perfect songs and great memories to go with them. If you haven’t given In Rainbows a spin in a while, do it now. You will not be disappointed.
Next:
There’s an empty space inside my heart...
Hail to the Thief
Released 9th June 2003
I bought it: Pre ordered the limited edition map version through CD Wow but that took weeks to arrive. I think I wrote a lot of angry blogs about this at the time.
Where I was…
This was the summer before I went off to university. All manner of first times took place over those few weeks, I think I was self consciously doing a lot of living in order to make myself sound more interesting when I eventually arrived at uni. This was also a few years down the line in terms of illegal downloads, and Soulseek was the new Lamacq, offering all manner of musical delights to download for free. There was one user I think was called Standpipe who frequently had the latest releases and leaked demos, but you were always bottom of the queue when it came to getting stuff from them.
It was through Soulseek that I had already heard a large portion of HTTT via bootlegs of the tour they had done possibly around the Mediterranean. There was also an Xfm broadcast of their Earls Court gig around this time that I have on CD somewhere. Taking me back to Kid A, there was another Evening Session special show where Lamacq enthused over the new album, the party possibly being hosted in Thom Yorke’s house. Yorke ended the show by playing a solo version of Sail to the Moon. I spent the show in a Radio 1 chat room, never getting my terrible questions put to the band.
There was also a Glastonbury headline slot this year, and they showed pretty much the whole thing uncut on BBC2. I remember it being mesmerising. Festivals were about to become an annual event for me. I’d been to Reading 2000 and was about to go to V2003. Every year since then I’ve gone to one festival a year, often more. This included V2006, where I finally saw Radiohead live for the first time.
I ended up going to V2006 with a guy who I was ridiculously in love with at the time, but naturally he didn’t feel the same way. It wasn’t helped by me making a pass at him the night before which he knocked back in the politest way possible. But I digress. After a ridiculously corporate experience the year before, I said I’d never go to V again “unless they get Radiohead or something”. And they did, so I had no choice. It was a good day in the end, featuring Bloc Party, Jamie T, the Young Knives, Beck and then finally Radiohead, in a buoyant mood in what must have been a break from recording In Rainbows.
I remember them doing a few new songs that night which turned out to be Nude, Bodysnatchers and All I Need. It was a powerful set that probably reduced me to tears several times. I mean look at it - True Love Waits!! It had the benefit of them not plugging a particular album so it was an even mix of songs. Creep was also chucked in there, which was alright I guess.
What I thought then…
“Bloated” was a word I genuinely used to describe HTTT at the time (pretentious journo again). Full of great songs, but too long. What to lose though? Take out the “non guitar” songs, and Kid A feels like a failed experiment. Take out the guitar songs and the purists will continue their whingeing. So just throw everything at it? Yeah, why not. Besides, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that this was a long album. Their previous mammoth recording session spawned two records, and even In Rainbows after this had a second disc of offcuts.
One not entirely pleasant memory I have of this ear is listening to the 2+2=5 or Go To Sleep CD singles in my grandparent’s house, bored in the spare room, wanting to be anywhere else. We would usually go there each summer, and I used to love it, but by now I was in full on sullen teen mode. It would be the last time I ever spent a week there.
What I think now…
2+2=5 is a powerful opener, A Wolf At The Door a mighty closing track and There There is still towering and magnificent, but like Amnesiac it goes a bit all over the place. Go To Sleep mirrors Knives Out’s need/record company demand to “make a single” that then soon became a bit forgettable. Some stricter editing might have elevated this album slightly. There are a few regularly performed classics in here (and The Gloaming) but you can’t imagine a lot of this being played live again.
Next:
I just want to be your lover...
I bought it: Pre ordered the limited edition map version through CD Wow but that took weeks to arrive. I think I wrote a lot of angry blogs about this at the time.
Where I was…
This was the summer before I went off to university. All manner of first times took place over those few weeks, I think I was self consciously doing a lot of living in order to make myself sound more interesting when I eventually arrived at uni. This was also a few years down the line in terms of illegal downloads, and Soulseek was the new Lamacq, offering all manner of musical delights to download for free. There was one user I think was called Standpipe who frequently had the latest releases and leaked demos, but you were always bottom of the queue when it came to getting stuff from them.
It was through Soulseek that I had already heard a large portion of HTTT via bootlegs of the tour they had done possibly around the Mediterranean. There was also an Xfm broadcast of their Earls Court gig around this time that I have on CD somewhere. Taking me back to Kid A, there was another Evening Session special show where Lamacq enthused over the new album, the party possibly being hosted in Thom Yorke’s house. Yorke ended the show by playing a solo version of Sail to the Moon. I spent the show in a Radio 1 chat room, never getting my terrible questions put to the band.
There was also a Glastonbury headline slot this year, and they showed pretty much the whole thing uncut on BBC2. I remember it being mesmerising. Festivals were about to become an annual event for me. I’d been to Reading 2000 and was about to go to V2003. Every year since then I’ve gone to one festival a year, often more. This included V2006, where I finally saw Radiohead live for the first time.
I ended up going to V2006 with a guy who I was ridiculously in love with at the time, but naturally he didn’t feel the same way. It wasn’t helped by me making a pass at him the night before which he knocked back in the politest way possible. But I digress. After a ridiculously corporate experience the year before, I said I’d never go to V again “unless they get Radiohead or something”. And they did, so I had no choice. It was a good day in the end, featuring Bloc Party, Jamie T, the Young Knives, Beck and then finally Radiohead, in a buoyant mood in what must have been a break from recording In Rainbows.
I remember them doing a few new songs that night which turned out to be Nude, Bodysnatchers and All I Need. It was a powerful set that probably reduced me to tears several times. I mean look at it - True Love Waits!! It had the benefit of them not plugging a particular album so it was an even mix of songs. Creep was also chucked in there, which was alright I guess.
What I thought then…
“Bloated” was a word I genuinely used to describe HTTT at the time (pretentious journo again). Full of great songs, but too long. What to lose though? Take out the “non guitar” songs, and Kid A feels like a failed experiment. Take out the guitar songs and the purists will continue their whingeing. So just throw everything at it? Yeah, why not. Besides, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that this was a long album. Their previous mammoth recording session spawned two records, and even In Rainbows after this had a second disc of offcuts.
One not entirely pleasant memory I have of this ear is listening to the 2+2=5 or Go To Sleep CD singles in my grandparent’s house, bored in the spare room, wanting to be anywhere else. We would usually go there each summer, and I used to love it, but by now I was in full on sullen teen mode. It would be the last time I ever spent a week there.
What I think now…
2+2=5 is a powerful opener, A Wolf At The Door a mighty closing track and There There is still towering and magnificent, but like Amnesiac it goes a bit all over the place. Go To Sleep mirrors Knives Out’s need/record company demand to “make a single” that then soon became a bit forgettable. Some stricter editing might have elevated this album slightly. There are a few regularly performed classics in here (and The Gloaming) but you can’t imagine a lot of this being played live again.
Next:
I just want to be your lover...
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
Released 12th November 2001
I bought it: Probably the day it came out
Where I was…
This would have been a few months into my first year of Sixth Form College. I lived so close that during free periods I could easily go home, so chances are I listened to this during one of those spare hours. Sixth Form was a bit of a halfway house. I was finally free of the idiots who made my life hell at school, but still not coming out of my shell much. My old group of friends were slowly drifting apart, but I was getting to know one or two new people. I was probably beginning to come to terms with the fact that I had to get out of Colchester, as terrifying as that felt. But that would eventually be the making of me.
What I thought then…
I’m struggling to remember much about this time, other than being disappointed Dollars & Cents was on there.
What I think now…
After getting to see them live a few times since I Might Be Wrong was released, these are the versions of National Anthem, Idioteque and Everything In Its Right Place that feel like the real thing - enormous and fierce. The biggest pull was and is True Love Waits, finally released and in what we thought would be its definitive version - more on that later.
Radiohead are still yet to release a recent full live show. I suppose the issue would be which one? Every night their setlists change wildly, with a different era getting the best attention. This is probably why IMBW chops and changes around different performances. There will probably never be a “definitive” live show as they continue to redefine themselves with every performance. Plus these days everyone is filming everything anyway. Want to see their latest tour? Fire up Periscope for some shaky smartphone broadcast. But this is probably turning into a different rant.
Next:
You have not been paying attention...
I bought it: Probably the day it came out
Where I was…
This would have been a few months into my first year of Sixth Form College. I lived so close that during free periods I could easily go home, so chances are I listened to this during one of those spare hours. Sixth Form was a bit of a halfway house. I was finally free of the idiots who made my life hell at school, but still not coming out of my shell much. My old group of friends were slowly drifting apart, but I was getting to know one or two new people. I was probably beginning to come to terms with the fact that I had to get out of Colchester, as terrifying as that felt. But that would eventually be the making of me.
What I thought then…
I’m struggling to remember much about this time, other than being disappointed Dollars & Cents was on there.
What I think now…
After getting to see them live a few times since I Might Be Wrong was released, these are the versions of National Anthem, Idioteque and Everything In Its Right Place that feel like the real thing - enormous and fierce. The biggest pull was and is True Love Waits, finally released and in what we thought would be its definitive version - more on that later.
Radiohead are still yet to release a recent full live show. I suppose the issue would be which one? Every night their setlists change wildly, with a different era getting the best attention. This is probably why IMBW chops and changes around different performances. There will probably never be a “definitive” live show as they continue to redefine themselves with every performance. Plus these days everyone is filming everything anyway. Want to see their latest tour? Fire up Periscope for some shaky smartphone broadcast. But this is probably turning into a different rant.
Next:
You have not been paying attention...
The B-Sides
Where I was…
In summer 2001, Q Magazine (Issue 179, fact fans) had a “Radiohead special” that included a feature about their best Bends/OK Computer era b-sides. This was the early days of illegal downloading, so firing up either Audiogalaxy or Kazaa, I grabbed as many as I could. These then went on to custom mix CDs, and then mutated to Minidisc compilations, as it would have been around this time that I got a Minidisc player. This gave me the chance to transfer things like the Radiohead gig I had taped off the radio, and make seemingly endless mixes on the LP4 mode. I bloody loved the Minidisc.
What I thought then…
This was probably another tipping point from Very Big Fan to Obsessive Fan. The internet levelled the playing field in terms of access to an artist’s body of work. I could finally consume every song, even leaked demos and terrible live recordings. Ever want to hear Radiohead do covers of Union City Blue or Nobody Does It Better? You just needed to know where to look.
In terms of appreciating the band, some of favourite songs came out of this discovering. Talk Show Host is a masterpiece that is justifiably still in their live set. Other personal favourites like Killer Cars, Lewis (Mistreated), Banana Co, all showed just far too much talent and skill for what were essentially off cuts and rejects. And the Amnesiac b-sides showed just how weird those Kid A sessions got. I used to go for long walks around Colchester (there wasn’t much else to do) and so many of these songs would have been the soundtrack to them.
What I think now…
Talk Show Host uber alles! Plus Gagging Order’s “I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not your property” is one of my favourite opening lyrics. It’s probably true that a lot of these tracks, charming as a they are, perhaps never would have fitted on to the albums they were gestated for. Still they make for a detour that’s far more entertaining than Pablo Honey. If you’re interested then I recommend the following….
The Trickster, Lewis (Mistreated), Permanent Daylight, You Never Wash Up After Yourself (My Iron Lung)
India Rubber, How Can You Be Sure (Fake Plastic Trees)
Maquiladora, Killer Cars (High & Dry)
Talk Show Host, Banana Co (Street Spirit)
Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2), Pearly, A Reminder (Paranoid Android)
Meeting In The Aisle (Karma Police)
Palo Alto (No Surprises)
Cuttooth, Worrywort, Fog (Knives Out)
Gagging Order, Paperbag Writer, I Am Citizen Insane (Com Lag: 2+2=5)
Next:
I’m just killing time...
In summer 2001, Q Magazine (Issue 179, fact fans) had a “Radiohead special” that included a feature about their best Bends/OK Computer era b-sides. This was the early days of illegal downloading, so firing up either Audiogalaxy or Kazaa, I grabbed as many as I could. These then went on to custom mix CDs, and then mutated to Minidisc compilations, as it would have been around this time that I got a Minidisc player. This gave me the chance to transfer things like the Radiohead gig I had taped off the radio, and make seemingly endless mixes on the LP4 mode. I bloody loved the Minidisc.
What I thought then…
This was probably another tipping point from Very Big Fan to Obsessive Fan. The internet levelled the playing field in terms of access to an artist’s body of work. I could finally consume every song, even leaked demos and terrible live recordings. Ever want to hear Radiohead do covers of Union City Blue or Nobody Does It Better? You just needed to know where to look.
In terms of appreciating the band, some of favourite songs came out of this discovering. Talk Show Host is a masterpiece that is justifiably still in their live set. Other personal favourites like Killer Cars, Lewis (Mistreated), Banana Co, all showed just far too much talent and skill for what were essentially off cuts and rejects. And the Amnesiac b-sides showed just how weird those Kid A sessions got. I used to go for long walks around Colchester (there wasn’t much else to do) and so many of these songs would have been the soundtrack to them.
What I think now…
Talk Show Host uber alles! Plus Gagging Order’s “I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not your property” is one of my favourite opening lyrics. It’s probably true that a lot of these tracks, charming as a they are, perhaps never would have fitted on to the albums they were gestated for. Still they make for a detour that’s far more entertaining than Pablo Honey. If you’re interested then I recommend the following….
The Trickster, Lewis (Mistreated), Permanent Daylight, You Never Wash Up After Yourself (My Iron Lung)
India Rubber, How Can You Be Sure (Fake Plastic Trees)
Maquiladora, Killer Cars (High & Dry)
Talk Show Host, Banana Co (Street Spirit)
Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2), Pearly, A Reminder (Paranoid Android)
Meeting In The Aisle (Karma Police)
Palo Alto (No Surprises)
Cuttooth, Worrywort, Fog (Knives Out)
Gagging Order, Paperbag Writer, I Am Citizen Insane (Com Lag: 2+2=5)
Next:
I’m just killing time...
Pablo Honey
Released 22nd February 1993
I bought it: August 2001
Where I was…
This was bought towards the end of my great North American adventure. Just after my GCSEs, me and Dad spent five weeks travelling across the USA & Canada by train. It was an amazing trip that was just a little bit too young to properly appreciate, but that’s another story for another blog. Pablo Honey was purchased in Calgary’s HMV, while I was on a day out with my older cousin and his friends who were all terrifyingly cool.
What I thought then…
Coming at Radiohead in the way I had - basically from Kid A backwards, this could only feel like a very basic record in comparison. More lyrics from these songs went on my History binder.
What I think now…
Creep is still seen as this holy grail that I will never understand. I think it will always be more interesting where they went next rather than where they were here. Ripchord, I Can’t and Prove Yourself could have all been Bends b-sides, that’s all I got.
Next:
A gun and a pack of sandwiches...
I bought it: August 2001
Where I was…
This was bought towards the end of my great North American adventure. Just after my GCSEs, me and Dad spent five weeks travelling across the USA & Canada by train. It was an amazing trip that was just a little bit too young to properly appreciate, but that’s another story for another blog. Pablo Honey was purchased in Calgary’s HMV, while I was on a day out with my older cousin and his friends who were all terrifyingly cool.
What I thought then…
Coming at Radiohead in the way I had - basically from Kid A backwards, this could only feel like a very basic record in comparison. More lyrics from these songs went on my History binder.
What I think now…
Creep is still seen as this holy grail that I will never understand. I think it will always be more interesting where they went next rather than where they were here. Ripchord, I Can’t and Prove Yourself could have all been Bends b-sides, that’s all I got.
Next:
A gun and a pack of sandwiches...
Amnesiac
Released 4th June 2001
I bought it: The day it came out, in that limited library book edition.
Where I was…
This could very well have been the last day of our GCSEs. Either way, after getting this album from Time Records again, a bunch of us went to the the park and someone had brought portable speakers along. There is a strong memory, shared by not just me, of the opening Pakt Like Sardines playing out while we were lazing around by the boating pond. By now I was A Big Radiohead Fan and probably winding up my mates who had liked them for years.
What I thought then…
Either I was already developing my poncy critical journalist tone by this stage, or I was just copying what I’d read elsewhere. Either way, I remember thinking Kid A was a coherent album and this felt more like the songs that were left over. Singles were back, which meant b-sides (more on them later). Knives Out felt a bit of a plodder at the time but probably the only one that would have gotten radio play - weird to think how vital that was at the time (to the industry, the band could clearly give no fucks about any of this).
What I think now…
I forgot how haunting Pyramid Song is, it’s like waltzing off a cliff. Going from that to a slap in the face from Pulk/Pull and back to the soothing menace of You And Whose Army (a Fallout 3 song ahead of its time) shows the unforgiving nature of this album. Dollars & Cents still sends me to sleep. I Might Be Wrong should have been The Other Single. This album is a bit all over the place - some excellent places, but not the most direct of routes. Saying that, it’s still relatively succinct and all over in 43 mins.
Next:
Couldn’t look you in the eye...
I bought it: The day it came out, in that limited library book edition.
Where I was…
This could very well have been the last day of our GCSEs. Either way, after getting this album from Time Records again, a bunch of us went to the the park and someone had brought portable speakers along. There is a strong memory, shared by not just me, of the opening Pakt Like Sardines playing out while we were lazing around by the boating pond. By now I was A Big Radiohead Fan and probably winding up my mates who had liked them for years.
What I thought then…
Either I was already developing my poncy critical journalist tone by this stage, or I was just copying what I’d read elsewhere. Either way, I remember thinking Kid A was a coherent album and this felt more like the songs that were left over. Singles were back, which meant b-sides (more on them later). Knives Out felt a bit of a plodder at the time but probably the only one that would have gotten radio play - weird to think how vital that was at the time (to the industry, the band could clearly give no fucks about any of this).
What I think now…
I forgot how haunting Pyramid Song is, it’s like waltzing off a cliff. Going from that to a slap in the face from Pulk/Pull and back to the soothing menace of You And Whose Army (a Fallout 3 song ahead of its time) shows the unforgiving nature of this album. Dollars & Cents still sends me to sleep. I Might Be Wrong should have been The Other Single. This album is a bit all over the place - some excellent places, but not the most direct of routes. Saying that, it’s still relatively succinct and all over in 43 mins.
Next:
Couldn’t look you in the eye...
The Bends
Released 8th March 1995
I bought it: Christmas 2000
Where I was…
I bought this at the same time as OK Computer that Christmas.
What I thought then…
This one had the bigger tunes, but the pretentious side of me probably preferred the complexity of OK Computer. I’m pretty sure I put together a CD compilation of my favourite songs from both albums, so they’ve blurred into one a bit. I used to write the lyrics to various songs off this album in my History binder, probably to show off more than anything.
What I think now…
The Bends comes across like a bit more of a 90s time capsule compared to OK Computer, but still each song feels like a close family member (one you get along with anyway). This is where the route I’m taking through these albums becomes a bit disorientating, as I’m going further and further away from where they were at with Kid A.
Another album that has been over-written about so I’m probably not going to add anything new. It is crazy to think how ridiculously accomplished this record is, and it was only album #2. This was an era where bands were afforded the time it took to release a few albums in order to grow. These days everything is expected to be fully formed, and it doesn’t get more fully formed than The Bends.
Next:
I’m a reasonable man, get off my case...
I bought it: Christmas 2000
Where I was…
I bought this at the same time as OK Computer that Christmas.
What I thought then…
This one had the bigger tunes, but the pretentious side of me probably preferred the complexity of OK Computer. I’m pretty sure I put together a CD compilation of my favourite songs from both albums, so they’ve blurred into one a bit. I used to write the lyrics to various songs off this album in my History binder, probably to show off more than anything.
What I think now…
The Bends comes across like a bit more of a 90s time capsule compared to OK Computer, but still each song feels like a close family member (one you get along with anyway). This is where the route I’m taking through these albums becomes a bit disorientating, as I’m going further and further away from where they were at with Kid A.
Another album that has been over-written about so I’m probably not going to add anything new. It is crazy to think how ridiculously accomplished this record is, and it was only album #2. This was an era where bands were afforded the time it took to release a few albums in order to grow. These days everything is expected to be fully formed, and it doesn’t get more fully formed than The Bends.
Next:
I’m a reasonable man, get off my case...
OK Computer
Released 21st May 1997
I bought it: Christmas 2000
Where I was…
A few months down the line, I was keen to prove myself to the cooler guys in our group. Having a few people round my house on the last day of school before Christmas, one of them brought OK Computer, so it went on in the background while they all beat me at Mario Kart (some things never change). On Boxing Day armed with many vouchers, I bought OK Computer and The Bends together.
What I thought then…
It came across as a chaotic but beautiful record. Not entirely cut off from Kid A in its themes and even its artwork. My most vivid memory connected to this album comes from the following summer when me and Dad flew out to the USA. This was prototype in flight entertainment that wasn’t on demand, you just dipped in and out of films, TV and radio shows as they played. There was a Radiohead channel that I must have played on a loop for most of the flight, and the first song I heard was Subterranean Homesick Alien. The opening of that song always makes me think of that journey.
What I think now…
Urgent from the off. Feels just a part of music in 2016 as Kid A still does. What can I say about this record that hasn’t been said already? It’s a tremendous cacophony, simultaneously reaching out and pushing away. These songs feel woven in to me somehow.
It’s really interesting that the Moon Shaped Pool tour is borrowing heavily from this album on some nights, including the return of Let Down. OK Computer will probably always be seen as their masterpiece, and it is hard to fault. Recently I saw Easy Star AllStars do their Radiodread tribute and it was an amazing performance, these songs were a perfect fit for a reggae interpretation. Plus I was drunk in the sunshine which probably helped.
Next:
You, and no-one else...
I bought it: Christmas 2000
Where I was…
A few months down the line, I was keen to prove myself to the cooler guys in our group. Having a few people round my house on the last day of school before Christmas, one of them brought OK Computer, so it went on in the background while they all beat me at Mario Kart (some things never change). On Boxing Day armed with many vouchers, I bought OK Computer and The Bends together.
What I thought then…
It came across as a chaotic but beautiful record. Not entirely cut off from Kid A in its themes and even its artwork. My most vivid memory connected to this album comes from the following summer when me and Dad flew out to the USA. This was prototype in flight entertainment that wasn’t on demand, you just dipped in and out of films, TV and radio shows as they played. There was a Radiohead channel that I must have played on a loop for most of the flight, and the first song I heard was Subterranean Homesick Alien. The opening of that song always makes me think of that journey.
What I think now…
Urgent from the off. Feels just a part of music in 2016 as Kid A still does. What can I say about this record that hasn’t been said already? It’s a tremendous cacophony, simultaneously reaching out and pushing away. These songs feel woven in to me somehow.
It’s really interesting that the Moon Shaped Pool tour is borrowing heavily from this album on some nights, including the return of Let Down. OK Computer will probably always be seen as their masterpiece, and it is hard to fault. Recently I saw Easy Star AllStars do their Radiodread tribute and it was an amazing performance, these songs were a perfect fit for a reggae interpretation. Plus I was drunk in the sunshine which probably helped.
Next:
You, and no-one else...
Kid A
Released 27th September 2000
I bought it: The day after it came out, most likely from Time Records, our local independent record store that naturally no longer exists.
Where I was…
In the autumn of 2000 I was starting my final year of secondary school. Steve Lamacq and NME were my main sources of music, and music was my main source of everything. I was a bit of a loner. Radiohead were a band I was aware of, but I hadn’t found my way in yet.
Before reliable internet connections, mobile phones (smart or otherwise) or streaming, my main source of escapism was listening to the radio. Most weekday evenings on Radio 1 were occupied by Steve Lamacq’s Evening Session, followed by John Peel. I couldn’t always stay awake for Peel, but Lamacq opened up so much new music to me, and coincidentally he was from my dull little town too.
The run up to Kid A being released was being treated like the second coming. There were two big events on the radio - the broadcast of a gig from Warrington, and a whole show dedicated to the new album, playing it in full with the band there to talk about each song. I specifically remember Lamacq getting really passionate before he played Idioteque (“it’s a world where everything and nothing makes sense, it’s a world where the lottery rules”), and it was that song which really made me sit up and pay attention. The next day, I took the plunge and bought the album.
What I thought then…
From the opening chilling bars of Everything In Its Right Place, my main thought was “what the fuck have I just bought??” I was massively intimidated. Even the artwork was distant and glacial. But I grew to like its distance and perceived weirdness, it must have struck a chord with whatever I was going through at the time. Kid A was perhaps the first album I listened to obsessively, and ultimately changed the way I consumed music. Suddenly I wanted to know everything about this band and hear every song they ever made - which back then meant buying albums.
What I think now…
That opening is still chilling. Listening to this album through headphones makes you feel like Thom Yorke is whispering right into your ears. It’s hard to go back to the studio version of these songs without picturing the live versions - EIIRP’s extended sample breakdown or National Anthem being a fucking beast. It’s interesting that their “no singles, no videos” policy for this album was deemed shocking at the time, especially now singles don’t seem to exist.
This album feels like an older relative that was dismissed as weird when you were an ignorant teen, but in hindsight was more alive than any of us squares. There is a cohesion in the recurrent themes of fury and despair, plus flashes of love too. How To Disappear is still heartbreaking - those swirling strings towards the end like a ship caught in a storm. The whole thing centres around the unforgiving panic of Idioteque - then and still my favourite Radiohead song. I can’t count the times I’ve lost my shit to that track, either internally or very publically.
One thing that’s hitting me is how unhappy and alone I was at the time for these bleak songs to reach out to me so much. I guess it was good that I had a cathartic musical security blanket, but it also makes me realise just how far away I am from that now.
Next:
In an interstellar burst...
I bought it: The day after it came out, most likely from Time Records, our local independent record store that naturally no longer exists.
Where I was…
In the autumn of 2000 I was starting my final year of secondary school. Steve Lamacq and NME were my main sources of music, and music was my main source of everything. I was a bit of a loner. Radiohead were a band I was aware of, but I hadn’t found my way in yet.
Before reliable internet connections, mobile phones (smart or otherwise) or streaming, my main source of escapism was listening to the radio. Most weekday evenings on Radio 1 were occupied by Steve Lamacq’s Evening Session, followed by John Peel. I couldn’t always stay awake for Peel, but Lamacq opened up so much new music to me, and coincidentally he was from my dull little town too.
The run up to Kid A being released was being treated like the second coming. There were two big events on the radio - the broadcast of a gig from Warrington, and a whole show dedicated to the new album, playing it in full with the band there to talk about each song. I specifically remember Lamacq getting really passionate before he played Idioteque (“it’s a world where everything and nothing makes sense, it’s a world where the lottery rules”), and it was that song which really made me sit up and pay attention. The next day, I took the plunge and bought the album.
What I thought then…
From the opening chilling bars of Everything In Its Right Place, my main thought was “what the fuck have I just bought??” I was massively intimidated. Even the artwork was distant and glacial. But I grew to like its distance and perceived weirdness, it must have struck a chord with whatever I was going through at the time. Kid A was perhaps the first album I listened to obsessively, and ultimately changed the way I consumed music. Suddenly I wanted to know everything about this band and hear every song they ever made - which back then meant buying albums.
What I think now…
That opening is still chilling. Listening to this album through headphones makes you feel like Thom Yorke is whispering right into your ears. It’s hard to go back to the studio version of these songs without picturing the live versions - EIIRP’s extended sample breakdown or National Anthem being a fucking beast. It’s interesting that their “no singles, no videos” policy for this album was deemed shocking at the time, especially now singles don’t seem to exist.
This album feels like an older relative that was dismissed as weird when you were an ignorant teen, but in hindsight was more alive than any of us squares. There is a cohesion in the recurrent themes of fury and despair, plus flashes of love too. How To Disappear is still heartbreaking - those swirling strings towards the end like a ship caught in a storm. The whole thing centres around the unforgiving panic of Idioteque - then and still my favourite Radiohead song. I can’t count the times I’ve lost my shit to that track, either internally or very publically.
One thing that’s hitting me is how unhappy and alone I was at the time for these bleak songs to reach out to me so much. I guess it was good that I had a cathartic musical security blanket, but it also makes me realise just how far away I am from that now.
Next:
In an interstellar burst...
Everything All Of The Time - a life through Radiohead
After 10 Years, 10 Albums, I was looking for a new thing to write about. When these articles were forming in my mind a few months ago, Radiohead were starting to yawn and stretch their way out of a hibernation. I have a massive history with this band, so they felt like a good fit. Then they went and released a new album.
Last time, I looked at 10 albums that were shaping my life 10 years ago. This time round it’s the discography of Radiohead, but autobiographical. I love that bit in High Fidelity where Rob goes nuts and re-orders his record collection in the order he bought them. You know what? I could probably do the same thing. But these days the main thing I’m doing with my CD collection is gradually taking it to the charity shop.
So what follows is a look back at Radiohead’s albums in the order I bought them. I’ll try and dig out what I thought about them at the time and, after giving them another spin, what I think now.
I picked an interesting place to start...
Last time, I looked at 10 albums that were shaping my life 10 years ago. This time round it’s the discography of Radiohead, but autobiographical. I love that bit in High Fidelity where Rob goes nuts and re-orders his record collection in the order he bought them. You know what? I could probably do the same thing. But these days the main thing I’m doing with my CD collection is gradually taking it to the charity shop.
So what follows is a look back at Radiohead’s albums in the order I bought them. I’ll try and dig out what I thought about them at the time and, after giving them another spin, what I think now.
I picked an interesting place to start...
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