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)

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