remember when people were saying that song was meant to work as a "separator" between KOL and the next album that was just around the corner.
People can be really dumb.
Iāll piggyback off of this and submit this hot take:
From Lotus Flower to Separator represents their best 4 track consecutive run after Ok Computerās Airbag to Exit Music.
Ed's take on Thom's guitar playing:
["He's a really great guitarist. He plays terrific rhythm, but he doesn't like to talk about it because he thinks he sounds like Brian May."](https://citizeninsane.eu/media/usa/guitar/03/pt_1997-10_guitar.htm)
You left out an interesting bit:
> *There were times when we've been competitive, but we've got this really nice situation where if one guitarist doesn't play in a song, we're okay with it. We can really chill out and enjoy it.*
Another interesting bit from that 1997 interview:
> Is there a specific Radiohead sound that you're moving toward? *One of the things we do frequently is try different sounds. It'll never be the detriment of the song, but we want you to hear things you wouldn't expect.*
Thereās a good bit of Kid A foreshadowing going on here, though Ed probably didnāt even know it at the time.
Most people who donāt play always think that good guitar playing is some screechy, showboat lead. As a player, I hate that stuff, but love a good guitarist who plays weird, stretchy chords and rhythms, like Thom. Yet, he plays clear, traditional chords when the song calls for clarity. Love how he plays.
In my eyes Thom Yorke is like those musicians that play guitar but not really āa guitar playerā he just uses it to compose his songs cuz he uses other instruments as well. He would be the last person to create a song focusing on how hard it is to play.
Thom Yorke is an EXCEPTIONAL rhythm guitar player. Iām saying this as a guitarist myself.
Look up any of his solo performance where heās only playing a guitar (electric or acoustic). He can carry a song with just his voice and the guitarāitās amazing.
I remember when I first heard his solo stuff thinking āI wonder how much of this guitar he got Jonny to playā before remembering that Thom is also an extremely accomplished guitarist.
I saw The Smile at Forest Hills. Could not understand one word, yet, the whole place was mesmerized. You may not know what heās saying, but you know itās always cerebral and heartfelt.
Donāt know how controversial this is but Amnesiac is - in my opinion - their most underrated album. Esp w You And Whose Army - I Might Be Wrong - Knives Out back to back to back
Omg yes, the production is insane in this album, the atmosphere and instrumentation is perfect imo. Can't stand the "it's just Kid A leftovers" comments. Amnesiac deserves more love
Amnesiac reaches the same heights as the likes of OKC, Kid A and IR but imo it's worst tracks are much worse than those albums' worst tracks. It just lacks the consistency of those albums. But yeah, Pyramid Song, You and Whose Army, Knives Out, Life in a Glasshouse etc deserve to be considered in the same tier as Radiohead's very best work
100% agree. When I need to just let my mind go I blast Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors on the loudest volume I can handle. Itās so complex and beautiful and jam worthy.
Iām in the unpopular opinion that there is no lackluster track on the album. I love it beginning to end. I enjoy listening to it more than Kid A to be honest.
Also, spooky Amnesiac Morning Bell > Kid A Morning Bell
Also, Like Spinning Plates is top tier Radiohead
The backwards twin peaks vocals on Like Spinning Plates donāt really work for me, and I donāt really like Morning Bell/Amnesiac, but agreed on Pulk/Pull. Dollars and Cents is also super underrated IMO
idk if this is truly hot but istg if i see another goddamn comment saying that AMSP ruined true love waits im gonna combust, im a AMSP true love waits defender until i die and i think its miles and miles better than the acoustic version
Itās a great version but I think the AMSP and acoustic versions are basically two different songs. I donāt think itās a matter of which one is better because they are wayyy different in tone.
I think they nailed it in the studio. It went from a really nice little ditty that Paul McCartney couldāve come up with to a beautiful and soul-crushing plea of desperation. I say this having really loved the OG version, and also having a tendency to get very attached to the pre-studio versions.
The issue is this: the definitive version of TLW was always the very first, Luna Park version with Jonnyās arpeggiated keyboards, of which Jonny only played on that first airing. Every version after whether acoustic or a lead into EIIRP paled in comparison. The IMBW live recording version got close but was nowhere near the emotional impact of that very first playing. For those(us) that endeared ourselves to Luna Park, we will die on that hill that Luna>AMSP.
It feels like theyāre missing an album comprising of songs like Lull, Fog, A Reminder, Meeting In The Aisle, and several others that would have been a great follow-up to OK Computer
to me, those songs, and palo alto as well, are like the heart of okc, like what they were really going for with the mood of the album. let down and no surprises fit into this as well. there's just a bleak sorta shopping mall inter-city transport concrete tower block sound to them that i really like, and which, likewise, i wish they'd have expanded on.
plz dont downvote me but i never understood the in rainbows hype, dosnt do much for me and i consider it to be just ahead of pablo honey and TKOL in album ranking
Colin is as essential to making them REALLY click as any other member of the band. Keep everyone else, but replace Colin- I think itās less *āgoodā* by a wide margin immediately.
That oneās pretty hot, right?
I'm always confused why people dislike the song. I would've thought Radiohead fans in particular would be able to appreciate it for what it is and what it can make you feel
I would agree if it was 3-4 minutes but it's 1:57, how can you get bored that quickly?
Anyway I wouldn't be like "oh I wanna listen to fitter happier" but when it comes on during an album listen I'm very glad it's there and I enjoy listening to it
I don't think this is a hot take at all. Jonny is the only person I'd be comfortable calling a virtuoso or musical genius. everyone else is a great musician in their own right. Radiohead is definitely a case of the band being greater than the sum of it's parts
1. Let Down, Electioneering, and Climbing Up the Walls are not underrated at all
2. Lucky is the 4th best song on OKC
3. The tourist is a great closer
4. Bodysnatchers is the 3rd best song on IR
5. All I Need is solid but not great
6. TKOL is their 4th best album and doesnāt require hearing the live version to be appreciated
7. All of their albums suffer on the back half
Hail to the thief is the best Radiohead album. Sure it isnāt as cohesive as some of their other albums but I feel like it fuses all their different eras and genres together the best. Youāve got a song on there for whatever sort of mood you want.
Intense and immediate anger, from the crowd! Reminds me of when I watched wrestling as a kid & the heel would do something the crowd would get upset at & the heel grins and soaks in the downvotes š¤£
I don't think it's the worst one but I do agree about it isn't the best one, not just it but I think this song ruined my first impression of the band. If the first one was from The Bends or any other album (except Pablo Honey) probably I would like the band faster.
They are exceptionally shrewd businessmen.
Throughout their career they have, probably more than any of their contemporaries, made choices that helped them secure the bag time and again while never sacrificing or compromising their artistic impulses.
But they operate like a business.
It's probably what I admire most about their trajectory.
You people would do a great service to the OP and in the spirit of this thread not downvoting ANYTHING you don't agree, it's a topic about "hot takes" it's bound to have stuff you don't agree, just make a comment, smile and move on .
Kid A is overrated.
It doesn't really hold together as an album and is not as experimental as people give it credit for.
It's a great album but not an amazing one, I slightly prefer Amnesiac.
Genuinely curious to know how old you are. After about 8 years of RH music videos, the three records but also hearing / seeing one or more of Creep, Just, High and Dry, No Surprises, Karma Police, etc on TV more or less daily, Radiohead were one of the biggest alt rock bands in the world with an evolving but consistent sound.
Then they took this winning formula and weāre like, āyea that thing we did was nice, now check out this other thingā. The dominant instrumentation had changed. They had no music videos from Kid A, no singles even, which was a completely unheard of move for a band in their position. At the time, 99% of acts would like release a poppier album after being as successful and OKC was.
I vividly recall diehard fan friends of mine being very distraught when this record came out like the band was dead. Youāre obvs entitled to your opinion, but in the context of when it was released, where they were as a band, itās objectively experimental.
Mid forties, was in my early twenties when it was released. I became a fan in 96 hearing The Bends then - was less aware of them prior to that. I didn't have digital/cable TV so was completely unaware of TV play. Also, I'm British, so am coming at them with that perspective.
Absolutely loved OKC, one of those albums that took over my life like few others have. I was very interested in what was coming next and scoured the press (I wasn't very online then) for any info and there was months of build up about how "weird" and "experimental" and generally "out there" the album was. Bought it on the first day, and, I found it... unremarkable. Not especially weird, not especially good from a band that made TB and OKC.
I liked it immediately, loved some songs straight away - HTDC, Idioteque, MPS. Some songs sounded, more or less, like "normal" Radiohead. Treefingers, was, and is a waste of disc space. Fine as a b-side or something, just filler on an album. I listen to abstract ambient music - Autechre, Coil, though didn't at the time.
I listened to Metal more than anything at the time and much of which was weird, Avant Garde and experimental and I suppose I was assessing from that perspective. I actually didn't really realise how weird much of that I was listening was, until seeing the bewildered (over?)reactions to Kid A.
I appreciate more now how different the album was but it didn't feel that way to me at the time. Perhaps 90% of bands would have followed it up with something poppier but I had a strong sense then, and it's been borne out since, that Radhiohead simply aren't that sort of band.
Hey weāre coming from very similar backgrounds :)
I think context matters.
Iām not at all claiming Kid A to be the most experimental album of all time.
That said, If you consider their position in the late 90s ā one of the biggest bands in the world alongside acts like RHCP, NIN, etc in terms of commercial success, Kid A is objectively the hardest style pivot we got at that tier.
When youāre selling out arena tours internationally based on a certain catalogue and then release an album that is a departure from that catalogue, how can that be viewed as anything other than experimental? And while I get that itās not the most experimental album ever made, when itās coming from a band with RHās platform it hits hard.
This is no different than the Beatles āpioneeringā studio techniques. They werenāt really the first ones there, but because of their popularity, the risks they took had higher cost.
I kind of agree, although I do love Kid A. I was a huge fan of Radiohead starting with PH in my early teens. I didn't listen to The Bends much when it came out, but revisited it after OKC. I loved all 3 of these albums.
Kid A was such a stylistic departure, I didn't know what to make of it at first. I wasn't sure I liked it. I was trying to get my boyfriend and his family into Radiohead at the time, and when we first played Kid A, I didn't know what to tell them. After a few listens I came around to it, and it's a phenomenal album. I don't think it's head and shoulders above the rest of their discography, and would place it mid-pack in my own album ranking (yes, slightly below Amnesiac). I think the importance of Kid A was that it established Radiohead as a band that was going to evolve their sound and take big risks, not just crank out album after album of the same guitar rock.
I skip Paranoid android in my Radiohead playlist. As I do most of the album's songs, I personally don't like the production and the album that much, I think it breaks the flow from the Kid A/post Kid A era, when I'm listening to them.Would easily put it behind every album released since Kid A + The Bends in my rankings. You wanted a hot take, I'll give you one.
(I understand the importance of the album, I'm only talking about the sound here)
Testament to IR being so good that the above two comments mention 5-6 songs as their favorites (legit good choices) & donāt mention my personal #1 on that album, Reckoner.
I dropped this in another unpopular opinion thread the other day:
Let down is the worst song on OK computer. Almost always skip. I'll usually listen to fitter happier
edit: another one. a moon shaped pool is the worst Radiohead album, though that doesn't mean it's bad. they're one of the few bands I will say does not have a bad album.
So I know the answer to this is theoretically already in your comment, but I just gotta be sure: you think Pablo Honey is better than A Moon Shaped Pool?
Amnesiac > Kid A.
Everyone writes it off because of Pulk, but IMO Pulk is it's Fitter Happier (albeit earlier in the album but I like how it catches you off guard), it has the better Morning Bell, Pyramid Song, I Might Be Wrong, Knives Out, Packt, You and Whose Army, Like Spinning Plates - ALL peak era Radiohead and all ahead of Kid A.
Also, you guys really overrate In Rainbows. It's a great album, sure, but it's basic and straightforward by Radiohead standards, and certainly no Kid A/Amnesiac. It's extremely accessible in a this-gets-dull-after-5-listens kinda way.
Pulk might be my favorite Amnesiac track. I love how its simultaneously such a slog underneath but also bright and airy at the top. It sounds wonderful on some good headphones, I love all the effects and sparkly synths. I love the mysterious lyrics about different doors, and reminds me of House of Leaves which I was reading around that same time so they melded together for me. I can see why people might not care for it, but for me it scratches an itch.
I agree about In Rainbows. Itās a great album but not more exceptional than their best work. Itās rated highly because itās so accessible. Also Iām sick of it cos when it came out itās all I listened to for months on end.
If I had to remove one album from their discography Iād easily choose The King Of Limbs.
Pablo Honey may be a bit cheesy and dated and not super creative, but at least itās a fun ride with two incredible songs (creep and blow out)
Pablo Honey is not a bad album. Blow Out holds up well to some of their newer material. It doesn't have the complexity of OKC onwards, or even The Bends, but for their debut, and compared to other popular music of the time, it was solid.
I might be biased because I was an angsty early teen outcast who identified with Creep. PH was my favorite album at the time, and caused me to discover Radiohead chat groups and message boards where I met other Radiohead fans from around the world. I realized there was a whole world beyond the narrow minded people at my school and the inane boy bands on mainstream radio. It got me through some rough times, and I still listen to it on occasion.
Mine is.
Ed OāBrien is massively being carried by the other 4 members.
And the solo album proves it. The album was okay but musically heās way behind Thom and Johnny.
Amnesiac is my personal favorite album of theirs. It is so much more than just the Kid A B-sides. Pyramid Song is my #1 Radiohead song and if you don't like Pyramid Song then fuck you
The whole band's on-stage look would come together better if Colin had half-length legs.
What the hell š
My favorite Radiohead song of all time is Separator
remember when people were saying that song was meant to work as a "separator" between KOL and the next album that was just around the corner. People can be really dumb.
We had hope
Iāll piggyback off of this and submit this hot take: From Lotus Flower to Separator represents their best 4 track consecutive run after Ok Computerās Airbag to Exit Music.
Not exactly a hot take but that 4 track run is just as good as 15 Step to Nude for me.
I can get behind this sentiment
idioteque to untitled though š
Definitely my favourite song from King of Limbs, it's great
Separator was already so calming and good. But dude, the From The Basement session of that song is GORGEOUS. Love how harmonic the instruments sound.
Thom Yorke is incredibly underrated as a guitarist.
Ed's take on Thom's guitar playing: ["He's a really great guitarist. He plays terrific rhythm, but he doesn't like to talk about it because he thinks he sounds like Brian May."](https://citizeninsane.eu/media/usa/guitar/03/pt_1997-10_guitar.htm)
š
You left out an interesting bit: > *There were times when we've been competitive, but we've got this really nice situation where if one guitarist doesn't play in a song, we're okay with it. We can really chill out and enjoy it.* Another interesting bit from that 1997 interview: > Is there a specific Radiohead sound that you're moving toward? *One of the things we do frequently is try different sounds. It'll never be the detriment of the song, but we want you to hear things you wouldn't expect.* Thereās a good bit of Kid A foreshadowing going on here, though Ed probably didnāt even know it at the time.
Most people who donāt play always think that good guitar playing is some screechy, showboat lead. As a player, I hate that stuff, but love a good guitarist who plays weird, stretchy chords and rhythms, like Thom. Yet, he plays clear, traditional chords when the song calls for clarity. Love how he plays.
In my eyes Thom Yorke is like those musicians that play guitar but not really āa guitar playerā he just uses it to compose his songs cuz he uses other instruments as well. He would be the last person to create a song focusing on how hard it is to play.
After all, Anyone Can Play Guitar
Thom Yorke is an EXCEPTIONAL rhythm guitar player. Iām saying this as a guitarist myself. Look up any of his solo performance where heās only playing a guitar (electric or acoustic). He can carry a song with just his voice and the guitarāitās amazing.
Iāll take it, how many bands have *three* great guitarists? There are some, but itās still kind of uncommon.
The Beatles
Foo Fighters
And a bassist. Look at the smile
I remember when I first heard his solo stuff thinking āI wonder how much of this guitar he got Jonny to playā before remembering that Thom is also an extremely accomplished guitarist.
didn't know he was a let down guitarist
It's true though
As amazing as Thom is for a vocalist, I can't make out what he's saying half the time
he's definitely a vocalist that uses his voice as an instrument and not necessarily as a vehicle for speaking words
Sometimes Iāll be listening to Radiohead and my wife will go can you even understand him? And sometimes I have to say no lmao
I saw The Smile at Forest Hills. Could not understand one word, yet, the whole place was mesmerized. You may not know what heās saying, but you know itās always cerebral and heartfelt.
I have to follow the lyrics on my phone to know what he is saying.
I also have an opinion on something.
I believe you :)
Donāt know how controversial this is but Amnesiac is - in my opinion - their most underrated album. Esp w You And Whose Army - I Might Be Wrong - Knives Out back to back to back
Omg yes, the production is insane in this album, the atmosphere and instrumentation is perfect imo. Can't stand the "it's just Kid A leftovers" comments. Amnesiac deserves more love
Agreed, though I'm not personally a huge Kid A fan. I like Amnesiac a lot though, even pulk/pull revolving doors lol.
And it has Pyramid Song, which is my favorite song. Pretty strong album, over all.
Pyramid song live have me the chills
Iād say Hail to the Thief is also criminally overlooked in their discography.
Totally agree on this as well, itās super good
Amnesiac reaches the same heights as the likes of OKC, Kid A and IR but imo it's worst tracks are much worse than those albums' worst tracks. It just lacks the consistency of those albums. But yeah, Pyramid Song, You and Whose Army, Knives Out, Life in a Glasshouse etc deserve to be considered in the same tier as Radiohead's very best work
This is pretty much my opinion too
Agree and imo peak Radiohead was the OK Computer - Kid A - Amnesiac run
100% agree. When I need to just let my mind go I blast Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors on the loudest volume I can handle. Itās so complex and beautiful and jam worthy. Iām in the unpopular opinion that there is no lackluster track on the album. I love it beginning to end. I enjoy listening to it more than Kid A to be honest. Also, spooky Amnesiac Morning Bell > Kid A Morning Bell Also, Like Spinning Plates is top tier Radiohead
The backwards twin peaks vocals on Like Spinning Plates donāt really work for me, and I donāt really like Morning Bell/Amnesiac, but agreed on Pulk/Pull. Dollars and Cents is also super underrated IMO
Agree
I agree. It is their most underrated record
Life In A Glasshouse is their best closer
Not the best imo but it's up there
Thom stole Jonnyās H and needs to give it back.
Maybe if Jonny goes faster heāll catch up to Thom and get it back
idk if this is truly hot but istg if i see another goddamn comment saying that AMSP ruined true love waits im gonna combust, im a AMSP true love waits defender until i die and i think its miles and miles better than the acoustic version
Itās a great version but I think the AMSP and acoustic versions are basically two different songs. I donāt think itās a matter of which one is better because they are wayyy different in tone.
I think they nailed it in the studio. It went from a really nice little ditty that Paul McCartney couldāve come up with to a beautiful and soul-crushing plea of desperation. I say this having really loved the OG version, and also having a tendency to get very attached to the pre-studio versions.
Yes 100%. Never understood why anyone would consider the acoustic version better
They heard it first and knew the song that way for a decade
The issue is this: the definitive version of TLW was always the very first, Luna Park version with Jonnyās arpeggiated keyboards, of which Jonny only played on that first airing. Every version after whether acoustic or a lead into EIIRP paled in comparison. The IMBW live recording version got close but was nowhere near the emotional impact of that very first playing. For those(us) that endeared ourselves to Luna Park, we will die on that hill that Luna>AMSP.
It feels like theyāre missing an album comprising of songs like Lull, Fog, A Reminder, Meeting In The Aisle, and several others that would have been a great follow-up to OK Computer
to me, those songs, and palo alto as well, are like the heart of okc, like what they were really going for with the mood of the album. let down and no surprises fit into this as well. there's just a bleak sorta shopping mall inter-city transport concrete tower block sound to them that i really like, and which, likewise, i wish they'd have expanded on.
And it's really sad btw
They're pretty good.
straight up blasphemy
The National Anthem is the best song on Kid A š¬
My hot take is that The National Anthem is the worst song on Kid A.
one of if not my favorite bass line of all time
The National Anthem is the best song š
plz dont downvote me but i never understood the in rainbows hype, dosnt do much for me and i consider it to be just ahead of pablo honey and TKOL in album ranking
Colin is as essential to making them REALLY click as any other member of the band. Keep everyone else, but replace Colin- I think itās less *āgoodā* by a wide margin immediately. That oneās pretty hot, right?
Kid A/Amnesiac wouldn't exist without Colin imo
The King of Limbs is better than Pablo Honey, The Bends, and even Hail To The Thief at times.
Iāve come around on King of Limbs. After seeing the Basement recording, I personally place it above all those you mentioned, no question.
The Basement recording feels like a different album - and I mean that in a good way, like there are two amazing versions of it.
>Agreed
Packt Like Sardines is 100% their best opener imo, I'm with you.
Turn that bass up and let the party start with a bang. I agree that it is the best album opener.
Youāre a reasonable man
Get off my case
Nice š
Fitter Happier is one of the best pieces on OKC and holds up exceptionally well today
I'm always confused why people dislike the song. I would've thought Radiohead fans in particular would be able to appreciate it for what it is and what it can make you feel
As a piece of music it's great, as a SONG it's pretty boring to listen to
I would agree if it was 3-4 minutes but it's 1:57, how can you get bored that quickly? Anyway I wouldn't be like "oh I wanna listen to fitter happier" but when it comes on during an album listen I'm very glad it's there and I enjoy listening to it
how can something THAT creepy be boring ..damn.
I see it as the centerpiece of the whole album, just a summary of all its themes perfectly
Yup, there's a reason why the lyrics to this song were on the poster I had on my wall growing up
I want a burger
AMSP is their best album
Jonny Greenwood is the most talented person in the band by a mile.
By a mile is insane
>Sort is that a hot take?
I don't think this is a hot take at all. Jonny is the only person I'd be comfortable calling a virtuoso or musical genius. everyone else is a great musician in their own right. Radiohead is definitely a case of the band being greater than the sum of it's parts
Honestly agree
Honestly a W Aināt he the only one who knows music theory too?
httt > the bends and amsp
how could you say that about amsp : (
1. Let Down, Electioneering, and Climbing Up the Walls are not underrated at all 2. Lucky is the 4th best song on OKC 3. The tourist is a great closer 4. Bodysnatchers is the 3rd best song on IR 5. All I Need is solid but not great 6. TKOL is their 4th best album and doesnāt require hearing the live version to be appreciated 7. All of their albums suffer on the back half
Lucky is an incredibile song
Couldnāt agree more. For some reason I see a lot of negative opinions on it in this sub
Hail to the thief is the best Radiohead album. Sure it isnāt as cohesive as some of their other albums but I feel like it fuses all their different eras and genres together the best. Youāve got a song on there for whatever sort of mood you want.
In Rainbows is their 5th best album
Goddamn that's a hot one
fr in rainbows is their best album imo
Why tf are ppl downvoting you for having an actual hot take š I mean, I wholeheartedly disagree but isn't that the point?
Intense and immediate anger, from the crowd! Reminds me of when I watched wrestling as a kid & the heel would do something the crowd would get upset at & the heel grins and soaks in the downvotes š¤£
I donāt know why people find it so hard to believe that someone would place OK Computer, Kid A and/or The Bends above In Rainbows.
Just guessing your top 4: OKC Kid A Amnesiac AMSP
Paranoid Android isnāt the best on Ok Computer. I love it, but from worst to best on the album it prolly goes second after Electioneering
Lmao that is a hot take. I love electioneering though so I respect it
I donāt think itās that low but I regularly skip it cos I canāt be bothered with it (and Iām a fan of longer songs) š
I don't think it's the worst one but I do agree about it isn't the best one, not just it but I think this song ruined my first impression of the band. If the first one was from The Bends or any other album (except Pablo Honey) probably I would like the band faster.
A Moon Shaped pool is their best album. Only started listening to Radiohead this year.
They are exceptionally shrewd businessmen. Throughout their career they have, probably more than any of their contemporaries, made choices that helped them secure the bag time and again while never sacrificing or compromising their artistic impulses. But they operate like a business. It's probably what I admire most about their trajectory.
they are such a calculated group, artistically and otherwise. they do exactly what they want and I think people appreciate the hell out of that.
Climbing up the walls is underrated. Itās probably my favorite off of OKC. Also, Iāve never understood the appeal of karma police.
true love waits is the most boring song they've ever written
AMSP is their best album
old version of motion picture soundtrack is better
Pyramid song is super overrated
now this I canāt abide
You people would do a great service to the OP and in the spirit of this thread not downvoting ANYTHING you don't agree, it's a topic about "hot takes" it's bound to have stuff you don't agree, just make a comment, smile and move on .
Thank you š
let down is overrated
preach
TKOL is their best album. Change my mind.
Stale production, feral and morning Mr magpie kinda blow, no all I need
packt like sardines is SLUMBERED on anyway, maybe it's not that hot, but amsp > in rainbows
The King of Limbs is their best album and will one day be remembered that way after a big critical reappraisal.
thom yorke is hot
Kid A is overrated. It doesn't really hold together as an album and is not as experimental as people give it credit for. It's a great album but not an amazing one, I slightly prefer Amnesiac.
Agree don't understand the mega hype for the album as a whole.
I agree about Amnesiac being more experimental than Kid A
Genuinely curious to know how old you are. After about 8 years of RH music videos, the three records but also hearing / seeing one or more of Creep, Just, High and Dry, No Surprises, Karma Police, etc on TV more or less daily, Radiohead were one of the biggest alt rock bands in the world with an evolving but consistent sound. Then they took this winning formula and weāre like, āyea that thing we did was nice, now check out this other thingā. The dominant instrumentation had changed. They had no music videos from Kid A, no singles even, which was a completely unheard of move for a band in their position. At the time, 99% of acts would like release a poppier album after being as successful and OKC was. I vividly recall diehard fan friends of mine being very distraught when this record came out like the band was dead. Youāre obvs entitled to your opinion, but in the context of when it was released, where they were as a band, itās objectively experimental.
Mid forties, was in my early twenties when it was released. I became a fan in 96 hearing The Bends then - was less aware of them prior to that. I didn't have digital/cable TV so was completely unaware of TV play. Also, I'm British, so am coming at them with that perspective. Absolutely loved OKC, one of those albums that took over my life like few others have. I was very interested in what was coming next and scoured the press (I wasn't very online then) for any info and there was months of build up about how "weird" and "experimental" and generally "out there" the album was. Bought it on the first day, and, I found it... unremarkable. Not especially weird, not especially good from a band that made TB and OKC. I liked it immediately, loved some songs straight away - HTDC, Idioteque, MPS. Some songs sounded, more or less, like "normal" Radiohead. Treefingers, was, and is a waste of disc space. Fine as a b-side or something, just filler on an album. I listen to abstract ambient music - Autechre, Coil, though didn't at the time. I listened to Metal more than anything at the time and much of which was weird, Avant Garde and experimental and I suppose I was assessing from that perspective. I actually didn't really realise how weird much of that I was listening was, until seeing the bewildered (over?)reactions to Kid A. I appreciate more now how different the album was but it didn't feel that way to me at the time. Perhaps 90% of bands would have followed it up with something poppier but I had a strong sense then, and it's been borne out since, that Radhiohead simply aren't that sort of band.
Hey weāre coming from very similar backgrounds :) I think context matters. Iām not at all claiming Kid A to be the most experimental album of all time. That said, If you consider their position in the late 90s ā one of the biggest bands in the world alongside acts like RHCP, NIN, etc in terms of commercial success, Kid A is objectively the hardest style pivot we got at that tier. When youāre selling out arena tours internationally based on a certain catalogue and then release an album that is a departure from that catalogue, how can that be viewed as anything other than experimental? And while I get that itās not the most experimental album ever made, when itās coming from a band with RHās platform it hits hard. This is no different than the Beatles āpioneeringā studio techniques. They werenāt really the first ones there, but because of their popularity, the risks they took had higher cost.
I kind of agree, although I do love Kid A. I was a huge fan of Radiohead starting with PH in my early teens. I didn't listen to The Bends much when it came out, but revisited it after OKC. I loved all 3 of these albums. Kid A was such a stylistic departure, I didn't know what to make of it at first. I wasn't sure I liked it. I was trying to get my boyfriend and his family into Radiohead at the time, and when we first played Kid A, I didn't know what to tell them. After a few listens I came around to it, and it's a phenomenal album. I don't think it's head and shoulders above the rest of their discography, and would place it mid-pack in my own album ranking (yes, slightly below Amnesiac). I think the importance of Kid A was that it established Radiohead as a band that was going to evolve their sound and take big risks, not just crank out album after album of the same guitar rock.
In Rainbows doesnt deserve place in TOP 3 Radiohead albums. I like this record, but for some reason, i cant fully connect with it
I skip Paranoid android in my Radiohead playlist. As I do most of the album's songs, I personally don't like the production and the album that much, I think it breaks the flow from the Kid A/post Kid A era, when I'm listening to them.Would easily put it behind every album released since Kid A + The Bends in my rankings. You wanted a hot take, I'll give you one. (I understand the importance of the album, I'm only talking about the sound here)
What's the issue with the production? I think OKC is wonderfully produced
The King of Limbs is a masterpiece and better than A Moon Shaped Pool
In Rainbows is vastly overrated
This annoyed me. Thatās how you know itās a good hot take.
i donāt see the appeal of jigsaw falling into place. itās an amazing song obviously but like i donāt get it as top 1 on in rainbows
I agree. Weird Fishes and All I Need are in my opinion on a whole other level.
Testament to IR being so good that the above two comments mention 5-6 songs as their favorites (legit good choices) & donāt mention my personal #1 on that album, Reckoner.
15 step, bodysnatchers, nude, all i need, weird fishes are all better imo
Perhaps itās because In Rainbows has so many good/great tracks
Nude numba one always
Yeah I can't call it top 1 when Nude, Bodysnatchers and Videotape are on IR
Bodysnatchers? You seem to have misspelled reckoner
TKoL > IR
AMSP is their 2nd worst album
hard disagree, i honestly think it's their third best album
the AMSP version of Identikit is better than the earlier versions played live before it was released.
I dropped this in another unpopular opinion thread the other day: Let down is the worst song on OK computer. Almost always skip. I'll usually listen to fitter happier edit: another one. a moon shaped pool is the worst Radiohead album, though that doesn't mean it's bad. they're one of the few bands I will say does not have a bad album.
So I know the answer to this is theoretically already in your comment, but I just gotta be sure: you think Pablo Honey is better than A Moon Shaped Pool?
mmm hmm. gimme that angry shit
This sub's shit lol I'm living for the circlejerk, that's my hot take
Hail to the Thief is the closest they ever got to a "sequel to The Bends"
The Smile is already better :0
Somehow I agree and disagree at the same time lol
Sulk isnāt a bad song.
Thom basically speaks another language I canāt understand a word he says without the lyrics
'Little by little' is one of their greatest ever tracks!
Faust Arp is top 3 on IR and Weird Fishes is 5 or 6
Pretty hot take! I love Faust Arp and think it's perfect.
No Surprises is overrated. Radiohead's overall sound beginning with OKC is too "grey"
No Surprises is still so beautiful and makes me so sad even after all the TikTok popularity.
the bends is better than in rainbows
Amnesiac > Kid A. Everyone writes it off because of Pulk, but IMO Pulk is it's Fitter Happier (albeit earlier in the album but I like how it catches you off guard), it has the better Morning Bell, Pyramid Song, I Might Be Wrong, Knives Out, Packt, You and Whose Army, Like Spinning Plates - ALL peak era Radiohead and all ahead of Kid A. Also, you guys really overrate In Rainbows. It's a great album, sure, but it's basic and straightforward by Radiohead standards, and certainly no Kid A/Amnesiac. It's extremely accessible in a this-gets-dull-after-5-listens kinda way.
Very much with you here, the Amnesiac version of Morning Bell is by far my favourite too.
Pulk might be my favorite Amnesiac track. I love how its simultaneously such a slog underneath but also bright and airy at the top. It sounds wonderful on some good headphones, I love all the effects and sparkly synths. I love the mysterious lyrics about different doors, and reminds me of House of Leaves which I was reading around that same time so they melded together for me. I can see why people might not care for it, but for me it scratches an itch.
I agree about In Rainbows. Itās a great album but not more exceptional than their best work. Itās rated highly because itās so accessible. Also Iām sick of it cos when it came out itās all I listened to for months on end.
Videotape is an incredibly weak song and I fail to connect with it. Imo, Last Flowers or Go Slowly would've been a better alternative closer.
Tkol is better than the bends and hail to the thief
Agreed
Hail to the Thief is their most cohesive album.
that's spicy. it's my favorite Radiohead album, but that shit is all over the place
If I had to remove one album from their discography Iād easily choose The King Of Limbs. Pablo Honey may be a bit cheesy and dated and not super creative, but at least itās a fun ride with two incredible songs (creep and blow out)
The King of Limbs is their best album, and their only one with no skips
I feel this.
The OK Computer sessions version of "True Love Waits" with the sliding bassline is my favorite version of the song.
Electioneering is one of the best songs on OK Computer.
also how do you is overhated and top 3 on pablo honey
The back half of OK Computer is mid. That album is carried by the first 7 songs.
Life in a Glasshouse is their greatest song
HTTT the best artistic contribution by any artist that ever lived.
tkol > the bends
I know it isn't a HOT topic but I think it's somehow a little hot In Rainbows is better than OK Computer
Pablo Honey is not a bad album. Blow Out holds up well to some of their newer material. It doesn't have the complexity of OKC onwards, or even The Bends, but for their debut, and compared to other popular music of the time, it was solid. I might be biased because I was an angsty early teen outcast who identified with Creep. PH was my favorite album at the time, and caused me to discover Radiohead chat groups and message boards where I met other Radiohead fans from around the world. I realized there was a whole world beyond the narrow minded people at my school and the inane boy bands on mainstream radio. It got me through some rough times, and I still listen to it on occasion.
Mine is. Ed OāBrien is massively being carried by the other 4 members. And the solo album proves it. The album was okay but musically heās way behind Thom and Johnny.
The hottest is Jonny š
I prefer Nickleback tbh
Idioteque is not that good. Optimistic being one of the greatest tracks off of Kid A, and in general imo.
Feral is awesome
Amnesiac is a glorified EP
Amnesiac is my personal favorite album of theirs. It is so much more than just the Kid A B-sides. Pyramid Song is my #1 Radiohead song and if you don't like Pyramid Song then fuck you
The Gloaming is excellent and itās a crucial live song
Pablo Honey isnāt even a bad album idk why people hate on it so much
Kid A title track is a god-tier song, the vocals have not aged that badly, IMHO. It's in my top 3 songs from the album.
I don't like the how Thom's vocals sound on AMSP's True Love Waits, I think the Pulk/Pull versions vocals are far better