[neil]

I've popped in Radiohead : Amnesiac after not listening it for a while, and a first time with my Ety's. I really dig this album. At first I was kind of turned off by its first few tracks, thinking that its just overly electronica sounding -- but man, it's some cool stuff they're doing.

This is just a post to justify a poll.

 

[chych]

I've only heard/have OK computer, Kid A, and Amnesiac, and from them I like OK Computer the most... actually thats the only one I actually like...

 

[Nezer]

I just discovered Radiohead a few weeks ago with The Bends so that's all I've really heard. I have a hard time imagineing them topping that one though.

 

[neil]

neezer - Some of their stuff just takes a while to kinda sink in. Then you really start to get an appreciation for the more eccentric sounding stuff.

chych - same goes for you!

Man -- when I popped in Amensiac these evening, holy smokes, it just blew me away. Give it another whirl. I'm sure it's been a while.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

OK Computer did nothing for me. The one track Thom did with U.N.K.L.E. was better than that entire album...IMHO.

Kid A blew me away. It was well-timed and just what I was looking for.

Amnesiac was more of the same with some filler and some killer. I think they should have merged these last two albums, and possibly done away with a song or two (or three...).

 

[MacDEF]

It's hard for me to make this choice (although I chose The Bends). Pablo Honey and The Bends are like one type of music, while Kid A and Amnesiac are *completely* different. If you didn't hear Thom's voice on them, you would think two different bands make these albums. OK Computer is somewhere in between.

Personally, while I like the later stuff, The Bends just "does it for me" much more. I really get into it, and "High and Dry" is one of my favorite all-time singles.

 

[DarkAngel]

I give Bends very slight edge over OK Computer..........you can keep the Eno inspired Kid A & Amnesiac, bit too abstract for me.

Actually there should be another selection for iron lung/airbag EPs
combined which contain 15 tracks of mostly non album material and would be tough competition for Bends, may actually be top choice!

Mac
You could say OK Computer falls between Bends/Pablo and Kid A/Amnesiac, but sound is much closer to Bends.

Dusty
Did you say OK Computer sucks?...........I'm going to have to have a long talk with you to see if there is any hope for rehabilitation

 

[dngl]

It's hard for me to pick one favorite, so I'll say Bends for their rock days and Amnesiac for their experimental days. Bends maybe wins because it's a bit more comprehensible.

 

[gloco]

I personally feel that "pablo honey" was the worst album. The Bends was a step up and they really branched out with Ok computer. Kid A and Amnesiac is the next logical step for progress. The first three cds sound vastly different from each other
!
My favorite? AMNESIAC!

George

 

[royboy2k]

I can't believe how easily this one band can reveal such differences in our musical tastes! I also can't imagine anyone claiming anything other than OK Computer as their favorite Radiohead album, but I guess you guys are proof of my foolishness.

 

[Nezer]

Quote:

Originally posted by neil Some of their stuff just takes a while to kinda sink in. Then you really start to get an appreciation for the more eccentric sounding stuff.

Well, eccentric doesn't bother me. What does is how hyped they are. All my friends are like "You'll love them". The thing is I tend not to like something when it's pushed onto me but rather when I discover it on my own.

For example, in 1990 or 91 a friend played of me Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine. My response? "Turn that Paula Abdul synth-crap off!" About 4 years later I found NiN on my own and realized what a first-class moron I was.

When everyone started screaming "Radiohead!", I was really afraid of the same thing happening only, this time, what if I'm so turned off by the hype I *never* appreciate them.

I call this the Jerry McGuire syndrome, BTW. I saw JM on opening weekend. I liked it. A lot. Then, as the weeks passed, it go so over-hyped that I can now not stand the film! It was good, but not as good as everyone made it out to be.

I'm afraid that I'll be disappointed unless I discover it on my own when I'm ready and open to it.

The opprotunity to discover Radiohead came a few weeks ago when I just bumped into this CD at my ex's house. I borrowed it from her and listened to it when I was ready. Much to my suprise I had heard a fair amount of the record already without even knowing it. More importantly, I liked what I heard. The songs were strong on thier own yet still made a strong impression as an album. To me an album is more than a simple colelction of songs, it is a work of art that is made up of smaller works. I rarely listen to songs, but rather, I listen to whole albums.

Bends, I found, to be a great album. Now I'm ready to discover their other works of art.

 

[stuartr]

I agree that radiohead is a much better album band than single band. Although they have some great singles, they tend to be much better than balanced with the other songs. I also agree that it is nicer to listen to an album as a whole. When a band takes a lot of time to set up a certain order and collection of songs, it is really easy to notice. Some cd's just feel like they are thrown together, but some really feel like they are part of a whole. I also agree with DarkAngel that the my iron lung EP is fantastic, it would have been my first choice. Airbag is also great. I chose the bends, for a similar reason to MacDEF. I really love all their albums, but after awhile I find that Kid A and Amnesiac can be a little stressful. Not something to listen to everyday. Perhaps this is just because of their complexity. The bends is a little easier on you, but that is not why I chose it. I think it is one of the best collections of straight forward rock songs around.

edit: I also suffer greatly from the anti-hype syndrome. I liked Dave Matthew's Band for the first two albums, but once they came out on MTV and everyone started listening to them, I became very disenchanted. Also, I was hesitant to listen to radiohead until about four years ago, I finally gave them a try, and wound up really liking them. It sort of goes to show that some things that are genuinely good get hyped too, there is just so much crap that is lauded as groundbreaking that it makes it difficult to wade through it to find the good stuff.

 

[Pat]

1. The Bends
2. Ok Computer
3. Kid A
4. Amnesiac/Pablo Honey

The Bends is totally underrated. In my opinion it's one of the best rock/alt albums of the 90s. In comparison OK Computer doesn't have the same immediate hooks, so it does take some time to appreciate. Altogether, I thought Ok Computer was a more cohesive piece of work though. I used to think Ok Computer was superior but now I find myself coming back to the The Bends more often. It's just more listenable and that's where it really counts in my opinion.

I think it has been said before, but Radiohead's last two efforts, Kid A and Amnesiac, are indeed very respectable but seem somewhat distant. Well, at least to me. It's too bad they're into this avante-guard stuff... they would have been a fantastic rock band.

 

[stuartr]

Any w.a.s.t.e. members among us? Their fan club type thing. Thom Yorke sent out a rather interesting christmas email. A little political as usual, but I think I agree with him. I will post it:
quote:
violence breeds violence

we need a world court

not a republican with his hands covered in oil and military hardware
lecturing us on world security

we need love and understanding and tolerance and good laws that apply to
everyone, upheld by those who are in a position to judge

praying for world peace is not such an embarrassing thing to do anymore
i
think

especially not this christmas.

thank you everybody on w.a.s.t.e. for still listening and sticking with
us
and
understanding the records we make,

i hope your christmas is peaceful and loving and spiritual.
does that sound silly?
don't care.

thom

end-quote

 

[Braver]

I haven't heard Amnesiac but I have OKComputer and Kid A. OK Computer has a good atmosphere, some really cool music, but doen't click. Kid A though, I love it! I't not rock, it's not ambient it's not trip hop, it's just something else