I love Radiohead.
What a trendsetter, right?
Well, I know that everyone loves Radiohead. But this post isn't necessarily for all of you guys and gals. It's for the minority of people out there who "never got it". They "understand that Radiohead is a big deal", but they "just don't see the big deal".
Well it is a big deal. To me, at least.
My friend Julie approached me recently. "Will, I don't really understand why everyone craps themselves about Radiohead. I mean, I really like 'Creep' and 'Karma Police', but I just can't get into the other stuff." Cue jaw-drop and inexplicable indignation. "'Creep'? 'Karma Police'?!? That's like saying, 'I really like 'Let it Be' and 'Across the Universe', but I just don't see why the Beatles are such a big deal!'" I was upset, emotionally and spiritually wounded.
So, Julie: This one's for you.
I've taken it upon myself to make a mastermix of Radiohead through the years. Whenever people ask me the best way to start getting into Radiohead, I tell them to go out, buy Pablo Honey, then The Bends, and so on until they make it to the second disc of In Rainbows. And then they should see a doctor, as their mind is most likely shattered to pieces.
Instead, I'm providing you all with the quick-and-dirty method. The following list is a mix of both my favorite tunes and also the undeniably brilliant ones. I like to think that the following playlist tells a story, the story of Radiohead's transformation from an Oxfordshire grunge band into the most important musical group alive, arguably of all time. I've selected a few key tracks off of each of the group's major album releases, and put them in order from oldest to newest. If this playlist doesn't convert you, then perhaps you're beyond saving.
In order to understand the brilliance of Radiohead, I think it's necessary to return to the beginning. The beginning is Pablo Honey, released in 1993 on an unsuspecting world. The album isn't amazing, but it has its moments. One of those moments is "Stop Whispering".
By any standards, this is a really, really good song. It may not be groundbreaking, but it's definitely fun to listen to. I chose "Stop Whispering" because it isn't that groundbreaking, but it exhibits the group's talents as well as their background in grunge and punk. The song could have easily been released by Pavement, with the electric guitar's high, metallic tone and the rhythmic pulse of the drums. But, like I said, there are moments. The first thing you notice is the incredible symmetry of the music. The bass and guitar parts are playful, rolling back and forth against the drums. The guitar riffs throughout the piece are quintessential Jonny Greenwood. Straddling the line between dissonance and melody, tight and contained at moments only to explode into syncopation and tremolo. The second thing you notice is Thom Yorke. Holy shit. Thom Yorke.
Even in 1993, Thom Yorke's voice is angelic. Yes, it's gritty. Yes, it's almost lazy at times. But when he sings out in the pre-chorus and then the chorus itself, it's almost as if you're listening to the emotionally-wounded love child of Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant.
Next up is "Creep". Everyone knows it. But I didn't feel right leaving it out of the mix. It's been overplayed since 1993, and now that it's on Rock Band every ten-year-old kid with an Xbox loves it, too. But even so, I still want to say a few words about it. Because "Creep" is brilliant. Truly.
Like "Stop Whispering", Jonny Greenwood is playing a beautiful guitar riff behind the vocals during the verses. Thom's voice is contained, held back during the verses. But inside this beautiful music is a dark, angst-ridden message. It's a song of breaking up, a song of unrequited love, a song about being driven crazy by lust. It's a song of self-hatred and resentment. And it's fucking gorgeous.
By the time you reach the bridge, you're nailed to your seat. Like a Pixies song, "Creep" uses the formula of ebbing dynamics and emotions. Quiet poetry during the verses, and then violent anger during the chorus. But the bridge is what gets me every time. When Thom Yorke starts climbing up and down his range, it's like you're listening to a well-oiled machine smoothly purring in your garage. And then it blows up in the garage and ruins all of your things. When he nails those last two "runs" in full voice, it's a moment of complete euphoric rage. It's catharsis in two notes, and it's a harbinger of what's to come.
Probably my favorite Radiohead album, The Bends is the link between Pablo Honey's punky grunge and Ok Computer's postmodern aloofness.
The album's title track exhibits some of the best songwriting in Radiohead's catalog. Like many of the songs on future albums, "The Bends" is about a sort of nostalgic paranoia, a distrust of the government and a chilling sense of helplessness. And it's all reflected in the music.
The drums in this song are unbelievable. During the quieter post-chorus moments, the drums take up the most musical space, controlled and deep before erupting in the chorus and guitar solo with cymbal crashes and high-hat explosions. The guitars wail with shimmering slides and throbbing down thrusts. By the end of the song, you've just been submitted to one of the most exciting alternative rock songs of all time.
Next up on the list is "Fake Plastic Trees". Wow. This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It starts off with just Thom and a guitar, singing about a world of synthetics and discontent. Then come the strings. The violins, cellos, and bass. "Fake Plastic Trees" quickly goes from melancholy worrying about mass consumerism to a symphonic anthem. The lyrics are beautiful, the vocals are breathtaking, and the climax is unforgettable. When the third verse erupts into a love song for a "fake plastic love", you can't help but feel overwhelmed. As the strings climb their way up to the second phrase, it's almost like anti-gravity. You can't help but follow them.
The last song from The Bends is "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". The lyrics talk about the claustrophobia of suburbia, the distrust of the mechanical modern lifestyle. Like so many of the band's best songs, it all begins with Thom and a guitar riffing on a descending scale before slowly picking up speed and instrumentations along the way to a musical climax. A harrowing, haunting song, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" ends The Bends with a beautiful, tormented melody.
While I stated before that The Bends is probably my favorite Radiohead album, I have no doubt that OK Computer is by far their most important. Not only is it one of the most influential albums of all time, it is also the one that thrust them out of obscurity and into the role of "World's most important band". And with good reason.
On several occasions, people have asked me to play for them the best Radiohead song of all time. Well, I can't. There are just too many. So I just throw on this little ditty, called "Paranoid Android".
"Paranoid Android" exemplifies the Orwellian, post-apocalyptic feel to OK Computer using three separate pieces that clash so violently into each other that they form a sort of colliding blend, a journey from the composed terror of the A section through the uncontrollable ferocity of the B section into the worn-out emptiness of the C section. Once again, Thom's tortured voice is unforgettably haunting, and the musical compositions are each brilliant on their own, but together they form a holy trinity of alt rock.
Anyone who was a teenager in 1996 has probably heard this next song. "Exit Music (For a Film)" was written for the final credits of Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo+Juliet" before being released on OK Computer. The song is terrifyingly beautiful. Really! Between Thom's dark, nightmarish lyrics and the abrupt keyboard chorale, it's a song that pulls you deep into a depressive rage, and by the song's climax it's clear that what you're listening to is unlike anything you've ever experienced.
Finally, "No Surprises" is my last choice for the mix. Picking three songs from OK Computer was hard enough, and leaving "Karma Police" off will probably lead to a lot of people thinking I'm an idiot. But I left "Karma Police" off because, frankly, I don't think it's that innovative. It's incredibly well put together, and it's a wonderful song. But it doesn't reflect the Radiohead spirit.
"No Surprises", on the other hand, is a perfect example of Radiohead's style. Their musical style, their lyrical style, their talent. The lyrics once again reflect that kind of suburban claustrophobia and consumerist paranoia that runs through so much of their work, and the guitar riff is simple and beautiful.
~ ~ ~ ~
Well folks, that's it for part one of Radiohead for Dummies. I hope it's been informative and life-changing and exciting, but if not, I hope it distracted you from whatever work you should be doing right now. It sure has done that for me!
Tune in next time for Part 2: Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, and In Rainbows.
What a trendsetter, right?
Well, I know that everyone loves Radiohead. But this post isn't necessarily for all of you guys and gals. It's for the minority of people out there who "never got it". They "understand that Radiohead is a big deal", but they "just don't see the big deal".
Well it is a big deal. To me, at least.
My friend Julie approached me recently. "Will, I don't really understand why everyone craps themselves about Radiohead. I mean, I really like 'Creep' and 'Karma Police', but I just can't get into the other stuff." Cue jaw-drop and inexplicable indignation. "'Creep'? 'Karma Police'?!? That's like saying, 'I really like 'Let it Be' and 'Across the Universe', but I just don't see why the Beatles are such a big deal!'" I was upset, emotionally and spiritually wounded.
So, Julie: This one's for you.
Radiohead for Dummies
I've taken it upon myself to make a mastermix of Radiohead through the years. Whenever people ask me the best way to start getting into Radiohead, I tell them to go out, buy Pablo Honey, then The Bends, and so on until they make it to the second disc of In Rainbows. And then they should see a doctor, as their mind is most likely shattered to pieces.
Instead, I'm providing you all with the quick-and-dirty method. The following list is a mix of both my favorite tunes and also the undeniably brilliant ones. I like to think that the following playlist tells a story, the story of Radiohead's transformation from an Oxfordshire grunge band into the most important musical group alive, arguably of all time. I've selected a few key tracks off of each of the group's major album releases, and put them in order from oldest to newest. If this playlist doesn't convert you, then perhaps you're beyond saving.
Pablo Honey
In order to understand the brilliance of Radiohead, I think it's necessary to return to the beginning. The beginning is Pablo Honey, released in 1993 on an unsuspecting world. The album isn't amazing, but it has its moments. One of those moments is "Stop Whispering".
By any standards, this is a really, really good song. It may not be groundbreaking, but it's definitely fun to listen to. I chose "Stop Whispering" because it isn't that groundbreaking, but it exhibits the group's talents as well as their background in grunge and punk. The song could have easily been released by Pavement, with the electric guitar's high, metallic tone and the rhythmic pulse of the drums. But, like I said, there are moments. The first thing you notice is the incredible symmetry of the music. The bass and guitar parts are playful, rolling back and forth against the drums. The guitar riffs throughout the piece are quintessential Jonny Greenwood. Straddling the line between dissonance and melody, tight and contained at moments only to explode into syncopation and tremolo. The second thing you notice is Thom Yorke. Holy shit. Thom Yorke.
Even in 1993, Thom Yorke's voice is angelic. Yes, it's gritty. Yes, it's almost lazy at times. But when he sings out in the pre-chorus and then the chorus itself, it's almost as if you're listening to the emotionally-wounded love child of Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant.
Next up is "Creep". Everyone knows it. But I didn't feel right leaving it out of the mix. It's been overplayed since 1993, and now that it's on Rock Band every ten-year-old kid with an Xbox loves it, too. But even so, I still want to say a few words about it. Because "Creep" is brilliant. Truly.
Like "Stop Whispering", Jonny Greenwood is playing a beautiful guitar riff behind the vocals during the verses. Thom's voice is contained, held back during the verses. But inside this beautiful music is a dark, angst-ridden message. It's a song of breaking up, a song of unrequited love, a song about being driven crazy by lust. It's a song of self-hatred and resentment. And it's fucking gorgeous.
By the time you reach the bridge, you're nailed to your seat. Like a Pixies song, "Creep" uses the formula of ebbing dynamics and emotions. Quiet poetry during the verses, and then violent anger during the chorus. But the bridge is what gets me every time. When Thom Yorke starts climbing up and down his range, it's like you're listening to a well-oiled machine smoothly purring in your garage. And then it blows up in the garage and ruins all of your things. When he nails those last two "runs" in full voice, it's a moment of complete euphoric rage. It's catharsis in two notes, and it's a harbinger of what's to come.
The Bends
Probably my favorite Radiohead album, The Bends is the link between Pablo Honey's punky grunge and Ok Computer's postmodern aloofness.
The album's title track exhibits some of the best songwriting in Radiohead's catalog. Like many of the songs on future albums, "The Bends" is about a sort of nostalgic paranoia, a distrust of the government and a chilling sense of helplessness. And it's all reflected in the music.
The drums in this song are unbelievable. During the quieter post-chorus moments, the drums take up the most musical space, controlled and deep before erupting in the chorus and guitar solo with cymbal crashes and high-hat explosions. The guitars wail with shimmering slides and throbbing down thrusts. By the end of the song, you've just been submitted to one of the most exciting alternative rock songs of all time.
Next up on the list is "Fake Plastic Trees". Wow. This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It starts off with just Thom and a guitar, singing about a world of synthetics and discontent. Then come the strings. The violins, cellos, and bass. "Fake Plastic Trees" quickly goes from melancholy worrying about mass consumerism to a symphonic anthem. The lyrics are beautiful, the vocals are breathtaking, and the climax is unforgettable. When the third verse erupts into a love song for a "fake plastic love", you can't help but feel overwhelmed. As the strings climb their way up to the second phrase, it's almost like anti-gravity. You can't help but follow them.
The last song from The Bends is "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". The lyrics talk about the claustrophobia of suburbia, the distrust of the mechanical modern lifestyle. Like so many of the band's best songs, it all begins with Thom and a guitar riffing on a descending scale before slowly picking up speed and instrumentations along the way to a musical climax. A harrowing, haunting song, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" ends The Bends with a beautiful, tormented melody.
OK Computer
While I stated before that The Bends is probably my favorite Radiohead album, I have no doubt that OK Computer is by far their most important. Not only is it one of the most influential albums of all time, it is also the one that thrust them out of obscurity and into the role of "World's most important band". And with good reason.
On several occasions, people have asked me to play for them the best Radiohead song of all time. Well, I can't. There are just too many. So I just throw on this little ditty, called "Paranoid Android".
"Paranoid Android" exemplifies the Orwellian, post-apocalyptic feel to OK Computer using three separate pieces that clash so violently into each other that they form a sort of colliding blend, a journey from the composed terror of the A section through the uncontrollable ferocity of the B section into the worn-out emptiness of the C section. Once again, Thom's tortured voice is unforgettably haunting, and the musical compositions are each brilliant on their own, but together they form a holy trinity of alt rock.
Anyone who was a teenager in 1996 has probably heard this next song. "Exit Music (For a Film)" was written for the final credits of Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo+Juliet" before being released on OK Computer. The song is terrifyingly beautiful. Really! Between Thom's dark, nightmarish lyrics and the abrupt keyboard chorale, it's a song that pulls you deep into a depressive rage, and by the song's climax it's clear that what you're listening to is unlike anything you've ever experienced.
Finally, "No Surprises" is my last choice for the mix. Picking three songs from OK Computer was hard enough, and leaving "Karma Police" off will probably lead to a lot of people thinking I'm an idiot. But I left "Karma Police" off because, frankly, I don't think it's that innovative. It's incredibly well put together, and it's a wonderful song. But it doesn't reflect the Radiohead spirit.
"No Surprises", on the other hand, is a perfect example of Radiohead's style. Their musical style, their lyrical style, their talent. The lyrics once again reflect that kind of suburban claustrophobia and consumerist paranoia that runs through so much of their work, and the guitar riff is simple and beautiful.
~ ~ ~ ~
Well folks, that's it for part one of Radiohead for Dummies. I hope it's been informative and life-changing and exciting, but if not, I hope it distracted you from whatever work you should be doing right now. It sure has done that for me!
Tune in next time for Part 2: Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, and In Rainbows.
42 comments:
Ah! Don't recommend Pablo Honey to Radiohead beginners! I learned that one the hard way.
Like your friend Julie, I don't get Radiohead either. I do however admire your passion and enthusiasm, and I hope the people of Radiohead read this post and are grateful for your dedication!
Agnes--
Depending on the legal ramifications of doing so, we're planning on making a .zip file of the Radiohead playlist for the second half of the post. If we do, I recommend your giving it a listen-through. Maybe something will spark? I sure hope so!
I think you left one very important song out from Pablo Honey. It actually hit me like a tons of bricks way before 'Creep' ever did. 'Thinking About You' was probably my favourite song in Pablo Honey before 'Creep'. I heard it from 'Itch EP' before I bought Pablo Honey. Already thought it was a brilliant song even though it was faster and rocks hard. Hearing the acoustic version totally blew my mind away but nevertheless, great choices from 'OK Computer'. These three are still my favourites from OK Computer. Looking forward to the next part!
I am a huge Radiohead fan, and my wife isn't. See my post about this topic. http://dynamicmeter.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-wife-and-i-like-different-music.html
Also, I just added you under my links.
Young William -
Thank you for dedicating your post to me. I am touched emotionally and spiritually. However, I do not remember approaching you and denouncing Radiohead. Be prepared to be sued for slander. Also, your eloquent and insightful look into the glory of Radiohead has inspired me to give a crap about them and so I expect a compilation CD for me upon your next visit to Boston. Dont forget the track listing.
I often come up against people that don't get Radiohead and it worries me. No matter what I do I can't get most over the "but it's so depressing" thing. I guess they'll never get it if they think like that.
Your picks for The Bends are spot on. And it's my favourite too. When I saw them at Glasto 5 years ago Fake Plastic Trees was a personal highlight.
I hate to say it, and I'm sure I'll be called out for it but Radiohead just isn't as influential as you're claiming in this post. Sure, they're arguably the most important band right now and probably the most important post-grunge band but it seems like you're trying to put them up with The Beatles, Stones and Zeppelin.
Sorry, but that's just not the case.
Also, your Beatles analogy doesn't really make sense. "Creep" and "Karma Police" would compare better with "8 Days a Week" and "Eleanor Rigby" since Creep and 8 days are early hits and Karma/Eleanor are hits off of the albums when the bands both really started to split into new directions. Just being a nit picky Beatles fan there.
I certainly understand the frustration of people who don't "get" Radiohead though. There's a lot of 'em out here in the sticks. It was positively maddening trying to talk to people about In Rainbows when it came out, no one really gave a damn and I was screaming about it from the tops of my lungs.
Ou est "Let Down"???
pretentious bastards. you all love the sight of your own words. some of them arent even your own. thanks wikipedia! anyway, youre goofy for even trying to create some sort of definitive playlist to sum up radiohead. they can't be summed up. if someone doesnt appreciate them, it's their loss. youre no better than evangelists, trying to stuff this down peoples' throats. besides, you left out anyone can play guitar. "i wanna be jim morrison." bonersniff. there's more, but i dont like writing.
Who shat in that guy's breakfast?
great Post. The Bends is by far the most accessible music they have made.
The double set at Bonnaroo a couple years ago made me a slave.
but who cares, really?
radiohead and the beatles are both incredibly overrated, fairly shitty bands
Fuck you for writing a post about Radiohead. Anyone who reads this blog knows very well who Radiohead is and doesn't need a bullshit post about them. Keep exposing bands we haven't heard of. That is why this blog continues to exist. No one wants to waste their time with this piece of pretentious shit.
i'm there are quite a few people who don't get radiohead. good post Will.
It angers me when people write about things I disagree with on blogs on the internet! This band is not sufficiently indie enough anymore to slake my unquenchable thirst for individuality through the dismayingly prevalent hipster mentality! I will do my best to express this via a nasty comment, rife with unimpressed, casual swears! I will then heat up an Uncle Ben's rice bowl for one and feel glad about my ruthless and discerning eye for underground culture, for it is what elevates me above my peers and into the kingdom of the chosen forever!!!
Haha, I love ^^ that comment.
Nice post, from another "I don't get Radiohead" reader. I bought OK Computer and am hopeful that one day it will click... Arcade Fire took me awhile, too, but now they're one of my favorites. :)
Well, at age 47, I would be one of those people who wonders what all the excitment is about RH. But, I did buy In Rainbows and like much of it. So, thanks for the informative post. I'll try to follow your tour to see if I see the light, or conclude that I missed it by a generation.
bones>stop whisphering imho
i would also leave out pablo honey completely. creep is great, but it sounds like it belongs on the bends.
and i really truly believe that JUST should have made the cut. it seems like you just chose the most accessible songs...(i.e. exit music -- but can we talk about climbing up the walls? or lucky?! and yes, one of the best songs of our generation, let down!?)
i love radiohead so much, but it seems like this is a lost cause.
great post will!
i can only hope cory kraft will read this...
hahahah
- parker
I guess you missed 'How to Disappear Completely' on your list. This hit is my favourite of alllll times ;)
I agree with a lot of what people have said about the selection of songs for this post. Bones is exceptional, as is Just. But, I just think that (more specifically for Just) it's not as groundbreaking or innovative as the songs I chose from "The Bends". This isn't necessarily my list of favorites, because honestly my favorite song from "OK Computer" probably is Climbing Up the Walls (the drums, lyrics, and sort of lazy darkness are absolutely fantastic). Instead I tried to make a list of tunes that were both accessible and informative about Radiohead as a cultural mainstay, instead of just a list of songs that exhibit Radiohead's brilliance. I wanted people to be able to hear a brief catalog of Radiohead, exhibiting both their talent and their ability to shape and reform popular musical styles.
I guess that's a bit convoluted, and a bit too much information. All I ask is that you keep the comments rolling, let me know what songs you would have/wouldn't have chosen for a Radiohead master mix, and let me know how you feel about part 2!
Thanks,
Will
hey! i'm a new fan of your blog. thanks for this post! i myself would be a 'radiohead dummy'. I was 6 when they first released their album, and never really got into them until In Rainbows, which I love. So a retrospective is in order. i'm loving rediscovering them. Thanks so much!
I remember the days when a band's popularity would make me cringe. I guess everyone has those days. Now it just pisses me off whenever people say they hate mainstream. Fuck them, all bands want to reach as many fans as they can.
It seems that if you're a guy it's obligatory to say Radiohead is your favorite band. (The Beatles, Bob Dylan, etc. are untouchable)
Ex:
Philip: Radiohead is amazing. I am NOT missing out when they come to The Woodlands. You like them?
Me: Yeah, sure -- they were like my favorite band... in the eigth grade.
I guess it's because I have my mind set that Beck will always be my favorite. Pah, I'm lame. What do I know.
Good choices for converting people!
I used to be in the "ehhh..." group when it came to Radiohead (partially due to being introduced to the band by my father--I had my pride/childish resistance to overcome).
But "Fake Plastic Trees" did it for me. They barely change the chord and it still manages to be an amazing song.
They're still not as good as Linkin Park.
Appreciate the post, but there's nothing defending the fact that Thom Yorke sings like he's having an asthma attack.
Some great songs, definately, but I've always preferred covers of them then the original version. My Brightest Diamond (Lucky), John Vanderslice (Karma Police), KT Tunstall (Fake Plastic Trees), Marrisa Nadler (No Suprises), Damien Rice (Creep).
And Just was the most ear splitting, whiney pile of crap since Led Zepelin and until Muse. Someone give the miserable fucker an inhaler
yes please make a zip file!!! :-D could u make that for part 1 too?
Excellent idea and nice text. We've taken up the topic and have made a suitable illustration (we=swiss music blog 78s). Check it out: http://www.78s.ch/2008/03/30/radiohead-for-dummies/
Thanks for doing this. I will know bookmark and send the link to everyone who just "doesn't get it" about Radiohead.
I don't even have to get spiritually/emotionally wounded and worked up anymore!
oh and "The Bends" is my favorite as well. I'm so relieved that a big-time blogging celebrity is saying that and confirming my music cred.
I get all kinds of flak from the Kid A/OK Computer enthusiasts for sticking up for "The Bends."
dammit...I do know the difference between "now" and "know."
Radiohead? Yaaaaaawn ... according to Google page rank's "5" rating, this blog is read, but not a whole heckuva lot kinda' way. More in a typical I'm-a-carbon-copy, I-like-what-other-hipsters-tell-me, follow-the-leader, I-desperately-hope-this-blog-will-get-me-some-attention way.
Hey guys,
love your blog, just had to chime in. I never really got into radiohead, and once even had a friend compile me a best-of CD, complete with his own notes about key moments in each track. I still have it, but rarely listen to it. I am definately in the "it's so depressing" camp. Anyway, as a professional musician myself, I can absolutely hear and intellectually understand the contribution radiohead has made to popular music. I don't dispute at all their innovativeness, envelope-pushing-ness, and downright amazing musicianship. However, you've just got to accept that for a lot of us, we just don't want to listen to it. I would think even the most diehard radiohead fan would admit that a great deal of their work is on the heavy side. Also, I think a lot of it has to do with time: If you didn't get radiohead the first time around, you can't ever grasp the real meaning of what they mean to so many fans. As much as I love the beatles, the simple fact that I was born in 1980 means that I'll always be missing somthing in that experience. There are a few rare times when I absolutely have to hear thom sing "we hope you choke", but that's about it. Mostly I just wonder how I would feel about them if I had bought pablo honey when it first came out. Thanks for making me think about this again, and keep up the great work on the blog.
thank you so much. i have tried getting into radiohead and have thus far failed. hopefully this mix will convert me
Thanks -- My friend bought me a ticket to see Radiohead this summer, and I need a refresher course in why they're awesome.
excellent post!
i've never understood radiohead and always felt ashamed about it. and the band's history & discography seemed so extensive that there was no use in even trying to figure it out.
i do wish there were accompanying mp3s, though.
Nice story. Definitely makes some good points. But as the first to comment suggested, I would definitely refrain from recommending Pablo Honey first. That would be like telling someone who knew nothing about Death Cab to go out and get You Can Play These Songs with Chords. Or to introduce Bright Eyes by telling someone to pick up Letting off the Happiness.
Many times, a fan must be won over before he or she can honestly go back in time and appreciate the earlier works of an artist.
I think The Bends could do it, though. It definitely got me.
Radiohead is OVERRATED! I liked their Pablo Honey album but never due to "Creep", which I think sucks! What I liked there is "stop whispering", "im not a vegetable", "prove yourself", and the next song after that which I could not remember. Here are my other fav bands which I believe, are so much better: Dinosaur Jr, Pixies, Broken SOcial Scene, Tokyo Police Club, Lush, Aphex Twin, Marumari, Seam, Versus, Medicine, Adorable, Archers of Loaf, Pavement, Boyracer, Felt, GbV, Mogwai, Sarge, Slowdive, Boo Radleys, shudder to think. What I am trying to prove is that I have enough exposure to this kind of music to know exactly what I am talking about. Radiohead being the most influential band of all time? I don't get it! I will be waiting for that mix tape and see if it will make me change my mind but please, remove "Creep" in it!
Woah...controversy! Will keep my eyes open for that zip file. Who knows, maybe something will grab me and I'll become one of the converted. It'll have to be pretty good though...
I love your blog! Jack Johnson and Fall Out Boy and Radiohead are my favorite bands of all time, they're all so cute. Also, I love the Backstreet Boys and Brooke Hogan. When are you guys doing a post on the new Taking Back Sunday? If you guys love Radiohead you would also love my hero, Toby Keith. We should all get together and take ecstasy with Mountain Dew and jerk each other off to Radiohead DVDs for a few hours. I love your blog, I have the intelligence and musical tastes of a comatose fourteen year old. Hot Topic rules.
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