I was late to the Radiohead party. I was aware of the band’s existence early on, but they hadn’t done anything to really draw my attention. That changed in 1997 during a flight from St. Louis to Baltimore.

That year, people were going on and on about Radiohead’s new release OK Computer. Fans and critics alike were singing its praises. So, I bought a copy. The first time I played it, I thought it was good but nothing special. But I was distracted by other things during that listen. This is an album that demands focus.

But I’ll get to that.

Radiohead’s debut album did relatively little for me, even though it isn’t bad. Like what seemed like every other person on the planet, I was frequently exposed to the song “Creep,” off of Pablo Honey, by our fledgling Alternative music station. I liked the song enough to learn the chord changes on guitar. This was the third Radiohead album I bought. As is my nature, I was more into the deep cuts. That is to say, the tunes I never heard on the radio.

https://youtu.be/OzL7u5teZhg?si=KS3fjpgVRHGzORIx

Over time, I’ve come to appreciate this album more and more. It’s clear why Radiohead took off from here.

If you said to me that The Bends is Radiohead’s best pound-for-pound album, I would have trouble arguing with you. This album contains low-key and morose banger after banger. That so many of said bangers are driven by acoustic guitar makes it all the more special.

https://youtu.be/LCJblaUkkfc?si=_14eZ_VZBu1hG85N

https://youtu.be/n5h0qHwNrHk?si=feLBgbdwOWVv0adt

This band had caught lightning in a bottle. Fans already tuned in were Mo doubt driven into a frenzy. This band was something special.

The reason I bought Radiohead’s first two albums was because of its third. OK Computer is nothing short of mind-altering. Back in those days, I carried a portable CD player with me any time I traveled. This album made the cut for that flight to Baltimore. With nowhere to go and nothing to distract me, I sat in that cramped Coach seat and listened. It didn’t take long for it to sink in. “What the hell is this?” I had to play it for the friend I went to Maryland to visit. She didn’t grasp it quite the same way I did. It was “Karma Police” that sank in the deepest.

https://youtu.be/1uYWYWPc9HU?si=hDQTKe6B-IYWowc4

My mind now completely off balance, I came to realize how much I adored “Paranoid Android” as well.

https://youtu.be/fHiGbolFFGw?si=ASO35uSwHSJLy9Tb

To this day, O.K. Computer continues to reveal new secrets. And it remains one of my favorite albums.

Like so many other fans, I was initially disappointed by Radiohead’s next album Kid A. Why? Because it sounded nothing like OK Computer. I would come to learn that this was the bands M.O. They made the most of a particular sound, then moved on to what was next. In this case, the guitars seemed to be getting fazed out in favor of more electronics. It took some getting used to, but I started to get it. In fact, Kid A contains probably my favorite album opener of all time. It puts you in precisely the headspace required to absorb the rest of the album.

https://youtu.be/NUnXxh5U25Y?si=E-0zMRbtb77W_ueK

The album also has one of the most hauntingly beautiful tunes the band has ever created. How I enjoyed learning this tune on my guitar.

https://youtu.be/6W6HhdqA95w?si=2BsikUz8zTuy5yGW

We were still absorbing Kid A when Amnesiac dropped. It went even further down the electronic rabbit hole. Though there is an exception that led to one of my all-time favorite Radiohead songs.

https://youtu.be/3M_Gg1xAHE4?si=JmW50MQzvdaLtl_2

I like Kid A better, but I like the two albums as the idea of an extended concept. Kid A Mnesia is solid evidence of this. The collection contains not just the two albums but a third disc that should be played in between them. That third disc serves as a nice transition.

As live albums go, I Might Be Wrong falls short for me, personally. Having attended two Radiohead concerts, I can hear the shortcomings. Perhaps this was intentional. I’m not sure. But from where I sit, the band would do well to release both a full live album and a concert video.

But there is an upside. The acoustic version of “True Love Waits,” another personal favorite, can be found on this disc. Radiohead has a knack for always giving me a silver lining.

https://youtu.be/mbVKGlh3gg4?si=EnAl9h7rqUC0bds_

I would imagine that more than a couple of Radiohead fans see Hail to the Thief as a “return to form.” The electronics are still there, but the guitars and acoustic drums are back. The mix is quite glorious.

https://youtu.be/2w6kHS_IRrE?si=B2B1uOQ5X87ipXin

This album also contains one of my favorite electronic tunes. It’s swirling and pulsating nature put the hook in my the very first time I heard it.

https://youtu.be/Qh_iXvllR6E?si=EYip6QuEhYVCVzPY

This is a remarkably solid album. The concert behind this tour was quite a blast, too.

In Rainbows is in my personal top three favorite Radiohead albums, along with OK Computer and The Bends. (The sequence depends on what day it is.) The 5/4 beat behind “15 Step” brought pure joy to this prog/jazz fan.

https://youtu.be/Al1o33CRXsU?si=BOF4A6gh7PpflrdS

My only complaint is the removal of Phillip Selway’s drum break at the end when the band plays the song live. It’s overtaken by electronics when the kick and snare drums along with a splash cymbal were more than enough. Sometimes less really is more.

This is another personal “banger after banger” album for me. I was still recovering from “15 Step” when the tune right behind it tossed me right back into the maelstrom.

https://youtu.be/TTa6h_gNrkU?si=hQYjd6k9Nb-kniVU

This is just a fantastic album.

In Rainbows and OK Computer were released ten years apart. But the two albums could’ve come from the same sessions. For proof, check out the 1001 playlist you can find on the streaming services. The two albums’ songs are played alternately and flow seamlessly. It’s really quite beautiful.

My Radiohead obsession began to fade with the release of The King of Limbs. The band added a second drummer in Clive Deamer, a move I didn’t completely understand (though it looked like Selway was handling the acoustic percussion while Deamer dealt with the electronics). The songs were adequate, but none of them have really grabbed me. Except for one, and even it leaves me baffled because the band chose not to put it on the proper album! That just doesn’t make any sense!

https://youtu.be/tFTLxkMmY4M?si=ksjJQ_CPTTW2v4uI

Well, what the hell do I know?

I’m equally ambivalent about A Moon Shaped Pool. There isn’t enough “there” there for me. It’s not terrible. It’s just not great. Radiohead seemed to be running out of creative steam. Perhaps that’s why we haven’t heard an album from them in nearly ten years. I give them credit for not just throwing something out there to placate us. Their catalog does more than enough to speak for itself.

As for Radiohead’s deluxe sets, I think they’re worth it, since the bands b-sides are often just as interesting as what’s on the album. This is particularly true of The Bends which, in retrospect, should’ve been a double album. But no label in the modern (then the nineties) music era would allow a band to create such a project for its second release. I get it. Still, hindsight and all that. The fans would’ve bought it. I certainly would have. Then again, I guess I did.

Like I said before, I’d still love to see a proper concert video with accompanying CD. Given the nature of the physical media industry these days, I’ve opted not to hold my breath. Though something tells me there’s a “Greatest Hits” release floating around out there somewhere. The thought process just hasn’t reached the right desk yet.

The band did release an interesting documentary on the heels of OK Computer called Meeting People is Easy. Radiohead’s internal search for identity while dealing with the seemingly phony world of newfound superstardom makes for an interesting character study. What’s real? What isn’t? It’s a mystery more than a few artists are still trying to solve.

In the meantime, there is more than enough Radiohead out there for us to enjoy. Dig in!

#cirdecsongs

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