"OK Computer": Classic Or Dud?

Yeah, I don't really see an issue with that. LEAVE LOUIS JAGGER ALONE! :)

his/her

Yeah, not like I've been saying how much I like them. Also, deeznuts, please learn to parse.

'their songcraft is just too good for my tastes'

XP

Actually, contenderizer, you have a point in that they're not EXACTLY to my tastes, but then very very few bands are, whatever those tastes might be, which is a whole lotta murk in itself. For the most part, they ARE to a broader "taste" defined by "do I like and listen to this music". Argh, STFU me already.

all the people of the world have the right to like radiohead the amount that is appropriate for them. if you're a teenager and feeling confused, we suggest you consult your school counselor or clergyman. they might be able to help you sort out your feelings.

Not having emotional resonance to the music is perfectly valid, but I’m not so sure how valid it is to try to make liking their music seem disingenuous.

Thus the general reception (a literate proclamation of "OMG!" by people who, often, don't listen to that much music besides)

What I find particularly condescending and arbitrary, though, is how a lot of music critics tend to base their invective toward RH exclusively on some Extramusical Straw Man Radiohead --- emphasizing attributed "intentions" or "true colors" (not only RH's, but also their fans'). This is not only just a really severe case of missing the point, it’s offensive in its assumption that the necessary premise to liking their music is musical ignorance.

So you've got a Big Cock Record Collection, good for you. Not everyone listens to music like it’s a dick-wagging contest. Just sayin'.

-- Turangalila, Tuesday, August 19, 2008 11:28 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

I didn't so much mean 'fans' with this comment as, literally, mainstream non-music media; i.e. BBC Breakfast News getting music journalists (who I've never heard of) on TV at 7.30am to go "omg Radiohead new album omg" at millions of people.

Sorry if this is a daft criticism, I can only say why I don't really care about them, it's just that their pathos feels so abstracted and heavy, the pain of someone who reads too much Benjamin and doesn't get the jokes. It never winks at its own histrionics.

if you've ever seen "You and Whose Army?" performed live, then maybe you'd think differently. the most heavy, serious & unwinking of Radiohead songs is turned into something subtly hysterical... and quite literally, winking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQwsB_Aonmg

though to be fair, that (you and whose army) schtick is new, and radiohead's attitude is much more affable now than it was a decade ago.

You can't get much cooler than dissing Radiohead

That's true. I diss Radiohead primarily because it's cool, and only secondarily because they suck.

I only refer to them these days as Gaydiohead--but I do this out of a deep-seated affection for them, as though they were a younger brother. This is probably an unnatural way to feel about a band.

I get on my friend's nerves by calling them "The guys that sound a lot like Coldplay"

though to be fair, that (you and whose army) schtick is new

wrong! i saw it live in 2001... as well as in 03 and 08.

2 disc deluxe edition, disc 2:
1) polyethelene (parts 1 & 2)
2) a reminder
3) pearly
4) melatonin
5) meeting in the aisle
6) lull
7) climbing up the walls (07 mix)
8) climbing up the walls (fila brazilla mix)
9) palo alto
10) how i made my millions
and a bunch of live shit

i like paranoid android a lot, even the 'heavy' section. karma police is excellent too, except the high parts. not sure about the rest. i think there's a good slow song between those two though.
― ethan, Monday, May 7, 2001 8:00 PM (7 years ago)

lol

I think somewhere in "Meeting People Is Easy" they play part of this slower sounding demo version of "Paranoid Android".. does anyone know where to find that?

I was listening to the deluxe disc 2 material yesterday. The stuff that was on the Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP still holds up pretty well. I remember that "Lull" used to be sort of a fan-fav b-side back in the day, but listening to it again it sounds like the last gasp of Bends-era Radiohead, in a not very good way.

The "bunch of live shit" kamerad mentions is pretty much totally worthless imo. For reference the live tracks are:

Airbag (live in Berlin)
Lucky (Live in Florence)
Climbing up the Walls (BBC Radio 1)
Exit Music (BBC Radio 1)
No Surprises (BBC Radio 1)

I remember that even back in the day the Airbag & Lucky tracks were disappointing because they sounded like mediocre audience recordings. The BBC stuff is a tad better but doesn't really differ that much from the album versions, apart from the wicked bass fuzz in Exit Music.

meh the only track i love on that list is How I Made My Millions.

Yeah.. that might have been cool if they included a few songs that weren't b-sides.. unless there's nothing else I guess..

singlehandedly redefines the genre of "dud"

that second disc might be better than OKC but then I am an Airbag EP stan

i have all these songs already and i'm not fussed about live shit.

There's a version with a DVD also.

The OKC DVD has six live on TV tracks, of which 2 are repeated songs.

The Bends one has loads.

I didn't play OKC much when I got it. It only became interesting to me after Kid A, which I love. So then I go back and see it as a stepping stone to a favorite album.

Here's some other interesting three album progressions.

Talking Heads - More Songs, Fear Of Music, Remain In Light
Wire - Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 154
Magazine - Real Life, Secondhand Daylight, The Correct Use of Soap
Simple Minds - Real To Real Cacophony, Empires And Dance, Sons And Fascination
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Organisation, Architecture & Morality, Dazzle Ships
Martha and the Muffins - Metro Music, This Is The Ice Age, Danseparc
Gary Numan/Tubeway Army - Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, Telekon

This is a brilliant thread.

Dud.

Satans favorite album.. I couldn't even get 10 seconds into this mess without pressing my hands into my ears. This album is a disgrace to America and all that we stand for. Tonight I will say a special prayer for this band.

uh

15 years old today. Happy birthday, you beautiful album.

still think this album sucks except for 2 songs. can't understand at all why this was considered so brilliant. some tuneless guy moaning about dehumanizing world while breaking into unappealing falsetto every 2 seconds, punctuated by unmemorable guitar noise, prog-rock chord structures, and ugly drumwork.

bravo nate.

did you have this thread on standby ?

(no sarc intended .. just genuinely amazed at how a thread like this appears out of nowhere on stroke of midnight .. )

xpost -- Never knew you hated Goyte that much.

news update :

ned makes me laff out loud in my kitchen.

They're on tv right now and I knew OKC came out in the summer of 97, looked on Wikipedia and what do you know.

pretty sure Poliopolice had fun. in mind

have never listened to this, what's it like?

a thousand angelic choirs singing thee to thy rest

i.e. average.

I always forget that moment in "Exit Music" when the drums pound in and it goes from being comfortably gloomy to satirical and dangerous.

I love this record.

This makes me feel old. But not as old as Pablo Honey turning 20 next year is gonna make me feel.

Poliopolice arrest this man.

Can't believe I never contributed to this thread. Was I away on tour when it was started, or something?

Happy Bloomsday everyone!

bloomsday comparer

I still love this album. People talk about Kid A being their big leap forward into experimental realms but as far as I'm concerned OKC is an experimental rock record, a huge advance on The Bends.

Denying this is one of the best albums ever made is pure challops IMO.