In this era of musical fragmentation and the do-it-yourself indie revolution where seemingly anyone with a little ambition and a laptop can cobble together an album, there hardly seems a place for a world-renowned, massively popular rock band. After all, doesn’t popularity equal selling out in this musical age where obscurity might just be the proudest badge a band can wear?
There’s no doubt Radiohead in general and frontman Thom Yorke in particular have struggled with the celebrity status and popularity onslaught that ensued after 1997’s huge “OK Computer,” but whether the band likes it or not, Radiohead is probably the biggest deal in rock music today.
Notable for pushing boundaries while maintaining populist appeal, Radiohead gets three album re-releases out today from Capitol Records that document an interesting time in the band’s career — post-rock star explosion.
Five months after Radiohead’s first three albums, “Pablo Honey,” “The Bends” and “OK Computer” were given the deluxe treatment, the next three, “Kid A,” “Amnesiac” and “Hail to the Thief” receive limited edition collector’s editions containing the original albums along with a second disc of B-sides and live performances. Sets including a bonus DVD are also available.
2000’s “Kid A” is the best of the three, and it’s a stunningly successful record considering how dense and oblique it is. Yorke’s reaction to the platinum “OK Computer” was to delve into a level of abstractness only hinted at on previous releases, and the resulting product is at once terribly perplexing and jaw-droppingly gorgeous, from the beginning strains of the haunting ballad “Everything In Its Right Place” to the throwback sounds of “Motion Picture Soundtrack.”
Just don’t think too hard about what the lyrics actually mean; Yorke apparently wrote some of them from random words and phrases drawn out of a hat. The electronic underpinnings of “Kid A” mark a sharp departure from the band’s previous output, but clearly have influenced its subsequent work. “Kid A” is one of Radiohead’s masterpieces, and although its less accessible than their others, it still stands tall almost a decade later.
The bonus disc of “Kid A” mostly includes alternate performances of the album’s songs, including sessions from BBC Radio and live concerts. The lone B-side is “True Love Waits,” which was previously available on a collection of live songs.
Next up is 2001’s “Amnesiac,” the kid brother (or perhaps, leftover genetic material) of “Kid A.” Radiohead keeps the electronic vibe afloat on “Amnesiac,” but it’s hard to shake the feeling that a lot of it is just material that couldn’t or wouldn’t fit on the previous release. That still makes it better than most of its peers, but “Amnesiac” is a decidedly less focused affair, primarily in its second half. Still, the less electronic “Pyramid Song” and “I Might Be Wrong” have to be considered as strong efforts from the band.
The bonus disc includes lots of B-sides originally released with the album’s singles, along with a few live recordings.
Radiohead’s last release for Capitol, 2003’s “Hail to the Thief” marks a bit of a turning away from the electronic phase of the band’s career, and although it’s been dismissed as a minor record in the grand scheme of things, it’s almost totally successful at amalgamating all the different things that makes the band what it is, from Jonny Greenwood’s guitar to Yorke’s soaring falsetto to just enough electronic presence.
The “Hail to the Thief” package includes a number of B-sides released with the album’s singles and a few live cuts.
Radiohead’s presence in rock music is towering, and the re-releases of these three albums serve as a reminder of its impressive mid-career output. Most of the bonus tracks included on these expanded collector’s editions are probably unnecessary for a lot of listeners, but the vast selection provided is an appropriate tribute to the band, even though the members were not involved in these releases.
The Oklahoma Daily is pleased to provide you the opportunity to share your thoughts about this article. We encourage lively debate on the issues of the day, but we ask you refrain from using profanity or other offensive speech, engaging in personal attacks or name-calling, posting advertising, or straying from the topic at hand. To comment, you must be a registered user of OUDaily.com. Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Log in | Register
Radiohead 2 years, 9 months ago
Hey, My username is the same as this band. Cool, huh.
Maybe I'm a big fan.
Flips88 2 years, 9 months ago
You do realize Capitol Records is just doing this for profit? Radiohead left the label and started releasing stuff on their own. Capitol is just trying to bank on old stuff now.