Radiohead

Originally Posted by josho

Despite being slightly biased towards the piano, I do enjoy Creep quite a bit. I like how just before they go into the chorus you're hit with some short, but heavy, power chords. Someone had told me that those chords were never suppose to be recorded on the final track. Do you know if there is any truth to this?

Real story: Jonny Greenwood hated "Creep". So, as they were recording it, he slammed on the distortion pedal and banged out some "KA-CHUNK" noises right before the chorus in an effort to ruin it. They're not even notes, really, just loud, distorted noises. Ironically, everybody loved the "KA-CHUNK" noises, and now Jonny's rather forced to play them when they perform the song live. Funny how things work out that way, huh?

I am a huge Radiohead fan, myself, and I'm terribly sad that I was unable to see them on their summer tour. I tried to catch them at the Boston Pavillion, but the tickets sold out in literally under a minute. Anyway, you should get ramoth in here. He's also a Radiohead nut.

Also, Jonny Greenwood effin' destroys. I love his work with the Ondes Martenot on the latter three albums, in addition of course to his excellent guitar work.

In other news, my favorites of theirs would include "Let Down", "How to Disapper Completely", "The National Anthem", and the obvious "Paranoid Android"

How ya doing, buddy?

I LOVE "Pyramid Song". I can play and sing it as well, it's rather strange to do it without drums, though. I have done it, though, at a local coffee shop (local to college, anyway), and to warm reception. I think I actually stamped my foot during the latter half to emphasize the truly jazzy nature of it! It's really well-composed, I think, in the way that you can't tell the metre or that everything is on the off-beat until the drums enter in 3/4 with breaks of 2/4 and such.

I'll make a recording sometime, maybe!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

"There There" friggin' rocks. So does "Where I End And You Begin" - what a great bass groove, I always want to air-bass along while I'm driving, then I realise that I'll crash if I do, so I don't. Or I do it at stop signs. And why is "Sail to the Moon" so completely underappreciated? I think it's an absolutely gorgeous song, and Thom's cracking falsetto is used perfectly. It always gets me when he breaks off at the end of the line "know right from wrong~" - the delivery is so emotional throughout the whole song, and the contrasting "spacey" major key sections with the minor key sections is perfect. I don't understand why people hate this song. Can anyone assist me here, or do you all like it as well?

Other note: Radiohead has better B-sides than many bands have A-sides. Case in point: "Talk Show Host".

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I find it amusing how the last two posters said rather different things, but still had one thing thing in common: You both like OK Computer from start to finish. OKC was my first Radiohead album, and it's still my favorite. However, I don't consider Radiohead a "singles" band. Pablo Honey is a relatively weak offering, with "You", "Creep", and "Thinking About You" clearly being the highlights, but I think the closer "Blow Out" is very strong offering that hints at where the band would go next. The Bends I find very solid all the way through, there's not a track that I tend to skip.

Majin, have you listened to Kid A at all? The album had no singles, but as an album, I consider it an artistic achievement. The whole thing flows from start to end, and it has absolutely no right to - It consists of such diverse elements as sparse electronica, soundscapes, Free Jazz, IDM, and tracks such as "How to Disappear Completely", which is one of the most well-composed songs I've heard in a long time. The song makes so much use of elements set against each other, like the guitar in six and the bass in four, or strings playing a tone cluster which against very tonal music. And the moment where the strings rise and rise and choke out the rest of the music, and the tension builds and builds, then suddenly breaks is absolutely perfect. "HTCD" is, in my opinion, a masterpiece.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I'll admit Kid A is weird and different, and I agree that "TNA" and "HTDC" are the best tracks. But I'm a weird and different kind of guy, I guess. I think I gave the album about three listens straight through before passing judgement. But, hey, not everybody is me, so you're entitled to your opinion. "TNA", though, we can both agree, kicks serious ass. I have a video of them performing it live on SNL if you want me to upload.

Changing the topic. I see you're a big Muse fan. What do you think of the Radiohead/Muse comparisons? Any credibility to them, or just a load of bunk?

I was speaking idiomatically.