I didn't really start getting into Radiohead until Kid A came out in 2000, but I was a fan of the two Radiohead songs I heard on the radio: "High and Dry" and "Karma Police" (I never much cared for "Creep"). The former was from their straightforward rock album The Bends, and the latter is found on OK Computer.
When I finally decided to further investigate this Radiohead band, I started with Kid A, since it was their new album at the time, and then worked back. If I enjoyed Kid A, I was blown away by OK Computer. This was an album that had some of the straightforward rock elements of its predecessor, but it had a killer atmosphere. They took it to a level where they weren't just assembling a few random songs they had written, without any thought as to how they fit together. For the first time, they wrote an album, which had a distinct aura and thematic elements, and where each piece became a necessary component of a single coherent unit.
I get tired of all the bleeps and bloops on their post-Kid A work, but I never get sick of this album. There's really not a bad cut here (except for "Fitter Happier," of course).
Standout tracks:
- Paranoid Android
- Exit Music (For A Film)
- Karma Police
- Climbing Up The Walls
Fitter, Happier is a solid track and that album would be far less mind-blowing without it
ReplyDeleteI listen to it if I'm listening to the album straight through... It fits into the theme. But let's face it, if I'm on shuffle and it comes up, I'm not going to listen to a few minutes of someone uttering short phrases with a synthetic voice.
ReplyDeleteI try to like Radiohead... maybe I just need to try harder.
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