52/ Palo Alto - Airbag/How Am I Driving EP - 1998 It was only last week that I finally got my hands on a special edition of the Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP. I've always had the EP digitally but I never bought a physical copy. So as I was driving home from the record store with the songs blaring in my car, the CD player came to "Palo Alto" and I remembered just how much I love this song. I still think that this is the only b-side from the OK Computer era that could have had a place on the album without the album being made worse. I just love the explosions of guitar on "But I'm OK (BADADADA) How are you? (BADADADA)"
51/ Backdrifts (Honeymoon is Over.) - Hail To The Thief - 2003 Nobody really seems to like this song! I absolutely love it. I love the electronic feel the song, I love Thom's vocals, I love the beats, I love the lyrics. The song does suffer from a bit of a long ending that could have been shortened a good 30-40 seconds but it's one of my favorites. The live version is just as incredible. Jonny Greenwood + backwards guitar solo + live = Gold.
50/ Go Slowly - In Rainbows (Bonus Disc) - 2007 Ahhhh, one of the new songs. The song first appeared in a set at a gig in England back in 2006. It was ok. Nothing to go on about. It was neat to hear a brand new song but the song itself wasn't very comparable with the rest of material that was debuted in both the same gig and later gigs. Then they released In Rainbows and I got my discbox in the mail and listened to the studio version. WOW. The song has such a cold and dark and pretty feel to it. Like a mysterious dark-haired girl. The song never really builds into a proper climax but the acoustic guitar at the end is more than enough. Not to mention the beautiful glockenspiel and electric guitar riffs. And that guitar "solo!" I could go on and on about the song but there are many more songs to go on and on about.One detail I really miss from the live version is a riff that Jonny played during the verses that gave the song a slight "desolate desert" sound to the song.
49/ (Nice Dream) - The Bends - 1995 One of my favorites off of The Bends. I absolutely love the chord changes in this song. I would be close to tears if I heard this played live at a future concert. Good tears, of course.
48/ Scatterbrain (As Dead As Leaves.) - Hail To The Thief - 2003 I've never fully understood why I love this song so much but it's such a perfectly formulated song. The sound, guitars, drums, singing, chord changes all fit the constant mood of the song: looking out a large window at a rainy, windy, messy-weather day. The trees blowing back and forth and the rain causing the whole image to distort.
47/ Videotape - In Rainbows - 2007 I would feel confident in saying this is one of the more "controversial" songs of Radiohead's repertoire. Not for the lyrics or singing. But for what they did to the studio version. Essentially, they took everything that made the song a fan favorite during its trial runs at live venues and got rid of it. The best live version of this song is definitely the Hammersmith Apollo debut of the song. It was the first time it was ever played publicly and it EXPLODED with energy. But when they got into the studio, they took away the proper drums and guitar and replaced them with a quiet electronic beat and... no guitar. But the twist? The studio version is actually a lot better and more fitting for the song. The lyrics go with the new version so much better than the 2006 live version. It took a couple of months before it clicked. But when it did, it became a personal favorite.
46/ Where I End and You Begin (The Sky Is Falling In.) - Hail To The Thief - 2003 This song features some of my favorite drumming and one of my favorite themes (musically) of all time (the opening notes). Also some fantastic lyrics. My favorite live performance of the song definitely has to be the performance I experienced firsthand in Atlanta this year.
45/ Optimistic - Kid A - 2000 I fell in love with this song when I picked up Kid A so long ago... and then I stopped listening to it. It became boring to me. And then Radiohead performed it in Atlanta this year. And I fell back in love with it. The studio version is so rich with "bony-sounding" guitars and a tribal sound unlike any other song they've done before. The lyrics follow the same theme with the opening line: "Flies are buzzing round my head. Vultures circling the dead picking up every last crumb."This song just ties together the overall sound of Kid A so perfectly. "Dinosaurs roaming the earth."
44/ You and Whose Army? - Amnesiac - 2001 I've never fully understood why I love this song so much but it's such a perfectly formulated song. The sound, guitars, drums, singing, chord changes all fit the constant mood of the song: looking out a large window at a rainy, windy, messy-weather day. The trees blowing back and forth and the rain causing the whole image to distort.
43/ Fog (Again) - Com Lag 2and2is5 - 2002. I love every inch of this song. It makes me want to cry when I hear it just because it's such an emotion-riddled song. I'm not a huge fan of the electronic (or, original) version of the song though.
42/A Wolf At The Door (It Girl. Rag Doll.) - Hail To The Thief - 2003 As I was listening to Scatterbrain while writing its review, the song ended and skipped to the next song on Hail To The Thief, A Wolf At The Door. And I completely forgot how incredibly badass this song really is. Apologies for not originally considering it but when you have a few hundred songs to pick from the task gets a little daunting. Please find and listen to the Atlanta 2003 performance of this song. Amazing.
41/Lift - Live in Salamanca - 2002 I don't think I need to describe why I like this song. Or why it needs to be on LP8. Or why I want them to play it live soon. Or why I love Thom's voice in it.This is just an incredible song that really needs a proper release. You can find a bunch of YouTube videos of this. It's only been performed live. I suggest you watch one.
Part 2 to come tomorrow! (For those still reading... ;))
Great list. Recenty when we were in Chicago with our granddaughter and her parents were out for the evening, Radiohead, and specifically Videotape, was the only thing that calmed her down when she started crying. I don't have the In Rainbows album but it is next on my list of "acquisitions".
Love Radio head (and Sonic Youth) and enjoyed the post.
While out the other day I saw a CD that was "Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Radiohead". Here is the description from Amazon.com: Rockabye Baby! transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies. The delicate sounds of the glockenspiel, vibraphone, and other instruments will lull your little one into a sweet slumber. These versions of Radiohead are sophisticated enough for people of all ages, but sweet enough to introduce your child to rock’s smartest band. Their album Kid A imagines the scope and power of music created by a newborn child. What will your baby dream about while drifting off to these serene interpretations of Radiohead’s best-loved songs?
Haha yea I bought that shortly after it was released. It's beautiful. I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend going to the official site and looking at the renditions they've done. You might find your favorite artist has a rendition out! I know they have bands like The Beatles, Nirvana, Tool, and many others. I have The Beatles CD. Very good as well.
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