What is the appeal of Radiohead?

I find Thom's voice to be a fascinating instrument. Lyrically, he's hard to figure out at times, and I like that. I think he's a very intelligent guy with a unique view of the world and I appreciate these musical glimpses and chaotic word puzzles that spill out from his brain.

I think the guitars, strings (arranged by the lead guitarist) and drums, be they played texturally/experimentally or more straightforward, are always well done on Radiohead records, and the compositions are such that the melodies really unfold and reveal themselves over time, and I get hooked.

Here's a cool "reaction" video from a young guy (and apparently a music/theory student?) and he does similar videos for when he first listened to other Radiohead records:

I thought this might be a good watch for someone who doesn't "get" this band. Interesting to hear someone who knows music give his honest first-reaction perspective anyway!

 

One of their best tunes. My favorite period is Kid A through In Rainbows. I saw them live in 2006 and they are definitely in the top 3 greatest live shows I've ever seen.

 

That's just elitism. Parachutes was as good as The Bends and Rush Of Blood To The Head a decent OK Computer follow-up. Stop the Coldplay hate. They are one of the most prolific alternative bands in history, compare very favorably to the likes of REM and U2.

 

Radiohead lost close to 2/3 of their audience between OK Computer and Amnesiac and they never returned. And they don't sell out stadiums. Stadiums hold 80,000 people. They sell out arenas which hold 18,000.

 

Radiohead built a brand based on an alternative guitar sound, a Pink-Floyd-meets-Nirvana kind of vibe. About 2/3 of Radiohead's audience discovered them at OK Computer, then went back an album to The Bends, and we were in love. Bought their albums, bought their singles, bought their t-shirts, bought their concert tickets. And then they make us wait 3.5 years. And then they cut us loose.

A band 100% has an obligation to their fans. The thing that gave them the ability to create bleep blurp mumble music for a decade? The money their OKC fans dumped in their pockets, and we didn't just put that money there because of past releases; we put it there to help them build a future that included us, that took into account what we loved, what we wanted.

And they threw it in our faces because they were afraid to try to release another great album. It wasn't 'growth'. It was cowardice. It would be like U2 releasing Joshua Tree and never having the courage to attempt Achtung Baby. U2 did it the right way. Changed, but just a little bit. Didn't alienate the core fans and picked up some new ones. Didn't dump the guitars and declare themselves a band that no longer sings, they whisper. Whispers and wimpers and no guitars. Not the Radiohead we paid for.

 

I was so perplexed by the popularity of Radiohead that I actually went
to see them in Toronto on the last tour. I still don't really get it - critics
hated seventies progressive rock with a passion, so why does everyone
adore these guys?! I did enjoy the concert; they ultimately won me over.
It was very arty and the musicians were all hidden in shadows but the
visuals were stunning. The music? Well, they won't make me forget
Greenslade or Triumverat any time soon.

 

It's no masterpiece. This is what so-called audiophiles always do- they talk up a crappy album and act like they are the only ones intelligent enough to 'get it' and anyone who speaks the truth 'a peasant'.

Kid A and Amnesiac are just weak albums by a band pulling an Emperors New Clothes, plain and simple.

 

Damn ... I agree, you're right 100%

 

<comes in to look at thread, clicks ‘show ignored content’, sees modern dad posts, leaves thread>

 

Coldplay alternative? Yes! They are alternative to good music.

Lol..Ok..sorry..It's just too easy for me to dislike that band (even though they do have some lovely melodic pieces).

As for Radiohead. I consider the ending of "Karma Police" to be the quintessential Radiohead moment. From the aching plea of the melody and the use of textures to build tension, to the insistent looping arrangement, this ending is a stunning moment of pop craftsmanship that few bands can equal. And the qualities of this ending can be seen again and again throughout their oeuvre.

If one can't appreciate this remarkable coda then I think it's safe to say that the rest of the catalog will confound, bore and dissapoint.

 

This. Exactly this.

 

You either like something or you don’t. Life is too short. I wouldn’t bother ‘trying hard’ to like any music.

I still remember hearing Paranoid Android for the first time on the radio after loving The Bends. It was jaw dropping. It’s an astounding album. To myself and many others. Doesn’t mean it’s everyone’s cup of tea though

 

To answer OP, it is simply art. It will appeal to some, and not others.

Like any other band discussed on SHF.

 

I get why Pablo Honey always is dismissed by the regular Radiohead fan because it's so different from the rest of the band's catalog, but I think taken on its own merits it's a decent '90s alt.rock album. I also remember well Pablo Honey received overall positive reviews upon release, iin 1993. There were no OKC, Kid A or other Radiohead releases yet to compare it to.

Q Magazine described Pablo Honey as "A good album whose best bits rival Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. and the mighty Sugar".

NME called in its Pablo Honey review Radiohead "One of rock's brightest hopes"

Billboard: "Certain tracks here may remind listeners of U2, but the lyrics have enough bite to make it on their own".

Entertainment Weekly: "The album mates Smiths type self-consciousness with dramatic U2-like vocals and guitar, with Cure style heavy but crunchy pop".

Robert Christgau named Creep as a "choice cut".

Rolling Stone: "What elevate Radiohead to fab charm is not only the feedback and strumming fury of their guitarwork and dynamism of their whisper-to-scream song structures, which recall The Who by way of The Jam, but the way their solid melodies and singalong choruses resonate pop appeal".


However...two years later, when The Bends was issued the critical reception was mixed, to put it mildly, and often the overall verdict was "not as good as the debut".

Spin Magazine deemed The Bends "A sophomore slump similar to followup albums by Spin Doctors and Counting Crows. The Bends is nodded-out nonsense mumble, not enough concrete emotion. It's one of those followup albums that proves Radiohead is afraid to be pigeonholed into the only style it's very good at". (5/10).

The Chicago Tibune reported in its one-star review about "Seattle wannabe guitar parts, the shimmering bad trip psychedelia of 'My Iron Lung', the clumsy unpleasant guitar scorch of 'Bones', the particularly cringe-inducing ethereal vocals by Thom Yorke, while the woebegone melodies are tuneful enough but too self-absorbed to be catchy. Radiohead is alternative rock's answer to the Moody Blues".

Robert Christgau in the Village Voice: "The words achieve precisely the same pitch of aesthetic necessity as the music, which is none at all".

It must be said though that back in the UK The Bends received glowing reviews. NME for instance hailed the album as "A classic, and the consumate all-encompassing, continent-straddling '90s rock record".

 

Firstly, I like good fidelity, but I’m no ‘audiophile’ nor do I make any of claim to be. Secondly, you really should get off your high horse. There is no ‘truth’ only opinions. Lastly, I’ve seen many of your posts in regards to Radiohead before and, quite frankly, they come across trollish at best. Just because you don’t like Kid A, doesn’t mean it’s not a masterpiece. The general consensus seems to be that Kid A was a landmark album for Radiohead whether you want to accept this or not doesn’t really matter one iota to me.

 

Those who think Coldplay and Radiohead sound remotely the same need to have their hearing checked! That's gotta be a bunch of deaf people writing this.

 

What is the appeal of Radiohead? Great music. Nearly 30 years of consistently great music (to varying degrees, of course). History will be very kind to them, in large part, yes, because critics love them, but mostly because they are a great band and their music is timeless.

 

And how does your highness measure sincerity?

 

You're being too hard on Radiohead; There There is a pretty good song.

 

This song is OK - apart from the vocals - but it's just post punk with a large budget, a slightly grungier version of Coldplay.

 

What, is no-one is allowed to have an opinion on Radiohead that you disagree with?

 

I'm one of those people who try to get into Radiohead but keep failing.

I spent some time with The Bends today. I think my issue is the dynamic range of the songs. If you look at the DR database, all their albums are severely compressed. This has the effect, to my ears, of making the transition from a subtle passage to a full out rock stage passage almost comically meaningless. There isn't any emotion connected to it, because everything is equally loud. And it seems to me this is a key element of the band - these dynamic transitions.

Interestingly, there are vinyl issues with much less compression. I may try to pick one up to see how I react to that.

DR is something I'm really sensitive to, and I think that's a major block for me with this band.

 

Yes, and on the OKC tour they played venues that held 3000 people. They expanded their fan base exponentially. It’s not a matter of opinion. The numbers are clear. They also regularly do multiple night stands at arenas that hold 20,000. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I’m also pretty positive that all their number one charting records came after OKC

 

They are a fantastic band made of passionate musicians. I like and love parts of each their incarnations from the beginning up until KOL, a lot of incredible songs. Still couldn't make much of AMSP though, I'm curious what their up to next.