Radiohead's "Kid A" Turns 20--Anniversary Set Speculation and Discussion

I wasn't a radio head fan, but I bought this on cd when the shop opened (mvc, Bank region, London). I had a portable cd player, put it on for the walk to the office.

Immediately, I turned and went back to the shop: "This cd is faulty. Its jumping all over the place"
Ans: "it's supposed to sound like that"
Me: "No its not"

They put it on.

They got me a replacement.

 

Well, they'll do the best they can given the times* and resources.

*of London

 

I had no idea they did this! It's good that there are pictures, sleeve notes and videos on there too.

 

That thought definitely crossed my mind. They may also just not know. They might feel pretty spent as a band now but that could change.

 

Those first notes of Everything in its Right place still stop time for me 20 years later. Amazing.

 

The US 2016 pressing was a scratchy mess. The 2016 UK pressing is sublime and sounds so damn good it’s almost a remix experience. So many nuances going on and very, very crankable. I wrote about my experience in one of the other Radiohead threads around here.

 

Gah. I'm a bonehead. Sorry. It doesn't seem to be represented on that album, although shows from right around it are.

I agree - they know better than we do but considering the long gaps between albums from 2003 onwards the idea of them considering that period as being one chapter seems a bit of a stretch.

 

EOB in a recent Guitar World interview:

A Moon Shaped Pool came out in 2016. Any idea on when Radiohead plan to release the follow-up?

“I’m sure there will be another album. That last record was a lot of old songs, which explains the different eras of Radiohead it might have sounded like. It will definitely happen, but when that is, I have no idea...”

 

I have a feeling that EOB is not the person in Radiohead who decides if there will be a new album...

 

Your post saying that is sounds like there will be nothing more was due to an EOB quote

 

As I said, I am happy if I am wrong but I can't see a new Radiohead album happening.

 

A Moon Shaped Pool actually came out in 2015, so it’s over 5 years old now. I hope it’s not their last album. There was an air of finality to it. But then again, I read a review disparaging The King Of Limbs, with the reviewer opining that it would probably be the last Radiohead album.

The band has had a phenomenal run, and achieved what they have with all the original members intact, which is rare. They may want to preserve that.

On another note, I’ve only heard it once, but I thought Ed’s solo album is pretty good. Upbeat and fresh.

 

AMSP was released May 2016.

 

People have been speculating the end of Radiohead since after In Rainbows. Until someone comes out and says, “It’s done”, I believe they will be back. Having a member say “I’m sure there will be another album” and “It will definitely happen” only furthers my belief there. Especially when said member is probably the member doing the most with his solo stuff currently.

EOB also confirmed Radiohead were planning a 2021 tour, though that is now in doubt due to the pandemic.

 

Right you are—I was so sure it was 2015, but I got my years mixed up.

So 4 years old as of this last May.

 

People were assuming they were breaking up after their long hiatus after Hail To The Thief (which ended up being about 4 years).

 

I saw them at Coachella in 2004, which I think was the last date of the HTTT tour. There were rumors at the festival that they had actually broken up and were only playing the fest for the big paycheck. It was by far the worst Radiohead set I’ve ever seen; Thom’s voice was shot and they had no energy at all. I believed they were done. But they took a break and came back with one of their strongest LPs. Anything is possible with this band.

 

I can only imagine they were completely enervated by that point. At least a year or more spent recording the OKC follow up (after years spent touring the world for that album), and the sessions were supposedly fraught with tension. Then, back out on the road to tour both Kid A and Amnesiac. A short break, then right back in the studio in '02-03 for the 14-track HTTT and then its resulting tour. That's a hell of a lot of activity for around six years.

The hiatus did them good, and we got The Eraser out of it.

 

That. I have no idea if they'll put out another album--they've certainly not indicated that was it, but I think even when I first heard AMSP, it sounded like the end. I suppose there's a part of me that could be content with that, if it's the case.

 

I'm in for whatever Radiohead decides to do for the Kid A 20th anniversary. This is the band, and album, that altered the course of music for me. After Kid A I sought out jazz, EDM, IDM, psychedelic rock, prog, and anything else under the sun that the band had mentioned as an influence, or that was similar or assumed to have influenced them. There is a clear demarcation between the music I consumed pre-Radiohead vs post-Radiohead. I'm now conditioned to blind buy the most expensive, exclusive iteration of anything they put out, and I've yet to be disappointed. I will admit to feeling like The King of Limbs was a bit of a let down, but I loved the art/concept of the deluxe edition, so no real regrets to speak of.

Regarding the various pressings of Kid A, I have the original UK LPKIDA1 and the 2008 reissue, but I've never heard one of the more recent 12" reissues. I recall reading on this message board that some people considered it to be the best sounding copy of the album, even besting the UK original. To those in the know, is the 12" reissue worth tracking down?

 

The clear 2xLP 45rpm King Of Limbs is one of the best-sounding records I own. Made me appreciate the album even more.

 

I LOVE the newspaper edition of TKOL. All the artwork is gorgeous. The newspaper is super interesting. The sound is stellar.

 

I think I've only listened to it once. I'll break it out today and give it another spin. Seeing the songs performed live gave me a better appreciation for the album, but I still rank everything but Pablo Honey higher.

 

Because nobody asked, my ranking goes like this:

1 OKC
2 The Bends
3 In Rainbows
4 Kid A
5 Amnesiac
6 King Of Limbs
7 A Moon Shaped Pool
8 HTTT
9 Pablo Honey

The B-sides of the ‘95-01 era contain enough material that would have made at least 3 strong albums themselves.

 

Oh so we're ranking albums now are we! I put some thought into this and my ranking goes like this:

1. Kid A (2000) 10/10
2. OK Computer (1997) 10/10
3. In Rainbows (2007) 10/10
4. A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) 9.5/10
5. The Bends (1995) 9/10
6. Amnesiac (2001) 8.5/10
7. Hail to the Thief (2003) 8.5/10
8. The King of Limbs (2011) 8/10
9. Pablo Honey (1993) 7/10

Also agreed Radiohead have some incredibly strong B-Sides that could easily have been in full albums.