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

I have the UK reissue and it sounds great. Also worth checking out is the HTTF vinyl reissue. That feels like a very different experience to the CD.

Hoping for a 20th Anniversary of this. Reckon there’s a lot of interesting stuff in the vault from this period.

It blows my mind that this is 20 years old this year. It’s strange that when I was a kid, classic Floyd, Genesis etc released before I was born felt like old albums; as much as I loved them, they sounded older sonically. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older but I wonder if a teenager could “date” Kid A by hearing it. It sounds so fresh to me.

 

Do you think a 20th anniversary expanded edition keep the original Double-EP format for the record?

Would it then become a 4 EP box of 10"s with discs 3-4 being bonus tracks?

 

1. Kid A
2. Most every thing else
...
9. Pablo Honey

That middle section is pretty fluid and changes frequently.

 

On most days I’d go like this:

Kid A
In Rainbows
Ok Computer
Amnesiac
The Bends
Hail to the Thief
A Moon Shaped Pool
The King of Limbs
Pablo Honey

Kid A is my personal favorite but if I had to nail down one record that I think is their objective best, I’d vote In Rainbows. That was their peak IMO; it brought together everything they’d done so far, full of energy, the songwriting is top notch, they’re just firing on all cylinders. You could tell how rejuvenated they felt, but also with the wisdom they’d gained over the last few records.

 

I'm up for whatever they decide to do next. Might as well toss my rankings out there too!

The Bends
Amnesiac
OK Computer
Kid A
In Rainbows
Hail to the Thief
A Moon Shaped Pool
The King of Limbs
Pablo Honey

Not a dud in the bunch.

 

They should definitely do a Kid A/Amnesiac box set similar to OKNOTOK with outtakes, session tracks, etc. An equivalent of the White Cassette or the Minidisk leak would be amazing...

I would love to hear these mixes, if they were preserved!

Also, they should include an expanded edition (3 or 4 discs) of I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings. Thom supposedly had work tapes of TONS of tracks in consideration for the album (Radiohead - For Your Consideration - The Live EP Work Tapes : radiohead ). This would be a no-brainer considering the brevity (8 measly songs!) of the original release.

 

Love this album so much.....BUT

My friends and I got tickets to see them on the Big Top (no logo) tour. The tour hit Glasgow Green before Kid A was released. After OK Computer and The Bends we barely recognised the band that was playing that night. We stood and complained when they played new (bleepy electronic) stuff and campaigned vocally for My Iron Lung etc..

Ah I wish I could go back and relive that gig with more mature ears...good night out anyway.

 

I think the 8 songs and 40 minute running time was aimed at engineering a low-price mini-LP type release that avoided the attention of The Big Live Double Album Statement.

 

Well, since everyone else is doing it...

The albums in the individual groups are in no particular order. Any one of the top three could take my #1 spot, and any one of the middle four could jump to the top tier depending on the day:

Ok Computer
Kid A
In Rainbows

Amnesiac
The Bends
A Moon Shaped Pool
Hail To The Thief

The King of Limbs
Pablo Honey

It's really difficult for me to put the top seven albums into a definite order as I find them all to be masterpieces in their own way. Add in all the fantastic b-sides and EP's and I can't fathom rejecting a case for them being the best band of their era, and one of the best bands of all time. Who else from their era who has ascended to similar heights of critical + commercial success, is still able to capture headlines, still making new music, and still headlining the largest festivals across the world?

 

I totally get that and I do appreciate a concise album. But I'm greedy and obsessive and welcome The Big Live Double (Triple? Quadruple?) Album Statement with open arms.

In terms of a hypothetical box set, it seems like a great opportunity to expand the original album. It was released 3 months after Amnesiac and is a great document of the band during that era. Obviously, there's tons of this stuff already out there but it would be great to have an officially sanctioned release...

 

Certainly would - though I've always thought they've steered clear of any official concert releases since then, so maybe they don't like them at all. They were not happy with the 2CD+DVD versions a while (sheesh! 10 years!) ago.

 

I think in the Q interview when Kid A came out, Thom said they would often spend days individually on their own portable studios, chopping, changing, editing and looping rehearsal jams as part of building a song.

 

Here's my rankings

OK Computer
Kid A
The Bends
In Rainbows
A Moon Shaped Pool
Amnesiac
Hail To The Thief
King Of Limbs
Pablo Honey

 

The only artist I can think of from that era that’s close to maintaining the same level of success, credibility, and keeping up quality releases is Nine Inch Nails

 

Nice—I was at the show at Blossom in Cuyahoga in 2001 when they did the version of “Like Spinning Plates” that ended up on the live album (as was @CassetteDek I believe?).

As awesome as that show was, it’s kind of hard for me to hear this very introverted material of this era played live—but the band really gave it their all.

I would also include Tool in that; unfortunately they had a very long 13-year hiatus up until last year.

***
And literally as I’m typing this out and listening to Discover Weekly on Spotify, this jazz reworking of “Bloom” comes on. Is there any other modern band that has this many instrumental covers of their material? I seem to hear a lot of versions of “Weird Fishes” as well.

Bloom

 

Mt first Radiohead concert was the Blossom show in 2003. Hard to believe it will be 17 years next month...

I love Tool, but I have a hard time putting them in the same category since their output has been comparatively sparse. I also rank 10,000 Days firmly below Undertow, Aenima, and Lateralus, although I think the highlights of that album are amazing and among their best work. Salival was also excellent. I'm still on the fence about Fear Inoculum. Some of it seems less interesting than it could have been like at the end of a song where the same chord is repeated without variation; things like that. That said, I wouldn't be opposed to them having a place on the pedestal.

I've never given this much thought, but there do seem to be an awfully large number of Radiohead instrumental covers...

 

Yep that was my first Radiohead show. It was great, and each subsequent show has been even better!

 

I caught them every time they came through the philly/NJ area since 97, but they skipped us in 2001. Should’ve driven up to north NJ for the liberty state park show. Everyone I know that went to that said it was unbelievable.

 

Can’t remember what order I put these in last time I did this, but it was probably close to this.

Kid A
In Rainbows
The King of Limbs
OK Computer
Amnesiac
The Bends
Hail to the Thief
A Moon Shaped Pool
Pablo Honey

 

OK Computer
The Bends
Hail to the Thief
In Rainbows
Pablo Honey
A Moon Shaped Pool
Amnesiac
Kid A
King of Limbs

 

Dear god, yes. I hope they do a big, massive 20 CD dump. Maybe we'll get to hear what the hell Inocent Civilians is about. A big, big chunk of Hail To The Thief was worked on during these sessions. A lot of those lyrics ended up in the Kid A booklet

 

Worst Radiohead show of the seven I've seen was the second Liberty State Park gig. I had just seen them about a week or so earlier at MSG, and that was amazing.

 

They all went to the first one, and got to see Thom do “true love waits” acoustic. I’m super jealous

 

I was at that one at Blossom too in ‘03 for the HTTT tour (Stephen Malkmus opened, and I wish I’d paid better attention, but I didn’t know his solo stuff that well back then) . Been lucky to have seen them twice out here since, once for In Rainbows, and once most recently for Moon Shaped Pool. All at outdoor venues, which they seem to like.

 

NIN
Pearl Jam
Noel Gallagher
Nick Cave + Seeds
Damon Albarn
Garbage