I've been waiting (in vain, it appears) for the The Smile official store to offer a t-shirt with the album cover design on it. Now we have an alternate cover too but no decent shirt. Is it me or is their merchandise (excluding music) just the worst? It's worse than the Bowie store, and that takes some doing. Tacky, trashy shirts and sweatshirts and neon posters. Just look at this.... Ugh.
Don't bore us, get to the chorus. . . This may be the ultimate, quintessential opening salvo from Thom Yorke, delivered with deadpan restraint. It makes me smile every time I hear it. Like a lot of Radiohead's later output, this album is definitely a grower, but it feels like a fresh new reinvention for Yorke and Greenwood. Radiohead may or may not return at some point, but I'm glad that they're taking this detour.
I went to the Milwaukee and Chicago shows. It's basically the merch they have available on their band site... plus and orange winter hat, with The Smile on it.
Bummer. But I’m cool with having double dipped on this one for collecting purposes. Is the pressing good? I played my yellow version again yesterday and it has more surface noise than I’d like, even after an ultrasonic clean.
The Chicago show was great! My main takeaway is that this trio of musicians are at the pinnacle of their powers. Obviously, Thom and Jonny are geniuses but Skinner is also tremendous. He’s such a visceral and technical drummer and he really allows Thom/Jonny to go places they can’t with Radiohead. I also noticed that Thom seems to be having the time of his life. It’s apparent he enjoys digging into these songs and was in high spirits throughout the show. Jonny was in spectacular form and got a huge response from his extended “solo” during “Bending Hectic.” As for the other new songs, I somehow missed seeing/hearing bootlegs of “Read the Room.” I was kinda blown away by how weird that song is. This is one that could never be a RH song and could only come from these three musicians collaborating. I’m primed to follow this trio wherever they want to go next!
Saw them in Detroit. The four new songs push even further into a proggy/jazzy direction, than what's on the album.
I only skimmed it the other night, but the Tom Skinner solo album seemed pretty good. I’m going to give it a few more listens.
got my 10" Rough Trade/Floodgate-Hairdryer and it is a very nice pressing. the quality of the live recording is outstanding.
Kinda wish they would have released the whole broadcast on vinyl (I know most of it is on the bonus CD)
My copy of the CD that came with the Rough Trade exclusive vinyl doesn't include the poem reading, unless I'm missing something? It's just "A Hairdryer" for the first track and "Open the Floodgates" as the second. Was the poem reading just supposed to be exclusive to the 10"?
The smoke-colored pressing is significantly quieter than my yellow pressing, so that coupled with the alternate artwork made it worth it. I just wish they would have been a little more transparent in what was on the bonus CD on the Rough Trade site. I'm sure the poem is all of a minute, but it would be a cool extra to have and the listing claimed it was included.
Bad Rough Trade, very sneaky, knowing fans would rush to buy the limited edition release before it sells out without worrying about the track list of the CD....all the while it's only 2 tracks and not even an EP worth of material. Put the track list next to the product listing, or if it's supposed to be a secret, at least call it a "CD single" or "Exclusive 2-Track Live Sampler" or something like that. I wouldn't be surprised if this kind of thing gets under Thom's skin, actually. The guy who came up with the "name your price" album release! Not that he can do anything about it after the fact.
I enjoyed this article: The Smile Might Be In This For The Long Haul Especially seeing that someone else appreciates how “People on Balconies” is similar to Randy Newman
Seems to be behind the paywall or anti-ad blocker something like that, for me. Could you please tell us the gist of it?
This last paragraph sums it up well: How many artists 30 years into their career could satisfy their audience with a set of virtually all new music? When the lights came up Monday night, I didn’t leave wishing that I could have heard my old favorites. I was buzzing over the possibilities of the future. That likely would not have been possible without a new name and a reconfigured lineup, nor could I have seen Yorke playing rock music in such close confines. The reboot has removed the Radiohead albatross from band and fans alike. In 2017, when asked if Radiohead would be ending after the tour supporting A Moon Shaped Pool, Yorke told Rolling Stone, “I ****ing hope not.” Me too, Thom. Yet it’s hard to deny the vitality of the music he and Greenwood are making after getting out from under the weight of that legacy. I hate to say it, but we need to consider the possibility that Radiohead will not be returning for a long time. We also need to consider the possibility that this is a good thing.
