What Album Was Radiohead ‘s High Water Mark?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by vinyl diehard, Mar 7, 2019.

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  1. aravel

    aravel starchitect...then, father!

    Location:
    GDL - MEX
    ::..after this thread, I went back to listen 'King Of Limbs' that, gotta say, 9/10 times since new (US cardsleeve CD edition) I've listened to from my iphone or my computer mp3 files, so last night -not that late- I played the CD in full volume, and after this, I dropped my initial thoughts as "REgular-Good'' for "VeryGood-Excellent"...I don't know, but probably the atmosphere set on speakers made the difference...anyway, I won't change my vote.
     
  2. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    REM's Up was influenced by OK Computer to some degree. Radiohead opened for REM in 1995 and Stipe once said "Radiohead are so good it's scary" Also bands such as Travis and Coldplay were Radiohead lite. The mid 90's Radiohead sound was pretty influential
     
  3. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    ah radiohead.........

    first 3 albums - to die for

    kid A - a little different, the guitars are basically gone, but some haunting things on there.

    then the slow downhill slippery slope into the thom yorke band.
     
  4. I only have In Rainbows. Its the only album of theirs that i can listen to from start to finish.
     
  5. vinyl diehard

    vinyl diehard Two-Channel Forever Thread Starter

    Few bands have had the bravery to do what Radiohead has done. Follow their own path.
     
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  6. Jarra Lad

    Jarra Lad Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jarrow, England
    Easily 'In Rainbows' is the high water mark for me. I saw them a couple of times as a support band before Pablo Honey came out so picked up all the albums and most of the singles as they came out. They got even more interesting to me from 'Kid A' onwards. I rarely play the albums before Kid A. I probably should play 'A Moon Shaped Pool' a bit more, but it did feel like it was a drop in quality. I am one of those who also enjoyed 'The King Of Limbs'.
     
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  7. Astralweeks

    Astralweeks Diamond Dog

    Location:
    Concord, NH
    OK Computer is when they were at their most cohesive and conceptual.
    Kid A is when they were at their most experimental and daring.
    In Rainbows is when they were at their most organic and confident.

    What's their high water mark? I say OK Computer, I personally think it's their strongest and most cohesive album. In Rainbows is probably my favorite, but I have to admit not their absolute best. Kid A is another favorite of mine but lacks some consistency their other records have, there's a few moments on that album that get a little dull (just a few!!).
     
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  8. vinyl diehard

    vinyl diehard Two-Channel Forever Thread Starter

    Bumpski.
     
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  9. soundQman

    soundQman Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlington, VA, USA
    It must be said, though, looking over their career, they have created an altogether impressive collection of b-sides.
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2019
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  10. Paul P.

    Paul P. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    I have the "Deluxe" In Rainbows with the second "B-side" disc. I play that more than the main album, generally.

    (And that's not a knock on In Rainbows - they're just great B-sides!)

    Cheers,
    Paul
     
  11. Pop_Zeus

    Pop_Zeus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southport, UK
    Yes. I have pretty much all of their b-sides and random non-album songs, I'm just missing the HTTT bonus tracks. May pick up the deluxe version at some point to get those. Its a shame that a 2CD In Rainbows didn't come out, other than the expensive vinyl box set with the CDs in. I had to get the disc 2 stuff from iTunes, but I'd like to have them on CD too. I love the 14 Bends era b-sides especially. A few of these could have easily made the album. The OK Computer ones are excellent too, including the 3 additional unreleased songs of course. Been playing the Bends b-sides back to back a few times recently. Soon I want to play all their b-sides that I have on shuffle
     
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  12. DPK

    DPK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern U.S.
    Let's rank 'em!

    1. The Bends
    2. OK Computer
    3a. Hail to the Thief
    3b. In Rainbows
    5. Pablo Honey
    6. Amnesiac
    7. Kid A
    8. A Moon Shaped Pool
    9. King of Limbs

    Yep, I prefer Pablo Honey over Kid A and Amnesiac, and I really, really, really like the frequently derided Hail to the Thief.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2019
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  13. TheSeldomSeenKid

    TheSeldomSeenKid Forum Resident

    I bought those B-Sides and was disappointed that it was mostly the Yorke Electronic Blips & Beeps Type Music, so have hardly played them, but YMMV. Think was the same type Music for the B-Sides for 'Amnesiac'-IIRC.

    The B-Sides for 'In Rainbows' are awesome though and the B-Sides from 'The King of Limbs' are actually better than at least half of the Songs on that Album and should have been on the Album instead of 'Feral', 'Bloom' and 'Morning Mr Magpie'-IMO. I wish there were more B-Sides made for 'A Moon Shaped Pool'(think there were only 2 Songs including 'Spectre').
     
  14. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I think Bloom is one of their finest moments. Took a Live version to reveal its layers and make sense of the polyrhythms. The orchestral version is beautiful too.
     
  15. TheSeldomSeenKid

    TheSeldomSeenKid Forum Resident

    I finally bought the Deluxe Box Set for 'In Rainbows' a few months ago, as after seeing them in concert last Summer where they played several Songs from 'In Rainbows', I started to play that Album more often again having forgotten how much I liked it and my favorite Post 2000 Radiohead Album.

    Having read that the 45rpm Vinyl was the best Vinyl ever done for a Radiohead Album, despite not owning a TT yet, I wanted to get this Deluxe Set. It also included all the B-Sides, which are good enough to have been another Album(or an EP release), although having bought the 2 CD Singles at the time in 2007-2008, I already owned a few of the B-Sides(think all of them are on YouTube though that you can check out. I think 'Down is the New Up' is one of their Top 5 post 2000 Songs).

    The only disappointment with the Deluxe Set is the Booklet, that is not much and just mostly some Artwork. A Hi-Res Download along with a CD and BluRay of Live Concert would have been nice to include though in the Deluxe Box Set.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2019
  16. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I voted Kid A but OK Computer is really great, too. I like The Bends a ton as well.
     
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  17. danielkov86

    danielkov86 Playing Devil's Avocado Since 1986

    I think OKC was their all-time peak with In Rainbows as a close second.

    I was too young to witness when OKC came out, but I recall what a cultural impact IR had back in 2007.
     
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  18. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    While OK Computer is an alright if overrated album, I feel their next one, Kid A is incredible yet underrated, a real masterpiece.
     
  19. cosmicdancer

    cosmicdancer Doin' it to you in 3D! So Groovy that I dig me.

    I'd vote Kid A, but it and OK Computer are basically in a dead heat for me. After Kid A, I start to care a lot less about each following release to the point that new albums by them barely register with me. I appreciate artists that continue to push boundaries and remain creative, but in the case of Radiohead for me, there just isn't much there that I'm into. They've strayed to far for my personal tastes. I know that many fans will disagree. I respect their artistry and I'll always listen to a new album of theirs once, but there hasn't been anything that has made me want to listen after the initial play in a good bit.
     
  20. KDubATX

    KDubATX A Darby Man Never Says When

    Location:
    Austin
    Kid A pure liquid high water. Was big on OK Computer too, but Kid is transcendent.
     
  21. beatleroadie

    beatleroadie Forum Resident

    All have their merits, but here are my Top 5, and completely essential, IMHO:

    1. OK Computer
    2. In Rainbows
    3. The Bends
    4. Kid A
    5. A Moon Shaped Pool
     
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  22. JL6161

    JL6161 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan, USA
    Not Pablo Honey, but other than that, it's usually whichever album I'm listening to.
     
  23. M2225

    M2225 Nebulus 7 intergalaxy eclipse

    Location:
    Helsinki, Finland
    Their peak is OK Computer. The Bends on a close second place.
    According to the poll, the two weakest albums are Pablo Honey & King Of Limbs, which is correct.
    Pretty much all Radiohead albums except the two weakest are good in some way.
     
  24. Harry Flashman

    Harry Flashman Forum Resident

    OK Computer. Hijacked the Oasis juggernaut in 1997, which was no mean feat; given the mass pre release hype surrounding Be Here Now. A groundbreaking album of complexity, emotion and a theme that has stood the test of time. In the top 3 of all time in my opinion (how they managed to then followed it up immediately with the Airbag EP, which was equally stunning, I’ll never know).

    If they’d gone one step further and released Kid A/Amnesiac as a double album, I believe that would perhaps have been their high point.
     
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  25. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    They were never as relevant as in 1997.
     
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