What is the appeal of Radiohead?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Archguy, Jul 31, 2020.

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  1. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Yeah, I mean they write brilliant songs and have the musical ability to set them in any kind of musical setting they want, not many bands have produced such perfect explosive 'rock' records and experimental records and everything in between.

    I think people take them for granted as well. You just expect them to be brilliant and that is the mark they set every time. Something like In Rainbows is a big favourite to all kinds of different musicians if you look who has done cover versions of some of those songs. And you'll be watching a TV show (show runners seem to love Radiohead) and they will put a Radiohead song front and centre in the climax and it works and it maybe a song you thought was ok but hearing it in a different context you just think 'wow, that is actually a great track'.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU_1ca4MVXQ

    In terms of alternative rock music of the last 30 years they are pretty much peerless. I can't see why anyone would like them - maybe if you didn't like Thom's voice maybe, or if you are one of those people that wanted them to keep making The Bends over and over for the next 20 years like most rock bands do
     
  2. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    With only 3 albums, I love them all. :)

    Animals is the beginning of "Roger Waters with session men who happen to be members of Pink Floyd"...There's something missing.
    Oh, and one thing you hardly ever read or hear about "Forever Changes" : Arthur Lee's vocals aren't always spot on on it...

    Anyway. Back to Radiohead. :)
     
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  3. Bloodbuzz459

    Bloodbuzz459 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I've evolved numerous times with Radiohead.

    Initially I could only really get into Creep, The Bends and then a few tracks from OK Computer. Probably because they sounded most like what I was into it at the time. Then I got off the train and missed everything and got back on it with In Rainbows. I love IR and that made me revisit HTTT and because I was due to see them on that tour I tried to get into some of Kid A and Amnesiac they were playing regularly but never got into them as albums.

    Then King of Limbs came out and completely alienated me again after IR. I was do disappointed with that on release following IR and I abandoned it completely. (Lotus Flower was okay)

    Not sure what happened after that but I guess my music tastes became broader and more open minded and I at some point for some reason revisited Kid A and it now stands next to IR in the Radiohead canon for me. Not as keen on Amnesiac but it's still a good album. Then I managed to get into KoL and didn't enjoy the guitar heavy The Bends like I used to, I'd come full circle!

    Don't know what to make of a AMSP....I know it's definitely not bad but I'm indifferent to it. Bought it on release enjoyed it and then never really returned to it.

    I think the best route into Radiohead is via IR which touches on all of their sounds quite subtly but anywhere you go from there isn't a shock to the system. If you dive in at The Bends or Kid A you're likely to feel alienated to the other end of the spectrum.
     
  4. gregorya

    gregorya I approve of this message

    Their sound changed pretty rapidly, so if you listen to "The Bends" and either like it or not, that doesn't really indicate whether or not you'll like "Kid A" for example.

    On that note, "Kid A" was the first full album I heard, and I loved it.

    "In Rainbows" is another good starting point, as it incorporates many elements of their earlier albums into a relatively accessible whole.

    And of course, it is entirely possible that they simply don't appeal to you... ;)
     
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  5. Sneezyachew

    Sneezyachew Forum Resident

    Location:
    Providence, RI
    I know! The Beatles had the same “issue...”
     
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  6. that's what I did.
    Friend gave me a copy of it many years ago; it didn't impress me.
    I liked the song "Creep" when it came out, but watching them on Conan doing it didn't impress me, all I could think was "I could play what that guy's playing" (the guitarist)
     
  7. veloso2

    veloso2 Forum Resident

    beauty, risk,
     
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  8. ghoulsurgery

    ghoulsurgery House Ghost

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Other things that make me love them:
    - Colin’s bass playing. Especially after OKC. His basslines are the glue that holds some of the looser songs together. They’re never terribly complex but they’re exactly what the song needs.
    - the feeling in Jinny’s guitar style. He attacks those parts in a unique way and often changes his parts live to fit his mood. Always loved that
    - the way that, even at their most obtuse, they’re writing pop songs. They pull influences from all over the map but in the end, they’re writing their own weird pop songs. Yorke’s voice and melodies can’t escape it, no matter how hard he tries. I like the sound of someone struggling NOT to write a melody but falling into a beautiful melody anyway
     
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  9. LarsO

    LarsO Forum Resident

    They did two live studio sessions called In The Basement. They did one for In Rainbows and one for King Of Limbs. Seeing and hearing them might help you to know the band better.
     
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  10. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    There's no rule that you have to like them.

    But IMO their career sytlistically breaks into pre Kid A, and then Kid A and the albums after. The Bends and OKC have the most wide appeal to a rock fan. The post-Kid A albums can be less accessible.

    If you don't like The Bends, OKC and Kid A then I wouldn't bother with the rest. But who knows? Some people are just really weird and it's not impossible for some other album to be a gateway.
     
    Archguy likes this.
  11. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Should have said they are awesome live too.
     
  12. Tom Hakala

    Tom Hakala Forum Resident

    Location:
    Helsinki
    Ok Computer has some great songs but it's not my favourite. Kid A is their best. A Moon Shaped Pool is good too.
     
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  13. Cornfed Hick

    Cornfed Hick Forum Resident

    Understand: those two albums are VERY different. If you like guitar-based rock, then The Bends is most likely to please. After OK Computer they went almost full electronic/atmospheric, and kinda lost me. But if you like that stuff then In Rainbows is more likely for you. OK Computer is effectively a bridge between those two styles and blends them pretty well, and it is often considered to be their masterpiece. If you don’t like OK Computer, it’s hard for me to see why you would like anything after it, including In Rainbows, but you might still like their first two albums, Pablo Honey and The Bends.
     
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  14. Steve Carroll

    Steve Carroll Forum Resident

    Location:
    Palm Springs CA
    You're not missing anything. Terribly over rated band. The Bends is an average at best 90's 'rock record' that today sounds very dated. OK Computer is a dirge. Since then they've been a band in such of a tune. I've never understood the hype.
     
  15. dubious title

    dubious title Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario
    What is the appeal of Prince?

    Radiohead strikes a nice balance between challenging and accessible. Most would have a problem finding the appeal of one of their main influences, the band Can, but Radiohead made that, and other left field influences more accessible. Music fans want to believe their band is one that trail-blazes (which they did) and at the same they wrote many excellent accessible songs. Some of which have already veered into standards territory. Not an easy feat. Another aspect is that they really tapped into the then somewhat nascent culture of protest and politics.

    If you had been at the concert I was before they blew up you would surely understand. If you were also at the Maple Leaf Gardens show not too long after and heard Johnny filling the arena with immense power chords you would also understand. Not a favourite band anymore (too mopey as one poster pointed out) but trying to parse the appeal of Radiohead should not especially be a subject worth much exploration on the web's music form.
     
  16. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    I've seen them in 2000 (free ticket a friend had won thanks to a magazine). Didn't think it was all that great really, but, to be fair, it was their first gig in a long time. Bands usually have to have a few dates under their belt to fully deliver.



    (Funny, I know who recorded this).
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2020
  17. JamesRR

    JamesRR Trashcan Dream

    Location:
    NYC
    Like any band/artist, you either like the music or don't. Never got the whole "I don't get Radiohead" discussion.
     
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  18. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    initially, they were amazingly different from all the other 'new' bands. guitar driven, great songs and melodies and outstanding playing and songwriting. now, i believe that it is the 'lead singer is a star' syndrome. also suffered by maroon 5, coldplay and soon, i fear, muse.

    the media grabs onto the lead singer and just bombards the public with them and then leaves the rest of the band faceless and nameless for the most part and then the inevitable happens.

    and it doesn't hurt if they get a big push from an outside source....levine had one of those amateur singing contests where he was a judge and was on TV every week and chris martin has ellen degeneres praising him just about every day on a TV show that is watched, and adored, by millions (remember oprah's book club?)
     
  19. pig bodine

    pig bodine God’s Consolation Prize

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY USA
    I don't dislike them and have a few albums, but I wouldn't consider myself a fan. I was already in my 30's when OK Computer came out, and it didn't sound like a game changer to me. I'm not a fan of Yorke's voice, but I can overlook it. I think your age at the time they hit would be a factor.
     
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  20. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    That's because Radiohead is rated super highly. "OK Computer" tops the all-time best album Rateyourmusic chart etc. There's the same thing with the Beatles, really, with people saying they don't like them, they are overrated etc. It always happens.

    I think the "I don't get Radiohead" thing is often : "they might be good, but jeez, not THAT good or original, or grounbreaking".

    Yeah, I think so too. "OK Computer" is a game changer if you haven't listened to that many albums before, maybe.
     
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  21. dubious title

    dubious title Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario
    I so wish I could just occasionally say stuff that's wrong about music and bands I don't like.

    It's not dated, it could be seen as one of the best ever rock records, OK Computer, the following record could also be considered one of the best ever rock records. They have never especially been in search of an audience, critical acclaim and have at times abandoned the idea of "a tune". That said I never listen to either anymore, but I just have to exception to your post.
     
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  22. Doctor Worm

    Doctor Worm Romans 6:23

    Location:
    Missouri
    Without sounding pretentious, Radiohead tends to be a band that draws in musicians and music theory lovers. Different time signatures, diverse percussion, interesting chord structures, hopping through different genres, never doing what's expected...that's a big draw for many people, myself included. It's fine if you don't like them; I can certainly see where Thom's voice or the band's music may not appeal to someone. Don't let the gatekeepers make you feel bad for not getting Radiohead. It's okay to not like them or their music.

    I agree with many that The Bends is a good starting point, as is In Rainbows if you favor something a bit more experimental without being too radical. Hail to the Thief is also a good mixture of their more rock and electronic sounds combined into one. If you find something you like then great! If not then don't sweat it. :)
     
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  23. SteveRes

    SteveRes Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Ignore the debut, start at The Bends, and if you're anything like me OK Computer took quite a few spins before it "clicked" with me, and then became one of my favourite albums of all time. I'm not kidding when I regard it as The Dark Side Of The Moon of its generation. The Bends is their most commercial and accessible album, but the real meat is found in the albums that followed. OK Computer is their artistic highpoint imo but there are plenty of gems to be found in all the subsequent albums. I will say don't expect an easy ride with Radiohead, consistency isn't their thing and playing each album consecutively one after another before you're familiar with them could be off-putting as they change their style more times than I change my socks. I'd recommend spending some time with each album individually before moving on to the next. Familiarise yourself with each one and then move on the next.
     
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  24. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    If Radiohead were a mostly instrumental band like Mogwai, I would adore them. (I love Jonny's film music, for example.) But I simply cannot abide Thom Yorke's voice.
     
  25. Power Corruption & Lies

    Power Corruption & Lies Well-Known Member

    Personally I stopped being bothered by their output after the Bends. I remember the press treating OK Computer like it was the second coming and I couldn't see it. Just boring, boring dirge. Very clever but boring. I get that people want to be "challenged" by their music but I was more "challenged" listening to The Associates or Japan as a 12 year old than I could pretend to be challenged by Radiohead as an adult. They are the sacred cow of "serious" music fans many of who are on this site but I could say the same for my favourite artists like The Smiths/Joy Division I suppose.
     
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