Radiohead: Random Hail To The Thief Talk MMCDLXXVIII

[iron yuppie]

A drunken punch-up at a wedding!!!

 

[cobl04]

It's lacking parentheses.

 

[iron yuppie]

Yeah. Just listening to Thief now. I love this bloody record. It is definitely flawed, but I love it nonetheless.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

It took me forever to get into it but now I love it. Where You End and I Begin is such an awesome song.

 

[djerdap]

The first half of Hail To the Thief (sans We Suck Young Blood) is as good as it gets when it comes to Radiohead. The second half is very problematic though. I only really like There There and A Wolf at the Door, the others sound very filler-like to my ears (apologies to all you Myxomatosis fans).

 

[cobl04]

Twice in a thread! And we're not even 400 posts through. That's gotta be a new record for HTTT discussion.

 

[bollox]

The first half of Hail To the Thief (sans We Suck Young Blood) is as good as it gets when it comes to Radiohead. The second half is very problematic though. I only really like There There and A Wolf at the Door, the others sound very filler-like to my ears (apologies to all you Myxomatosis fans).

Totes agree that the second half is significantly weaker; however, I would not lump The Gloaming in with the filler tracks. It's one of the best songs on the album.

 

[FitzChivalry]

The second half is very problematic though. I only really like There There and A Wolf at the Door, the others sound very filler-like to my ears (apologies to all you Myxomatosis fans).

I would agree with this, but I also really like 'A Punchup At A Wedding'.

'Scatterbrain' makes me want to puncture my eardrums though.

 

[LemonMelon]

Twice in a thread! And we're not even 400 posts through. That's gotta be a new record for HTTT discussion.

I'm not sure if the title was a self-fulfilling prophecy or what.

 

[joyfulgirl]

'Scatterbrain' makes me want to puncture my eardrums though.

Poor Scatterbrain.

Not one of my favorite Radiohead ballads but every time I hear it I just think, "oh, that's lovely."

 

[lazarus]

Agreed. Scatterbrain is beautiful.

Punchup has a cool groove that's rare for this band.

Myxomatosis is dirty and snaky.

I Will is definitely something that could have been left off.

 

[lazarus]

I agree with everything you have said here (including Amnesiac being better than Kid A).

Yes.

I like Kid A a great deal. But definitely not in a never-soon-a-shooting-star-before way.

Yes.

Kid A's a good album, but individually I only like a few of its tracks.

Bingo.

Imo... IMO, the highs are higher on Amnesiac, Pyramid, Army, Wrong are all much better than pretty much anything on Kid A. The amount of praise and hyberbole heapped upon it are baffling if you ask me. Is Kid A a great album? Yes. Is it some sort of transcendant second coming of aural magnificence? I dont think so...

 

[iron yuppie]

The brilliance of Kid A lies in the atmosphere, sequencing, and commitment to vision. I really wish that its discussion wouldn't so often focus on it being "better" or "worse" than Amensiac, because it seems fairly obvious that the band had different intentions for the two.

 

[cobl04]

I will say the most I have ever enjoyed Kid A was a rainy, gloomy day when I went camping with my family a few years ago, and I was in a crummy mood. I really loved the album that day.

I obviously don't need to say where I lie in the Kid A-Amnesiac debate.

 

[LemonMelon]

I've never been to a forum that's harsher on Kid A than this one.

Obviously, I mostly frequent music nerd forums.

 

[monkeyskin]

The brilliance of Kid A lies in the atmosphere, sequencing, and commitment to vision. I really wish that its discussion wouldn't so often focus on it being "better" or "worse" than Amensiac, because it seems fairly obvious that the band had different intentions for the two.

Couldn't agree more. Kid A is more than the sum of its parts and the experience of listening to the entire record is different than any of their other albums. There are also plenty of albums that I love from start to finish but am hard pressed to find one track that I'd stick onto a mix playlist and let it stand by itself. Not that the songs are filler or run together anonymously, but they just belong together as a cohesive, complete piece of music.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Now wait a minute. I started this when I said that lately I think I love Amnesiac a tiny bit more than Kid A. That's slightly different than saying Amnesiac is better than Kid A.

Kid A has been my favorite Radiohead record since time immemorial (or 12 years), and one of my favorite records by anyone.

Lately I have been appreciating Amnesiac a lot and understanding why some people prefer it to Kid A. I listen to both records straight through so the difference to me is negligible.

In fact, I listen to all Radiohead records straight through except for Ok Computer where I nearly always skip Fitter Happier & Electioneering.

But we have to have the Kid A/Amnesiac argument every couple of years. Sometimes people change their minds.

That is all.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Finally I'm free of all the weight I've been carrying.

 

[intedomine]

In fact, I listen to all Radiohead records straight through except for Ok Computer where I nearly always skip Fitter Happier & Electioneering.

I can't skip those two tracks. While I rarely listen to either of them on their own, they simply must be played when listening to the album.

With Amnesiac, I'm more likely to go to town on the skip button, more out of an eagerness to get to the very best songs.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I'm more likely to skip Electioneering than Fitter, Happier. I don't know why that song grates on my nerves so. Fitter, Happier I don't mind but I don't feel the need to hear it every time.

 

[djerdap]

Electioneering

 

[corianderstem]

Just found out today that someone I work with is a huge Radiohead fan. He's going down to see them in San Jose, and then of course in Seattle, and he and his wife will see them while they're in Paris as well.

I love being surprised to find out stuff like that.

 

[LemonMelon]

Electioneering

It has always been one of my OK Computer favorites. Selway dominates the fuck out of that one.

 

[bollox]

It sticks out like a sore thumb on OK Computer, but I love it anyway, it's refreshing to hear them rock out. Also, Fitter Happier/Electioneering really set off the second half as a distinct Side B, something which I really love in albums.

Too bad they don't play it anymore, as the band apparently hates it. Though I get the feeling Thom Yorke pretty much decides what they will and won't play. Man, screw that guy.

 

[FitzChivalry]

Though I get the feeling Thom Yorke pretty much decides what they will and won't play. Man, screw that guy.

 

[corianderstem]

Seeing them tomorrow night!

 

[cobl04]

Are you going with u2popmofo?

 

[martha]

 

[mobvok]

Schrödinger's tickets have collapsed into a state of existence, so I'm going to the Seattle show tomorrow night as well. Concerts are not where I spend a lot of any money at all, so this should be a cool experience.

 

[u2popmofo]

Are you going with u2popmofo?

I'm seeing them in DC, which isn't for a few months still.