Unpopular Music Opinions III: Friggin Cobbler Vs. The World

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There's not much "abstract noodling". It's got "tunes" in Idioteque and Optimistic. And the rest is just awesome. Mostly.

That said, I do think In Rainbows is their best, the best record of the decade, and one of the 10 best ever.
 
I'm perfectly alright with someone disliking Kid A. I'm not alright with it being dismissed with such terms as "abstract noodling." It's very much "music," it very much has "songs." I've heard it far more times than I could possibly remember, and I can assure you that it was worth all the time I spent with it. Only a select few albums can draw you into its spell the way Kid A does, changing your mood, reflecting its lyrics with textures and hues that enhance every word, and generally being one of the most unique and engrossing listening experiences you can have with an album.

At the same time though, yes, it is challenging, and yes, it is slow in spots. Paul McGuinness probably hates it, but that's all the more reason to hear it.

Also, it's silly to think that Radiohead was "doing a Zooropa" as if that particular record precipitated Kid A somehow. Boards of Canada, Massive Attack, Aphex Twin, Stars of the Lid, etc. probably had far more to do with the creation of that record than anything U2 has done.
 
Well, hey, here's an article right here:

Kid A - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There's Aphex Twin right there. Doesn't surprise me to see Neu! and Miles on there either. While Zooropa and Passengers were compared to Kid A upon its release, they aren't explicit influences.

Sorry to harp on about this; it just really bugs me when U2 is blamed/thanked for every occurrence in the world of music that followed Boy.
 
Perhaps unpopular, perhaps not: Tears For Fears were one of the great 80s groups to sell any records and were easily one of the best new wave bands. Their albums had cohesion uncommon for the era, the lyrics were strong, and the hooks were ridiculous. Head Over Heels is one of my all-time favorite songs, and their first three albums were all good. I don't actively mind what follows, but it's nothing special. Elemental is too long and dour.
 
Popmartijn said:
Oh, OK then...
I often think that Kid A is being rated at the best album evah!/of the 2000s/of Radiohead. And I think that it is far less interesting as its reputation suggests, being more self-indulgent. OK, so Radiohead decides to do a Zooropa/Original Soundtracks 1 and even skip the tunes for some abstract noodling. And suddenly it is being heralded as the
most awesome thing ever done.
I think Kid A is falling far short from, say, The Bends, OK Computer or In Rainbows. There are some interesting sounds on it and it's certainly not a bad record. Just not the masterpiece so many are claiming it is.


I was gonna come back and explain my opinion on Kid A, but Popmartijn pretty much described my feelings perfectly.
 
Perhaps unpopular, perhaps not: Tears For Fears were one of the great 80s groups to sell any records and were easily one of the best new wave bands. Their albums had cohesion uncommon for the era, the lyrics were strong, and the hooks were ridiculous. Head Over Heels is one of my all-time favorite songs, and their first three albums were all good. I don't actively mind what follows, but it's nothing special. Elemental is too long and dour.

I wouldn't say this is unpopular at all. Great band.
 
Definitely not going, going to Thailand around that time. I don't think there's any reasonably priced tickets left anyway. Shit it'd be a great show though
 
The 360 version of The Fly is the best U2 has ever done.

I don't know about that - the version they did on the Elevation tour had some really heavy guitar and when Bono runs the laps around the stage - really cool.

The version they did on Bomb tour wasn't that great, IMHO.
 
I don't think Magnificock sucks, especially if it's going to be sharing that term with Cock Crazy and Stand-Up Referee. But I do think the response around here was hyperbolic. The verses are rather ineffective, though it's hard for me to deny the soaring power of the chrorus.

I'd probably rank about 6 or 7 songs on the album above it.
 
Nah, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight is a great song, one of the better ones on No Line On The Horizon. I think ...Boots is the sub-par one.
 
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