"RA D IOHE_AD IN/RAINBOWS" continuing discussion thread part iv

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Lancemc said:


I make an appearance from time to time. I don't want to end up completely caught with my pants down and be like "Oh hey, look, there's a new U2 album on the shelves. I had no idea."

As for Passengers. I don't dislike it. It's grown on me, much like HTTT. But I used to have quite the reputation, back when I posted in EYNIW, for not being too crazy about Passengers (or at least not considering it a U2 album). I do think it's wildly hit-or-miss though. But when it hits, it's a fucking doozey.

And if I were bitter about that, I'd have to be a super-purist and listen to Varese or some shit. :wink:

Yeah, it's hit or miss, but it's also a few songs too long (like HTTT). Scale it down to 10 and it's a lot more impressive.

Now I'm not saying that Passengers is more accomplished than Kid A overall, but as a U2 fan, does it bother you at all that they don't really get credit for doing something 5 years earlier that Radiohead was eventually lauded for immensely, esp. by the Pitchfork crowd, even if they improved upon or perfected what U2 started?

There's no way Radiohead didn't hear this album and take some kind of influence from it. Especially because Eno was so heavily involved. Would they cop to that? Probably not.
 
It doesn't bother me at all.

I'm not really sure Radiohead deserve to be lauded for doing something "innovative" or new or whatever, because they certainly weren't the first to do what they did. I do however think they deserve to be lauded for doing it better than anyone I've been able to find yet. There will always be inspirations and innovators. Which one ends up with the better product is always up in the air. I'll give credit where credit is do to each particular artist.

Edit: Let me also add that I've always felt Radiohead have been more directly following Bjork's artistic career than anyone else. You could almost trace every particular album of theirs back to a parallel Bjork release a bit earlier. A lot of it is probably coincidence, but I'd bet a lot isn't. At the same time, I'm not upset or angry or anything that Bjork often gets less credit than she deserves (I actually prefer her to Radiohead).
 
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Lancemc said:


You've heard Smear?

Is it available anywhere?

It's been performed a few times. I found this over at atease and supposedly it includes Ether Festival recordings of Smear along with Piano for Children, Popcorn Superhet Receiver (my favorite of the three) and Arpeggi. I don't know if I can do this soo... sorry if this is a big nono.

http://www.media fire.com/?f1m2v2xkbly

take out the space
 
Funny story:

I bought both Passengers and Kid A on the same day. It was really cool. At the time, I thought Passengers blew Kid A out of the water, but now I've changed my mind. They're both great records, and valuable within their respective artists' canon. It's just funny because they went so well together, and hearing them back-to-back for the first time was a great experience. :up:
 
Lancemc said:
It doesn't bother me at all.

I'm not really sure Radiohead deserve to be lauded for doing something "innovative" or new or whatever, because they certainly weren't the first to do what they did. I do however think they deserve to be lauded for doing it better than anyone I've been able to find yet. There will always be inspirations and innovators. Which one ends up with the better product is always up in the air. I'll give credit where credit is do to each particular artist.

Edit: Let me also add that I've always felt Radiohead have been more directly following Bjork's artistic career than anyone else. You could almost trace every particular album of theirs back to a parallel Bjork release a bit earlier. A lot of it is probably coincidence, but I'd bet a lot isn't. At the same time, I'm not upset or angry or anything that Bjork often gets less credit than she deserves (I actually prefer her to Radiohead).


First, Bjork has indie cred, which is more than you can say for U2. And I'm not challenging that, but I wouldn't feel too sorry for her. She doesn't have widespread popular appeal, but that shouldn't be surprising. I don't agree with Pitchfork's assessment of Volta, but she's still given the benefit of the doubt.

And sure, Radiohead didn't do anything revolutionary on Kid A, and U2 didn't necessarily either with Passengers. But what they both have in common are bands with varying degrees of popular success dipping their toes into some pretty abstract stuff. Don't make the mistake that Kid A was/is rated so high solely because it's so good, when part of the admiration is because they Went There, and it was viewed as a brave step off some kind of cliff. What bothers me is that it's not even ACKNOWLEDGED by the indie press and indie crowd that another popular rock band at the height of their powers went there first.
 
Still haven't heard it yet, everytime I try to download the zip thing, this stupid Internet Explorer box comes up saying that it has encountered an error and needs to close, which closes the downalod usually between 40-70%
 
From the review of Amnesiac on Pitchfork:

"A total departure from the conventional rock formats of OK Computer and The Bends, Kid A drew from far more abstract and obscure influences than its predecessors. Whereas previous outings captured echoes of U2 and Pink Floyd, Kid A took what it could use from the Talking Heads, Can, Talk Talk, and modern-day IDM artists, and combined it with Radiohead's irrepressible originality and sparkling, alien production. Whether you liked the end result or not, the fact that they had the balls to challenge mainstream insipidness with such heroic creativity was admirable."

I love how U2 is mentioned only in reference to the "old" Radiohead. I don't know if there's a bigger challenge to mainstream inspidness than Zooropa. I mean, Eno is practically revered around there, so you think they would at least be aware of Passengers. Give the credit to him, fine, but at least acknowledge that other big names were doing something similar in recent years.

The guy goes on to talk smack about Hunting Bears, Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors, and Knives Out, and they STILL give it a 9.0. Such is the world of Radiohead.
 
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Amnesiac is a strange album. Nowhere near 10.0, but there's too many gems on there (Pulk/Pull, Pyramid, MIght Be Wrong, Spinning PLates) to say that album is crap.
 
A question regarding Videotape. Is the so-called "Basement Tapes" version a studio or live recording? I listened to the live versions xavi put up, but I'm curious about this Basement version. Was it one of those two, or something completely different?
 
Lancemc said:
Did Johnny use the Ondes anywhere on this album? I haven't heard it distinctly yet? Which surprised the hell out of me.

Apparently he wrote a 9 minute piece on one that is being used in the There Will Be Blood soundtrack. :combust:

its everyone :shocked:

you can hear it on bodysnatchers and jigsaw is full of it :drool:
 
lazarus said:




And sure, Radiohead didn't do anything revolutionary on Kid A, and U2 didn't necessarily either with Passengers. But what they both have in common are bands with varying degrees of popular success dipping their toes into some pretty abstract stuff. Don't make the mistake that Kid A was/is rated so high solely because it's so good, when part of the admiration is because they Went There, and it was viewed as a brave step off some kind of cliff. What bothers me is that it's not even ACKNOWLEDGED by the indie press and indie crowd that another popular rock band at the height of their powers went there first.

maybe cause it isn't a U2 record :wink:

I mean had U2 toured it and even embrace it better ..passengers might have gotten some attention.

I just think it didn't cause it wasn't promoted as a U2 album :shrug:
 
Finally listened to it.

As with all Radiohead albums, the first listen is merely the first chance to get acquainted with the mood of the songs. There's too many sounds happening to take too much away from the first listen.

That said: All I Need :drool:
 
phanan said:
A question regarding Videotape. Is the so-called "Basement Tapes" version a studio or live recording? I listened to the live versions xavi put up, but I'm curious about this Basement version. Was it one of those two, or something completely different?

that basement performance is just something Thom did for TV show Nigel Godrich hosted or something
 
Successful?

Gigwise has learnt that Radiohead have sold an amazing 1.2million copies of their seventh album ‘In Rainbows.’

The band and their long-term management company Courtyard Management have remained tight lipped about the exact sales figures, seemingly in a bid to add to keep a mysterious air around the album.

But speaking to a source close to the band last night, we’ve discovered that the Oxford band have achieved this monumental sales figure.

Story continues below...


Even if every person who downloaded the album paid just 10 pence, the band will still rake in a massive £120,000. That figure is likely to be higher, with many speculating the average figure will even out at around the £1 mark.

With growing media hype around the release of ‘In Rainbows’, these unprecedented sales figures look certain to keep on rising. If they finally announce a world tour, audience figures are expected to be higher too.

Thom Yorke and co. will cash in again when the payments clear for the ‘In Rainbows’ box set which are on sale for £40 a go.

As expected, Radiohead are the clear victors of this radical way of releasing their album. Their success should prompt other big names to follow suit.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/37670/exclusive-radiohead-sell-12million-copies-of-in-rainbows


yea Radiohead pwned :drool:
 
LemonMelon said:

:up:

The most heartening thing about In Rainbows, besides the fact that it may represent the strongest collection of songs Radiohead have assembled for a decade, is that it ventures into new emotional territories: their last album, 2003's Hail to the Thief, had its moments, but it was scarred by the sense that the band's famed gloominess was starting to tip into self-parody and petulance. Here, there's wit - at 15 Step's conclusion, Yorke's patented end-is-nigh keening is undercut by a childrens' chorus merrily crying "hey!" - and warmth. With its strings and swooning guitars, Nude sounds lushly romantic. So does All I Need, which, moreover, ends in a fantastic, life-affirming crescendo. Witty, romantic, life-affirming: you don't need to be an expert in the minutae of their back catalogue to know that these are not adjectives readily associated with Radiohead.

That's what I said! :wink:

I'm still madly in love with this album. it almost makes me cry it's so good. is that bad?

also lazarus I totally agree with you on the U2 thing... they get credit for changing their sound with Achtung Baby, but Zooropa and Passengers are pretty much ignored, and Pop is somehow construed as a total failure (even though the initial reviews were mostly positive...).

i mean, come on, U2 had balls to release songs like Numb and Lemon as singles which sounded nothing like their typical sound or even their "new" AB sound. And the first time I heard Kid A I thought "wow...Passengers." I do agree with xavi though that had U2 released it under their name it likely would have gotten more attention...though like I said Zooropa was pretty different but it's not considered a classic by any of the critics now, or even really considered at all :shrug: such is the way of things. Radiohead sometimes gets too much credit for innovation, but they deserve all the praise they get for this album.
 
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