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What is the deal with Radiohead?

ramblinponyramblinpony Posts: 115
edited July 2008 in Other Music
I don't get it. I respect Radiohead as musicians and as innovators and anything else their fans always say, but I just don't see how they are that good. I like some of their shit, and I think they have a unique sound (Kinda). However, being different and good are not mutually exclusive.

Discuss.

*After reading some of the responses, I want to point out that saying "They are Experimental" is just a horrible thing to say. Rehashing what I said when i started the post, Experimentation and Good are not mutually exclusive. If Pearl Jam put out an album of them farting into a microphone (not making comparisons, just using as an example) it would be damn experimental. I would buy it too...It says Pearl Jam on the cover, but I doubt anyone (most people) would ever consider it good.:)*
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Comments

  • Joe2TheRevengeJoe2TheRevenge Posts: 904
    i don't really get them either.

    i've tried. But nothing they do ever sparks an interest. so i don't understand all the praise. sounds like typical whiney english music to me. experimental or not.
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  • Evacuation RulesEvacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    I think they're awesome and I don't normally like that kind of music. I think they're filling a void that was left open when Pink Floyd disbanded. They're the total opposite of a band like Oasis who are just another re-hash of the Beatles.
  • Rhinocerous SurpriseRhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    I wrote them off until pretty recently. I'm coming to see the appeal, even if it's not the first thing I'd go to on my empeethree player.
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  • IgottagoIgottago Posts: 483
    Thats too bad. You are missing out on some of the greatest music of our time.

    But hey, I hear the new Chris Cornell is pretty good.
  • ToneTone Posts: 1,206
    I like Radiohead but, as a huge Muse fan, I'm really over them being compared to Radiohead... to me, they're totally different.
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  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    Tone wrote:
    I like Radiohead but, as a huge Muse fan, I'm really over them being compared to Radiohead... to me, they're totally different.

    then your beef is with those who compare muse to radiohead. just dont listen to them. but i can hear thom yorke in matt bellamy sometimes. :)


    the deal i have with radiohead is i love their music. i love that i can go to them when i need some equilibrium. and i dont care if other people 'get' them or not. all that matters is that i do.
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  • Cropduster84Cropduster84 Posts: 1,283
    They just have their own thing going on.....

    OK Computer and In Rainbows are awesome albums.....
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  • pdalowskypdalowsky Doncaster,UK Posts: 15,096
    Radiohead were a great band, they lost the plot when they tried to fix something that wasnt broken, and went all experimental on us. In my view (which many strangely diaagree with) they made a total bollocks of it all. Went from being a worlds leading band to knocking wank records out with all kinds of electronica and no melody or what I would call song structure, and just basically wailing.

    In the live arena this is all different though, they are pretty damn good there. Although they are well off their peak even with that compared to 1995-1997, anyone who saw them then and now must surely agree??
  • Evacuation RulesEvacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    pdalowsky wrote:
    no melody or what I would call song structure, and just basically wailing.

    That doesn't describe any Radiohead song.
  • SoupySoupy Posts: 171
    pdalowsky wrote:
    Radiohead were a great band, they lost the plot when they tried to fix something that wasnt broken, and went all experimental on us. In my view (which many strangely diaagree with) they made a total bollocks of it all. Went from being a worlds leading band to knocking wank records out with all kinds of electronica and no melody or what I would call song structure, and just basically wailing.

    In the live arena this is all different though, they are pretty damn good there. Although they are well off their peak even with that compared to 1995-1997, anyone who saw them then and now must surely agree??

    I agree with this 100%.
  • Mike_Muse_RageMike_Muse_Rage Posts: 677
    I prefer the stuff Radiohead is doing now to anything pre-OK Computer. And I don't normally like electronic music.
  • John Briggs 2008John Briggs 2008 Posts: 1,024
    I was never a huge fan and have never cared for the band that much. The only album I could handle even remotely was "The Bends". NO clue why because they are talented but I just never could get into them.
  • 1STmammal2wearPants1STmammal2wearPants Worcester, MA Posts: 2,948
    Mike_Muse_Rage wrote:
    I prefer the stuff Radiohead is doing now to anything pre-OK Computer. And I don't normally like electronic music.

    Well you must not be listening to Radiohead then, because they aren't an electronica act!
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  • Mike_Muse_RageMike_Muse_Rage Posts: 677
    1STmammal2wearPants wrote:
    Well you must not be listening to Radiohead then, because they aren't an electronica act!
    They use electronic instruments and I'm talking in simple terms for these people who don't "get" Radiohead. ;)
  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    They definitely aren't your typical riff-rock band, although everything they do has its foundations in it. Look at a song like Fake Plastic Trees which is beautiful in its simplicity. Then take a song like How to Disappear Completely and if it was distilled to just vocals and a guitar it would be the same type of song - beautiful and simple - but because it was written for Kid A its got all kinds of other dynamics added to it which in the context of the rest of Kid A makes it fit perfectly. Each album has a sound and feel that is very different from the others and not just in terms of production value. So it's very hard to pick and choose songs out of context for your party mix but that really wasn't how they were written to be enjoyed anyway...

    So they're ballsy enough to be different and talented enough to pull it off. But it's not what I would call easy to listen to - I've definitely found them to be an acquired taste. It took me half a dozen listens to Kid A before I got it and now it's one of my favorite albums of all time. I hated OK Computer the first time I heard it but almost every song on that album is like a mini-masterpiece to me now. So it's worth the effort. They are a great band.
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  • itsevobabyitsevobaby Posts: 1,809
    In Rainbows is a brilliant record. it's strengths are probably the melodies & structure. the wail is an instrument, like ed's growl. i haven't liked everything they've done over their career but their evolution has led to this album and that makes it all worth it.
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  • reeferchiefreeferchief Posts: 3,569
    The Bends kicks arse one of the best albums ever, personally dont mind them since, but feel they are not as good as they were 13 years ago.
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  • edvedderrocksedvedderrocks Posts: 1,001
    Was a very casual fan. My husband is a HUGE radiohead fan. I could never get into them much. Then I listened to IN RAINBOWS. What a killer cd. We have the double disc - got hooked after hearing Bangers & Mash, I tend to like the fast paced songs. Went back & listened to OK Computer & the Bends - how awesome.

    Some of the songs are so beautifully written. (You may have to look up the lyrics to understand them!) House of Cards, Fake Plastic Trees, Thinking About You...great songs & so much more.

    Can't say I like them nearly as much as PJ (which I listen to everyday) but having seen them live 3 times now, they are great performers. I have 3rd row behind the pit in Camden in August & I can't wait! (never been that close before!)
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  • OutOfBreathOutOfBreath Posts: 1,804
    The deal is that they make great music. They experiment successfully and keep developing their sound. Kid A wasn't everyone's cup of tea perhaps, especially if they were expecting more OK-computerish stuff. But they deconstructed their sound, experimented a lot with ambience and various instruments/gizmos, and reconstructed it again.

    The only album that I dont get entirely into is "Hail to the thief", which apart from their debut, is the only "incoherent" album they have. The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows are fantastic albums that must be listened to as albums.

    Truly innovative, and continues to develop themselves in interesting ways. That's the appeal to me. And the beautiful tenderness of Yorke's voice (which carries "in rainbows" almost singlehandedly) of course.

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  • prytocorduroyprytocorduroy Posts: 4,355
    Meeting in the Aisle is a great B-Side.

    Another cool thing I just noticed by complete accident was that there are violins in the right speaker of the intro to Airbag. I want to play violin now, that's how much I liked it.



    I wouldn't call them my favorite, but they are a solid band.
  • lalalalaaaaaaaalalalalaaaaaaaa Posts: 2,445
    JWBusher wrote:
    I think they're filling a void that was left open when Pink Floyd disbanded.
    hmm, I don't think I see that. When I think of Pink Floyd, I think of 2 things:

    1. Music that completely overpowers you and puts you in a completely freaky state.

    2. BIG, epic live shows.

    Radiohead doesn't really apply to either of these for me. They can be trippy, but it's never gets deep inside enough to the point of frightening me like Floyd does you know?

    I dunno...I still say the closest thing this generation has to Pink Floyd is Tool. They have the power, the mystery, and the acidistic nature that Floyd had.
  • Ledbetterman10Ledbetterman10 Posts: 16,941
    ramblinpony wrote:
    Discuss.

    no
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  • Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    pdalowsky wrote:
    Radiohead were a great band, they lost the plot when they tried to fix something that wasnt broken, and went all experimental on us. In my view (which many strangely diaagree with) they made a total bollocks of it all. Went from being a worlds leading band to knocking wank records out with all kinds of electronica and no melody or what I would call song structure, and just basically wailing.

    In the live arena this is all different though, they are pretty damn good there. Although they are well off their peak even with that compared to 1995-1997, anyone who saw them then and now must surely agree??
    You know the only thing worse than a person who thinks Radiohead are the second coming of Jesus? A person who expects them to keep treading water, churning out The Bends every couple of years. They aren't your band. They can do what they want.
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  • Joe2TheRevengeJoe2TheRevenge Posts: 904
    Igottago wrote:

    But hey, I hear the new Chris Cornell is pretty good.

    You are apparently the only person on the planet who has heard it. Because not a single track has leaked from the album yet.
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  • Rhinocerous SurpriseRhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    Joe2TheRevenge wrote:
    You are apparently the only person on the planet who has heard it. Because not a single track has leaked from the album yet.
    Um... three have.
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  • reversedarwinismreversedarwinism Posts: 1,151
    Saturnal wrote:
    hmm, I don't think I see that. When I think of Pink Floyd, I think of 2 things:

    1. Music that completely overpowers you and puts you in a completely freaky state.

    2. BIG, epic live shows.

    Radiohead doesn't really apply to either of these for me. They can be trippy, but it's never gets deep inside enough to the point of frightening me like Floyd does you know?

    I dunno...I still say the closest thing this generation has to Pink Floyd is Tool. They have the power, the mystery, and the acidistic nature that Floyd had.

    I can see Radiohead being compared to Pink Floyd. By your measures, as well.

    Radiohead have proen to me that they are just the best around today. Since the bends and including the eraser they have made nothing but stellar albums. Hail to the Thief and and In Rainbows are the best of those, IMO. They definately have a great atmospheric vibe to them, in that way I see the comparisons to Pink Floyd. Radiohead just has excellent creativity when it comes to using their talents and minds to make great songs. They deserve their reputation as being the best. Its not music for most "low-brows". Not an absolute, but I'd say Raidohead fans are generally more cerebral music fans.
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  • Mike_Muse_RageMike_Muse_Rage Posts: 677
    Joe2TheRevenge wrote:
    You are apparently the only person on the planet who has heard it. Because not a single track has leaked from the album yet.
    Bit behind on the old news eh?
  • Brain Of EBrain Of E Posts: 499
    i just want to jump on and say it's true, radiohead are definately an aquired taste. some songs are really accessible like "creep" or 'there, there", but the rest definately take an open mind. i like a majority of their songs, but there's also plenty of songs that I skip. My favorite record is Kid A.
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  • DiRtYyELLoWoCeAnDiRtYyELLoWoCeAn Medford, Ma Posts: 1,605
    JWBusher wrote:
    I think they're awesome and I don't normally like that kind of music. I think they're filling a void that was left open when Pink Floyd disbanded. They're the total opposite of a band like Oasis who are just another re-hash of the Beatles.



    In my opinion I don't think they're fully a void that was left open when Floyd disbanded... that's a mighty tall void. While I do like The Bends, Pueblo Honey and OK Computer I just CAN'T get into the newer stuff I've tried. I've never seen them live I know people who have some said they were amazing some said they wanted to kill themsleves(and these are fans of the band!) Maybe some of the stuff doesn't translate well live? I wish I could like the new Radiohead but I just don't think it's in the cards if you can help or or reccommend something to help combat this by all means do!

    Secondly I know this thread is about Radiohead so I'll keep this short.... you said Oasis is a re-hash of the Beatles... I agree with this post! I really like them though. I feel there B-sides are better then the stuff on the studio albums (just like PJ, save for Sweet LEW, Whale SOng and Last Kiss) I've never seen Oasis live either but you can bet you ass I will when their new cd comes out!
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  • anothercloneanotherclone Posts: 1,688
    I've listened to lots of different music in my 40+ years. Maybe I'm just talking out of my ass, but some of the sounds that come out of Johnny Greenwood's guitar, are sounds I've never heard before, or even thought might be possible to come out of a guitar.

    I agree with the folks that mention a slight Pink Floyd comparison. Not so much for sound, but overall ambience.
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