First I want to say that I think Pearl Jam is the best band ever. Now, with that in mind, I have to say that Radiohead's OK Computer is quite possibly one of the best albums ever made by anybody in the history of music. I also can't stand these phony Radiohead fans who say that The Bends was their best work ever. It's not even close. Take Fake Plastic Trees out of The Bends and you're left with a mediocre album that doesn't come close to OK C. Type "top 100 albums of all time" in your search bar right now. OK Computer is listed in the top 1/4 on every site. You won't even see a PJ album until much later than that (not that I take what these critics think too seriously), but if most if not all are listing OK C in the top 1/4, something tells me I'm right.
People aren't allowed to say The Bends is the best album?! I guess I have to stop calling myself a fan then :rolleyes: God forbid I think Hail To The Thief and In Rainbows are better than OK Computer.
Paul
'06 - London, Dublin, Reading
'07 - Katowice, Wembley, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
'09 - London, Manchester, London
'12 - Manchester, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen
Moreover, if I liked bands based on how much I liked the fanbase, the list of bands I liked would be mercilessly short.
Good point on that. What I am trying to figure out is why they have such a hardcore following. It seems with Radiohead that the division is very clearly set. You either really dig them or absolutely hate em. I know a few people straddle the fence, but with PJ it seems there are a lot more people in the middle. I know very very few people who absolutely hate PJ. Yet I know a lot of hardcore Radio head fans and I equally know as many people who think the music is Shite. In my experiences most bands with that loyal of a following have alot more people who don't feel one way or the other. Not so with Radiohead.
People aren't allowed to say The Bends is the best album?! I guess I have to stop calling myself a fan then :rolleyes: God forbid I think Hail To The Thief and In Rainbows are better than OK Computer.
In my experience, people who say "The Bends" is the best album are people who want me to know that they think they know Radiohead better than anyone else. You can take 4 songs out of OK C and it's STILL better than The Bends. With that, I must say that I think Yorke is starting to get real screechy and whiney to me. It was cool for the 1st few albums but now it's just flat out annoying. In Rainbows (with the exception of a few songs) is really not that good at all. I may have contradicted myself in an earlier post, but IMO, OK C is by far Radiohead's best work.
"All the rusted signs we ignore throughout our lives"--Ed
Isnt this the exact same thing that people used to say about Eddie and Pearl Jam for years? They took themselves too seriously, they should make videos, why can't they make albums like TEN again, why can't Eddie just enjoy his success, why was he such an asshole when accepting a grammy, etc...Look how much flack Pearl Jam took for trying to distance themselves from the early success of TEN, and eventually making albums like No Code.
Really, only in recent years has Pearl Jam finally seemed to embrace their early history, for years they seemed embarrassed by it.
The truth is these are artists who thrive on innovation and creativity. They want to be taken seriously as artists, their longevity and career depends upon that.
I'm sure Radiohead will eventually become more like Pearl Jam and have a bit more openness towards their early music, but the fact is, Radiohead is still making classic albums and Pearl Jam isn't. So there's a bit of a trade off...chill out a bit and maybe lose a bit of an artistic edge, or try as hard as you can to keep that artistic edge and still be seen as taking yourself too seriously.
they were often right about pearl jam. and pearl jam were embarrassed by the success of ten, but i dont recall them ever disowning any of their material. alive, even flow, black... all of those songs always have been in the setlist. they managed to grow without having to insult anyone who enjoyed their early work.
im not saying pablo is a great album, it isnt. it's just the attitude thom and the band take towards their first 2 albums and to all of musc that isnt radiohead post ok computer.
"You've never been out of college, you don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector... they expect results." -Ray
Hear hear. I don't understand why the former poster is requiring that these guys be happy happy joy joy, or why it's such a problem that they take their craft seriously. I mean, the list of artists I enjoy and love who are likely also egotistical assholes is long, including people such as Dylan, John Lennon and yes, even Thom Yorke. Even Mr. Vedder has acted in some very unfriendly and dour ways in his time as a popular musician. This may be a problem if I was best friends with all of them, but luckily I'm not. As a devoted fan and supporter of their music, I ask not for them to be nice guys, but to make incredible music that lifts my spirits or helps me to understand the darker parts of my life. And they do so in spades, Radiohead better than most. Who cares if they are pretentious if they make incredible music?
My other point is about all this noise/electronic complaints; show me a song besides Treefingers and Hunting Bears or Fitter Happier (i.e. the songs that are obviously not songs but act as bridges between different parts of an album) that is just meaningless noise. What makes Radiohead so great are their abilities as songwriters, and the way they bring together instrumentation, melodies and lyricism is incredible. That's why I also don't understand the criticism that Radiohead are making mediocre 'electronic' music; this criticism isn't valid because they're not making electronic music at all. What made Kid A so great was that they incorporated their inspirations which included electronic music into something that sounded fresh.
P.S. to clark_kent, if you want pretentious DVDs, try Don't Look Back. It's about another talent-less egotistical hack who cries about his fame all the time.
dylan always had at least a sense of humor about it.
"You've never been out of college, you don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector... they expect results." -Ray
they were often right about pearl jam. and pearl jam were embarrassed by the success of ten, but i dont recall them ever disowning any of their material. alive, even flow, black... all of those songs always have been in the setlist. they managed to grow without having to insult anyone who enjoyed their early work.
im not saying pablo is a great album, it isnt. it's just the attitude thom and the band take towards their first 2 albums and to all of musc that isnt radiohead post ok computer.
Pearl Jam matured enough to know that it is OK to be successful, and they learned how to manage fame. They also respect their fans enough that sometimes they make personal sacrifices to please them. Very noble. It seems some bands forget that no matter what they do, they aren't shit without the fans that write the paychecks.
Having said that, I do think it is cool that Pearl Jam makes every album for themselves though, and if anyone happens to like it, then it is a bonus. Probably why they put out quality music that is somewhat different repeatedly.
go on listen to what you like, but starting threads like this is just trying to pick arguments... it's all subjective.
I don't get Toby Keith, but I'm not going out of my way to argue what a piece of shit I think his music is...I just don't listen to it..that's what an open mind is all about...freedom and all that shit...
P.S. to clark_kent, if you want pretentious DVDs, try Don't Look Back. It's about another talent-less egotistical hack who cries about his fame all the time.
uh....
"I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
Comments
'06 - London, Dublin, Reading
'07 - Katowice, Wembley, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
'09 - London, Manchester, London
'12 - Manchester, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen
Good point on that. What I am trying to figure out is why they have such a hardcore following. It seems with Radiohead that the division is very clearly set. You either really dig them or absolutely hate em. I know a few people straddle the fence, but with PJ it seems there are a lot more people in the middle. I know very very few people who absolutely hate PJ. Yet I know a lot of hardcore Radio head fans and I equally know as many people who think the music is Shite. In my experiences most bands with that loyal of a following have alot more people who don't feel one way or the other. Not so with Radiohead.
In my experience, people who say "The Bends" is the best album are people who want me to know that they think they know Radiohead better than anyone else. You can take 4 songs out of OK C and it's STILL better than The Bends. With that, I must say that I think Yorke is starting to get real screechy and whiney to me. It was cool for the 1st few albums but now it's just flat out annoying. In Rainbows (with the exception of a few songs) is really not that good at all. I may have contradicted myself in an earlier post, but IMO, OK C is by far Radiohead's best work.
they were often right about pearl jam. and pearl jam were embarrassed by the success of ten, but i dont recall them ever disowning any of their material. alive, even flow, black... all of those songs always have been in the setlist. they managed to grow without having to insult anyone who enjoyed their early work.
im not saying pablo is a great album, it isnt. it's just the attitude thom and the band take towards their first 2 albums and to all of musc that isnt radiohead post ok computer.
Denny Crane!
dylan always had at least a sense of humor about it.
Denny Crane!
Pearl Jam matured enough to know that it is OK to be successful, and they learned how to manage fame. They also respect their fans enough that sometimes they make personal sacrifices to please them. Very noble. It seems some bands forget that no matter what they do, they aren't shit without the fans that write the paychecks.
Having said that, I do think it is cool that Pearl Jam makes every album for themselves though, and if anyone happens to like it, then it is a bonus. Probably why they put out quality music that is somewhat different repeatedly.
Great album
go on listen to what you like, but starting threads like this is just trying to pick arguments... it's all subjective.
I don't get Toby Keith, but I'm not going out of my way to argue what a piece of shit I think his music is...I just don't listen to it..that's what an open mind is all about...freedom and all that shit...