I’d like to buy my very first Radiohead album. Not sure whether to get Kid A or OK Computer.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Get The Bends. Great songs, rich arrangements, intriguing outros. Shorter on pretention, too.
Oh my.
To choose between OK Computer and Kid A?
I don’t think you are being fair to yourself. Get both.
Here’s another vote for The Bends. It’s just a classic record, not a duff track on it. And, I mean, “Fake Plastic Trees” - enough said.
If you’re stuck on getting one of the last two albums, though, OK Computer is a better place to start than Kid A - they’re both worth having, but the latter will take far more time to grow on you than most non-diehards will have the patience for.
To the uninitiated listener, The Bends is their most readily accessible album. OK Computer and Kid A are pretty much concept albums much darker than their first two.
If you’re not familiar with their music, you should probably get The Bends. If you are, OK Computer offers a lot more to sing along with than does Kid A, which is more experimental sounding.
FWIW - I intend to purchase this album for listening to at work. I’ve got headphones so I can listen to whatever I want, and while “background music” works for when I need to concentrate, lots of times I can concentrate more on the tunes than the work (sad but true).
I’m tired of everything else I have. I very much like and am familiar with concept albums (have had “Quadrophenia,” “Tommy” and “The Wall” in my lineup for a long, long time), and it just occurred to me that I haven’t purchased a new popular music CD for myself in a damn long time. Before I turn into a fossil I had better do something.
My favorite is Kid A, but I would recommend that you start with OK Computer.
And The Bends ain’t bad by any stretch, but I think it was just a warmup for OK Computer.
Definitely OK Computer. You mentioned Pink Floyd, so I’ll run a little comparison for you. OK Computer is Dark Side of the Moon. Kid A is Obscured by Clouds.
Jeez, only one? I say get them all. The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A and even Pablo Honey. They’re all great.
If you’re only going to get one, I’d say The Bends. It’s probably one of my favorite CDs of all time.
Well, you all have given me a bit to think about. The reason why I don’t want to get more than one album now is because this is a new band for me, and I’ve already spent plenty of money over the years buying CDs that got played once or twice and then not again. So I want to start slow, and if I really like the album, then I will get more.
So far it sounds like either The Bends or OK Computer for me. I kind of like the idea of OK Computer, since I am in a technical field. 
I have to say I am also intrigued by minty’s comparison of it to Dark Side of the Moon, which is a big fave of mine.
For a first time listener, I would recommend the Bends. It is an absolutely astounding album.
Then get OK Computer. It is the 90’s DSOTM. This was the album that got me through studying for my Leaving Cert (equivalent of the SAT’s).
If you are feeling brave, try Kid A. It takes a lot of listening, but is great if you get into it.
Also, dont ignore Pablo Honey. Good album, well worth the listen to, and it has “Creep” on it.
Just to let you know, they should have a new album out soon.
OK Computer is a great album, especially Paranoid Android, Karma Police and Airbag, but The Bends has more mainstream stuff on it. As other people have said, you might consider Pablo Honey - I think that ‘You’ is their best song. Kid A is an odd album, and not as interesting to listen to as OK Computer. It depends what kind of music you like. To really enjoy OK Computer you have to get into the band’s style of music
As far as the kind of music I like, well, I like almost everything! It would be easier to list the kinds I don’t like - much, much shorter list.
So - I think I will start with The Bends and then if things go well, OK Computer, and then maybe some more. And I’ll look for that new album to come out, too. Thanks a bunch for the help!