# Will the real RADIOHEAD please stand up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108 "2003-12-05T06:10:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/1 "2003-12-05T06:10:39Z")
OK, I’d never heard Radiohead before. But I was at Target and the had _OK Computer_ on sale, so I picked one up. It was good. Melodic, singable, quirky with a couple of rocking sections…I liked it. Enough to buy another Radiohead offering. So then I bought _Kid A_… What the…this mess…I just…I mean… WTF??? Bunch of repetative sound effects that even Roger Waters and Sid Barret would have grown tired of. It’s like they hadn’t actually wrote any songs and just through some crap together and called it an album. So. Which of these is more standard Radiohead fare? ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/2 "2003-12-05T06:34:45Z")
Neither. If you start with Pablo Honey(First Album) and work your way up to Hail to the Thief, you notice that besides Amnesiac and Kid A, no 2 albums really sound similiar at all. And the reason that the 2 of them sound so much alike is that they were recorded at the same time. If you like the sound of OK Computer, I would say that the most similiar sounding album would be Hail to the Thief. I would say it’s like 50% OK Computer, 50% Kid A; take those 2, throw them in a blender and Hail to the Thief comes out. In spite of my name, I would rank my favourite albums like this: 1. The Bends 2. OK Computer 3. Kid A 4. Hail to the Thief 5. Amnesiac 6. Pablo Honey So, you’ve never heard of Radiohead before? Where have you been living under a rock? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrPorkchop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DrPorkchop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrPorkchop)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/3 "2003-12-05T06:56:05Z")
> [@](#): > > So. Which of these is more standard Radiohead fare? They both are. _OK Computer_ was Radiohead in 1997 and _Kid A_ was Radiohead in 2000. _Amnesiac_ followed _Kid A_, and, since it was recorded at the same time, sounds a lot like _Kid A_. As an album, I would say _Amnesiac_ is more accessible, but _Kid A_ has the tracks that really stand out, like “The National Anthem” and “Idioteque”. There latest album, _Hail To The Thief_, mostly adheres to the same style as _Kid A_ and _Amnesiac_, but I’m guessing it’s the last one they’ll do like this. And, what the next one will sound like is anybody’s guess. Radiohead has changed/evolved/matured over the years, so labeling one album as a departure from the norm wouldn’t be accurate. I understand your reaction to _Kid A_, because, for the most part, it’s hardly conventional. But, I’d recommend listening to it once or twice more before writing it off. I find that the albums that throw me at first often turn out to be my favorites. That’s probably because they **don’t** sound like everything else. Give it another try, ---
**Author:** ![DrPorkchop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DrPorkchop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrPorkchop)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/4 "2003-12-05T06:58:30Z")
. . . and see if it doesn’t start to grow on you. ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/5 "2003-12-05T08:50:55Z")
If you liked OK Computer, but not Kid A, you would probably really like The Bends. It is very singable, quirky, and awesome. You might not like anything more recent than OK Computer though. The Bends - OK Computer - Kid A is my favorite 3 album sequence ever. ---
**Author:** ![kiwiboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/35a633/32.png) [@kiwiboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiwiboy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/6 "2003-12-05T08:53:53Z")
Another vote for the Bends, have just fired up _Fake Plastic Trees_ while I typed this… ---
**Author:** ![Chavardz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Chavardz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chavardz)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/7 "2003-12-05T09:15:05Z")
Radiohead is a great group that likes to experiment with completely new and different sounds on very album (except the two noted). It’s certainly not for everyone and even if you are a fan there might be whole albums you don’t like. **Dr.Porkchop’s** advice is pretty good. Me, I like waking up to National Anthem from Kid A ---
**Author:** ![Stover9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stover9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stover9)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/8 "2003-12-05T14:17:31Z")
Get The Bends - it is wonderful. . .as far as Kid A. It’s a “wintery” album in my opinion, and needs to be listened to repeatedly. Same with OK Computer, really - OKC is more accessible early on, but even on repeated listenings, it gets better. Much better. Same will hold for Kid A. My Vote: 1. Ok Computer 2. Kid A 3. The Bends 4. Amnesiac 5. Hail to the Thief 6. Pablo Honey Not including EP’s “Airbag: How’s My Driving” and “My Iron Lung EP”. Thom Yorke has indicated that the band may no longer release albums - just EP’s in the future. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/9 "2003-12-05T14:38:59Z")
Never heard Radiohead? Ok I guess its possible but you may have heard older songs (Creep, High and Dry, etc) and not realized you are listening to the same band on OK C and Kid A. Well its all been said above already but let me add that if you still have trouble getting into Kid A and Amnesiac (after multiple listens) but still want to give them a shot, buy or borrow “I Might Be Wrong”. This is their live recording of songs from these two albums. “Idioteque” is much more powerful, “Spinning Plates” gets a piano intro, “National Anthem” gets the crowd started and you get “True Love Waits” which was never released until then. But if you can’t get into the repetitive beat and jazzy horns in National Anthem then it just might not be your cup of tea. Reminder: **Get The Bends.** ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/10 "2003-12-05T16:42:51Z")
I fyou liked OK Computer, Check out Hardcore by Pulp. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/11 "2003-12-05T16:45:02Z")
Whoops. [This is Hardcode](http://www.mackers.com/pulpworld/pulp_hardcore.htm) ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/12 "2003-12-05T16:56:32Z")
**spooje** set _Kid A_ aside for a little while and listen to _OK Computer_. Then come back to _Kid A_ every now and then. All Radiohead growns on you. _Kid A_ is very dense and experimental and doesn’t give up all its secrets at once. I’ve found that I hated many of my favorite albums the first time I heard them. Then I come back and check them out later for some unknown reason. “Eww! This sucks! Let’s listen to it again!” _Kid A_ was like that for me. ---
**Author:** ![Stover9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stover9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stover9)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/13 "2003-12-05T17:01:53Z")
Yes, PULP is also Great. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/14 "2003-12-05T17:06:13Z")
I went to see Radiohead this Wednesday. Incredible concert as ever. This is my take: Kid A and Amnesiac are not for listening to. They’re not rock. They don’t, IMO, stand up to a casual play in the house or while driving down the road. But _live_ they are something else. Totally hypnotic experience, like listening to some bizarre modern classical music. I don’t like those tracks on my CD player, but do they ever work in an arena. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/15 "2003-12-05T17:09:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vibrotronica \* > \*\*I’ve found that I hated many of my favorite albums the first time I heard them. Then I come back and check them out later for some unknown reason. “Eww! This sucks! Let’s listen to it again!” _Kid A_ was like that for me. \*\* I call that the Timeline Effect. In my experience, songs you like right away get annoying after a short while, but the songs you hate at first and then grow to love, you love forever. The only exception is Radiohead’s “Let Down” from OK Computer, which is probably one of the most beautiful rock songs ever written. Everlasting love at first sight. Kid A and Amnesiac are great to put on in the background, if you don’t like them right away. They can slowly invade your subconscious and erode your defenses, and you won’t even notice how much you’ve grown to love and depend on them until you catch yourself humming, “There’s someone listening in…” ---
**Author:** ![Stover9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stover9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stover9)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/16 "2003-12-05T17:22:12Z")
gallows fodder - no doubt there truly is such an effect (TIMELINE EFFECT). . .it’s why Radio has gone to shit, and finding quality stuff is hard to do, especially once you get older, work full-time, and live in Nebraska (although we did just get M2). ---
**Author:** ![Tarrsk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@Tarrsk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarrsk)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/17 "2003-12-05T19:16:23Z")
I found the “Timeline” effect occurs for all of my favorite music, including Radiohead. After buying \*\*OK Computer \*\*and steadily falling in love with it over the course of a few months, I purchased \*\*The Bends \*\*and \*\*Kid A \*\*at the same time. I quickly got into the former, while initially not liking the latter at all. Two months later, I couldn’t stop listening to **Kid A** , while \*\*The Bends \*\*received just the occasional listen (and songs like “Bones” were skipped past entirely). I still consider “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Street Spirit” (which is heartbreakingly gorgeous live), “Just,” and “Planet Telex” to be among Radiohead’s finest work, but there’s a delicate magnificence about \*\*Kid A \*\* that I don’t think any other Radiohead album manifests quite as well. They’re both wonderful albums, but I feel like, while \*\*The Bends \*\*is a collection of great songs, \*\*Kid A \*\*is an _experience,_ one that I relive every time I play it. My personal ranking of the albums changes fairly regularly, but at the moment, it comes out to be: 1. OK Computer 2. Kid A 3. Tie between Hail to the Thief and The Bends 4. Amnesiac 5. Airbag/ How am I Driving EP 6. I Might Be Wrong Live EP 7. Pablo Honey ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/18 "2003-12-06T05:38:34Z")
OK, I bought _Hail to the theif_. Not sure about it yet. There are a couple of tracks I like so far. But I like _OK computer_ better every time I hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/19 "2003-12-06T06:46:02Z")
I found Amnesiac far more accessible and engaging than Kid A, after OK Computer. I still don’t see the big fuss over Kid A but I suppose I’ll be along shortly. ---
**Author:** ![Israfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/87869e/32.png) [@Israfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Israfel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108/20 "2003-12-06T11:24:25Z")
Yeah, Kid A is one of the increasing number of albums that are taking elements from classical “modernist” music and stripping them down for a pop music format. So it may sound slightly “off” at first, but give it some time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-real-radiohead-please-stand-up/217108.md?page=2)