Rather than the songwriting improving (which it did) I think the production is actually the factor that changed the game for them.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 3 June 2019 19:39 (five years ago) link
Yes, production was the other factor, particularly when they started exclusively working with Nigel Godrich who created an environment for the band where they'd be comfortable with experimenting more.
Having said that, the production teams they used on Pablo Honey and The Bends were no hacks. Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade would go on to produce Live Through This, and John Leckie has been involved in an almost embarrassing number of great albums.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 June 2019 19:53 (five years ago) link
Best version of Creep is by Prince. The one Radiohead fought to keep on Youtube "as it's our song"
― imago, Monday, 3 June 2019 20:37 (five years ago) link
I remember Moby doing a hilariously terrible version of it at Glastonbury in the early '00s. I think the reason he did it was because Radiohead were also playing that year and didn't have it in their set? I haven't heard it since, but I remember terrible vocals and scratching. Gonna see if it's on Youtube...
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 June 2019 21:06 (five years ago) link
https://youtu.be/6-VY75Fzu9c
― Arugula Raccoon (DJP), Monday, 3 June 2019 21:08 (five years ago) link
oh dear lord
― Arugula Raccoon (DJP), Monday, 3 June 2019 21:09 (five years ago) link
Christ, that was exactly how I remembered it.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 June 2019 21:10 (five years ago) link
1. The notes are important, don't guess at them2. Learn the words3. Learn the guitar part while you're at it4. Why is there a turntable in this5. Nothing about this rendition screams "repeated coda", just end it already
― Arugula Raccoon (DJP), Monday, 3 June 2019 21:13 (five years ago) link
Moby way ahead of his time with that cover choice
― omar little, Monday, 3 June 2019 21:15 (five years ago) link
When I saw it at the time I thought it was comical, like "surely Moby is taking the piss here..."
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 June 2019 21:19 (five years ago) link
Hoo boy I hate this album. “High and Dry” was a leftover from the Pablo Honey sessions and it’s miles better than anything here.
― Mr. Snrub, Monday, 3 June 2019 21:27 (five years ago) link
Would you like to expand on why you hate this album?
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 June 2019 21:29 (five years ago) link
The tunes aren’t there, for one. Of course I haven’t heard it in years, so maybe I’m totally wrong. I think I’ll give it a spin tomorrow and report back.
― Mr. Snrub, Monday, 3 June 2019 22:39 (five years ago) link
Moby's Creep is comical in the extreme
― PaulTMA, Monday, 3 June 2019 22:52 (five years ago) link
I was confused as to why he was headlining in the first place, because if I recall his most recent album was 18 and... yeah, it sold on the back of Play, but it wasn't what I'd call a blazing success.
The tunes aren’t there, for one.
Yeah, I disagree with this - a lot of these songs are quite catchy and memorable, I think.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 June 2019 23:02 (five years ago) link
Moby was well into his New Jersey phase. I know he sang on that unsuccessful Animal Rights album, but did he on Play anywhere, at all? Recasting himself as a traditional frontman/all-round entertainer seems especially daft these days
― PaulTMA, Monday, 3 June 2019 23:11 (five years ago) link
Imho creep was missing the violin section and the turntablism.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 3 June 2019 23:35 (five years ago) link
Listening to this again, for me this is one of those albums where side two is better than side one.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 June 2019 23:54 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vdiiUSuxFs
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 00:17 (five years ago) link
I'm indifferent to a lot of this record these days, but I still enjoy the three-song stretch of "How Do You"/"Stop Whispering"/"Thinking About You" way more than anything the band has done post-Kid A.
― Herman Woke (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 00:55 (five years ago) link
stop whispering is v cool
― imago, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 01:01 (five years ago) link
I like 'Stop Whispering' a lot, and feel that R.E.M. or U2 could have done a really neat cover of it. I love it when Thom emotes on this song. His vocals would only get better after this album, but even at this early stage he's still able to achieve a vocal that gives me goosebumps.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 01:06 (five years ago) link
Moby was well into his New Jersey phase. I know he sang on that unsuccessful Animal Rights album, but did he on Play anywhere, at all?
South Side and Porcelain, at least
― Arugula Raccoon (DJP), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 01:34 (five years ago) link
it's been so long since i heard any of this album. I traded bootlegs of shows by mail in the 90s - the Pablo Honey shows were always the most loose and fun (and screamy... Stop Whispering, holy crap)
Just had a play through. Got to be Creep. Of course. Should be mentioned here that they do play it sometimes now and seem to enjoy it.
― maffew12, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 02:19 (five years ago) link
It's not a regular fixture in their live set or anything, but in all honesty they've never really stopped playing it. I can recall performances during the OK Computer, Kid A/Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows eras. I don't think they played it at all during The King of Limbs era, but they've certainly played it since then.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 03:01 (five years ago) link
Also, as much as I like 'Creep', it would be kinda neat if there was some discussion regarding the other 11 songs on this album.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 03:03 (five years ago) link
voting for "creep," love the part where the guitar goes chugga... chugga chugga
― american bradass (BradNelson), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 03:09 (five years ago) link
I remember how thrilling that part was at first, but over time its effect has diminished the more I've heard it. There's so many more great moments on this record, though. The way the album begins with those chiming arpeggios before Selway cuts in and 'You' just bursts into life, for one. Superb. 'Blow Out' is great moment after great moment. There's some genuinely beautiful guitar work on the likes of 'Vegetable' and 'Lurgee', and 'Ripcord' remains one of the bands most underrated tracks. Also, also, also, when 'I Can't' drops down to just Colin Greenwood's bass lick and then Selway cuts in announcing the end stretch of the track, it's quite thrilling.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 03:20 (five years ago) link
'Prove Yourself' is a fine slab of '90s alternative rock, too. I love how the vocal melody ascends in the verses and particularly how intense the second verse feels in comparison to the first, the solo section, and that neat little guitar lick during the final chorus, and of course, Thom's cry of "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?" at the end.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 03:24 (five years ago) link
"Blow Out" by a mile.
― Simon H., Tuesday, 4 June 2019 03:30 (five years ago) link
"I'd like to think that we're now at a point in time that people have calmed their tits regarding this band"
"even when morons on the internet during the '90s/early '00s were all like "waaahhh,"
Why stuff like this?
― nicky lo-fi, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 09:57 (five years ago) link
I'm just afraid I'll give the wrong answer.
― nicky lo-fi, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 09:58 (five years ago) link
you belong
― maffew12, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 10:26 (five years ago) link
Yes!
― pomenitul, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 10:41 (five years ago) link
"blow out" is as good as anything on the bends, and "stop whispering" isn't far behind.
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 11:59 (five years ago) link
Add a few reverbed sounds effects or an ondes martenot or something and 'lurgee' could be an ok computer b-side (cf. a reminder, melatonin).
― The Pingularity (ledge), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 12:22 (five years ago) link
Got to be Blow Out
― frame casual (dog latin), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 15:18 (five years ago) link
This is a really good rock album, massively eclipsed by what was to come. But I think I rate about 80% of what's on it.
oh god, the scratching on that Moby cover. The only good thing is that his voice reminds me of Tiny Tim, which would be an actually perfect cover were he still alive.
― frame casual (dog latin), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 15:28 (five years ago) link
Not the biggest fan of the Morose Warbles, but not a hater either. I see them as an artsier variation of that 90s angst for angst sake subset that I never could get behind fully.
Had a mix tape of my favorite songs from the first two albums that I enjoyed, and also remember liking 'Hail to the Thief' as an album length listen.
Voted "stop whispering"
― nicky lo-fi, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 16:36 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1qKy4cMPUI
― lumen (esby), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 16:47 (five years ago) link
OK, after a listen to the spiffy 2CD Deluxe Edition I have to go with the consensus view of “crap debut, went on to greatness”. “How Do You” and “Pop Is Dead” are the two worst Radiohead songs of all-time. I do like the U.S. Version of “Stop Whispering” though. And as someone upthread said, it is nice to see them already fucking with strange time signatures in “You”.
― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 18:35 (five years ago) link
"blow out" is as good as anything on the bends, and "stop whispering" isn't far behind.― J. Sam, Tuesday, June 4, 2019 11:59 AM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― J. Sam, Tuesday, June 4, 2019 11:59 AM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yep, I couldn't agree more with this. I'd add 'Ripcord' and 'I Can't' to that list as well.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 18:39 (five years ago) link
Add a few reverbed sounds effects or an ondes martenot or something and 'lurgee' could be an ok computer b-side (cf. a reminder, melatonin).― The Pingularity (ledge), Tuesday, June 4, 2019 12:22 PM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― The Pingularity (ledge), Tuesday, June 4, 2019 12:22 PM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
They played 'Lurgee' on the Hail to the Thief tour if I remember, so the band obviously thought it was worth digging out to play ten years after the release of the album. Y'know how 'Lift' was supposed to be the great lost Radiohead song and a studio version of it has come out on the OK Computer reissue recently? Well, 'Lurgee' is better than that, IMO.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 18:42 (five years ago) link
“How Do You” and “Pop Is Dead” are the two worst Radiohead songs of all-time.
In the case of 'Pop is Dead', it's not really relevant to the discussion as it's not on Pablo Honey to begin with, but I'll agree that neither of these songs are great. However, I'd argue there are worse songs than these two amongst the Pablo Honey b-sides. The other 11 songs on Pablo Honey are, of course, head and shoulders above these tracks.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 18:45 (five years ago) link
Lurgee is great, and I was lucky to be at one of those hail to the thief shows where they played it. (I think they only played it once or twice on that tour?)
― i will never make a typo ever again (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 19:13 (five years ago) link
Is "How To You" generally hated by fans? I think it's a great Sex Pistols mock-up.
― Herman Woke (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 19:19 (five years ago) link
chorus of "anyone can play guitar" is terrible imo
― american bradass (BradNelson), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 19:32 (five years ago) link
thom also a distinctly less controlled singer here to the album's detriment ("vegetable")
― american bradass (BradNelson), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 19:37 (five years ago) link
Not listened to this for aeons, and am not going to now, but I'll let teenage angsty LBI pick here and he says without hesitation "Thinking about you".
― Uptown VONC (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 19:48 (five years ago) link
wait, no, listen to it again just to be sure. And please post your findings here
― brimstead, Monday, 10 June 2019 00:00 (five years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Monday, 10 June 2019 00:01 (five years ago) link
Well, look at that. I'm not surprised at all that 'Creep' took it in the end, but look - every song on the album aside from two get a vote, and the ones that didn't aren't all that bad. So yeah, can't be that bad of an album.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 10 June 2019 00:15 (five years ago) link
Gee the one good song on the album won. Who would have thunk?
― Mazzy Tsar (PBKR), Monday, 10 June 2019 01:59 (five years ago) link
About 35 votes were not "Creep" and this is a larger vote spread than most would expect.
― billstevejim, Monday, 10 June 2019 04:05 (five years ago) link
But that needn’t lead to the conclusion that it’s not a bad album. You could equally interpret the result as “four truly poor songs got 0-1 vote each (and one of them from the TS probably trying to be contrarian). The one good song won overwhelmingly, except that some people are so absolutely sick and tired of that one that they voted for one of the other mediocre ones instead. Poor to mediocre album.’
― dorsalstop, Monday, 10 June 2019 07:31 (five years ago) link
But it bears pointing out again that mine is the minority opinion there, and the idea itself that there is a consensus view that this is a bad album, or routinely thought of as ‘Creep plus filler’ is bogus. Contemporary and retrospective reviews have always overwhelmingly branded this an OK-to-good (3-3.5 stars, 7/10, ‘B’) album.
― dorsalstop, Monday, 10 June 2019 07:42 (five years ago) link
Still time for Erasure to sue
― PaulTMA, Monday, 10 June 2019 10:58 (five years ago) link
The real winner here is probably the number of FPs turrican got.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 10 June 2019 11:15 (five years ago) link
https://media.cbs17.com/nxs-wncntv-media-us-east-1/photo/2018/09/18/xWk95_1537274155392_56014414_ver1.0.gif
― God may judge you but his sins outnumber your own. (bizarro gazzara), Monday, 10 June 2019 11:25 (five years ago) link
About 35 votes were not "Creep" and this is a larger vote spread than most would expect.― billstevejim, Monday, June 10, 2019 4:05 AM (nine hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― billstevejim, Monday, June 10, 2019 4:05 AM (nine hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yup, exactly!
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 10 June 2019 13:15 (five years ago) link
creep is a remarkable song and the rightful winner here. turrican is a dick.
― Trϵϵship, Monday, 10 June 2019 13:58 (five years ago) link
Wow, Prove Yourself was robbed. Used to be my favourite. I Can't is very good too.
― frame casual (dog latin), Monday, 10 June 2019 14:06 (five years ago) link
The only one I'm really not a fan of is Anyone Can Play Guitar
Surprised by all the hate for it. I always thought it was the most hooky, memorable song on here other than "Creep" (whose lyrics seem no less silly to me).
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Monday, 10 June 2019 14:15 (five years ago) link
think it's just the lyrics, they kind of jut out in the same way as Pop Is Dead. Still, it's not awful. The song 'The Bends' is kind of a sequel to it in my mind.
― frame casual (dog latin), Monday, 10 June 2019 14:21 (five years ago) link
'Faithless The Wonder Boy' is my favourite this-era Radiohead song
― frame casual (dog latin), Monday, 10 June 2019 14:22 (five years ago) link
Hm, the "confusion"/"confusion" rhyme was a misstep but I actually find the lyrics kind of beautiful otherwise, at least in their musical context. They said more to me than the lyrics to "Creep", which struck me as juvenile even when I was 14-15. (I think the music makes it work despite this.)
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Monday, 10 June 2019 14:44 (five years ago) link
Wow, Prove Yourself was robbed. Used to be my favourite. I Can't is very good too.― frame casual (dog latin), Monday, June 10, 2019 2:06 PM(one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― frame casual (dog latin), Monday, June 10, 2019 2:06 PM(one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I agree, it's not a bad song at all!
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 10 June 2019 15:13 (five years ago) link
the way thom sings along to the chorus guitar line like sad george benson might make it my least favorite radiohead song
― Cecil replies to your e-mails (Sufjan Grafton), Monday, 10 June 2019 16:53 (five years ago) link
like if scott stapp sang "can you TAKE me high-ER" over the buh-duh DEE duddle-UH guitar part in the chorus of the smash hit "higher" by creed. i mean he is singing the same notes as the guitar and everything.
― Cecil replies to your e-mails (Sufjan Grafton), Monday, 10 June 2019 17:02 (five years ago) link
and not singing during the rest of the chorus. that is the idea we are dealing with here.
― Cecil replies to your e-mails (Sufjan Grafton), Monday, 10 June 2019 17:03 (five years ago) link
He really wants to be Jim Morrison. He says so in the song.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 11 June 2019 06:17 (five years ago) link
Wait, I thought Sufjan was talking about "Prove Yourself"?
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 10:04 (five years ago) link
I voted for 'Everyone Can Play Guitar' (*ducks*).
Mainly for nostalgia reasons though - it was on an early 90's compilation called Loaded (sandwiched between the Auteurs 'Showgirl' and FNM's cover of Easy iirc) which was one of my entry points to discovering indie / alternative beyond Nirvana and whatever was on radio back when I was 12, and I wore the tape out in the absence of more pocket money to buy more music. In retrospect it is a dire lyric but great when you have no reference points to compare to.
― help yourself to another slice of apple ... crumble (Willl), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 10:25 (five years ago) link
I was trying to remember which compilation I first heard it on. Maybe that was it.
The "grow my hair/I want to be Jim Morrison" stuff is what everyone hates, then? I don't think it's genius or anything but I find it kind of cute/funny in its self-consciousness, especially the way "I am Jim Morrison" is followed by the deflating "I want to be, wannabe, wannabe Jim Morrison".
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 10:58 (five years ago) link
zig-a-zig ahhh
― imago, Tuesday, 11 June 2019 11:06 (five years ago) link
xxp my friend had that compilation when I was at school, I taped some songs off it, possibly including Anyone Can Play Guitar, but definitely including Start Choppin by Dinosaur Jr, having looked at the tracklisting
― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 11 June 2019 11:07 (five years ago) link
LOL, Willl, this is the compilation that got me into indie/alt music. Came free with Donkey Kong Country for the SNES. To this day, I've no idea what the music's got to do with Donkey Kong but I played it to death
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Go-Ape/release/1481263
― frame casual (dog latin), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 11:08 (five years ago) link
and yes, Creep was on it
https://i.redd.it/w25zxt912u131.jpg
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 11 June 2019 11:23 (five years ago) link
xxp I'd love to know the story of how that tracklist got approved :o
'We need to put together a CD to give away free with our new SNES game. Its ESRB rating is 'Universal' so its got to be suitable for all ages. Any suggestions for suitable tunes?'
...
"Dealers keep dealin',Thieves keep thievin',Whores keep whorin',Junkies keep scorin',Trade is on the meat rack,Strip joints full of hunchbacks,Bitches keep bitchin',Clap just keeps a-itchin'"
'Yes that is perfect'
― help yourself to another slice of apple ... crumble (Willl), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 11:44 (five years ago) link
Also, Leaves & Sand is a totally bonkers tune to give away to 13 year olds.
― frame casual (dog latin), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 11:58 (five years ago) link
Vegetable and Prove Yourself both totally robbed
― Do I look like I know what a jpeg is? (dog latin), Friday, 16 June 2023 00:10 (eleven months ago) link
Coming on with Blow Out, in 2018. First time they’d played it in ten years supposedly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s60nLTuz4k
― piscesx, Friday, 16 June 2023 03:03 (eleven months ago) link