TS: OK Computer vs. Kid A

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Now that we've been, er, blessed with all the Top 50 of the Aughts lists, it seems like Radiohead might have the lockdown on two consecutive decades-- well, so far. But which of these two modern-day classics would win in a head-to-head? I'm a fan of Radiohead, but I think their popularity and seeming invincibility relegates my emotional connection (or whatever) with them to the mezzanine (or, if you saw them at Coachella, behind the fat drunk guy yelling "Woo-wooh! Best band in the world!,"). Sure, they're a great band, but what kind of rapport can you forge with a band that your mom listens to on her way to work (well, the Christopher O'Reilly rendition)? Kid A was the first Radiohead album I owned, so I prefer it, I guess... Anyway, have at it.

(And I've never really been able to appreciate them since I saw them live and discovered that Thom Yorke doesn't look exactly like Stephen Hawking.)

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:29 (twenty-one years ago)

it seems like Radiohead might have the lockdown on two consecutive decades-- well, so far - i'm sorry, come again?

― j blount (papa la bas), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

They are both pretty amazing, but I think OK Computer is successful in every way, whereas Kid A is only successful on its own particular terms.

― mrjosh (mrjosh), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:35 (twenty-one years ago)

KID A

― Aerodynamic (Aerodynamic), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I'd always opt for The Bends, but between these two, I'd go with Ok Computer.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Blount, I mean that it looks like Radiohead might have made the best album of the 90s and of the 00s so far.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Good lord, Kid A easy. And I say this as an OK Computer fan and all.

Kid A is a beautifully warm album that some cloth-eared fools decried as 'cold' because it had electronics. These people then went back to listening to their hand-carved CDs full of "David Fricke gets laid in college" music.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I'd always opt for The Bends, but between these two, I'd go with Ok Computer.

Alex in NYC in being completely OTM shocker. There are only three good songs on Kid A, and one of them is also on Amnesiac. Kid A embodies everything I personally hate about rockism, but, hey, if that's your thing, it's your thing.

― edward o (edwardo), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Amnesiac is fucking awful, it makes me cringe - Kid A is pretty great. Niether are anywhere near being the top 100 albums of the decade.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:49 (twenty-one years ago)

*in* the top

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I still listen to Kid A, not Ok computer. So Kid A, then.

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Amnesiac > Hail to the Thief > Kid A > OK Computer

or on some days

Hail to the Thief > Amnesiac > OK Computer > Kid A

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:53 (twenty-one years ago)

OK>Bends>KIdA>...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................amnesiac

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:56 (twenty-one years ago)

argh, im drunk. sorry for messing up the thread.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 22 January 2005 02:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A. Idioteque, yo!

― miccio (miccio), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree with jed, except put Hail to the Thief somewhere in between those "..."s, and then put about five more miles of 'em after "Amnesiac", THEN put Pablo Honey. IT'S THAT BAD!!!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:07 (twenty-one years ago)

oh i forgot HTTT!

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Pablo Honey isn't that bad, it's just a fairly standard issue rock album compared with what came next.

Valuble reminder never to judge any band too quickly though!

― flea off a cat, Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

1st half of OK Computer>Kid A>OK Computer

― brontosaur, Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Mr. Miccio's note of "Idioteque" reminds me that every time I've seen Radiohead do that song live -- three times total now -- it's pretty much the greatest song ever written. Florid, I know, but it is so perfectly *right* live, what is certainly enjoyable in studio becomes this monstrous, alive thing. Very Frankenstein, they put all the pieces together and it lives.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A, but I've always much preferred Amnesiac

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Amnesiac somehow has the most casual, confident attitude out of all of them.

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:34 (twenty-one years ago)

This choice is hard because until "Let Down" OK Computer is riveting but afterward dips somewhat (IMHO) whereas Kid A for me at least is more of a slow starter, peaking with "Idioteque." So while OK Computer has the highs Kid A has the consistency. I guess I would go with The Bends too like some of the people above for its consistent anthemic quality. (it sounds like I'm picking out a car.) I mean for how much The Bends kills or something.

― yankee puzzled, Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A > OK Computer > Hail to the Thief > How's My Driving? EP > Amnesiac > The Bends > Pablo Honey

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Who's hear Bodysong (Jonny Greenwood)?

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:45 (twenty-one years ago)

This choice is hard because until "Let Down" OK Computer is riveting but afterward dips somewhat (IMHO)

mine too, I rarely listen to this album the whole way through actually. Kid A is definitely that disc, though both are stunningly complete works stylistically and thematically.

Damn. I'd like to hear the next record this year.

― flea off a cat, Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Bodysong did absolutely nothing for me whatsoever. Not that I expected it to, anyway. It's a goddamn instrumental film soundtrack!! Like that Massive Attack Danny the Dog LP or some shit.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been to two outdoor Radiohead concerts. Both very amazing. The second, among the best shows I have ever seen.

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:55 (twenty-one years ago)

OKC. And don't call me Hornby.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Saturday, 22 January 2005 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Sure thing. So how's Arsenal doing?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 January 2005 04:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I like The Bends too, maybe the most? OKC is lovely, and I like the last two songs quite a bit, actually.

I never did pick up Hail to The Thief, as everything seemed to indicate it was more of the same, and I rarely if ever listen to Amnesiac anymore.

― derrick (derrick), Saturday, 22 January 2005 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Tough choice. If looked at this coldly, I'd say Kid A, because it's just so incredibly inventive and idiosynchratic -- not sure, but it may very well be a break-up album and if that's the case, it would be even more inventive.

But OK Computer is a *personal* favorite of mine ... the guitars are just fucking brilliant and passionate throughout ther whole thing, and the songs themselves are just really intense. I find myself listening to it more. Same, btw, with Amesiac, which is the inferior of the two albums they recorded in those sessions but is unexplainably more engaging.

― Chris O., Saturday, 22 January 2005 04:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I'd always opt for The Bends, but between these two, I'd go with Ok Computer.

OTM. I don't know why, but The Bends is the perfect music for jetlag.

― Edward Bax (EdBax), Saturday, 22 January 2005 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A is a beautifully warm album that some cloth-eared fools decried as 'cold' because it had electronics. These people then went back to listening to their hand-carved CDs full of "David Fricke gets laid in college" music.

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), January 22nd, 2005.

OTM

For the overall "I like the way this sounds" factor my vote goes to Kid A. For "songs" it goes to Ok Computer.

― the first church of latebloomer, friend of plebians and santa (reformed) (latebl, Saturday, 22 January 2005 07:01 (twenty-one years ago)

except for "Idioteque", which is DA SONG

― the first church of latebloomer, friend of plebians and santa (reformed) (latebl, Saturday, 22 January 2005 07:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A was far more astounding upon first listen, but OK Computer has a certain longevity.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Saturday, 22 January 2005 07:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A is their finest hour.

― sleep (sleep), Saturday, 22 January 2005 07:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Idioteque live is indeed the bomb. But there is an awful lot of things about Radiohead live that I like over their studio albums - they have the potential to be far better live than in the studio.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Saturday, 22 January 2005 07:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid Fucking A.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Saturday, 22 January 2005 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Donna fucking A

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Saturday, 22 January 2005 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A. It's the first Radiohead album that I bought, I was never interested in them before that.

― The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Saturday, 22 January 2005 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A embodies everything I personally hate about rockism

That's odd, OKC embodies everything I hate about rockism. Some of it is so unbelievably fucking overblown it's unlistenable.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Saturday, 22 January 2005 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A anyway. It's magic.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Saturday, 22 January 2005 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Chris O is right, in how wonderful the guitars sound on OKC.

― derrick (derrick), Saturday, 22 January 2005 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

definately Kid A

― Rizz (Rizz), Saturday, 22 January 2005 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Should I Might Be Wrong be considered in thsi discussion? I haven't heard that much of it, but I really dig its version of Like Spinning Plates (especially at the beginning, where, if you listen really closely, you can hear everyone in the audience trying to figure what song it is until some dude screams , "LIKESPINNINGPLAAAAATES!" and a couple people around him cheer.)

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Saturday, 22 January 2005 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A by FAR. It's as catchy as the Bends, but with a tighter tracklisting. I love Kid A, it's definitely my favorite Radiohead album and always will be. My single favorite Radiohead song is the title track.

Kid A > The Bends > OK Computer > Hail To The Thief > Amnesiac > Pablo Honey

― Matthew "Flux" Perpetua, Saturday, 22 January 2005 21:14 (twenty-one years ago)

poortheatre: yeah, that version of Like Spinning Plates is... stunning. Actually, Kid A live is pretty revelatory too.

― sleep (sleep), Saturday, 22 January 2005 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

>they have the potential to be far better live than in the studio.

I wish they'd gone for the full double live album after Amnesiac. I have two mp3'd shows, one 2000, one 2002, and they're consistently better than the studio versions, both in terms of performance (yorke's singing more intense, the guitars balanced more radically with the electronics) & pacing (it really helps to mix in songs from earlier albums with the later ones).

But I think a full double live album would have been such a statement that it would have required a total reinvention as a followup, at the moment when they wanted to consolidate, so they just put out a little ep... the mp3's were well distributed, but someday I hope we get a full document because I still think that's the band's best work.

― (Jon L), Saturday, 22 January 2005 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid A is the album that made me want to make music. I was about 14 when it came out and it was so completely alien to anything I'd been exposed to before, I mean warm sounding electronics and it was so sad/sappy and I had so much angst. I just loved every second of it and still do for the most part.

― thank god i ain't too cool for the safe belt (smile), Sunday, 23 January 2005 00:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Of the two, Kid A

But I prefer Amnesiac, all the same.

― David A. (Davant), Sunday, 23 January 2005 09:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes. Those WERE the days. I found it odd that the live document that they DID put out didn't satisfy me. I could point to better versions of many of those songs. But who knows, maybe it's just me. It seemed almost ironic - if they were GOING to put out a live album...how could I be so unhappy with it? Surely there is something happening live for them that they still need to show the world.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Sunday, 23 January 2005 09:34 (twenty-one years ago)

its fairly valid criticism that some of their forays into electronic stuff have come off amateur/hamfisted (tho occasionally- idioteque, kid a - it's right on point). but i think they should try and pursue it even further. their recent scraps of stuff on their DVD were a interesting if incomplete. plus its worth tracking down the Thom Yorke remix of We Suck Young Blood - theyre not going to give any electronic artists a run for their money in technical skill, but it's interesting enough cos of the components they have to draw from - a quality band, 'songwriter', vocals etc.

at worst it could be a bit patchy, just like hail to the thief was a bit of a patchy 'live rock' record.

― mark h, Sunday, 23 January 2005 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

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