The Official Radiohead Thread

[Surell]

Originally Posted by eric generic

I'm sorry to sound like a dick, but anyone that prefers Pablo Honey over The Bends has no credibility with me.

Hey, no disagreement here for sure. But it happens, especially in the Radiohead universe. There's actually a humorous video about it.

[toyboxmonster]

Originally Posted by eric generic

I'm sorry to sound like a dick, but anyone that prefers Pablo Honey over The Bends has no credibility with me.

... Oh, no. Now I don't see how I can possibly live with myself.

What makes "The Bends" such a great album in your view of things? You like some songs more than others. I like other songs. If I were to rate all of the songs on "The Bends" out of 5, it would go something like:

Planet Telex - 2
The Bends - 3
High and Dry - 2
Fake Plastic Trees - 4
Bones - 2
Nice Dream - 4
Just - 1
My Iron Lung - 1
Bullet Proof - 5
Black Star - 2
Sulk - 1
Street Spirit - 5

This gives it an average of 2.7 in my book. Now let's turn to Pablo Honey:

You -3
Creep - 4
How Do You - 2
Stop Whispering - 2
Thinking About You - 4
Anyone Can Play Guitar - 1
Ripcord - 2
Vegetable - 3
Prove Yourself - 2
I Can't - 4
Lurgee - 3
Blow Out - 4

These ratings give it an average of 2.8. That's not very far off at all. I never claimed that "Pablo Honey" was vastly better, or that "The Bends" was a huge step backwards or anything like that. I claimed that the highs were high and the lows were too low (as indicated by my ratings). My complaint was that it was inconsistent. "Pablo Honey", on the other hand, never reaches quite the same kind of highs that some of the tracks on "The Bends" do (note the compelte absence of 5s). However, most of its lows aren't quite as band as those on "The Bends", making it more consistent.

They're the two albums at the bottom of my list. I'm never really sure which to put first. I could place "The Bends" at #7 because of the great songs, or at #8 because of the bad ones (as I did here). A less meticulous, but probably more accurate rating indicating my taste in Radiohead albums would look like this:

1. Kid A / OK Computer / In Rainbows
2. Hail to the Thief / King of Limbs
3. Amnesiac
4. Pablo Honey / The Bends

The degrees of preference between albums in any given category are so insignificant that it's really not a big deal how I arrange them.

[debaserr]

Anyone that prefers KoL over Amnesiac...

[Paedantic Basterd]

I have a huge soft spot for Inside My Head.

[Surell]

Originally Posted by eric generic

Anyone that prefers KoL over Amnesiac...

Anyone that prefers OKC over Amnesiac...

Btw, Pablo Honey, the last time i (painfully) listened, it was generic 90's hard alternative. The Bends, however, was a more unique, mature sound (as opposed to angsty), especially with songs like Planet Telex, High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, and... well, i really like the whole album.

[debaserr]

OKC and Amnesiac are both so good, I could let that slide.

[Surell]

Of course, it's also so much better than In Rainbows. >;c

[Mykonos]

Uh, I hate to point out the most obvious thing that I possibly could, but people aren't all going to like the same albums in the same order, because not only do different people have different opinions and sound preferences, but also 'Head's discography is so varied that no two albums truly sound alike. It's not really a matter of which one is higher quality, but more of which one has the sound that you like best. For example, In Rainbows is possibly my favourite, mainly because I have a thing for deep sounds that their other albums don't really achieve. But that doesn't mean I consider albums like TKOL and The Bends as rubbish, because their not. I just like some more than others.

[duga]

Originally Posted by Mykonos

Uh, I hate to point out the most obvious thing that I possibly could, but people aren't all going to like the same albums in the same order, because not only do different people have different opinions and sound preferences, but also 'Head's discography is so varied that no two albums truly sound alike.

This is exactly why I think their later albums are weak. There was such variety with their albums...even between Kid A and Amnesiac. In Rainbows and the King of Limbs are perfect examples of Radiohead losing their edge simply because I feel there is a lot of similarity...at least a lot more than their previous albums.

[Mykonos]

Really? I can see the similarities in TKOL with their electronic stuff, but In Rainbows didn't really have a copypasted sound to my ear. I'd actually say it's one of the most original ones they've made.