OK Computer - Radiohead (lyrics, music video, 90s song, techno, dance)

Davey Moore · 01-27-2009, 09:28 PM

note: I posted this before but I don't think it got the exposure it deserved, namely because I tried to start a thread where I posted all my reviews but it bombed, so I'm reposting this and will work on more reviews I will post in a while, anyway, enjoy and discuss.

Radiohead - OK Computer

1. Airbag: YouTube - Airbag - Radiohead
2. Paranoid Android: YouTube - radiohead - paranoid android
3. Subterranean Homesick Alien: YouTube - Radiohead Music Video - Subterranean Homesick Alien
4. Exit Music (For a Film): YouTube - Radiohead ~ Exit Music (For a Film)
5. Let Down: YouTube - Radiohead Let Down
6. Karma Police: YouTube - KARMA POLICE-RADIOHEAD
7. Fitter Happier: YouTube - fitter happier
8. Electioneering: YouTube - Electioneering
9. Climbing Up the Walls: YouTube - Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls
10. No Surprises: YouTube - Radiohead - No Surprises
11. Lucky: YouTube - Radiohead - Lucky
12. The Tourist: YouTube - The Tourist - Radiohead (this is actually a really cool video)

Man, it took me a LONG time to fall in love with this album. I first heard it months ago in full, and over the last week I’ve been listening to it over and over again. There was a point where I realized I pretty much liked all the. Radiohead is a band that took me a while to get into, but now that I know this album inside and out, it’s worth it. The first track, Airbag has a really nice guitar part that slides up and down. This albums has a real industrial feel to it, yet still it sounds like it could have been made hundreds of years ago. It’s like a gospel for the MP3 age, with all the excess, noise and confusion that accompanies our modern age.

Paranoid Android may be the best track on the album. Its as if he’s screaming up towards the heavens “What’s thiiiiiiis?, surveying a modern desert landscape, with broken computers and obsolete technology littering the land. At least, that’s what I picture. Subterranean Homesick Alien and Exit Music (For a Film) are nice tracks that start off mellow and increase tension throughout the song. This sort of song structure seems to be a motif of the album.

Let Down is such a 90s song. It’s a weird thing to say, but it fits in perfectly with the decade and the style of music that really was predominant then. It makes sense then, that Radiohead was one of the main influences of this sort of sound.

Karma Police is my favorite song on the album. It reminds me of the Pixies and how they structured their songs. The chorus is one of my favorites of all time, “This is what you get…This is what you get…when you mess with us.” It sounds wistfully bitter.

Fitter Happier was a song that really impressed me when I first heard it. It seemed to be channeling the mood of Revolution #9 except with a more concise message. That’s not to say that it is a rip off of Revolution #9, because when I first heard it I stopped what I was doing and just listened, I really hadn’t heard anything quite like it before. Electioneering paints a really fun, yet desolate landscape. It’s like they’re saying “Hey, we’re all living in a wasteland but lets dance!”

Climbing Up The Walls is an interesting song. Listen to the first 30 seconds or so of it; it seems to be channeling a bit of “Welcome To The Machine” by Pink Floyd. It’s a nice song, which builds on the earlier motif of the album by slowly building tension through the song.

No Surprises could easily be my favorite song on the album(a tie between Karma Police, Paranoid Android and this one? PERHAPS!!!!!), but I guess it all depends on mood. It opens like a lullaby and the chorus is simply beautiful. You know what, the whole damn song is beautiful. Lucky is also another really good song. The opening lyrics and melody are especially good. This may be the only song on the album where I don’t like the tension build up, but I like when it gets quiet and he sings “And we’re standing on the edge”

The Tourist is a really nice close to the album. It has a mellow feel to it, and a sad, wistful tone to it. This album is not so much an indictment of a modern, computerized, robotic wasteland, it’s more of a mirror that’s held up to your face. In the end, it gives a big shrug, because it’s not like an album can tear down this giant machine.

So let’s just dance!

9/10

Dr_Rez · 01-28-2009, 01:02 AM

Im really no a Radiohead fan but I enjoyed the review. Very good job with linking up songs and descriptions.

Guybrush · 01-28-2009, 01:38 AM

Nice review!

I agree with you, I think this album is strangely underappreciated on MusicBanter, a sad fate shared by many other popular artists and albums. I guess it might be a mix between wanting to remove oneself from the mainstream and perhaps the hive mind. I bought this album when it was new and that's quite a while ago now and so even if I don't really listen to it anymore, I know it like the back of my hand. My current favourite track may well be Subterranean Homesick Alien, although before that, I've had several other favourite tracks on the album that eventually got overplayed ..

I see you're missing the release year (1997) which should always be included somewhere ..

Thanks for another good review.

stereoballs · 01-30-2009, 07:54 AM

Thank you for the great review! I love Radiohead

RadioWunderbar · 01-31-2009, 10:10 AM

Airbag is my favorite song on this album. Great way to start an album.

jackhammer · 01-31-2009, 01:58 PM

I can honestly say that I barely listen to this album and it is hugely overated. I find the production very mechanical sounding (with the albums title it was probably intentional) but since re-buying it on CD a couple of years ago, I have played it once!

JJJ567 · 01-31-2009, 03:04 PM

One of my favorite albums of all time. There isn't a single thing that I don't love about it.

phantom133pz · 02-01-2009, 03:57 PM

I've never been able to get into Radiohead. As a matter of fact, I just got through giving them one last chance. I listened to OK Computer, In Rainbows, Kid A, Hail To The Thief, and Pablo Honey in their entirety in the last 3 days and I have to say, I am still not impressed. I'm not sure why; I just can not get into Radiohead. In fact, the only song I'm keeping on my computer is Worry Wort because it's part of a compilation I really like. Don't hate me for this!

~~ninaNirvana~~ · 02-02-2009, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I can honestly say that I barely listen to this album and it is hugely overated. I find the production very mechanical sounding (with the albums title it was probably intentional) but since re-buying it on CD a couple of years ago, I have played it once!

Hmmm...not sure if I can agree with that. However I understand how Thom Yorke's voice can turn off some listeners...and Radiohead seems to polarize people as indicative by this thread.

Personally, I think Thom Yorke is a genius, and you could put me on a deserted island with nothing to listen to but OK Computer, Kid A, and Amnesiac...and I would be happy.

I am surprised that given your enthusiasm for Pink Floyd you are not into Radiohead in the fact that both bands 'march to the beat of their own drummers' when it comes to making great art and concept albums.

jackhammer · 02-02-2009, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninaNirvana

Hmmm...not sure if I can agree with that. However I understand how Thom Yorke's voice can turn off some listeners...and Radiohead seems to polarize people as indicative by this thread.

Personally, I think Thom Yorke is a genius, and you could put me on a deserted island with nothing to listen to but OK Computer, Kid A, and Amnesiac...and I would be happy.

I am surprised that given your enthusiasm for Pink Floyd you are not into Radiohead in the fact that both bands 'march to the beat of their own drummers' when it comes to making great art and concept albums.

There are many many bands out there who are experimenting with sounds and textures and making great albums other than Radiohead. 'Concept' albums don't particulary do much for me personally. I would much rather listen to bands like Archive, Porcupine Tree and Kayo Dot who experiment within a traditional format.

This is the problem I have with Radiohead. I don't dislike them but the fact that there is so much good music out there that goes out relatively un noticed starts to build up a resistance to Radioheads music.

01-27-2009, 09:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
Davey Moore The Great Disappearer Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: URI Campus and Coventry, both in RI Posts: 462	OK Computer - Radiohead note: I posted this before but I don't think it got the exposure it deserved, namely because I tried to start a thread where I posted all my reviews but it bombed, so I'm reposting this and will work on more reviews I will post in a while, anyway, enjoy and discuss. Radiohead - OK Computer 1. Airbag: YouTube - Airbag - Radiohead 2. Paranoid Android: YouTube - radiohead - paranoid android 3. Subterranean Homesick Alien: YouTube - Radiohead Music Video - Subterranean Homesick Alien 4. Exit Music (For a Film): YouTube - Radiohead ~ Exit Music (For a Film) 5. Let Down: YouTube - Radiohead Let Down 6. Karma Police: YouTube - KARMA POLICE-RADIOHEAD 7. Fitter Happier: YouTube - fitter happier 8. Electioneering: YouTube - Electioneering 9. Climbing Up the Walls: YouTube - Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls 10. No Surprises: YouTube - Radiohead - No Surprises 11. Lucky: YouTube - Radiohead - Lucky 12. The Tourist: YouTube - The Tourist - Radiohead (this is actually a really cool video) Man, it took me a LONG time to fall in love with this album. I first heard it months ago in full, and over the last week I’ve been listening to it over and over again. There was a point where I realized I pretty much liked all the. Radiohead is a band that took me a while to get into, but now that I know this album inside and out, it’s worth it. The first track, Airbag has a really nice guitar part that slides up and down. This albums has a real industrial feel to it, yet still it sounds like it could have been made hundreds of years ago. It’s like a gospel for the MP3 age, with all the excess, noise and confusion that accompanies our modern age. Paranoid Android may be the best track on the album. Its as if he’s screaming up towards the heavens “What’s thiiiiiiis?, surveying a modern desert landscape, with broken computers and obsolete technology littering the land. At least, that’s what I picture. Subterranean Homesick Alien and Exit Music (For a Film) are nice tracks that start off mellow and increase tension throughout the song. This sort of song structure seems to be a motif of the album. Let Down is such a 90s song. It’s a weird thing to say, but it fits in perfectly with the decade and the style of music that really was predominant then. It makes sense then, that Radiohead was one of the main influences of this sort of sound. Karma Police is my favorite song on the album. It reminds me of the Pixies and how they structured their songs. The chorus is one of my favorites of all time, “This is what you get…This is what you get…when you mess with us.” It sounds wistfully bitter. Fitter Happier was a song that really impressed me when I first heard it. It seemed to be channeling the mood of Revolution #9 except with a more concise message. That’s not to say that it is a rip off of Revolution #9, because when I first heard it I stopped what I was doing and just listened, I really hadn’t heard anything quite like it before. Electioneering paints a really fun, yet desolate landscape. It’s like they’re saying “Hey, we’re all living in a wasteland but lets dance!” Climbing Up The Walls is an interesting song. Listen to the first 30 seconds or so of it; it seems to be channeling a bit of “Welcome To The Machine” by Pink Floyd. It’s a nice song, which builds on the earlier motif of the album by slowly building tension through the song. No Surprises could easily be my favorite song on the album(a tie between Karma Police, Paranoid Android and this one? PERHAPS!!!!!), but I guess it all depends on mood. It opens like a lullaby and the chorus is simply beautiful. You know what, the whole damn song is beautiful. Lucky is also another really good song. The opening lyrics and melody are especially good. This may be the only song on the album where I don’t like the tension build up, but I like when it gets quiet and he sings “And we’re standing on the edge” The Tourist is a really nice close to the album. It has a mellow feel to it, and a sad, wistful tone to it. This album is not so much an indictment of a modern, computerized, robotic wasteland, it’s more of a mirror that’s held up to your face. In the end, it gives a big shrug, because it’s not like an album can tear down this giant machine. So let’s just dance! 9/10 __________________ The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.

01-28-2009, 01:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
Dr_Rez Registered Jimmy Rustler Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USA Posts: 5,361	Im really no a Radiohead fan but I enjoyed the review. Very good job with linking up songs and descriptions. __________________ Best chance of losing virginity is in prison crew Always Checks Credentials Crew nba > nfl crew Shave one of my legs to pretend its a girl in my bed crew

01-28-2009, 01:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Nice review! I agree with you, I think this album is strangely underappreciated on MusicBanter, a sad fate shared by many other popular artists and albums. I guess it might be a mix between wanting to remove oneself from the mainstream and perhaps the hive mind. I bought this album when it was new and that's quite a while ago now and so even if I don't really listen to it anymore, I know it like the back of my hand. My current favourite track may well be Subterranean Homesick Alien, although before that, I've had several other favourite tracks on the album that eventually got overplayed .. I see you're missing the release year (1997) which should always be included somewhere .. Thanks for another good review. __________________ Something Completely Different

01-31-2009, 10:10 AM	#5 (permalink)
RadioWunderbar Groupie Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Posts: 18	Airbag is my favorite song on this album. Great way to start an album. __________________ I am a cliche.

01-31-2009, 01:58 PM	#6 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I can honestly say that I barely listen to this album and it is hugely overated. I find the production very mechanical sounding (with the albums title it was probably intentional) but since re-buying it on CD a couple of years ago, I have played it once! __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

01-30-2009, 07:54 AM	#4 (permalink)
stereoballs Groupie Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 7	Thank you for the great review! I love Radiohead

01-31-2009, 03:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
JJJ567 Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 120	One of my favorite albums of all time. There isn't a single thing that I don't love about it. __________________ http://www.last.fm/user/JJJ567

02-01-2009, 03:57 PM	#8 (permalink)
phantom133pz Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 73	I've never been able to get into Radiohead. As a matter of fact, I just got through giving them one last chance. I listened to OK Computer, In Rainbows, Kid A, Hail To The Thief, and Pablo Honey in their entirety in the last 3 days and I have to say, I am still not impressed. I'm not sure why; I just can not get into Radiohead. In fact, the only song I'm keeping on my computer is Worry Wort because it's part of a compilation I really like. Don't hate me for this!