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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

OK Computer

Radiohead

1997

Buy At Rough Trade
OK Computer
Album Summary

OK Computer is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in Japan on 21 May 1997 and in the UK on 16 June 1997. Radiohead self-produced the album with Nigel Godrich, an arrangement they have used for their subsequent albums. Radiohead recorded most of OK Computer in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and the historic mansion of St Catherine's Court in Bath in 1996 and early 1997. The band distanced themselves from the guitar-centred, lyrically introspective style of their previous album, The Bends. OK Computer's abstract lyrics, densely layered sound and eclectic influences laid the groundwork for Radiohead's later, more experimental work. The album's lyrics depict a world fraught with rampant consumerism, social alienation, emotional isolation and political malaise; in this capacity, OK Computer has been said to have prescient insight into the mood of 21st-century life. The band used unconventional production techniques, including natural reverberation through recording on a staircase, and no audio separation. Strings were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Guitarist Ed O'Brien estimated that 80 per cent of the album was recorded live. Despite lowered sales estimates by EMI, who deemed the record uncommercial and difficult to market, OK Computer reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200, Radiohead's highest album entry on the US charts at the time, and was soon certified 5× platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US. The songs "Paranoid Android", "Karma Police", "Lucky" and "No Surprises" were released as singles. The album expanded Radiohead's international popularity and has sold at least 7.8 million units worldwide. A remastered version with additional tracks, OKNOTOK 1997 2017, was released in 2017, marking the album's twentieth anniversary. In 2019, in response to an internet leak, Radiohead released MiniDiscs [Hacked], comprising hours of demos, rehearsals, live performances and other material. OK Computer received critical acclaim and has been cited by listeners, critics and musicians as one of the greatest albums of all time. It was nominated for the Album of the Year and won Best Alternative Music Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best British Album at the 1998 Brit Awards. The album initiated a stylistic shift in British rock away from Britpop toward melancholic, atmospheric alternative rock that became more prevalent in the next decade. In 2014, it was included by the United States Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Wikipedia

Rating

4.1

Votes

14459

Genres

  • Rock
  • Indie

Reviews

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Mon Feb 08 2021
2

Most overrated album of all time

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Tue Feb 16 2021
5

Claustrophobic, paranoid, oblique and dystopian, a big fuck you to Britpop. In 1997 this sounded like the future to my tiny little 13 year old mind. I always was a pretentious little git.

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Tue May 18 2021
5

It was not easy following up the guitar-centered, abstract, emotional, and cryptic masterpiece "The Bends", which was in its own right a level above the more repetitive grunge sound on what is widely considered to be Radiohead's worst record, "Pablo Honey". In my opinion, OK Computer is the album that has aged the best from any piece of music published in the 90's. The lyrics are extremely relevant, Thom Yorke's tenor is iconic, and it touches upon themes of media-obsession, paranoia and dystopian technology in a beautifully coherent way. I believe that when it was released it set a new gold standard for progressive/art rock that has only been met by a very select few projects these 2 decades. Overall score a perfect 5/5.

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Thu Jun 03 2021
5

OK Computer is one of those rare albums that actually deserves the praise lavished on it. Where to even start? How about the astonishingly layered arrangement of Airbag, the opening tune? Yes, it's guitar based, but there's snatches of electronica, electronic percussion alongside live drums, a cello, and I could go on and on. You could listen to this track a dozen times and hear something new every time. Compositionally, these songs are as strong as they get, which explains why they've been covered by the likes of Brad Melhdau. Take Paranoid Android, a multipart suite with odd meter changes, but which nonetheless rocks like a mother. And unlike many other bands, Radiohead doesn't get any less interesting when they slow down and do a ballad like the gorgeous No Surprises. On OK Computer, Radiohead makes most bands sound like hacks or toddlers, and that goes for most of the bands that have followed in their footsteps. If I had been in a rock band at the time, it probably would have made me throw up my hands in despair. An easy 5 out of 5.

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Tue Feb 08 2022
2

Aren't there more Bob Dylan albums you could have put here?

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Wed May 11 2022
2

In which the jangly tunings and wool-gathering lyricism of 90s indie are retrofitted to the studio gimcrackery and stadium heroics of U2 and injected with turn-of-the-century received fatalism. Is it commercially calculated? No doubt. Does it also aspire to art rock? Just as little doubt. Are the two compatible? You betcha. Do they pull it off? Commercially: er, duh. But an art rock masterpiece? Hm. ‘Fitter Happier’ might be as high-concept as they get. In which case, answer’s no. The aesthetic's there, but it's all tell-don’t-show and heavy-handed emotional manipulation. That's pretty much my biggest problem with Radiohead. You’re given no other option but to feel down. I suppose I blame Thom Yorke, who has the emotional range of a mood ring. In a lot of ways, he’s the sandbag stopping this hot air balloon from taking off—or from taking off higher than it does. Because there’s no doubting that much of what’s here is dense, layered, and precise, screened by a veneer of uncertainty. There are thrash-outs, bass ‘n’ guitar counterpoints, clattering drums, seismic reverberations, and exceptionally difficult acoustic/electric combos. They rarely miss a cue to move a song to the next act, either. All of which leaves me feeling the same way I have about for the last decade. Amazing musicians, big ideas, lame lyrics, lousy singer. Where's the lift? Why are they ina constant state of deflation? Why do so many people get a kick out of lethargy?

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Fri Nov 12 2021
2

This would be my soundtrack if I decided to ever slit my wrists. So whiny. Was listening on a bright beautiful day riding in Monterey and it really bummed me out. Billie Eilishesque

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Tue Sep 21 2021
5

It is impressive how Thom Yorke managed to out-depress the entirety of grunge. Honestly, I didn't even like this album much the first time I listened to it. Strange, despite it being a perfect mix of things I like: alternative rock veneer over progressive/artsy songwriting, disaffected lyrics, and dripping with pretentiousness. I came back to it after a few months and it completely clicked for me, and now I think it is an essential album to its core.

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Mon Jul 05 2021
5

You're very brave to be recommending this album to me, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; Did you know that? I suppose you have to list the obvious albums, but little did I know we'd be here. For the uninitiated, almost everything we owe alternative rock in the 21st century can be traced back to this album along with a good chunk of Radiohead's discography as a whole. They are simply too important not to have on this list. It's so glaringly unlike anything else before it, with it's songwriting and production and little flairs that make it memorable. The pacing is perfect, making for an effortless listen. It is Radiohead's magnum opus, and they've still got a few albums in the pipe that come really close. I find it hard to talk about individual songs because it's all so great, but I'll attempt: Paranoid Android is this fantastic piece of art rock with multiple movements to tell a larger story and give us a truly wired experience for the rest of the album. Karma Police is the climatic down-beat song right before the interlude that gets us a little moody. See what I meant about pacing earlier? This is followed by a back half that goes through a different set of experiences and it ends on such a wonderful strong note. Yeah, this album is good :)

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Tue Feb 16 2021
5

I was watching a BBC4 documentary about duck rustling in the 13th century at the weekend and it blew my mind. This album has a similar effect. The unreachable ambition shown by both Radiohead is reminiscent of the infamous duck rustlers and really comes to the fore on 'Fitter Happier'. A loveable, adventurous romp, with charming pond dwelling creatures. I was on the edge of my seat throughout.

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Sun Jul 11 2021
5

I had listened to The Bends twice beforehand to really understand the transition, and damn there is such a huge gap. I listened to OK Computer three times yesterday. First was blind run, and immediately I noticed the differences, but I wasn't able to pick out the songs apart from some really cool parts. I also couldn't understand most of the lyrics. Second listen I followed the lyrics and music videos, reading what people thought of each song. Third was taking all this into account, now that I could anticipate each song. And yeah it was worth it, because this song has to be one of the most interesting albums I had ever listened to. I could relisten to it again and again and not get tired of it, which I definitely couldn't say about The Bends. After all this careful consideration, I completely agree with the critics, this is by far one of the best albums I had ever listened to and probably will ever listen to in my life. The more I listen, the more I appreciate each song. Each song is carefully crafted and relies on heavy ingenuity and inspiration from what legends such as the Brian Wilson, REM, and the Pixies had done in prior decades to take rock 10 steps further. The imagery was necessary for me to understand the themes and subject of these songs, due to their abstract lyrics and atmospheric sound. There is something to be said about every song. "Airbag" was a perfect start to set the expectations for the album, and the distortion of the drums and bass at the end made me realize this was an album of carefully crafted experimentation. "Paranoid Android" is an absolute masterpiece, and balls of Radiohead to make the 6.5 minute song their lead single. "Subterranean Homesick Alien" was the song that struck out to me the most my first listen due to the aquatic noises and easy-to-follow story about envisioning a flight with aliens. Certainly one of the most atmospheric songs. I could go on, but that won't be necessary. "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" are my other two favorites. This album comes at a time when they outcompeted a crowd of spectators, inspiring many of those spectators to stand up and model their work after Radiohead.

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Thu Apr 08 2021
5

For et album! Føler at dette er 90-tallets svar på Dark Side of the Moon. Hver eneste sang er en banger og glir godt over i den neste. Beste sanger: Subterranean Homesick Alien, Exit Music og No Surprises.

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Fri Apr 23 2021
5

First 2 songs are super cool. I love the distorted drums and bass in Airbag. Rest of the album was very interesting and even in the slower, more depressing songs I could always enjoy something about it. Quite a neat spacey style.

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Tue Oct 19 2021
3

Still not really there for me. This is a band I've long wanted to really get into. On paper, as it were, they seem like the kind of artists I'd love. Hasn't happened yet. This album clicked with me a little better than the other one that came up on my rotation in this album generator, but I honestly can't remember much, if anything, about that other one. There are some really interesting moments on this album. I actually might come back to it -- might come back to their other works, too -- and give some more concentrated listening time to them.

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Fri Jul 23 2021
5

Classic after classic on this album, and enough b-sides and bonus tracks to make another great album. The albums themes are still incredibly relevant today, which is a shame, but works in its favour.

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Tue Nov 16 2021
5

The greatest album of the 90s. This album not only represented a huge leap forward for Radiohead, but a huge leap forward for popular music in general. OK Computer saw Radiohead incorporating electronic sounds and effects while talking about themes of alienation and the rise of technology. The songs are incredibly well crafted and show such intentionality that it's hard to believe that Radiohead would continue to evolve beyond this album. It's as close to a perfect album as you can get.

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Thu Oct 22 2020
5

Really good, one of the greatest of all time

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Fri Dec 24 2021
5

You can take the whiteboy out of the Radiohead, but you can’t take the Radiohead out of the whiteboy

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Thu Jun 16 2022
5

I'm going to say this is the most important album of the 90s. I honestly don't have the energy to articulate beyond this, but every song is a masterpiece of art-rock-pop. Either this or In Rainbows is my favorite album of all time. It's another great of example of an album made in reaction to the time and place that they existed and we're all still living in. Shoutout to Godrich's masterful engineering as well, the original 1997 release sounds so freakin' good to this day.

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Sat Mar 02 2024
5

Fitter happier More productive Comfortable Not drinking too much Regular exercise at the gym (3 days a week) Getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries At ease Eating well (no more microwave dinners and saturated fats) A patient, better driver A safer car (baby smiling in back seat) Sleeping well (no bad dreams) No paranoia Careful to all animals (never washing spiders down the plughole) Keep in contact with old friends (enjoy a drink now and then) Will frequently check credit at (moral) bank (hole in the wall) Favours for favours Fond but not in love Charity standing orders On Sundays ring road supermarket (No killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants) Car wash (also on Sundays) No longer afraid of the dark or midday shadows Nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate Nothing so childish At a better pace Slower and more calculated No chance of escape Now self-employed Concerned (but powerless) An empowered and informed member of society (pragmatism not idealism) Will not cry in public Less chance of illness Tyres that grip in the wet (shot of baby strapped in back seat) A good memory Still cries at a good film Still kisses with saliva No longer empty and frantic Like a cat Tied to a stick That's driven into Frozen winter shit (the ability to laugh at weakness) Calm Fitter, healthier and more productive A pig In a cage On antibiotics

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Thu Mar 04 2021
2

Meh. Too whiney for my taste.

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Mon Dec 18 2023
5

This album changed my perspective on music.

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Fri Sep 17 2021
3

I was 10 when this album came out. I have very vivid memories of seeing clips of the Karma Police music video on MTV, but OK Computer was not coming anywhere near my 6-CD changer boombox. This particular prompt gave me a bit of anxiety because I feel like I'm supposed to like Radiohead but I was nervous that I would not have my mind blown by this album. And truth is, I didn't. I really wanted to enjoy OK Computer, but it had an alt rock moodiness that's just really not for Kelseys. It was reminiscent of Tool or Muse - bands that I acknowledge are musically talented but aren't doing anything that I personally enjoy. I will confess that I have a very low attention span for lyrics and need to be grabbed sonically before I can get into any deeper meaning behind the music - especially when lyrics are caged in metaphor and/or not clearly enunciated. For that reason (in addition to the knowledge that this album means a lot to many people who's opinion I respect), I'd be willing to give it another shot and spend more time trying to understand what makes it truly great. But as of now, it's not going on repeat for me.

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Wed Sep 22 2021
5

A prophetic, innovative record that has stood the test of time 24 years later. The lyrics captures modern America's addiction to technology, consumerism, media consumption, and political scandals to a T. Between the bands variety of tones in their instruments, shocking reverb to barebones, the influx of strings, and the poignantly placed electro-techno samples, there is a ton of sounds to absorb from this record. This is bold, true Radiohead. You could listen to it 100 times and still discover something new, it never goes stale. It may be a little passé to hold this record in such high esteem on the internet, but it truly is one of the greatest to ever be made. I think it will only age better with time. Favorite Song: Paranoid Android Least Favorite: Climbing Up the Wall

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Mon Aug 28 2023
3

Music for people who feel like androids, who seek salvation in airbags and rain, who cry themselves to sleep and awake, who are deluded enough to actually believe their existence and consciousness are nothing more than the sum of complex chemical reactions, who resolve again and again to get off their asses and make something of their lives yet never do. Never fear! Radiohead is hear to sing your woes for you, so that you don't have to think of some way to express yourself yourself. I'm just gonna hold myself and let Radiohead tell me how I feel about myself.

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Sat Oct 14 2023
3

Mannnnn I want so badly to understand why so many people say this is one of the greatest albums ever. There are some really beautiful sounds here. That part in Paranoid Android really kicked my ass the first time I heard it. Karma Police is a classic. But something about Thom Yorke's voice bums me out a little bit, it just feels so drab most of the time. I will say that I've enjoyed the album more every time I've heard it (4 times). Despite that, it still just feels like a great album, not an essential one. Maybe you had to be there.

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Tue Nov 30 2021
2

I fucking hate radiohead. This isn't as bad as a couple of their other albums but it's still a 2/5.

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Tue May 17 2022
2

What's the big deal here? It's alright, reasonably listenable rock music. A singer who is by turns affecting and irritating, and some really crap production choices, are the standouts here. Decent drummer, too

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Wed Nov 01 2023
2

Wow, I feel like ill probably be alone in my opinion on this one. So I never listened to Radiohead before, but hear how important they are. I don't get it? Probably important at the time, but just kinda generic to me and another sad boy sounding like a sad boy not my thing. I will continue not listening to them moving forward. Giving 2 stars because I know they were influencers (at least thats what I am told)

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Mon Apr 11 2022
1

I don't get it. The vocals are moany, and hard to understand. Didn't like Radiohead then, still don't like them now.

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Tue Oct 04 2022
1

In an almost, but not quite passable attempt at an album, Radiohead once again threatens us repeatedly with the potential for a good time, but with every song, they never deliver.

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Wed Dec 21 2022
1

Most overrated band of the last 30 years

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Tue Jun 27 2023
1

The 1001 Albums Challenge - Day 98 Radiohead - OK Computer The most overrated, overhyped album of all time. I tried once again today, and nothing has changed.  Here's the link to a YouTube reviewer who says exactly what I think, but he says it better.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuqV5GvEZpk

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Thu Oct 12 2023
1

I couldn't get further than Paranoid Android. I hate this. Don't like the whiney voice. Miserable rubbish.

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Tue Oct 31 2023
1

🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️

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Fri May 07 2021
5

What can I say about this that has not been said before. I prefer Kid A and In Rainbows more than this that does not meanrhis one is not perfect

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Sat May 29 2021
5

Is there anything left to say about it? The record of their lives. The record of our lives.

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Mon Feb 22 2021
5

One of my all time favourite albums. But IMHO In Rainbows is even better.

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Tue May 11 2021
5

Had heard it before. It took a while to grow on me but now this is one of my favorite albums ever. Highly recommend anyone who hasn't heard it to try it out because if it ends up being for you, it will change your life and the way you see music.

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Fri Jul 23 2021
5

Airbag offers a good bridge from The Bends to OK Computer, but is often over looked during album listens for me because it is just a hurdle before Paranoid Android. About half way with Karma Police Radio head start taking a bit of a left turn and start heading in their future direction, once they got over the musical hissy fit that was Kid A. Still one of my all time favourite albums, and always will be.

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Thu Jun 16 2022
5

I've listened to this album countless times. Unfortunately it's one of those albums that I associate very strongly with a past relationship which ended badly, so it's hard for me to separate it from those memories and that state of mind. Her name was fucking Sarah too. So when "Lucky" comes on it's kind of haunting. Because of all that I don't listen to this often, but when I do, I am still hypnotized by what initially drew me in: the richly detailed and textured atmosphere that perfectly balanced electronic and rock elements, experimentation with hooks, and, most impressively, the way they were able to capture the zeitgeist with both the beauty and sadness it requires to truly do so. I think a big part of this album's success was due to simply not overthinking it. Most of it was recorded live together as a group rather than separate takes, and producer Nigel Godrich didn't overwork the mixes. It strangely gives quite the opposite impression though. When I listen to this on headphones I could easily be convinced that they labored over each take Steely Dan style, and that Nigel Godrich held them all at gunpoint over some minor production choice. This record feels as alive and vital to me as it did when I first heard it, and I consider it their best work. It flows gracefully through all its twists and turns, ups and downs. Computer voice and all, it's a perfect album.

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Thu May 25 2023
5

I knew the shining reputation this album had for years, and have tried multiple times to listen to it all the way through, but I never truly appreciated the depth and complexity it has until now. This actually was the first album I went back to listen to a 2nd time just to further analyze it. Thematically is where OK Computer shines the most for me, and in a way where it has aged like the finest of wines, when looking at how quickly technology is advancing and/or shaping in our society and how things like social media has worked to drive wedges between us, while also contributing to increased consumerism, isolation, and so forth. Yorke sings about how he doesn't fit into the world he lives in all over this album, about how he just watches the chaos around him, his dissatisfaction with life, and just general worry, anxiety, and fear. A lot of these feelings would probably resonate with people today, from the rise of AI programs, to Covid-19, rising inequality, climate change, and so many other topics. Musically the album served as a final end to britpop, but also varied with crunchy, distorted guitars on more alternative rock numbers like Electioneering, to softer, atmospheric ballads like the Tourist, and then songs like Climbing Up The Walls which have a brooding, yet atmospheric nature with Yorke's vocals slinking their way around the track before turning into shrieks as distorted guitars just turn the track into a wall of sound to go along with said shrieks. It's an album that I'm already revisiting multiple times now and looking forward to do so multiple times in the future as I appreciate the lyrical and musical depth it has, and I can really see this becoming one of my favorite albums in the coming years, so I'll rate it as such.

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Mon Dec 11 2023
5

One of the greatest albums of all time

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Thu Dec 14 2023
5

One of my favorite albums of all time. Big. Interesting. Sad. Makes a point. It’s beautiful.

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Sat Dec 16 2023
5

Oh hell yes. An absolute masterpiece and one of my top albums ever. I wish there were six stars.

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Tue Feb 27 2024
5

This album is a must listen for any fan of music

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Fri May 24 2024
5

OK Computer is a work of such depth and complexity, layer upon layer, peeling back like an onion, that there are still new things to discover in it even after 27 years of obsessive listening and worship. And yet, its message is so clearly communicated. The modern world is bullshit. We as humans have sold our souls to capitalism, for 24/7 instant food and entertainment. Humans will stomp on each other to be richer, to be seen as cooler, smarter…better. This album reads corporate culture for the filth it is. The production here is unbelievably marvelous. Radiohead were going for the spaces between notes on Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, and they nailed it, particularly on Subterranean Homesick Alien, a gorgeous meditation on wishing to escape the world. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood took 16 violins tuned a quarter step apart, all playing the same note, and made the eerie outro to Climbing Up The Walls, a song about the voices inside the heads of schizophrenic patients clawing to get out, yet there is no escape. Open up your skull, I’ll be there, climbing up the walls. A blood curdling scream from inside a diseased brain. This is followed, geniously, by the child like bed time melody of No Surprises. You are deceived into thinking everything will now be better after that horror show, but then Thom starts singing about all the little defeats of life so plaintively that you feel every ounce of the loss in his soul. Alternatively on Karma Police, when he sings the last “I lost myself” and draws out the note, it feels like he’s crying and crumpling into a ball of despair. It’s heartbreaking and so fucking real. Then the song disintegrates into a virus infected computer. The best song on here for me is Let Down. On first few listens it sounds like an average alt rock meditation about being let down, stomped into the ground, and hoping to someday grow wings, yet it builds and builds, listen after listen, layer upon layer to such incredible heights that you can feel your soul actually grow wings, fly above it all and forgive this life for being what it is. Miraculous songwriting. I’m still waiting for someone, anyone to try and top it. I could go on for days. I’ve listened and obsessed so much that I can’t listen and obsess like I once did. I might not feel so strongly about this album had I not felt every emotion he’s singing about at some point in my life. This is a perfect album. No missed notes. No mistakes. Its intentions land squarely at ground zero. Pure, glorious art.

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Mon Jul 22 2024
5

This is a very special album to me. I can remember hearing Paranoid Android for the first time on the radio. I had to pull my car over because I couldn't concentrate on driving while it was playing. The first half is slightly stronger than the second, but every track is a winner. The track placement takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions, speaking of which Exit music from a movie is one of the most emotional, dark, angsty songs I have ever heard. Its beautiful and scary all at once. It's tricky to name a favourite song because I love them all so much. Exit Music Paranoid Android Lucky I'm so glad this dropped for the weekend! I love this band soooo much!

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Sat Apr 02 2022
4

OK Computer by Radiohead (1997) This record came out when I was at the peak of my flight from popular music, and I’m sorry I missed it (although I wouldn’t have swapped it for Wagner, Mahler, and/or Bruckner). OK Computer is really good on this, my first serious listen. The lyrics are full of frustration, alienation, and unsystematic, aimless social/political discontent, including lament and personal anger over the way things are at the end of the second millennium. My kind of themes. But they lack polish, craft, focus, and emotional depth. Lyricist/lead vocalist Thom Yorke struggles to deliver the very creative melodies with confidence (especially on “Exit Music [For a Film]”, but much better on the more conventional “No Surprises”). However, the music itself is phenomenally creative and appealing, experimenting as it does with structure and sound, yet still remaining connected to 20th century sensibilities, chiefly by keeping the rhythm section steady. Bassist Colin Greenwood and drummer Philip Selway provide solid if not flashy foundations, while keyboards, synth, guitars, and well-placed strings fill the ears with polychromatic sounds and just the right amount of discord. “Fitter Happier” is a lovely little mockery of the self help industry, with more than a few chuckle-inducing gems. The song “No Surprises” (somewhat surprisingly) resonates in at least two 66-year-old ears, but let’s not get too personal. The cover art is a superlative example of successfully pairing a visual mood with a sonic mood. The album loses energy toward the end. I’m not sure it was a good choice to finish with the words “Hey man, slow down, slow down; Idiot, slow down, slow down”. Makes me want to take a nap or go grab a beer. But the overall effect of OK Computer is high creativity and musical excellence. Radiohead. Yes. I look forward to hearing more of their stuff. The Bends, In Rainbows, and Kid A remain for me on the 1001 Albums list. Stay tuned. 4/5

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Fri May 03 2024
3

In the middle of this one I dozed off and dreamt I was listening to REM. Overrated and pretentious. Maybe both of them.

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Sun Jun 02 2024
3

This was a struggle for me. I absolutely hate Radiohead in general. I've never understood what so many enjoy in the mess of whiny and jangly noise. I was actually suprised that I almost liked the first two tracks, but then the depression kicked in. Background music that's not great, but not bad enough to get up and change.

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Mon Jul 22 2024
3

Hard to write fairly with my teammate cracking his knuckles and carving pentagrams into his half of our desk; I’ll try. This album is a sterling encapsulation of why Generation X - my generation - will shortly replace the Boomers as the most loathed demographic in the richer bits of the world. It’s a sumptuous, decadent, no-expense-spared monument to self-pitying apathy. When I’m honest, I count “Airbag”’s riff as one of the most exciting openings to any rock record of the decade, before it moves on to arch self-sabotage and soaring solipsism. “Paranoid Android” is a memorably annoying song with an ‘80’s teenager’s idea of a clever title. The loud part would be fantastic if it wasn’t so focussed on drawing attention to its own ridiculousness - why mock having fun when you can actually have fun? The song is representative of the whole. Thom Yorke is a tremendously successful clunker lyricist, the load-bearer of Radiohead’s reputation for pretentiousness. Adherents call his lyrics cryptic as if this alone was praise, but there’s no mystery, nothing to hover over, just sad vibes in a stream of unanchored concrete nouns, sulky statements, and unhappy declarations that are too timid to call out anything or anyone specific. Exquisite parts abound; I enjoy how Greenwood plays guitar, and his knack for stitching together disparate passages into a heaving, turbulent whole may never have been better demonstrated. The production is gigantic, which means we hear an assemblage rather than a band. The producer Godrich went on to work with Pavement on my least favourite of their records, which invites a comparison: whereas Pavement’s irony - in words and music - has a wistful, loving motive, Radiohead’s it at the service of a grandiose strop. This is still the most enjoyable of their records. Onto you, Simon: make ‘em cry,

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Mon May 27 2024
2

I like the music fairly well but Thom Yorke's voice is nails on a chalkboard to me. I just can't.

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Thu Jun 13 2024
2

Lame. Scott Tenorman can keep all the Radiohead

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Mon Jul 22 2024
2

As crap and boring as "The Bends" was. Inspired by Miles Davis and Noam Chomsky in the sense this features both "musical notes" and "language words" Those fucking vocals - STOP IT NOW. You can neither sing nor enunciate accurately you whining pissant, were you half-asleep during the recording? I would agree with the top reviewer here, viz "Most overrated album of all time", but as my newly-minted "Contributor" colleague might respond: "I don’t know Simon, it’s no Pet Sounds" Happily, this project has broadened my horizons somewhat such that I can now recognize how the "monster riff" from Paranoid Android was ripped from "Beck's Bolero". Proud of me, Mark?

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Sat Jun 25 2022
1

I'd rather eat my own feces than listen to this guy's whiny, off-key vocals ever again.

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Tue Dec 12 2023
1

Just my least favourite band and album on this list so far, but I'm not surprised to see them on here. Overrated, banal, passionless, pointless.

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Sat Jan 06 2024
1

Ugh. This is the 6th Radiohead album. The other five have all received a one. Seriously, why? I know this is supposed to be one of their better albums, but it was consistent with their other albums. It is just annoying and I did not want to listen. But I did. I am rounding down.

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Sat May 04 2024
1

I like no surprises. That's it.

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Tue May 11 2021

Karma police is aways good, fitter happier is weird and the rest is very radiohead

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Mon May 17 2021
5

1997: Paranoid Android, Karma Police, Exit Music (For a Film), No Surprises

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Sat Jan 30 2021
5

So so so so good. Best of the year. Best of the decade?

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Wed Mar 10 2021
5

Oh dang. Truly one of my fav records of all time.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

Dies ist eine sehr gute Platte einer sehr guten Band, die von mir auch bereits vorher schon vielmals gehört wurde.

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Fri Jan 22 2021
5

One of the best albums of all time.

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Thu Jan 28 2021
5

Not as good as ‘The Bends’, but pretty fucking amazing.

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Mon Feb 01 2021
5

Legendary album. A top 100 easy in the 20th century.

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Thu Mar 25 2021
5

I didn't listen to it, but it's probably my favourite album of all time.

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Mon Feb 22 2021
5

Great Album that some call The Greatest Album. fav track: let down

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Wed Jan 13 2021
5

9/10 exit music for a film electioneering

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Mon Mar 08 2021
5

Still great. Probably their best album.

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Tue Feb 09 2021
5

Aptly considered one of the best albums ever made.

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Thu Jun 17 2021
5

An absolute masterpiece of an album.

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Thu May 27 2021
5

Chill vibes and strange tunes. A couple classics' a couple hidden gems.

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Sat Mar 06 2021
5

Forgot how great this album is!

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Fri Jan 15 2021
5

Incredible album. Was a big part of my teenage.

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Mon Apr 12 2021
5

Life changing album for me in high school. Absolutely incredible.

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Wed Feb 10 2021
5

Greatest of all time, if music was a contest. Prescient and sharp almost 30 years later.

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Sun Feb 28 2021
5

Big fan. Solid album. I bet we see RH again a few more times.

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Tue Jan 26 2021
5

Another masterpiece. Right at the cusp before Radiohead got too electronic and weird

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