OK Computer

Most overrated album of all time

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.

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.

Bin

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Meh. Too whiney for my taste.

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

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

Really good, one of the greatest of all time

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.

This album changed my perspective on music.

Perfect.

Great Computer

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

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,

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)

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

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

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

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

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.

Most overrated band of the last 30 years

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

Tried it. Didn’t like it.

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!

This album sucks

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.

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.

🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️

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

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.

It’s just the utter best.

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.

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.

I think the discussion of this album as anti-capitalist is a bit overblown. Rather, to me, it is much more interesting as a plea for true feeling in an overly mechanized world. Either way, just wow. All tracks flow perfectly into one another, and yet, even after nearing 30 years of listening, there are still surprises. And where necessary, it still really rocks! There’s not a second of it that I don’t absolutely love. It usually sucks to agree with the common opinion, but here I feel it’s unavoidable.

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.

This album is a must listen for any fan of music

One of the greatest albums of all time

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

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

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

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.

Rainy day music. This album is very, very special to me. I can pinpoint when first heard it, and times it's kept me company. :) the music is so complicated at times, but dressed up so it's never too much. I love this album and I'm sleepy.

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

An absolutely beautiful album to listen to the day after your cat dies.

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

I'm new to Radiohead and am digging their stuff, but this one not so much as others. Barely a 3 for me (and that might be generous still).

i actually liked most of the songs back in maybe 2021 but now im feeling like that album shouldnt be 54 minute long. maybe 35-40 but not 54. and also i noticed that i actually dont even care about this at all like it has its highs but even in that songs i get bored before chorus comes in. dont get that praise from everyone. its worth listening for atleast once but I can say that listening to this album after a while, there is a feeling of disappointment in it, there is no longer such a thrill when listening as before. And it looks like there won't be any more. favourites: Paranoid Android, Let Down, Karma Police, The Tourist

Classic Radiohead

Interesting. I know a lot of people hold this album in very high regard, but I still am not completely sold on the band. 3/5 Probably won’t listen again

"this is the most i have enjoyed ok computer by radiohead" is about as utterly un-meaningful of a statement as can possibly be made within the confines of my history with music, but it IS true. i last heard this in basically the sorest spot i probably could have, i was a lot earlier in my music journey but late enough to have certain solidified opinions and expectations (mostly about melodicism and my preferred Emotional Palate In Art), to which this did not conform and thus its universal acclaim felt like some sort of Attack On My Values. ig it should be more exciting to see such an illustration of my expanded horizons (in particular my tastes have run far enough towards expressionism that i finally understand the winding emotive beauty of the basic musical ideas), but its not like The Most Acclaimed Album Of All Time is the most meaningful discovery ive made in those horizions. and tbh this is still not totally for me,,,sci fi/dystopia is not my aesthetic home, their political commentary has always been deflated for me by their longstanding inability to do basic shit like boycott israel, and for as many sonic layers as there are here i just think radiohead became so much more free and expressive and vibrant when they finally dropped the Rock Band Pretense. but its easier to place my years of performative distaste in their proper context now, and enjoy some enveloping and Pretty and occasionally striking Isolation Jams. and honestly if i can appreciate this this much now, i might just totally love their kid a and onwards output now. azzy normie era strikes again!

Airbag - better than i thought????? have i been a radiohead hater for no reason????? wouldnt go out of my way to listen to this but it's enjoyable i like the guitar Paranoid Android - i like the guitar but my god thom yorke needs to stop being whiny and im saying this as a goth music fan. actually yeah im not really feeling this anymore lol Subterranean Homesick Alien - im liking the guitar on all of these the guitar sounds cool and spacey???? really like the synth too. tbh every time it threatens to be interesting it stops being interesting but i really really love the guitar effects Exit Music (For a Film) - acoustic guitar boy song idk what else to say. completely fine and acceptable i just think it's boring Let Down - a pretty song! i actually quite like this one i think it's okay Karma Police - oh karma police.................. certainly a song. not bad but like. i have no attachment to it. it's completely fine and listenable. Fitter Happier - i dont like it :( idk just not feeling it Electioneering - it's fine. it's an ok song. i can listen to it. Climbing Up the Walls - it's fine. No Surprises - ah yes the one song. it's pretty but like nothing special Lucky - a fine song again. it's nice but i wouldnt go out of my way to listen to it The Tourist - it's fine and ok. threatens to be good at some points OVERALL: Fine album, mostly fine songs. not really for me i dont think but it's listenable and has like one stand out song to me

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.

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

Whiney and boring

Maybe I'm just too old, but I've never understood why these guys are so revered.

There have been plenty of artists over the years where I didn't love them at first, or the vocals annoyed me, but then they became an acquired taste and I learned to love them. I have tried and tried and tried to make that happen with Radiohead since they're so beloved by some...but I just can't get there. I like some of their songs, but intrinsically I just don't care for them on the whole. This album specifically is less palatable than some of their others, so I guess I'm just uncultured swine. I'm OK with that. 2.3

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?

why so whiney? so whiney

Lame. Scott Tenorman can keep all the Radiohead

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

I like no surprises. That's it.

Who listens to this shit?

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.

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.

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

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

No need to listen, though I will. A treasure.

probably one of the greatest albums of all time

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

great album that I own

Forgot how great this album is!

We're supposed to all agree that this is perfect, aren't we? It was the first of the 'groundbreaking' Radiohead albums after their early indie efforts. Exit Music is my favourite Radiohead song. Still think The Bends is better though.

classic

Great - would listen again

Incredible album. Was a big part of my teenage.

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

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

top album known well

duh

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

Classic

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

Hadn't listened to this in a looooong time. Don't really understand why. I loved it at the time and it's still great now.

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

Too many good songs. Not perfect but its better than a 4.

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