Reviews (page 8 of 15)
8/10, definitely listen again
i liked the bends, high and dry, fake plastic trees, bones
I feel like this album is the start of Radiohead’s refinement. There’s no extra stuffing on the album with every song creating a picture so directly. Thom Yorke’s vocals are incomparably beautiful and I love that he really lets it all out here. And it’s not just the high notes he hits or the way it feels like he empties out everything when he’s belting out, it’s the totality of his versatility. And the instrumentation is very similar, with being able to swell and match big moments or stay softer and embrace a more somber tone. This isn’t Radiohead at their pinnacle, this is pre enlightenment, but this album does a great job of highlighting their strengths. Radiohead has been a very special band for a very long time. Faves: The Bends, Street Spirit (Fade Out), Planet Telex, Just, Fake Plastic Trees, High and Dry, (Nice Dream)
Thom Yorke’s voice is so soft and delicate giving Jeff Buckley giving babygirl. A more rock album and less experimental but still really good.
Amazingly, this album did not get ruined by the guy who really killed In Ranbows and beat Illinoise into a pulp. I think a lot of it sounds very sweet in all the melancholy in a way that keeps it from being just whiny sad boy music. I especially really like Fake Plastic Trees and the closing track.
can i just say that giving me this album on the day i broke up with a guy i'd been dating for a while who really loves Radiohead is, quite frankly, sick and twisted x anyway. this could have been a 5. i've never properly listened to Radiohead but had quite high expectations given how well-praised they are. i'd already heard a couple songs on this album which i knew i liked. some of the new tracks for me did really grab me ((Nice Dream) is fucking incredible). but i just didn't connect with a few too many of the others for this to be a 5. maybe it'll change with time. i do think it's a really great album - very cohesive and has a nice sound all the way through. but i guess i just found it a bit tame at times? i'm kinda blaming my high expectations there. i have seen others express the same sentiment and apparently this is their most accessible album, so perhaps i'll find their other albums more interesting.
Hated it at first but than it grew on me
Er jo megabra, bare ikke min favoritt
Consistently awesome album.
3 tracks I liked! Interesting mix of emotional tones throughout the album. I didn't recognize any songs
Top Songs: Planet Telex High and Dry Fake Plastic Trees Black Star Street Spirit
Dig this one
The bends although not a britpop album as such certainly is quintessentially british. The effected vocals of thom yorke are in full display here. High and dry is a beautiful song which goes on a minute too long. Just is an amazing and weird rock out that bears several repeats. Street spirit is another song which is staggeringly great in its breadth and scale. Not quite a 5 star album as there are parts that just aren't interesting. What happened next album wise is their zenith.
Love this album. They just kept (and keep) getting better!
already listened to this
Very good.
Good, not my music taste but some songs are amazing. High and Dry, Black Star are classics.
I’m so used to Radiohead making “fringe” music for lonely dudes that I almost can’t believe The Bends was a no-frills rock album this whole time! I regret not checking this one out before OK Computer and A Moon Shaped Pool because it’s so approachable – I would have probably been interested in digging deeper much sooner than I did. Great album overall! There were a few tracks that didn’t do much for me, but the quality is consistently up there and it’s never outright bad. I’ll certainly be coming back to The Bends – I enjoyed it a lot more than Amnesiac and I already felt like that one was a pretty decent LP. Very much looking forward to giving Radiohead’s remaining Book Albums a spin! Highlights: Planet Telex, The Bends, High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, (Nice Dream), Just, My Iron Lung, Sulk, Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Great
Mis favoritas siguen siendo mis favs
This is my favourite Radiohead album, before they started believing their own press.
Voy a ir contra mis propias opiniones antes vertidas por aqui. Radiohead me ponen un poco de los nervios pero este disco lo he tolerado razonablemente bien. ¿Soy yo, o aqui están un poco más comedidos y simplemente intentan componer buenas canciones sin necesidad de epatar a cada dos minutos? Eso o el día que los escuché no estaba estresado (cosa rara últimamente). Este álbum contiene una de mis canciones favoritas de la banda, “Fake Plastic Trees”.
i already have listened to 3/12 songs from this album but i'm honestly excited to listen to the rest of the album. the songs i have saved from this album already are high and dry, fake plastic trees, and bullet proof... i wish i was okay so far really like planet telex and the bends high and dry "you'd kill yourself for recognition" "you're turning into something you're not" "the best thing you've had has gone away" i just love this song... fake plastic trees "it wears her out" "my fake plastic love" "if i could be who you wanted all the time" T-T might cry again... (nice dream) "they love me like I was a brother they protect me, listen to me they dug me my very own garden gave me sunshine, made me happy nice dream" oooh this hit a little too hard... my iron lung "suck your teenage thumb toilet trained and dumb" idk why but i like how black star fades in like that... okay 10/10 wtf
good
Planet Telex - Me gusta la batería de fondo, también la guitarra, te hace sentir como te hundes, como nada volverá a serlo, el problema es que todo lo que haces queda echo y nunca regresara a molderase como desearas, why can't you forget? Es un lamento. The Bends - Es el personaje dandose cuenta de su soledad que nunca nada volver a ser lo que desea lo que fantasea. High and Dry - DONT LEAVE HIGH, DONT LEAVE ME DRY, No me dejes por favor, si alguna vez existió algo tan personal para que en tu momento más bajo rogaras para que no acabara ¿es el momento donde sabes que no vale o la pena o en el que te das cuenta que vale toda la pena? Fake Plastic Threes - Todo es Sintético en una sociedad que te promete que ser atractivo para los otros te conseguira la felicidad. Bones - El dolor es tan sofocante que llega a tus huesos y te baja como gravedad, te vuelve su testigo (Nice Dream) - todo lo que deseas tus sueño más intimos todo lo que alguna te prometiste que lograrias, todo solo es un buen sueño y solo eso, no importa a quien llames a quien consultes a quien moleste todo solo será un buen sueño. Just - te lo haces a ti mismo y nadie más, eso es lo que verdaderamente te hace daño, las palabras no son lo que cortan tu piel ni las miradas, eres tu mismo, tu y nadie más. My Iron Lung - Puedes tener miedo Pero no me puedes dejar asi JSSJSJS AHH COMO ME MAMO LA GUITARRA DEL FINAL me gusta mucho como fusiona su voz con la guitarra. Bullet Proof .... I Wish I Was - Disparame para saber si esto vale la pena. Si se que si lo intento voy a poder con eso y mucho más si soy aprueba de todo, no solo de balas, que podre intentarlo otra vez. Black Star - Ahora que ya no pienso en ti, que ya no estas, pero cada que tu cara en alguien más me derrito y busco a quien culpar que no seas ni tu ni yo. Sulk - Eres como tu papá nunca cambiaras, todo corre por tus venas te quiero cuando estas dispuesta a hacerme feliz, pero y después? Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Intentalo, hazlo antes de que seas cenizas, que no quede nada de ti, hazlo, antes de que todo sea aburrido, antes de que te desvanezca. "Inmerse yourself in love". Jejeje q buen album un 8 d 10? 😜
Radiohead är ett band jag tycker är overrated. Inte för att deras musik är dålig, den är bara underwhelming med tanke på hur alla pratar om den. Jag tycker att album liknar The Verve som jag personligen gillar mer. Jag skulle nog inte sätta på Radiohead själv, men skulle inte bli arg om någon satte på det. Favoritlåtar: High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees. Minst favorit: My Iron Lung
Not Radiohead's best album, but definitely in the top four or five.
I have listened to a few tracks of Radiohead before this, and a few of them come from this album. I don't typically engage in music of this genre but Radiohead has been explained to me as one of the best bands ever. I do not have anything good or bad to say about this album but I do enjoy the vocals and the instruments. The first song is a really good opening and I think it definitely has me hooked going into this album.
strong. i still prefer their later work
Hey, we found a Radiohead album that I actually enjoyed! All things are possible! For my personal tastes, this was the perfect blend of Radiohead experimental sounds and alternative 90s rock. Favorites included ‘Planet Telex’, ‘The Bends’, ‘Just’, ‘My Iron Lung’, and ‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’. A few songs didn’t hit for me, but the positives far outweighed the negatives. A very solid 4/5, good album.
Not my favorite Radiohead album but still a good one
Radiohead is my favorite band, and this album has a ton of great songs and I enjoy every one of them. 15+ years ago I’d consider this one of my top albums of all time, but listening to it today it hasn’t aged as well and has definitely been surpassed by some of the band’s other work.
"800 Albums and 500 Singles You Must Hear Before You Die" would be a better book.
After the pre-Britpop straightforwardness of 𝘗𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 is where Radiohead finally lock into the sound that would later strike some listeners as strange and others as quietly revolutionary. The guitars turn atmospheric, the emotions sharpen, and the songwriting becomes far more confident. It’s the first record where the band truly steps into its own identity. A strong 4/5 — not because it lacks anything, but because Radiohead’s most transformative work is still to come.
Not my favorite Radiohead album, but still really strong and solid early-era Radiohead.
Solid album underpinned by Just, High & Dry, the title track. A bit of filler in-between but I guess us time to be prepared for the next masterpiece. Street Spirit is just a perfect way to end an album
Man I forgot how good Radiohead is, I liked this quite a bit.
A nice album for the background
Amazing album. This era of Radiohead is like the opposite of the album I listened to yesterday. It's primarily artsy alternative rock, but is starting to bring in experimental effects and is a clear first step towards what they'll become. The difference is that these are still pop songs with choruses, so they actually have payoff and are enjoyable to listen to.
Perdy damn good, I'd never heard this one.
No entiendo ingles, así que me guio por lo que me haga sentir la musica y si me llega al corazon.
His voice kinda gets on my nerves a little but the actual music is amazing. I love the cinematic aspect of the songs too. I really like “fake plastic trees” and “just”
4.21
So I had this preformed opinion from my teens that I hate Radiohead. I remember one of my friends being obsessed with them and trying desperately to get me to listen to them, and I just didn't get along with their music at all. Slightly embarrassed to admit I enjoyed this quite a lot, to the point I'd happily listen to most of it again. Vocals are decent, largely quite tuneful, not overly whiny. There's the typical indie/alt fuzz, but it's not done to excess. The guitar riffs aren't overly droney or repetitive (in fact, some of them are pretty enjoyable). I definitely preferred the heavier tracks, but even the more atmospheric ones like "Street Spirit" were OK. Gives me Stereophonics x Muse vibes. Highlights: - "Planet Telex" - First track on the album, immediately broke my expectations and preconceptions. - "The Bends" - "High and Dry" - classic. Have to admit I didn't realise this one was Radiohead... Oops. - "Black Star" - "Sulk" - I liked the emotion in this one. It built up really nicely to quite a powerful rock track. Slightly-disgusted-with-myself 4.
i really liked this album
Hello my 90s teen years 👋 I remember this teen depression
7/10
I think I like this version of Radiohead more than what came later. The Bends feels rawer, more direct, and ultimately more accessible to me. The songs are still emotionally charged, but they’re anchored in guitars and melody rather than abstraction and icy distance. There’s an immediacy here that I miss in a lot of their later work. The angst feels human rather than conceptual, and while Thom Yorke’s voice is still very much that voice, it works better for me in this context. It sounds less mannered, more urgent, and more tied to the songs themselves. That’s not to say this is a perfect album or that it reinvents the genre, but it consistently holds my attention in a way later Radiohead often doesn’t. I can hear why people view this as a transitional record, but for my tastes, it lands in a sweet spot: ambitious without being alienating, expressive without feeling self-consciously clever. This is Radiohead when I actually want to keep listening, not just admire from a distance.
A classic of the genre.
--Planet Telex...standard britpop --The Bends...it's a decent song but it would eventually lead to Coldplay --High and Dry...I feel like this song used to hit harder. now seems like a generic radio hit. I might be falling victim to the classic Seinfeld-Isn't-Funny/Simpsons-Did-It problem --Fake Plastic Trees...perhaps slightly overdramatic but still a classic. Thom shines here --Bones...nice, chunky bass. feels like a band with songwriting abilities that exceed their musicianship at this point in their careers. I think that's a compliment --(Nice Dream)...enjoyable --Just...see "Bones" --My Iron Lung...see "Planet Telex" --Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was...I like the arpeggiated guitar and Thom's voice but otherwise meh --Black Star...we return the "the Bends" momentarily --Sulk...I feel like Thom does a lot of the heavy lifting on this record --Street Spirit (Fade Out)...haunting. classic
Hard to not appreciate this when it came out during my time in high school. And it still holds up.
Ya I like Radiohead. What're you gonna do about it
this is a-okay! is it a perfect album for me? no! that’s ok computer!
Good album, great artist.
I like this album a LOT. Much better than "In Rainbows" imo
This is tricky for me to grade. This album is choke full of incredible songs - High and Dry, Blackstar, Street Spirit, Just, Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees. If this wasn’t a Radiohead album then it’s an easy five stars. But this is Radiohead and we have to grade them on the Radiohead curve. This album shows the band really maturing from their first album, songwriting, soundscapes, everything. Thing is they really find one formula that works really well for them, this slow build up to a climax. And it’s fabulous it really is it’s just that they needed to expand their vocabulary some more to be really great. They did just that in their next album. Four stars.
didn't feel sad today tbh but the last song really got to me (fadeeeee outttttt)
Palabras mayores. Parachutes, pero bien hecho. 9/10
I think I just liked a Radiohead album. I wonder what my life would have been like if I heard this album as my intro to them instead of Hail to the Thief.
So good.
Good stuff!!
It's all been said before. Tremendous album and not even their best It's on my shelves... Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ ★★★★★ (9/10) Total reviewed : 205 Already owned : 46 Purchased : 8 To buy list : 6 Nope : 145
a reluctant 4
Penultimate Radiohead. Guess that means Amnesiac is gonna be the last album I roll from these guys. I suppose it's better to get this one out of the way sooner - I have more things to say about this album by a landslide. I'm pretty sure The Bends has held it's position as my favourite Radiohead album for the longest period of time. In my timeline of favourites, I'm pretty sure I went from The Bends (*) -> OK Computer (***) -> The Bends (*****) -> Long, murky period where I wasn't listening to the band or thinking about them that much -> The Bends (*) -> Hail to the Thief (*) -> Kid A (** -> present), where the asterisks are a vague measure of time that doesn't really mean anything. The Bends worked hard to wrestle its way to the top, but Kid A is just too good, sadly. OKC and HTTT correspond with the times where I felt the most social alienation and when I began to ritualistically distrust Western governance, for the record. I still hold HTTT dearly, but I've kind of soured on OKC in what can only be described as an act of musical sacrilege. So, The Bends. There are many people within the Radiohead fanbase that are locked in a perpetual bleak-measuring competition, where the involved parties desperate to assert their album of choice as the saddest and, therefore, the most emotionally mature. You see it a lot with the In Rainbows crowd, who are despondent about having their album typecast as the happy one. The Bends has always filled that niche for me. I really enjoy the recurring theme of persistence and how the songs are adequately linked under the decompression sickness moniker. Plus, it just helps that the music is incredibly solid. There aren't any moments on here which chafe, unlike with their bigger and better offerings. Anyways, time to hit play. Planet Telex is my favourite song from the album, and it has been for most of the time that I've been a fan. It just kicks so much ass. Obviously, the aspect I'm most in favour of is the guitar reverb. It's interesting how the backing guitars wrap around and engulf the piece, from the echoey verses to the more distorted sound they adopt during the chorus. Standing against the chaos are the resolute piano chords, which go a long way in giving the album a sense of balance and momentum. The drums accomplish this adequately as well. Thom's performance on this track is among his most unique. I struggle to think of another track that has this level of life or energy. Overall, it's one of those rare songs which are all build-up and all pay off, making for one of the best album openers ever. After the incredible first track, the title track comes as a bit of a let down. Initially alienating to me, I've come to appreciate it for the very reason that it's more stripped-back and unambitious. The Bends does a pretty good job of encapsulating decompression sickness, from the lyrics, to the songwriting, to the placement on the album. I don't have much to say about the two biggies, truth be told. I used to really like them when I was just getting into Radiohead, but my aged, more discerning ears don't get as much from listening to these songs anymore. They're pretty formulaic, even if the songs are built on an incredibly strong foundation. Anyways, enough with the cynicism. "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees" feature Thom's most beautiful vocal performances. The acoustic guitar on "High and Dry" is uplifting and is underscored nicely by the growling guitars. The guitar solo is the best aspect of an incredibly tight song, with the thudding, muted percussion and clashing cymbals guiding the song delicately. "Fake Plastic Trees" is functionally the same track, albeit slower and more melancholic. The acoustic guitar has a deeper, more emotional sound and is underscored once again by those great, growling guitars. The parts of the song where the strings assume the role of the growling guitars trump it, however. Those moments are among my favourites of the song. Some of the background elements are good, too. The backing ambience is very nice, and so are the organs. The highlight of the song is, obviously, the "If I could be who you wanted" segment. Gorgeous vocals. For the longest time I used to mishear the chorus of "Bones" as "When you get to feel like alien bones", which I've always preferred to the actual lyric. I do be feeling like alien bones sometimes. Anyways, the song's good. I enjoyed the glorious return of those reverbed guitars, but the best aspects of the song are captured more effectively in the tracks which precede it. "Nice Dream" is equally nice, but is in the same boat as Bones. It does have the benefit of those fantastic leading strings, however. The chaotic second half is pretty cool, too. "Just" is solid. I know I'm sounding a little disaffected by these past few tracks, but it's glowing praise by my standards, trust me. Few albums have this level of consistency. The spiralling guitars work nicely with the subject matter of the song, and I like the balance between the aggression and sadism in Thom's vocals - they segue between one another in a very impressive way. The solo near the end of the track is pretty great, and I've always liked the music video, too. "My Iron Lung" was the first favourite song of mine on this album. I was desperate for daddy Thom's affection at the time, I'll be honest. I recall walking into the living room one time when my mum was watching television and hearing this song in the background of a program she was watching, which is among the more surreal music-related experiences I've had in my life. I was not expecting to encounter this song in the wild. Granted, it isn't even the strangest Radiohead song I've encountered outside of a music-listening context. That story can wait for the Amnesiac review. Anyways, great song. I've always enjoyed how this song takes the general theme of persistence and applies it to something more niche and specific. While it is an incredibly cynical and dour listen, what I enjoy most about it is the passion which shines through. It's cool to hear the general sound of Pablo Honey stomped, mangled and flogged into whatever freak show this song is. The second half of the track is my favourite part because of this. The raw, warbling, distorted sound is really cool. It almost sounds like a precursor to the sound of Paranoid Android, which I think is neat and contextually relevant. I've only vaguely touched on it to this point, but the lyrics are great, too. "Bullet Proof" is pretty good. My only gripe is it's placement on the album. While the material is solid, the second half of this album has an odd track listing. I've always thought Nice Dream was a better lead-in to Iron Lung, and that this song would have been a good lead-in to Street Spirit. In a perfect world, my Bends second half would go Just -> Nice Dream -> Iron Lung -> Sulk -> Black Star -> Bullet Proof -> Street Spirit. "Black Star" is a fantastic late-album track and my second favourite on the album. It's not as ambitious as Planet Telex, but it succeeds greatly at being tried and true, much like the rest of this album. Those thundering, all-encompassing guitars are really great, and the vocal delivery during the chorus is terrific. The stripped back, muted guitars during the verses are no slouch, either. The way that they blend and morph into the chorus is very impressive. Once again, the lyrics and songwriting are great. Nothing like a little vulnerable Radiohead every now and then. The "This is killing me" section is my favourite part of the song. "Sulk" is a bit of a swing and a miss in comparison to the rest of this album, but it's pretty good nonetheless. The vocals are among the most ambitious on the album, and admirably so. I just don't think the songwriting is as strong, and the instrumental doesn't stand out much in comparison to the rest of the album. In any case, it's still good. I think it would benefit greatly from being a lead-in to Black Star - those two songs go hand in hand. Since we're all gonna die, there's one more secret I feel I have to share with you. I did not care for "Street Spirit". Did not care for Street Spirit. Didn'-didn't like it. I-I. I-this is what everyone always says whenever it's-it's all-. I. Listen. I kn- I know- I. Fine. Fine lyrics. Did not like the song. Did not-couldn't get into it. It-it insists upon itself, hapless reader. It insists upon itself. It takes. It ta-. It takes forever getting in. You spend-you spend like two-and-a-half minutes, and then. You know, I can't even- I can't even get through it. I can't even finish the song. I have tried on three separate occasions to get through it and I-I get to the verse with the cracked eggs and the dead birds and- I- but it's not a great lyri- I have no idea what Thom's talking about. It's like he's speaking a different language. That's where I lose interest and hit skip. I love Treefingers. That is my answer to that statement. It's time for my favourite part of these belaboured reviews, and that's the B-sides. They've always been interesting to me as someone who grew up in the digital age of music. I first listened to The Bendsides about a year and a half ago, so these songs are relatively fresh to me. Thom was going nuts during this period of the band. Radiohead generally know what their best material is and appropriately relegate the weaker stuff to the B-sides, but their Bends catalogue is remarkably consistent - easily their best showing, which is made even more impressive by the fact that the Bends is their largest body of music. I'll start with my favourite of the B-sides - "Permanent Daylight", a B-side from My Iron Lung. Fantastic song, and the only one capable of dethroning Planet Telex as my favourite song of the era Those guitars are sublime and kick so much ass. I can't single out a single great moment of the song, as the momentum of the track is its strongest aspect. The way the song transitions from a sombre, atmospheric sound to something more aggressive and harsh is pretty cool, too. Thom's brief vocal section is neat. I like the effect on his voice, and this song marks one of the rare moments in Radiohead history where the percussion stands tall with the guitars. A great song through-and-through. "India Rubber" is the next stand-out B-side, this time a deep cut from the Fake Plastic Trees single. The song ties in excellently with the A-side, and I honestly think it supersedes it in quality. The bittersweet feel is what makes it an exceptional tune. The dour atmosphere which hangs over the track is contrasted nicely with the bouncy guitars and intricate percussion. Great lyrics, too. They add to the song in their own self-pitying way. The laughing at the end of the track bugged me at first, but I'm used to it now. That was from Johnny, if I'm not mistaken. "How Can You Be Sure?" is another great cut, once again from Fake Plastic Trees. It sounds like the lovechild of High and Dry/Fake Platic Trees, albeit stripped-back and unpretentious. For whatever reason, it took a few listens for me to notice that there's a female vocalist on this track. I was too used to Radiohead being a sausagefest, which I guess made my mind block out every instance of womanhood with surgical precision. It didn't stop me from holding the song up as one of my favourites from the Bends, but damn if Dianne Swann doesn't take it to the next level. The way that Thom and Dianne harmonise and overlap with one another during the chorus is gorgeous. The instrumental is by-the-numbers as far as Bends tracks go, but those numbers are primo. The acoustic guitar is especially nice. The last outstanding B-side is Talk Show Host from Street Spirit. One of the rare Radiohead songs with profanity. I'm dancing, fucker. I'm dancing, fucker. I dare. I dare. I dare. Flan at the table. There are fewer things to say about this track in comparison to the rest. It's just a cool tune. I like the nocturnal, low-energy feel of the track, and the drum breaks, distorted guitars and echoey ambience which is added to the song in the latter half is badass. I also like the venomous way that Thom Yorke lays down those accursed words. The Nellee Hooper remix of this song is pretty cool too, from what I recall. Truth be told, I was surprised at first to see that this album made the list. What makes this album great is one of the words I've been using at great length - consistency. There aren't any loose ends on here aside from Sulk, which is still pretty good. The formulaic nature of The Bends is what made me warm to it so early on, and is what made me initially downplay its importance within music history. I can see the merit now that I've been given a lot more time to reflect. There are few albums which get it right as regularly as this one does, and it's notable within Radiohead's discography for how vastly superior it is to their debut, and how it leads in to the greatness the band would achieve just one album later. I cosign this inclusion.
Brilliant but not their best
listened to this a lot in college, often because Nate played it on repeat, but its a great album. High and Dry is probably my favorite Radiohead song. but i also like black star and planet telex
While I'm a Radiohead fan and would consider them somewhere in my list of favorite bands of all time, I don't think this is quite an S-tier album. Some great songs to be sure - Fake Plastic Trees, Street Spirit, High and Dry (haters be damned) - but I just think I like Radiohead more in their "weird experimental" mode rather than "more straighforward rock" mode. This is starting to hint at where they'd start to take things on OK Computer, but I just don't think it's quite a masterpiece. Still a very good album, maybe just not a great one for me.
Still a good album even though they’ve become insufferable prog bores
Very good but only a stepping stone to better works. Still several classic songs.
I previously complained about the amount of Radiohead on this list. Album 5/6 and I can see why this one is here.
Caveat that I love Radiohead and they are one of my favorite bands so there isn't an unbiased thing I can say. In regards to this list I'm not seeking out what is on it ahead of time so I'm not sure what Radiohead albums are on here. If I had to pick only one of theirs for some reason to put on this list it would not be The Bends. The albums they did starting with OK Computer and ending with In Rainbows are where I would insist people spend time listening if they weren't already fans. The first two albums are good but they're fairly straight forward rock albums from that era
Radiohead's first signs of their later greatness. This is the first album in the project that I've heard before. Really love their touch on Britpop/90s alt rock.
10#1001 🇬🇧 Already on to my second Radiohead album of this project. I saw them touring their first album supporting Kingmaker and also reviewed their first album Pablo Honey for our college magazine - i remember giving it 6/10 and saying that whilst it was a bit of a duffer they might go on and be as big as U2 or The Pixies. Fast forward and they released this massive album. I listened to it to death at the time, but that has faded over time so it's been great to revisit it - i've gone through it 3 times today. Its a big fat 4, only because i've made a vow only to give 5s to those albums that blow my minds on a first listen or ones that stand the test of time and continue be my favourites. Best Tracks: Black Star, Just, High and Dry.
Enjoyable with a few stand out tracks
Чудесный альбом. Хочется прыгать под него... Из окна
As much as I dislike Radiohead, I actually like this one. I remember the first time I listened to this album, I was at the 9/11 memorial museum in New York City. Everyone around me was crying but I was more focused on this album than anything around me. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but 9/11 happened too long ago for me to really care about it. In all, this album was pretty good. Those Zionist freaks haven't topped it since.
Great instruments but too whiny
Ok. Well yeah. Obvi bussin. High & Dry and Nice Dream and Fake Plastic Trees are like the soundtrack to my 15 year old wannabe struggling emo girl history. HERstory. The bends also be SLAPPPINNNNN
It's like when Radiohead still enjoyed a solid guitar? I might like this one more than later albums. Less ether, more music. But still Radiohead.
I like his voice. Different than what I thought their other songs would sound like based on Creep. Had heard High and Dry before.
Meu álbum favorito do Radiohead. Canções belíssimas, arranjos primorosos e interpretações incríveis, que dão ao disco um clima soturno e belo.
ok
For some reason I assumed this album was a lot worse than the Radiohead albums I love; it’s actually great!
Very good
This is a great album. My dad would say it's Radiohead's best, but I still think it's OK Computer.
4/5 Radiohead are amazing! Favorite Songs were Fake Plastic Trees, Just and Street Spirit (Fade Out)
I love the early Radiohead era, and the Bends is great. The songs have structure and direction, but have some depth and take some sometimes unorthodox directions, which keeps the songs interesting. 4.3/5
I liked it a lot more than I was expecting, given I've listened to OK Computer and Kid A a couple of times each and thought they were pretty good albums but not as transformative as other people thought. Anyway, I really got into this one, I listened twice in a row and finally feel I got a taste of why for some Radiohead is the greatest band of their era.
Tämån tai minkään nuunkaan bändin riehumisrokki ei säväytä mutta Radioheadin rockballadit on kyllä jotain ihan omaa laatuaan. Street Spirittiä soitin junnuna viikkoja putkeen.
RADIOHEADDDD
4.5
Vibes, περιεργες συγχορδίες
Det var okay, men bliver nok aldrig helt noget, der rører mig. Gode hits indimellem.
jan 8, 2926. not a new listen. already like this album
I’ve heard some of the songs before but It was my first time listening to the whole album. it was a nice album overall but the songs were too repetitive and some were too long for no reason (in my opinion.) All of the songs got me either swinging side to side or bopping my head I really loved it but the lyrics weren’t relatable for me at all so I wasn’t really feeling it when I focused on them. “Just” became my favorite track in this album. I kind of get the hype after listening to it but I find some songs that doesn’t suit my taste so I would rate it a 4/5
Radiohead’s "The Bends" is a great record, and revisiting it after a long time was a real pleasure. I owned the original CD back in the day and still have a digital copy, which made returning to it especially enjoyable. Compared to their debut "Pablo Honey", it’s less grungy and far more refined, and you can clearly hear how it went on to influence bands like Coldplay and, in particular, Muse. I really enjoyed listening to it again.
Estoy confundidoRR… se repite Radiohead? Oye, que si, muy buen album, peró andan uds. cortos de música?
i’ve liked this it’s very nice
Excellent especially fake plastic trees
I never gave Radiohead much thought, but I really enjoyed my time with this album. Would absolutely give Radiohead more time.
I was prepared to hate this album because I was sure I didn't like Radiohead. To my surprise, I enjoyed it. "High and Dry" was the only song I knew. This album will be added to my rotation because I want to learn the other songs also. I'm glad I got over myself and started appreciating Radiohead.
very emotional and melancholy I would listen to this if I was in a sad mood best songs in album street spirit,bullterproof I wish I was and high and dry.My least favorites would probably be bone or (nice dream)
I like it l added most songs to playlist
love it
there's the occasional bit that stops it from a 5 but otherwise it's definitely a high 4 (9/10 if it existed)
Very much surprised I found a new Radiohead song to enjoy: nice dream. Otherwise, there are some real classics in here: High & Dry, Just, Street Spirit. Solid entry even if there are some duds here and there.
• The Bends is a good song, I love the way the instrumental built up throughout • I've heard High and Dry performed live before, though that was a very different arrangement of it. Both versions have sounded really nice • I really like the instrumental for Bones • My brother is a big fan of Just, and I've heard it a ton because of that (though I didn't know its name until now). I see why he likes it so much • It's interesting how Black Star starts with a fade-in while the band's already in full swing. The section they're playing honestly feels more like a bridge than an intro Favourite song: High and Dry
We start in familiar territory. Not their finest work, but definitely a leap forward in their sound and stood out from the crowd when released, standing out in the UK from their Britpop peers by bringing in elements of US alt-rock and post-grunge, building dynamic contrast with walls of sound and melodic intrigue. Early experimentation deep in the layers would come further into the foreground on later releases, but this is an extremely solid sophomore album, and went a long way to influencing the sound of the late 1990s and beyond.
did laundry to this. Pretty good but not life changing. i like iron lung.
very angsty and lots of moody guitar. made me want to stand on a cliff edge in the wind and rain.
Like a lot of people, I thought Radiohead might be a one-hit wonder. I adored "Creep" and liked the first side of Pablo Honey but didn't expect them to have a lot of staying power. I suspect if I had accepted a friend's invitation to go see them at a bar in Atlanta 1993 (and hadn't decided to play Sega hockey instead,) I might have had a better idea of what they could be. But I doubt I could have seen THIS coming from them. This album is fantastic and somewhat overshadowed now because of how amazingly they continued to change and expand on their sound. I would probably give this 4.5 or more but not quite 5.
i love radiohead but not quite a 5/5 i think
Big, emotional and full of beaut guitar noises. Easy to love and still hits hard
Nearly a 5!
The album that I most associate with Radiohead. It must have come out at the right time in my life. Given the above it is my favorite of their albums and a solid all around album.
Rating 8:10 I LOVE RADIOHEAD!! soo I’ve listened to this album before !! my favourite song song of all time is fake plastic trees AAH
The experimental production, different kind of energy but it all fits so well together. Lead vocals fit perfectly with the production and guitar. Build up is great, not every single hits as hard, but Generally a great album.
Top album, fake plastic trees and street spirit are absolutely brilliant. Some class tunes that pointed to a more experimental future for the band
Thom Yorke sounds the best vocally here across their entire discography, and the songwriting is still grasping at a bit of a Britpop sound to provide this record a very clear identity. Obviously many classics here to speak of: "Fake Plastic Trees," "Street Spirit" "Nice Dream" and "High & Dry"
Läuft im radio oder? ganz ok
Fantastic Album. Uniquely Radiohead, and their first very good album.
8/10
I enjoyed this so much that I actually listened to the entire thing. A very solid 4+ stars.
Great album
Highlights for me are Just and My iron lung. Popular songs like high and dry which I loved 20 years ago kind of bother me now. The album overall is a bit too pop for what I like about Radiohead. I had forgotten how much I love Street Spirit (Fade out). What a great way to close out an album.
Really good album. Wish I could share more nuance, but suffice to say I listened twice for the review and have dipped back in since. Excellent slow and deep cuts mixed in with generally great alt rock. Was borderline on a 5.
Having raved about other Radiohead albums I was not sure how to rate this one as its unique in the RH line up so far to my ears. More typical of the time, more rock orientated. Maybe a little less atmospheric. However on balance I then didnt know how to wrap it up into a conclusion. Clearly a influential band, though this one might have been a little closer to the norms of the time. I was constantly thinking I was hearing other bands (even crap ones) and not in a lesser capacity as they still owned the space with great rock polish and variety. I guess it probably boils down to how much you prefer the dark well of synth / rock fusion or the more traditional 90s rock alt band. Having listened numerous times I had to score it but was uneasy throughout on what I should land on.
Asså radiohead är alltid fire
Es un disco que da placer escucharlo a pesar de que tiene un mood muy depresivo propio de los 90.
“This is the album on which Radiohead FINALLY UNLOCKED THEIR FULL POTENTIAL as the MOST INNOVATIVE AND CLEVER AND CREATIVE ROCK BAND EVER”—incorrect. This is a pleasant-enough, certainly-above-average-but-ultimately-nothing-crazy rock record that happens to have Fake Plastic Trees on it as well. They didn’t get ALL the way out there into the groundbreaking stuff until album #3. That said. Yeah okay it DOES have Fake Plastic Trees on it. Just and My Iron Lung back-to back are a pretty fantastic one-two punch, also. I don’t know maybe from another band I *would* give this 5 stars but I said in a review a few weeks ago that I preferred Amnesiac and I’m going to make a point of sticking to that particular hot take. 4/5, nice work guys, you’re almost there, don’t worry you’ll get it next time
Favorite track(s): Planet Telex, High and Dry, Just Heard before Previous rating: 7/10
Great album - close to a 5 for me - 4 absolutely excellent tracks and the rest strong too
I feel nostalgic for another time, one that is before my time while listening to this album. It feels so familiar, as if I jammed out to this in my youth and am listening to it again for the first time in decades. I was born the year this album was released. It's a little vibey. I enjoyed it but I dont think I'd listen to it again. My favorite track was the albums name sake,The Bends, or High and Dry. Probably a 3.5 star for me.
very chill
Легко пʼється.
Incredibly solid album.
väga mellow rokk, kuulasin tartu vahel kõmpides — jalg hakkas valutama. ei ole liiga lärmakas aga pole ka liiga vaikne või igav. solid.
Lyrics are sad but so good, really like the sound.
A classic that has been here with me on by worst days but i don't think i could say that its my favourite
me gustó bastante, es totalmente mi estilo no tan ruidoso, confortante pero con un sonido poderoso, no puedo creer que no escuchara tremendo álbum antes
Very classic, everyone should listen even though it is a bit of a mood downer.
Awesome album. I've listened to a lot of this album prior to getting it on here and it has some of my favorite songs from Radiohead. This album, like "Station to Station" from Bowie also deals with fame and what happens to artists after they get their big break. This was released following the massive success of Creep, a song that they grew to hate. For the longest time I've had "My Iron Lung" and "Fake Plastic Trees" on my playlist so it was cool to hear the rest of the album that they came from. Definitely a pretty angry and angsty album with a lot of lyrics that are super depressing. The songs that stuck out the most to me were "Bones" and "Just," both are being added to my playlist. Rating: 8.8/10 Favorite song: My Iron Lung
I think I've almost gotten through each of the Radiohead albums on this list. Very divisive group to say the least. I've always been fond of "The Bends", however. Radiohead really came into their own and figured out their sound here. And I know "Creep" was their breakthrough single a few years prior, but I personally think Radiohead were at their best here and later in "OK Computer". It's a pretty accessible album, definitely sounding of its time with guitar anthems and ballads alike. It's all a little more mature too, thematically being more personal and critical of modern society (per usual with Radiohead). A solid 8-9/10 in my eyes
Always hits you right in the feels
Fave tracks (apart from the obvious): Bones Just Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was Black Star
Det är Radiohead. Det är Thom Yorkes fantastiska röst. Det är ståpäls. Men det saknas något för att det ska vara ett mästerverk. Det är fina melodier och sköna basgångar. Men det finns för lite hookar. En stark fyra
I really was just put off by the album cover I think. So many great songs here that I'd heard covered/sampled elsewhere that I'm only hearing in their actual form for the first time here. Not my favourite Radiohead but still very good.
I've heard this album referenced so many times in discussions regarding great albums and I'm glad to have finally gotten around to listening to it. This was a solid album and I can easily see why Radiohead has the following it does. High and Dry is a song I've heard before but never knew the title to. My Iron Lung was also a standout. A good listen all the way through!
I had this album at the time, the 90s guitars on first three tracks bring up a wave of nostalgia for a distant past that was better and worse at the same time.
Near perfection.
A great Radiohead album, but not my favorite one. Although it's a gorgeous rock offering, it doesn't resonate with me the way some of their later works do. It feels both like the culmination and the end of an era. Building on the grunge / noise / indie rock momentum that started in the late 80s and became mainstream in the mid-90s, Radiohead brings this trend to its natural conclusion with an album that feels like a definitive and unsurpassable treaty on the genre. As such, some of the songs are still a bit too close to that typical mid-90s, whiny sound (at times, it almost feels like the Smashing Pumpkins...). The band clearly hasn’t left its comfort zone yet, and is still far from the bleak alien realms they would later come to explore. An album I'll always listen with joy, but not on par with the perfect masterpiece that is OK Computer. 8/10
The guitarist in this little band I played in after high school swore by The Bends. He’s the one who got me into Radiohead, at a time when the band was getting crushed in sales by the whole Britpop wave. And that’s when I learned something important: the tormented, the introspective, even when it’s a hundred times better and totally accessible, will never beat the simple, the direct, the populist. Radiohead helped me to accept that, and even feel good about my own listening choices. The best stuff is rarely the most accessible. Because honestly, long before they became massive, comparing The Bends to any other British rock record wasn’t even a thing. This album is a landmark, a flawless stroke of greatness, sometimes raging, always vulnerable. For me, a beautiful rock album, often rougher than OK Computer and almost as flawless.
I like this a lot. His face is my face. Easy listening at it's finest. 4.4 outta 5
Not yet their peak, but still very very good
This is a brilliant album, So deep i both lyrics and music. A real classic
I liked this one more than the last Radiohead album. Possibly just because I knew more of the songs. I really enjoyed it, but I think I do have to be in the right mood for it. Or at least for the ones I’m less familiar with, I think the songs I know well I could maybe listen to at any time. Fav song: High and Dry Least fav: Planet Telex
It’s an iconic album cover but looking again at it I’m not a huge fan. Liked this album a lot but it’s not my favourite Radiohead. Some absolute bangers though. Specific rating - 4.3 Fav song- just Least fav- bones
Think I have to be in the right mood for the whininess of Radiohead. Definitely warmed me to them that they named the album The Bends because it felt like they "came up too fast" getting famous so quickly from Creep. They have such a distinctively Radiohead sound and it just happens to really match the mood of re-re-rewriting a proof on a rainy Glasgow day. Favourite: Just Least: My Iron Lung
3.5/5
i think i'm slowly understanding why two of my closest friends REALLY enjoy radiohead, it's very good alt rock being so retrospective and like... IT HAS JUST ON it which is such a banger
Never really been much of a fan of alternative rock, but my goodness, this album is great. Yorke really delivers in placing himself well with some experimental but polished music arrangements. Definitely a genre-defining album.
Yes
A solid rock album. Not particularly nostalgic for me, but quite solid.
Радиоголовый чувак. Пока странно, ничего не понятно. Но песня fake plastic trees действительно чудесна. Конечно, где-то она попсовая, но все равно, действительно грустно. Ну емае, нужно действительно проникнутся группой Radiohead, ибо ребята создали нечто очень непохожее на остальную музыку.
My favorite Radiohead.
Planet Telex - Very strong opener - 8.7/10 The Bends - Great title track. Ahead of its time for sure. Lyricism is good but not like the best I've heard from Radiohead. - 9.6/10 High and Dry - Breathtakingly beautiful. Haunting. But overplayed. - 9.2/10 Fake Plastic Trees - I don't know, I don't really like it as much as the others honestly! Still good, but. Fantastic even. But not as good. - 8.3/10 Bones - Not much to say. Slightly less memorable than the other tracks but not bad by any means. - 8.2/10 (Nice Dream) - Okay actual chills I'm not kidding so like. - 10/10 🥇 Just - I've always kinda thought this was like the most bitter song on the album. A little less experimental I'd say. Reminds me of 90's britpop, like Oasis or Blur. - 9.4/10 🥉 My Iron Lung - Probably the heaviest thing on this list. Feels weird calling a Radiohead song "heavy," but alas. A very good song though. Feels like my ears are disintegrating. - 9.8/10 🥈 Bullet Proof ... I Wish I Was - Don't kill me. It's a little boring in my opinion. I started looking through my camera roll like halfway through the song because I got bored. Great production, fine lyrics, good vocals, good instrumental; just boring. - 7.3/10. 🚫 Black Star - Great hook and instrumental. Vocals and lyrics are like... Meh. Not bad. Just again, kinda boring. A bit of a letdown (ha) duo (Bullet Proof ... I Wish I Was & Black Star compared to the three best songs (so far) being next to each other. ((Nice Dream), Just, My Iron Lung.) Not bad by any means. Just...... Meh! - 7.5/10. Sulk - Reminds me slightly of "Prostitute" off of Guns n' Roses sixth album, Chinese Democracy. However Sulk is not the ending track on The Bends. Huh. Better than the last two. - 8.2/10. Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Kind of hard to describe how this song makes me feel. A mix of genuine existential dread and just like.... numbness. I think if a song can do that it's pretty good. Great end to an album that starts with "Planet Telex." - 9.6/10. Overall, great album. I see why so many people put it in a list of the greatest albums. However, I wouldn't personally put it in mine. Overall - 8.8/10. 4.4 stars.
This is a fantastic album with a number of hits - Fake Plastic Trees, Nice Dream, Black Star and Street Spirit are highlights. That said, the over-volume and squelching throughout detracts and keeps me reaching for this when I am in the mood. Ok Computer is the much better album. 4/5
Dystopian art rock done right. Leaps better than their previous album (Pablo Honey) Radiohead would keep the musical innovation going with their next album (OK Computer) not letting up until 2011's slightly disappointing affair The King of Limbs. I hate the cover art even more than the cover art for Pablo Honey at least with Pablo Honey it was just a stupid baby's face in the middle of a cupcake flower (or whatever that dumb thing was) The Bends shows a yellow man having an orgasm or enjoying his morning poop a little too much (no kink shaming) and it's just an all-around big old "ewwwwww..." to my eyes.
Wonderful. This is the moment Radiohead found their sound and paved the way for the (arguably) best album of the 90s. This is like Revolver before Sgt Pepper. It’s very experimental, but it’s so good that it became mainstream.
It's been a while... Radiohead was always that band that “other people” listened to, while I was interested in something more sophisticated. But honestly, they've always been masters of subtle, surprising chord changes and multi-layered lyrics. I've always preferred a more direct approach, but “The Bends” is a very serious alternative rock album from the 90s and, yes, a must-know for any music fan. Personally, I prefer the more in-your-faace tracks like "PLate Telex" or ""My Iron Lung".
Gearing up to OK Computer, with a lot of good songs
Elevator maxxing
This one is also good. 4
Oh shit..here we go again
Another album I've heard before and like! Funny enough, I just listened to this album for the first time not too long ago, before starting this challenge. I've liked Radiohead, never been the biggest fan, but I enjoy many songs and some albums. This was fun to listen to again.
It's not OK Computer but it's still a bop.
Still not sure where this rates in their stuff or in general, but I recognize this album art when people talk about their good music. I guess this is one of Radiohead's stronger albums, because this was much better than OK Computer.
Didn’t leave me high nor dry. More like this, less like that other album & I’ll be happier.
The sophomore album from Radiohead is where the band really started to find their identity. Pablo Honey was a solid debut, but The Bends feels like the moment they leveled up, refining their sound, deepening their songwriting, and balancing experimentation with melody. The highs are great, and even the weakest tracks are still “solid” listens. It’s one of those albums that you can throw on repeat and just get lost in, proof that Radiohead were already evolving into something special.
Fantastic. Simply fantastic.
Way better than I remembered.
One of my slightly hot takes on Radiohead has long been that The Bends is a little overrated. Although, I think I can kind of see what its staunchest defenders see. The Bends is a unique transitional album for Radiohead, it captures a moment in time when they still had a foot in alt-rock and Brit-pop, but at the same time, the other foot was drifting into the heady, arty, forward thinking direction they would become known for shortly afterwards. The result is an album which retains accessibility and pop potential at most times, but which also isn't afraid to annihilate the boundaries of its base genres. And I'm not sure that anyone else has mutated hard-edged Brit-pop so deeply while retaining its core identity since. And this creates some really excellent music at times. The run of the first four songs on this album, from Planet Telex through Fake Plastic Trees is one of the strongest runs in Radiohead's discography. Although, I think Radiohead stumble a little bit on Bones and don't fully regain their footing until Bullet Proof... I wish I Was. But in between we still have some great moments. Like on My Iron Lung, which is one of the most alt-rock songs here. But when we hit Bullet Proof... Radiohead fully lock in and give a fragile, and incredibly beautiful performance. And they keep the momentum up. Black Star and Sulk are also beautiful (and very sad) in their own right. And if it feels like we are kind of building towards something, it's because we are. We close with Street Spirit (Fade Out), a bold and fascinating move that makes The Bends very soundly stick the landing. On an album with so many little positive, accessible streaks, ending with Street Spirit is a *statement*. This is one of Radiohead's coldest, darkest songs *ever*, and it seems to signify that Radiohead have finished their metamorphosis into the band that was about to record Ok Computer. I enjoyed The Bends a lot more than I thought. There is material here that is on par with Radiohead's best, and while they can't keep consistent the *whole* way, the missteps are all at least good songs. Even if you don't like Radiohead, consider giving this a listen, it's just different enough from what is thought of as their regular fare, by capturing a very particular moment in Radiohead's history, that it has something exciting and unique about it.
I like Radiohead 4.25
Oh man such a great album! I've always loved Radiohead and this is one of their more underrated albums!
Haven't listened to radiohead aside from a few songs. This is pretty sweet!
I'd heard about this album for almost my entire life and I'm very glad to have listened to it now. Utterly fantastic alt-rock.
Good for sad times.
fav tracks: The Bends, High and Dry
album die ik heb op CD, klassiekertje, obsessed mee toen ik 15-16 was, ik ken vrijwel ieder nummer hierop, Planet Telex, fk goeie intro voor het album, The Bends, eentje die ik was vergeten totdat ik het weer opnieuw luisterde, echt een dikke dikke schijf, High n dry, banger, Fake plastic trees, geinspireerd op Jeff Buckley's concert, Just, omd, Just is gewoon zoooo destroying, zo self sabotage, Black star, top 3 voor mij, eentje waar ik in die tijd echt geobsedeerd mee was. Een top album, maar niet eens dé beste van Radiohead naar mijn mening, zegt al veel, wel degene met de meest bekende nummers
Good one
Solid '90's sound. One of Radiohead's best
4.0
I mean this is where they started to find that sound. It’s a beautiful album. The rad thing about Radiohead for me is that my favorite album of theirs constantly shifts. While this has never been my favorite it’s fucking gorgrous
Radiohead often depressed me and this one has its moments, but there are also a bunch of good hits here. This album still has a more rock feel, with some reverb and sound effects but not as much of the electronica infusion as their next album. I used to hate on these guys but it's not a bad album. I recognized three hits here. Not sure I'll listen again but I can appreciate its worth. 4/5
Faixa The Bends - Muito boa, um rock clássico, bons instrumentais, letra, tudo. 10/10. Adorei.
Enjoyed most of it, would definitely listen more
First song almost turned me off completely but the rest of the album was much better. I liked this more than I thought I would.
Some of the best melodies radiohead have ever made, and just generally some of the best songs they have ever written on here. I don't think the sound of this album is as good interesting or cool as any of their albums after this. The lyrics are generally the weakest part of this album for me.
This is my favorite Radiohead album so far. A lot of interesting instrumentals anchored in great songs.
What’s interesting is that I think the Radiohead albums get worse as they release more… based on the current listening trend… because I really liked this album! But looking back at others I didn’t like them so much!
Couple great songs on here.
Buen álbum, lo escuché muchas veces a los 16/17. Creo que me resultó un poquito cliché pero las canciones son bastante digeribles si buscas escuchar a radiohead por primera vez.
Very different from Kid A I don’t think I knew that High and Dry was by Radiohead Just the standout track Some filler but a good rocky/indie album
Instropective and sad, so not one I return to often. Having said that, "Just" and "My Iron Lung" are probably my favourite Radiohead songs.
cool rock en musique de fond
Have listened to the Radiohead albums that came after but never The Bends for whatever reason. Solid album but it's hard to not compare to what came after.
According to the stats on here, Indie is apparently my least favourite genre. Yet this one, labelled Rock/Indie, is absolutely awesome. Go figure. Standout tracks: not to sound too banal, but basically all the singles.
Not Radiohead's best but it's a classic and better than 99% of other music.
Ah Radiohead. My 16 year old son's favorite band. This is their last rock album before they really took a deep dive into electronic experimentation. Of course, OK Computer was probably a little more rock than electronic, but they certainly were heading in that direction. Anyway, Radiohead is a rare band where I prefer the electronic stuff to their more rock oriented output. And The Bends, while a perfectly competent album, seems rather pedestrian and straightforward compared to everything that follows. Nevertheless, it's enjoyable enough and songs like Fake Plastic Trees rank with some of their best. I'll generously give it 3.5/5 (rounded to 4). But honestly, when I have a hankering for Radiohead, this is never where I start. 3.5/5 #205
Good
Fake Plastic Trees is one of my favourites
It's good. It's better the second and third listen through, the first time I didn't pick up on all the subtleties, it's only a bit arena rock, underneath the hood there is alot more going on. I need to hear more from these guys.
Not their best by any stretch, but an essential 90s indie album.
influential music by an a**. Thom Yorke singing ‚I want to be part of humanity‘ is rich. I love ‚Just‘, thank goodness for the Mark Ronson version.
Solid album. Never been a huge fan of Radiohead, but this was a good listen.
A great nostalgic college throwback. I forget how much I like about half of the songs on this album.
Remember not being fussed at the time. In retrospect, its a good album: not just another grunge album and more accessible than their later experimental albums. Forgot how good High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, and Street Spirit are.
Definitely understand the Radiohead hype after listening to this album. Solid songs and felt cohesive, but I did find my interest level fluctuating between some songs. Still really solid though.
Another solid album. Definitely fits the mid-90's alt rock feeling more than what they apparently grow into, though I like their later vibes more. I'm starting to think I missed a lot by not getting into Radiohead earlier. Planet Telex, The Bends, Fake Plastic Trees, Nice Dream, Black Star and Street Spirit are all bangers. Once again, Thom Yorke is a cock.
At the time I thought Radiohead was all hype. I do believe I was wrong, though this album doesn't make it to five stars for me.
Radiohead is becoming one of the more prevalent bands on this list, and for good reason. It seems like just about every album they've released has a handful of stunning and legendary tracks on it. This one has "High and Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", and some other solid ones like "Just", and "My Iron Lung". "High and Dry" really makes me feel something. The kick drum intro is so warm and thuddy. The acoustic guitar tone and composition is inviting. It almost doesn't feel like a traditional Radiohead song until you hear Thom Yorke's croon come in. I also love how the song hangs around the E major tonality so much.. it almost feels weirdly too optimistic for a Radiohead tune. I love how much acoustic guitar there is on this record. I'm stumping myself now though and thinking "does Radiohead always have this much acoustic on it?", but I don't think so. Maybe this record is kind of unique in that. It's a really solid one. 4/5 for me, maybe like a 4.7. I think "Kid A", "In Rainbows", and "Ok Computer" are 5's, so this one is a little bit short of them.
Album au top, plus dynamique que d’autres de Radiohead ! Un bon 4,5
Très sympa, mais un peu badant alors que j'étais déjà en train de bader ahah 4/5
Not as terrible as I thought, like Muse meets U2
banger album
Me siento mal poniéndole un 4 a un disco de Radiohead porque me gustan harto. Pero hay algo de la onda de este disco (es como más "Creep-like") que no encajó tan bien conmigo.
Hypnotic - Background flow
Gillar skivan, bra ballader särskilt High and Dry.
This was a great album and the first album of theirs I've listened to. I hope there is more on the list
As a self proclaimed Radiohead fan, I'm ashamed to say I've never listened to this album in full before. I glad I did today because this was a great entry to their solid gold discography. More mainstream appealing than almost all of their later works, this one holds up really well. Many great hits on this. I definitely will listen again.
Better than in rainbows
Schon guter emo stuff
Esordio notevole, forse il loro più bello.
Their first great album. Many many more great albums followed. High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees and the title track are all some of the best RH songs of all time. Flies under the radar a bit but I love it. Free Palestine.
A very beautiful experience to listen to this. I gotta admit that I only know Radiohead from 'Creep' but this was quite the delight as my first real exploration of their work.
Always thought radiohead was not for me. But turns out I had heard the hits too many times, the hereto unknown songs were surprisingly good with a mellow grungy sound. And I guess those hits are not bad either. I stand corrected.
solid album. i particularly liked the track, 'just.' radiohead tends to not really be my bag and this album didn't totally bowl me over but it was still an overall enjoyable album.
Decent album here. Definitely enjoyable, and I know most of the tracks. I don't think I'd give it more than 3 stars if I heard it first today, but it gets 4 because of the impact it had when I first heard it.
Was excited to get this album- I really like fake plastic trees but had never really listened to the rest of the album. Was generally pleased with the album. Nice balance of guitar and extremely depressing singing 8.58/10
Interesting, would listen again
depressing but good
General thoughts: I have a kind of stigma against radiohead, haven't really heard anything outside of creep. It wasn't as bad as I expected, I thought they were more vanilla. I liked the strident tone. The band work is solid, specially the guitar. There were a couple of moments in which I think the arrangements could have been improved a lot. Lyrics are tedious though, Thom Yorke has such a punchable face and his songwriting screams "Depressed loser" lol "The Bends" is something I would listen to as individuals songs, not as a whole. Liked it. Outstanding song(s): Black Star Weakest song(s): Bullet Proof... I wish I was Cover: Awful. Real rating: 4.04
La portada de este disco me hace mucha gracia. Ya había escuchado el álbum pero no me acordaba bien de él, así que ha sido guay volver a escucharlo. Me gusta este tipo de rock alternativo un poco más grunge y crudo, aunque también tiene baladas rock. Canciones favs: planet telex, high and dry, bones, just, my iron lung
I like every song on this album. I think this album is where this band really started soaring creatively.
7/10
I really liked this.
Moody and ambient, like every other Radiohead album. I respect their consistency even though it does make their songs blend together for me. Overall a beautiful album though. Favorites: The Bends, High and Dry, My Iron Lung, Street Spirit
Me recuerda a cuando descubrí Radiohead hace 7 u 8 años y me trae buenos recuerdos. Qué bueno.
This one is kinda weird to me because I only really liked about two or so songs, but it's pretty solid altogether. I could see me growing fonder of other songs in the future too.
The cover art had me fooled for the longest time -- this is super accessible for a Radiohead project! Everything is pretty good, with some tracks I'd even consider spectacular, but overall it doesn't quite feel like a 5. I might have to let it simmer a bit for that. Into the rotation it goes! Standouts: High and Dry • (Nice Dream) • Just • Street Spirit (Fade Out)
So good. Loved fake plastic trees.
Sin lugar a dudas el disco que más me ha sorprendido hasta el momento. Me daba mucha pereza escucharlo porque había escuchado el OK computer ( que a la gente le encanta) y no me gustó nada. En cambio este me ha encantado.
Controversial… I love a few songs and I think it’s a good album, but overall I feel eh
Sometimes my favourite Radiohead. What a rock band.
Pretty dang good
I think this album was definitely a cut above the other two Radiohead albums I have listened to on this generator thus far. Vocals were strong, and the guitar was awesome. This was solid, and now I definitely understand why Radiohead has such a fanbase. This is great alternative rock music. I would gladly give it another listen.
3,7/5
I really liked a lot of the sounds and the sound. I see where Muse might have gotten some of their inspo on singing style, like in "Black Star." (Nice Dream) was unexpected, but I liked it.
I think this is my favorite of the Radiohead albums we've had so far on this list.
One of is my least listened to Radiohead albums. I really like it though, High and Dry is my favorite track.
I swear, every single modern sad white boi act, whether it be solo or a group, must take at the very least some inspiration from this album. It's a terrific album, but it's not the genre I'm in love with.
Muy buenas canciones, quizá le faltó un poco más de variedad o dinamismo
I’m a Radiohead lover and this one is a lot different to the other 4 I’ve listened too. It’s more focused on rock other than electronic/alt rock genres. Very solid album it wasn’t as mind blowing and “experimental” as a Kid A or Ok Computer but I did enjoy it a lot. Also I feel as if Yorke wasn’t singing as he normally does making him sound less annoying than he normally does. This may have removed some character out of the project as-well though. My favourite songs were Black Star and Fake Plastic Trees. Overall I’m giving this album an 8/10 4/5
4.9 The album cover is what you’ll look like when you hear this album
Great album
great
more a fan of their later stuff. ts is still solid really like black star and nice dream and a bunch of them
A classic radiohead album. Bangers all around.
4.5
This was the album where Radiohead truly found its footing, creating a powerful and emotionally resonant statement that laid the groundwork for the masterpiece that would follow. It is a stunning collection of songs that captures a band on the cusp of true greatness. I am guilty of letting Radiohead be one of the few glaring holes in my 90s alternative rock listening history. OK Computer caught my attention, but otherwise, I mostly ignored Radiohead. This album reminded me of how they fit in the story of the 90s. It just sounds like the time - in the same way Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins do - the latter especially. I hear Corgan in Yorke's vocals on this album. I'm told both were relatively uninterested in each other, but I'd be interested to hear them together. That comparison is apt. There's a raw, anthemic quality here that feels perfectly at home in the mid-90s landscape. The triple-guitar attack is muscular and intricate, from the iconic, jarring riff of "Just" to the soaring leads on "My Iron Lung." Yet, beneath the wall of sound, the seeds of their future are sprouting. The acoustic despair of "Fake Plastic Trees" is a masterclass in dynamics, building from a fragile whisper to a cathartic roar. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" is utterly haunting, a dark, arpeggiated ballad that hints at the more experimental and atmospheric textures the band would soon explore. So why not a perfect five stars? While brilliant, The Bends is ultimately an album of transition. It is arguably the peak of a certain kind of alt-rock, but it's still operating within that framework. It's the sound of a band perfecting a style just before they shatter it completely with OK Computer. For that reason, it feels slightly overshadowed by what came next. Still, this is a minor critique of an otherwise essential album.
Never listened to this one fully through before, as I usually gravitate towards Radiohead's later works, but it's still a clear winner. It was compelling to hear them at their most stripped down. Layered guitars, steady drums in the back, small inclusions of strings or other instruments here and there. Gives an ethereal sound. Almost like the alternative rock version of Dark Side of the Moon.
Great project. There were a few points where some of the sounds were questionable, but these moments were easily forgivable after the fact.
miserable just like me
For me, this album doesn't really begin until High and Dry. The mood is set by that song, and it makes the rest of the album better. It leads in well to Fake Plastic Trees and I feel its similarity in (Nice Dream). Although, I don't love this album as much as the other two that I've had so far, it was still very solid.
As soon as I saw Radiohead I knew this will be good. It reminds me of when I was younger. For some reason it encapsulates that 90s feeling in it.I’m enjoying this one a lot. This album is amazing. It really is.I might even get it on Vinyl. 8.5/10
My favorite radiohead album. Classic 90s
Of all the Radioheads this is the best Radiohead 👍
I fucking HATE Creep and thought I hated Radiohead. I was expecting lots of angst on top of a droning background. What a pleasant surprise! A lot of these songs are really well structured with some beautiful melodies. Didn’t love when things got distorted but otherwise this is a huge success.
Perhaps there's hope for me liking 90s music yet. This is the right amount of noisy guitars and moodiness. Really appreciated the quieter songs like High and Dry and Bullet Proof.
Faaaaaaaaade ouuuuuuuuuuuut agaaaaaaaain
Sexo
An all time great album. I’m not the biggest fan of Radiohead but man, is this good. Equal parts interesting, engaging, and devastating.
Yay, a music for sad white guys
Even when Radiohead is not at their best, they're still enjoyably transcending.
Oh hell yeah!
As a rocker at heart, this is my favourite Radiohead album. I understand that the band would have largely been irrelevant by now if they just kept making records like this, but this is nonetheless the sweet spot. Maybe it sticks out precisely because it’s their only proper rock album.
First real quality Radiohead album, the bends a standout track.
The biggest thing going against The Bends is that it's not Radiohead's other albums (aside from Pablo Honey). But when evaluated independently of their other work, and in comparison with the other albums on this list, you realize even if it isn't OK Computer, it's still an absolute banger of an album.
Great album. Love their unique sound
Really enjoyed this project - not my favorite in Radiohead's discog, but a goodie. Faves for me were "Street Spirit (Fade Out)," probably my favorite Radiohead song of all-time, and "Fake Plastic Trees" and "High and Dry."
La dosis sad que necesitaba
I like radiohead. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for them. The Bends is an album of theirs I like most of the time and enjoy.
Alright album. Not as influential as their later stuff but it has some great tracks. My personal favourite but by no means their best and my opinions definitely may change in the future
The guitar on this album is great. Compared to in rainbows, I enjoyed this slightly less. Could maybe be 4.5 potential but I rounded down in this case. Would be happy to listen to this again.
thom yorke! one of those albums that isn't fully fleshed out but you know is a sign of great things to come. As a Radiohead fan, this isn't one I come back to often, but every time I do I remember that right after this release comes OK computer and oh my days am I happy that The Bends was made
Album art: 5
Such a great album such a great band. I could listen to this on repeat.
Great radio head. early stuff is fun
Really good album, but a little bit of a slog to get through in the middle in there. It will probably improve for me on a second listen. Added 7 of 12 songs to my brit rock playlist.
Planet Telex - Solid opener, drums are good. The Bends - Band switches vibes so much it works out nice. High and Dry - Shows off the vocals well, every instrument fits the song perfectly. Fake Plastic Trees - Calming song, great volume changes. Bones - Cool bass riff, I don't really like his voice cracks. (Nice Dream) - Wasn't the biggest fan, too high pitched for me. Just - My favourite on the album, great lyrics, nice backing vocals. My Iron Lung - The guitar kind of annoyed me, the bass carried this one. Bullet Proof ... I Wish I Was - Emotional song, no over playing is good. Black Star - Strong and emotional lyrics, love the ride cymbal. Sulk - Vocals are great, love the guitar part too. Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Weirded me out honestly.