The Bends

This album came out while I was discovering heavy music like Korn and Marilyn Manson. I didn't have this album because I was spending my money on the heavy stuff. When I heard Just I was interested in this band. I knew songs like creep but never spent the time I wanted to with this band. For years after I would often say " I wish I was a Radiohead fan." But I never took the time, until about 6wo years ago. I have been on a big Radiohead kick for the last couple years and what a kick it has been. In my older age I find myself really connecting with this band and this album in particular. This album is perfect from start to finish. Radiohead have many perfect albums and I am so happy I have taken the time with this band.

Oh yeah baby, thats what I been waiting for!! Pure high fidelity indie rock ROYALTY. The mf Bends dude. Perfect moody 90s rock album with all the added charm they earned from the debut release. I think it tracks that I reference this on this journey and experience many times as their magnum opus. I may or may not agree with that any more. But one thing i can say for damn sure is the "High and Dry" is in the conversation for greatest song of all time.

Album : 29/1089 Songs known going in : 3/12 Cover Art : smiley face Id put it on a wall Favourite song : Rating : Notes : The bends has an intensity that I dont think you really get much from radiohead. High and dry the gem that you are my sweet beloved song. HIs voice gives me insane goosebumps. Bones has kind of got a the darkness edge with that those slight almost hair metally vocal flips

My semi-heretical take is that The Bend might have more bangers than OK Computer.

I already knew 5-6 songs coming into this album and i they are really great, especially fake plastic trees which is one of my favorite radiohead track at this moment. But i just dont think i can give this album a 5, for that i will have to give it a 4 . My conclusion after finishing this 4 is the sweet spot for it and the reason because of that is the album is really ups and downs for me there are songs like fake plastic trees, high and dry, just, nice dreams but also some songs i would not listen. i cannot just decide on whether it is amazing or just good really good.

4.5/5

I do not like Radiohead, despite all of my best attempts. This sounds like the ‘90s through a muffled, whiny filter. It does not give me joy.

Enjoyable rock tunes. Preferred the more melancholic chord progression songs than the generic rock sounding ones. 4/5

God it's nails on a chalkboard to me.

A strong album, very moving at times, but I am simply not in the mood for the Radiohead brand of depressive melancholy at the moment.

There's plenty of better Radiohead albums, but it's still Radiohead.

I listen to the whole album and it's fine. Just fine. It's hard to make an impression. I have A sub project where I'm trying to pick out my favorite song from the album and my undiscerning ear cannot pick out differences. I want to broaden my musical horizons but this is my second Radiohead album and both of them had the effect of elevator music: pleasant but making no impression. I'll keep trying, I guess.

This is probably the sweet spot between accessibility and Radiohead-ness. I say, bring on the Radiohead-ness

these would all be better as instrumentals

Not quite the masterpiece standing that some later albums hold. However, this is a great inclusion that represents a specific time in music and Radiohead history.

This is just one of my favorite albums ever, and might be my favorite Radiohead album too. This was played non-stop the summer after I got it and found its way into regular rotation through the rest of my teens and twenties. It has an amazing opener and closer and hardly any filler throughout the rest of it. Love coming back to this one still, it has everything in it. The ones that do not like this or Radiohead are probably fine with their Maroon 5 collection, so to each their own. Biggest Hit - High and Dry Biggest Miss (if I had to choose ) - Sulk (Not So) Hidden Gem - Street Spirit (Fade Out)

As a noted Radiohead hater I will admit this isn't as bad I as I thought it'd be. Thom Yorke is wayyyy to whiny a singer though

Pretty great listen. Slides under the radar since it’s not in Radiohead’s top 3

One of my less preferred Radiohead albums, but still an absolute banger and filled with amazing songs. I hadn’t listened in years and I do think it has a significant number of quite dull/of their time tracks. High and Dry through to Nice Dream is a pretty skippable run with tracks that sound like a lot of other bands from the era could have made them, in the way that Iron Lung, Just, Telex really don’t. Surprising myself by giving this 4 stars (probably an extra 1/2 in there), was expecting to give it 5 without even listening, but it’s not quite made it to the peerless heights that they’d reach by OK Computer.

8,5/10

One of the albums I know best. A gateway album for me and I imagine so many others to that incredibly deep rock scene of the mid 90s. Some unbelievable songs on this (FPT, MIL, Black star) and some duds that stop it being a 5. But always a personal favourite

canción x canción el mejor disco de radiohead alv me vale verga y que viva el rocanrooool

Love, love, love this album!

Ну это база Обложка под которую можно фшопить спящих Вы мэшап со смешариками хоть слышали?

Is it as good as OK Computer? No. Is it as good as Kid A? No. Is it as good as In Rainbows? No. Is it as good as A Moon Shaped Pool? Probably not. But is it good? Yeah, yeah it is. Favorite song: The Bends Score: 79/100

Pretty good album. Not my usual taste, but enjoyed it. Some good songs, some lesser stuff too.

Ok I think I figured my relationship with Radiohead out. I like their old stuff, I absolutely despise their later work. Some of their albums have been the lowest rated on this project, even if they are the most acclaimed. Best Song: High and Dry Rating: 9/10 Stars: 5

May be it's just me, but I didn't vibe with all of this as much as I thought I would. There is a gorgeous section that deserves the praise it gets, and I get why it's important. But the end of the record, while I listened and liked, I didn't think was the strongest Radiohead songs I encountered. Fine doesnt typycally cut it, but I really liked the middle so it gets a 4, albeit a low one

No flippin way ... For the longest time I avoided Radiohead because they just seemed like the pretentious and overrated critics band, and then I listened to In Rainbows and had my suspicions confirmed. Did not like that album at alllll. But THEN, The Bends pops up on the list and what was originally a listen I was dreading ended up being a damn good time. Every song here is amazing. Just super crisp 90's guitars, dynamic vocals, catchy and melodic choruses, and even the slower songs that don't stand as well on their own are still very important in the context of the album. 5/5

Classic

Radiohead is a guarantee for great music!

17. oktobar 2026. 19.27h best: the bends, (nice dream)

I love radiohead so this was an easy 5

10/10 no notes i freaking love radiohead

Not my favorite Radiohead tbh kinda boring

hell yeah i love radiohead

Still one of my favourite albums even if I don't class myself as a fan since Kid A.

Vrm très très cool Radiohead

It sounds like generic 90s college rock. That's not bad, but it's not great either.

Finally, a Radiohead album that I liked. Still not my favorite thing, but finally understood the appeal from one of their albums. Perhaps I should give In Rainbows a fresh listen someday. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

God, Coldplay really jusy stole their schtick from this one album huh. On a more serious note, this album changed the way that I've graded the other Radiohead albums I've been given. The sound is so clear, bridging the gap between Pablo Honey and OK Computer with it's softer rock tendencies and the more electronic alienated sound of their later works. Despite it's obvious pretentions it is glorious in its sound and delivery, coalescing the cryptic lyrics into songs that make sense sonically. It is angry, it is self-aggrandizing, it is weepy, and it all works.

Fairplay fantastic album, radiohead stans sneer at it and thumb themselves over at Kid A but i think its class, britpop radiohead what more do you want????????? 5/5 Best Song: Fake Plastic Trees

"My Iron Lung" is my favorite, but this is a very, very, good album.

Was debating between giving this a 4 or 5, mostly because I like their later albums more. But this is still deserving of a 5. It’s great and relistening to it reminded me of just how much Radiohead could actually rock

Realmente son todo bangers, tampoco me ha volado ninguno la cabeza pero es un disco redondo.

5 eme album après 'Kid A' et ‘Amnesiac’ (5/5 - originalité sans faille), 'Hail to the Thief' (3/5 - beaucoup moins créatif que Kid Amnesiac) et ‘in Rainbows’ (4/5 - créativité presque retrouvée). Que dire de ‘The bends’ ? On est assez loin de ‘Kid A’, mais l’album offre un pop/rock un petit peu original (en tout cas meilleur que la majorité des albums de ce style dans la liste), que je prendrais plaisir à réécouter mais qui ne rejoindra pas ma collection (pas assez original à mon gout). =>3/5

Depending on my mood, this is somewhere between their 5th and 7th best album, so it's bonkers that it's still this good

For many this is THE radiohead album. The album cover is iconic and has been memed to death, which is often the sign of an iconic album. As far as its place within their discography, it isn't my favourite, but is very solid. It can fall victim to the common radiohead pitfall of being a sad wankfest obsessed with its own sadness. It however does not cross over the border of insufferableness too often and when it does it does so with a poignancy that atleast partly makes up for it. It ocsillates between intense dispair or rage and the hollow feeling of loneliness. The bass and drums are very understated, but actually very good on radiohead, as usual. I truly think this is what allows radiohead to be elevated above being just sad-slop. It's sad-slop that slaps. Music exists with a reason and Radioheads raison d'être is being a sad wankfest and that is okay.

I love this album and hve too much nostalgia wrapped up in it to give it anything but a 5. I think it merits the rating but I couldn't tell at this point, too far gone at this point.

This was my real introduction to Radiohead, having not got on with the later albums at first and then restarted the journey from The Bends onwards, the path was laid out for me. Much easier to get into, and maybe a little less deep than the rest, still has some cracking lines and riffs. Is this their best album? No. Is it a major turning point worth going back to over and over? Yes.

Without a doubt, my favourite Radiohead album. Packed full of amazing tunes and fantastic lyrics, with a sound that, while reminiscent of its influence from 90s grunge and late 80s alt-rock, is entirely its own thing.

not so good

Entre el grunge y el britpop se va formando un sonido único

Це вже класиска)

What an album, bear in mind at the time Radiohead released this Britpop was in full swing. There really isn’t a weak track. It’s probably my favourite Radiohead album, depending on my mood but it’s up there 5

Like OK Computer, this album has absolutely soaring, incredible moments. I've loved it, then fallen out of love with it, and then loved it again. It's a great record. Also, the confidence to put this out as a second album. Fuck me. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.

Another incredible record by the best British band of the 90s

I was going to give this a four, but no, it's a five

This at 6 am was certainly something

mind blowing

This is not Radiohead's best album by any means, but it is almost a masterpiece. Apex guitars and wonderful songs. It almost does not get any better than this.

Love EVERY song

I don´t usually listen to rock, just not my genre, but the songs are fine. Great to add to my catalog of music. If someone asks, have you heard of Radiohead, I'll say "Yes, I did!" And the band influenced Coldplay? Cool! Besides that, I don't have much to say. Good album to start my music discovering journey ><! PS: High and Dry is actually so chill and cool

Second Radiohead album in three days, are you kidding me? Man I hate Radiohead and I don't know whether it was because of the previous one, but this one was pretty enjoyable, relatively to the other albums they made at least. I cannot believe it, but this one is actually going to get an average rating. 3/5

Decent

Solid album. Post OK Computer Radiohead is awful.

4; it's my favourite Radiohead album on the list so far and I gave Amnesiac a 4. This is better.

Near perfect

C'est vraiment un album de dépressif

Prefacing this by the fact that I do like this album, finding this is rated as the second best Radiohead album above a 4 rating is wild to me. However, despite being only their 6th best (above HTTT but below AMSP), I would keep it in the list. 7/10 [KEEP]

Good.

Long-time fav

I mean c'mon it's radio head

I'm surprised I hadn't listened to The Bends before, although I knew High and Dry from Betty Buckley's cover. I like Radiohead, mostly their later stuff, so maybe that's why. Anyway, this is pretty great stuff.

There's a timeline where I am into Radiohead. This is not that timeline

🙏

omg this is the first albums I’ve actually listened to before on this list!! High and dry is still one of the best songs to ever exist. As soon as I hear those opening chords I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Yeah still a really great album. All of the songs have incredible guitar work, though again only high and dry and fake plastic trees really resonate with me although the rest still are fun to listen to. 4.21/5

1st Listen - It is very cinematic, ambient, and sometimes even industrial. The album is very sad, melancholy, and sometimes angry. It's very dissonant and only uses a higher distortion in the choruses. The album is very good throughout and is not first half carried and I even think it represents a journey of some sort. Every song is different just enough. 2nd listen - There are a few riffs throughout every song and each riff is different from each other and fits each song perfectly. I like the chorus singing chords in the chorus because I supports the main vocals very well. I love how the drums create an awesome buildup in some songs because of how well it fits with the chorus. The verses are very cool as well with the awesome acoustic guitar that has really good melodies that complement the vocals so well. Highlights - Fake Plastic Trees, Just, and Black Star Honorable mentions - (Nice Dream) and My Iron Lung 4.5/5 stars

Smoother than I expected

Perfect

One of the truly great albums on this planet to fuck to.

Mumbling, repetitive and boring. I was expecting it to be grating and anger inducing, so plus 1 for not, but it’s also fairly uninspiring. The album charted in single digits only in the UK and everywhere else is buried way down the charts. But hey - UK band - so we gotta put them on the list. Is there a UK act that isn’t on this thing? Sheesh. Bias much?

It's really great. 4/5 just because of what's about to come.

Amazing album. Although it (in my opinion) has one of the weaker opening songs in Radioheads discography, Planet Telex, it still manages to be one of the most consistently great albums I've ever heard. Even though I don't think Bones and Planet Telex are as good as all the other tracks, they're stil good songs, even though they are below the rest. Also, (Nice Dream) and Sulk should be talked about more. They are criminally underrated IMO Probably the safest album Radiohead have released, as it leans a bit more into the more radio friendly, but I don't think that does anything. It is a bit less interesting and experimental than many other of their albums. However, it is very relistenable, and a huge improve nt from Pablo Honey.

Fantastic album! Downloaded a few songs. Great sounds, just not my usual genre

I fucking love this album from beginning to end.

Very good

I liked this more than any of the 2 or 3 thousand other Radiohead albums I have reviewed thus far almost halfway through this list. My main complaint is that Yorke's voice is so mopey and he sings the same way no matter the tempo or subject matter of the song.

Always and forever a 5.

Meh

Ett av deras sämre album tycker jag. Väger mellan 3 och 4 under albumets gång.

Stark trea! 1001albumsgenerator har gjort det svårare för mig att hata Radiohead men det här var lite svagare än senare albumen vi fått här.

Direkt när ”street spirit (fade out)”, världens bästa avslutningslåt, klingat ut vill man lyssna om. Så beter sig en 5a

missade tyvärr radioheadtåget som teen och nu är det försent

Not a bad song on there!

Not as interesting as Ok Computer or Kid A, but quite good.

I like radiohead but this isn't their best work.

Really like the guitars. The voice makes the quieter parts work as well.

Who am I kidding? If it's good enough for Michael Stipe, then surely it's good enough for me!

Surprising, not as depressing as i thought it would be, I wouldn't go as far to say uplifting. A nice inbetween. Maybe I'll become a radioheader now and become nostalgic about the 90s.