Radiohead 50-1

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JackOutback said:
Didn't agree with a lot of the order (who would, such a difficult task), but clear number one for me too :)
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Such a subjective band though, if I were to do the list again in 6 months it would probably be very different.

Really hard to leave out songs like Scatterbrain,.Lotus Flower and Bloom
 

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james Dean said:
#2 Pyramid Song
​

Album: Amnesiac
Favourite Line: And we all went to heaven in a little row boat, there was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt.

I'm not good at analyzing lyrics. I get an idea in my head about what a song is about and then when I hear the artist talk about it or other people's interpretations I think to myself how the **** did I end up where I did? This song for me however I don't really give a s**t what Thom was writing about or if anyone else interprets it differently, it is a magical song about the afterlife. The peace and serenity that comes with the lines 'there was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt' is almost surreal.

The song was recorded during the apex of Radiohead's experimental phase and the combination of strings, classical piano and drums creates a pure work of art which still sounds groundbreaking 17 years after it's release.
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Good choice thought you might like to see this?? interesting perspective by Thom about the themes on OKC/Kid A/mnesiac!

He references a book, "Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury as being an inspiration into the themes of the music..

 
Has anyone ever heard the theory of Kid A being a life cycle?

EIIRP represents birth with the phrase 'waking up sucking on a lemon' referring to a crying baby.

Kid A is the peace and ease of mind that comes with early adolescence and childhood

The national anthem represents the years of enlightenment and seeing the dark side and negatives in the world

HTDC is the teenage years of cynicism and depression, with the desire to run away and escape.

Treefingers represents the transformation into adulthood

Optimistic refers to just that, the optimism of young adulthood

In Limbo is the middle aged years and the realisation that things may not be going as planned.

Idioteque is a panic state, when you realise you are aging and don't have a long way to go (this is the least convincing song in the theory)

Morning bell relates to a dive into senility and preparing for the fact you will soon be gone

And motion picture soundtrack is the subject finally passing away.

I know that the album was definitely not written with this in mind, but I really do buy into it and it makes Kid A that bit more interesting for me
 
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james Dean said:
Has anyone ever heard the theory of Kid A being a life cycle?

EIIRP represents birth with the phrase 'waking up sucking on a lemon' referring to a crying baby.

Kid A is the peace and ease of mind that comes with early adolescence and childhood

The national anthem represents the years of enlightenment and seeing the dark side and negatives in the world

HTDP is the teenage years of cynicism and depression, with the desire to run away and escape.

Treefingers represents the transformation into adulthosa

Optimistic refers to just that, the optimism of young adulthood

In Limbo is the middle aged years and the realisation that things may not be going as planned.

Idioteque is a panic state, when you realise you are aging and don't have a long way to go (this is the least convincing song in the theory)

Morning bell relates to a dive into senility and preparing for the fact you will soon be gone

And motion picture soundtrack is the subject finally passing away.

I know that the album was definitely not written with this in mind, but I really do buy into it and it makes Kid A that bit more interesting for me
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I've never contemplated this before, appreciate and agree with the reading, it's definitely there, will make my next listen quite interesting.
 
Drugs Are Bad Mackay? said:
What does this song/video mean?
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It's never revealed what the guy on the floor says in the video and that's really the point. He repeatedly warns people that he can't tell them what caused him to lay down, yet their morbid curiosity makes them insist that he tells them. In the end their curiosity and need to know ultimately led to them also being stuck to the floor. In other words 'they did it to themselves'
 
james Dean said:
It's never revealed what the guy on the floor says in the video and that's really the point. He repeatedly warns people that he can't tell them what caused him to lay down, yet their morbid curiosity makes them insist that he tells them. In the end their curiosity and need to know ultimately led to them also being stuck to the floor. In other words 'they did it to themselves'
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I wondered if it was about depression?
Can't get the stink off
He's been hanging around for days
Comes like a comet
Suckered you but not your friends
One day he'll get to you

That you do it to yourself. Tie yourself up in knots with your stresses and fears and inner thoughts. No one can help you because it's your problem.

You've changed the locks three times / He still comes reeling through the door
Tried various methods or medications to get rid of it, hasn't worked.

The only way they'd be able to understand how you're feeling is to live inside your shoes. If you'd been through what I've been through, then you'd be like this too. Which is what he explains to them at the end.
 
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Drugs Are Bad Mackay? said:
I wondered if it was about depression?
Can't get the stink off
He's been hanging around for days
Comes like a comet
Suckered you but not your friends
One day he'll get to you

That you do it to yourself. Tie yourself up in knots with your stresses and fears and inner thoughts. No one can help you because it's your problem.

You've changed the locks three times / He still comes reeling through the door
Tried various methods or medications to get rid of it, hasn't worked.

The only way they'd be able to understand how you're feeling is to live inside your shoes. If you'd been through what I've been through, then you'd be like this too. Which is what he explains to them at the end.
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Oh the song itself? Yeah, depression is certainly a possibility, especially given Thom has publicly battled it for years. I guess with lyrics though it is often down to how you interpret them personally.
 
I love Radiohead and as good as some of Thom's lyrics are, it's their one weak point. Most of their lyrics are disposable and unmemorable. He can use some cool phrases and come up with a great few lines but most of it is some empty cliché. Most of his later work has been reeeeeally bad for it.
 

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james Dean said:
Has anyone ever heard the theory of Kid A being a life cycle?

EIIRP represents birth with the phrase 'waking up sucking on a lemon' referring to a crying baby.

Kid A is the peace and ease of mind that comes with early adolescence and childhood

The national anthem represents the years of enlightenment and seeing the dark side and negatives in the world

HTDC is the teenage years of cynicism and depression, with the desire to run away and escape.

Treefingers represents the transformation into adulthood

Optimistic refers to just that, the optimism of young adulthood

In Limbo is the middle aged years and the realisation that things may not be going as planned.

Idioteque is a panic state, when you realise you are aging and don't have a long way to go (this is the least convincing song in the theory)

Morning bell relates to a dive into senility and preparing for the fact you will soon be gone

And motion picture soundtrack is the subject finally passing away.

I know that the album was definitely not written with this in mind, but I really do buy into it and it makes Kid A that bit more interesting for me
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makes complete sense to me, to be honest, there are a few theories like that with this record.
 
Silent Alarm said:
I love Radiohead and as good as some of Thom's lyrics are, it's their one weak point. Most of their lyrics are disposable and unmemorable. He can use some cool phrases and come up with a great few lines but most of it is some empty cliché. Most of his later work has been reeeeeally bad for it.
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I've thought along similar lines in the past as well, however I think his song-writing is instrumentally constructed as a musical element, very malleable and extensible. It doesn't dominate, would read incomplete on the page, and invites various readings. That is the design. As a lyricist there are many out there who impress more, and he has long been noted for displaying some of those tendencies you describe, but his lyrics are pitched well, often ephemeral, to suit the overall composition.

I agree that it is not a key reason to love Radiohead (I think some of his lyrics resonate more strongly with the naive adolescent), but I think it complements the music they create quite nicely, and his lyrical musings are conveyed timelessly.
 
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I wish he did story telling a little more, like Subterranean Homesick Alien (which I find really overrated, not as overrated as Paranoid Android which is one of their only songs I actively don't like, but a bit overrated).
 
How many times have you guys seen the band play live?

Only twice for me, I was very close to booking flights to see them on their latest tour, but held out for the possibility they would come to Australia again.

Next tour I will certainly travel to Europe or maybe USA to see them play.
 
james Dean said:
How many times have you guys seen the band play live?

Only twice for me, I was very close to booking flights to see them on their latest tour, but held out for the possibility they would come to Australia again.

Next tour I will certainly travel to Europe or maybe USA to see them play.
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2012 tour sold out in zero time, missed that one,
2004, had tickets, missed that because Thom cancelled, sore throat..

no luck at all..

seeing them in Europe would be way cool, can't imagine how cool the 2002 European tour would have been, supposedly legendary!
 
Mootsy said:
2012 tour sold out in zero time, missed that one,
2004, had tickets, missed that because Thom cancelled, sore throat..

no luck at all..

seeing them in Europe would be way cool, can't imagine how cool the 2002 European tour would have been, supposedly legendary!
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Man that sucks, 2012 was a great tour. The stage lighting was the best I've ever seen in a concert. I will never forget the feeling when the lights kicked in during Lotus Flower; (1:15)
 
DIG said:
Just the once for me, back in about '98? Touring on Ok Computer at Festy Hall. Still one of the best live shows I've ever been to, it was mostly The Bends and OK, they hardly played anything off Pablo Honey.
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Apparently it was so hot there was sweat dripping off the wall, and the crowd was so full and hyped a kid got her glasses smashed into her face. The band still remember it.

I saw them twice on the A Moon Shaped Pool. Waited about ten years even after having tickers to the first Rod Laver show in 2012. Was worth it to see two ripping sets.
 
Mootsy said:
2012 tour sold out in zero time, missed that one,
2004, had tickets, missed that because Thom cancelled, sore throat..

no luck at all..

seeing them in Europe would be way cool, can't imagine how cool the 2002 European tour would have been, supposedly legendary!
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Me too, on both counts!
 
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