As many of you know, I’m in love with Radiohead. I might have a serious problem; I’m addicted to them. I think about them constantly, like I’m dating Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway all at the same time and I have to juggle my time with them.
With the release of their new release “In Rainbows”, I have had a hard time figuring out where it stands in the pantheon of Radiohead’s releases. In order to evaluate the worth of each album, I’ve looked at every albums’ track list and I’ve compiled a list of their greatest hits. (If any of you want a couple burned CD’s of songs off this list, shoot me an email and I’ll get them to you!)
Man, was this fucking tough to do.
40- Creep- Pablo Honey- This one has to make the list somewhere right? The band’s first hit, I still dig it even though most Radiohead fans and the band themselves don’t like it.
39- High and Dry- The Bends- Another hit, this one will always remind me of college days drinking beers at noon.
38- Karma Police- OK Computer - Should be higher on the list but again since I’ve heard it a million times on the radio, it’s hard for me to move it up. One of the best Radiohead videos ever.
37- Lucky- Ok Computer- This is a good song for when you’re down and just wish you could catch a break.
36- Black Star- The Bends- This is a song that will always remind me of Jeff Woods drinking wine on my patio, he always requests this song. Rightfully so, it’s a good talk and drink wine song.
35- Bodysnatchers- In Rainbows- A nice fuzzy up tempo song from the new album, that’s sounds like Radiohead rocking out for fun with no one recording.
34- There There (The Boney King Of Nowhere)- Hail To The Thief- On record, this song is good but not great. But live, man this songs rocks your face off with the large drum that Johnny Greenwood plays.
33- Everything in its Right Place- Kid A- A hard song to place on this chart, its either one of my favorites or it slips, daily. I hate that Vanilla Sky uses this song so well, cause I’d love to put it in a movie.
32- You and Whose Army?- Amnesiac- A great song when it is raining and you just want to sit out side, smoke a bowl and write. A simple song but beautiful nonetheless.
31- Nude- In Rainbows- This might be a lot higher on the chart in a two weeks after I listen to it more. I love this song so much and it has a lot of great layers in it. The lyrics will break your heart if you have ever cheated on, or been cheated, in a relationship before.
30- Fake Plastic Trees-The Bends- The first sign of Radiohead’s ballad capacities, it speaks volumes of their views on the world and the fakeness in it.
29- House Of Cards- In Rainbows- Another new one that might place higher after I listen to it more. It has a guitar part that is very catchy and Thom wailing some awesome harmonies before the song even begins. The first line, “I don’t want to be your friend, I just want to be your lover” is a classic.
28-A Punch Up At A Wedding (No No No No No No No No)- Hail To The Thief- I listened to this song on repeat when I was at film school. A classic piano line with a drum beat that sounds almost hip-hop like, it gets stuck in my head all the time.
27-Pyramid Song- Amnesiac- A beautiful song with beautiful lyrics. Has a great classic Radiohead build up and break down. The classical instrument back up makes it haunting.
26- Planet Telex- The Bends- The first song on the Bends, it has big powerful drums and a sign of things to come on future Radiohead albums, spacey synth piano that drips with reverb.
25- Punchdrunklovesicksingalong- My Iron Lung- This a great haunting song that never made a real album but is a total favorite of mine. The lyrics are scary, the world is coming to an end, firebombs are dropping, is it the girl’s fault?
24- Fog (Again)(Live)- Com Lag (2plus2isfive)-
Also called “Alligators in the New York Sewers”, this song has some of the saddest lyrics and singing. Also a B-side, this one just makes you wonder about how sad Thom was when he wrote it.
23- Blowout - Pablo Honey- One of only a few Pablo Honey songs that I like, this one is Radiohead’s favorite off the album and it makes sense, it’s the one that shows promise of things to come. Also the lyric, “Everything I touch turns to stone”, I can relate.
22- Morning Bell- Kid A- A multilayered song with tons of stuff going on in it, especially the end, which builds with processed vocals and guitars.
21- 15 Step- In Rainbows- The opening track on the new album, this is the most ‘Radioheady’ song on the album with electric drums, spacey synth lines and a sample of little kids yelling YEAH! Awesome.
20- 2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)-Hail To The Thief- A very underrated song, this one is about George Bush to me, although Yorke says its not about current politics. Bullshit. Man, this song builds harder and faster than anything they have done in a while with a good old-fashioned fuzz synth and lyric holler at the end.
19- Jigsaw Falling Into Place- In Rainbows- A night of drunken hook ups is the topic here. The up-tempo beat and Thom’s monotone voice set this song off right before he gets pissed and starts yelling.
18- The National Anthem- Kid A- I had a hard time placing this song. Its not one that you can listen to on repeat often, but it is one of the most complex RH songs of all time. Powerful and full of every instrument ever made.
17- Dollars & Cents- Amnesiac- Simple song with not a lot of craziness, but this one always gets me. I can listen to this one all day long and not get sick of it. A good song to write to also.
16- Where I End And You Begin (The Sky Is Falling In)- Hail To The Thief- A great song about relationships, it has some really cool ambient noise in it as well as a great baseline.
15- How to Disappear Completely- Kid A - Thom has stated in interviews that this is his fav song. I can see why, the lyrics of loneliness and the build up are of legend.
14- Weird Fishes/Arpeggi- In Rainbows- Just a cool song, it has some serious backbeat and the lyrics are so dreamy… man I love Thom Yorke… kiss me Thom. Sorry, lost myself for a second. The ending of this one is great also, breaks down to build back up.
13- Talk Show Host- Looking Back At...- The sexiest RH song ever, but at the same time, its not about that, its more about stalking. Just a simple cool song, I really had a hard time placing this one also, its that good but just a little too simple to move up. Also, my girl’s favorite RH song.
12- Exit Music (For A Film)- OK Computer- One of the most heart breaking songs of all time. A true epic soundscape full of rises and falls, lyrics that hurt and make you want to run away.
11-In Limbo- Kid A- The guitar melodies on this song are things of legend, it starts as a pretty normal song with a few samples that busts into a crazy sound smear that will make you reach for your volume knob.
10- Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was- The Bends- The song on the Bends that always gets me. Shows a level of weakness and hurt unlike the other songs on the album, RH also plays with ambient guitar sounds in the background on this one, a sign of much more to come on future albums.
9- Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner)- Hail To The Thief- A fucking banger, this one is the first song I put on when I listen to HTTT. It shows a level of power and vulnerability, the fuzzy guitar (is it a guitar?) and drums just kill you. A great song when you’re pissed off and you beat someone up.
8- All I Need- In Rainbows- This song is an instant classic to me. I could listen to this one all day and it will never get old. The lyrics reveal a level of needing someone that can only lead to heartbreak. The song starts so mellow and cool and then builds to crashing end.
7- Subterranean Homesick Alien - OK Computer- A song about aliens taking you away… or a veiled reference to something else? Either way, it’s a classic full of distant guitar echoing against synths and great drums that crescendos into a head-nodding chorus.
6- Idioteque-Kid A- Another song that just makes you move, the quick electronic drums and the crazy ondes martenot or synth line just rocks. Probably the most techno sounding RH song.
5- Airbag- OK Computer - Ok Computer songs are very hard to place on this thing, especially the first couple of songs that are all classics. This one just plain rocks out. If you don’t know this song and you need a description, buy the freaking album already.
4- Knives Out- Amnesiac- Man, this song is my favorite… okay, maybe not. I had it at number one for most of the night but I moved it down based on the fact that it’s not nearly as complex and crazy as these other songs in the top three. This song does it for me, it’s so simple that it was almost left off the album. Sometimes simple is better, as its combination of sad lyrics and melancholy chords makes me want to feel sorry for myself.
3- Optimistic- Kid A- Like the title says, this is a feel good song… or is it? Even when Radiohead is trying to be positive (‘The best you can is good enough’), they come off negative. This one is a banger with a huge turn around at the end (surprise, a RH song with a huge build up ending!) The guitar and drums reminds old time Radiohead fans what they used to sound like (and are reforming into again). No crazy electronic elements, just good old RH jamming out.
2- Paranoid Android - Ok Computer- Like three songs in one, it has distinct parts that come and go, with a sinister tone of alienation, heart break and authorial anger. The buildup in the middle of the song bangs your head, the ending makes you hold up your lighter to the sky until they go right back into the crazy build up. Should be number one on most people’s list but I am not like most people…
1- I Might Be Wrong - Amnesiac- By the count on my itunes, I have listened to this song 312 times, which is a grossly under estimated number. What can I say about this song to describe its strengths and meaning to me? It has an amazing guitar line that rolls with the song, lyrics that make you ‘think about the good times and never look back’ and a baseline that kicks in at a time when you don’t expect it. At the end, the little guitar break down, spacey drum machine drums, Thom wailing still sends a chill up my spine. The whole thing just speaks to me.
Writing this column really made me re-evaluate what I like about Radiohead and each of their albums.
Taking a look at my list, there are 2 Kid A, 2 Amnesiac, 3 OK Computer, 1 HTTT, 1 In Rainbows and 1 Bends song in the top ten.
I used to think that Amnesiac is the greatest album of all time. Period. Couldn’t tell me different.
But after creating this list, its really tough to say one is better than the other. Kid A’s great. So is OK Computer. This new one, In Rainbows, is pretty damn good. Like Amnesiac, it has more of an intimate feel and a back to basics sound for the band. It suits them well.
Does the fact that there are 3 OK Computer songs in the top ten make OK Computer the best? I’m not sure. I still love me some Amnesiac…
But is it that the best? Maybe not. Maybe so. I might be wrong….
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