Radiohead - I don't get it

Stefu · May 24, 2003, 17:04

Some people - many people - love Radiohead. I don't. I don't hate them, as such, but honestly, I can't see what makes them such godhead to so many people. I was reading some Amazon customer reviews for OK Computer and some of them are amazing. Anyone who doesn't like Radiohead is a moron. Anyone who gives OK Computer less than five stars is a trodgolyte who probably listens to Limp Bizkit. If you don't like Radiohead, you just haven't listened to the record, man.

So I DLed the entire record yesterday. I mean, attempts to get into individual songs were failures, so maybe if I listen to it in it's entirety, something clicks and I get into it. 's happened before, though usually I like at least few songs by the band before the love kicks in.

Sorry, no. It's still the same old Radiohead. Thom alternates between whining, mumbling and occasionally yelping, with the emphasis on whining, which incidentally is the bane and scourge of much of the music in the nineties, particularily from Britain. The music's occasionally inventive and mostly rather inconsequential, but it's ruined by the constant whii-iiii-iii-ne. "Paranoid Android" is enchanting at places, and at least the band manages to divert some attention from Thom's voice in "Electioneering", but especially towards the end it sounds like they're just doing self-parody. Apart from (maybe) a few songs, it's pretty forgettable, even boring.

And besides, every time I see Mr. Yorke's picture, he looks *so* eminently slappable.

TCO · May 24, 2003, 17:05

Has your appearance become more masculine?

Worthingtons · May 24, 2003, 17:08

Street Spirit was a good tune...
Certainly not my all time favorite tho..

Asher · May 24, 2003, 17:28

I don't get the Radiohead business either.

Coldplay, too. Coldplay has two good songs as far as I'm concerned: Clocks and Yellow (The Scientist being a runnerup, but not quite good). Everything is more of the same.

Immortal Wombat · May 24, 2003, 17:48

Yellow blows. Its the whiniest of all their songs. Some of the others are better if you haven't heard Yellow first, but it took me a long time to overcome my dislike of Coldplay.

Radiohead I dunno, I've heard better.

Jeltz · May 24, 2003, 18:09

Thank you for this thread Stefu. Radioghead is shitty whining and I don't like Limp Bizkitz either, they suck even more.

orange · May 24, 2003, 18:12

I love both Radiohead and Coldplay

Agathon · May 24, 2003, 18:13

I think they are pretentious nobs with no talent. In short, they suck.

edit: and I hate how rock reviewers attempt to give some intellectual weight to music that has none.

Bah, humbug.

Mercator · May 24, 2003, 18:26

At first I didn't quite know what to do with Radiohead either, but I like OK Computer. You have to be in the right mood, though. Their more recent stuff (especially Kid A) is definitely NOT my thing though... Maybe you like their earlier things, like Creep? Well, I don't know too much about them really... Oh, I just LOVE "Exit music (for a film)".

It's about the same for Coldplay. Only since "The scientist" have they really caught my attention. Before that I thought it was mostly um... a bunch of shitty whining. Maybe I should try again.

reds4ever · May 24, 2003, 18:27

Has anyone ever been in a pub when they come on the jukebox?
It's like someone pressed the 'off' button on the atmosphere!

Immortal Wombat · May 24, 2003, 19:55

From the average tar content in the atmosphere of most British pubs, I can't say I'd find that a bad thing.

[/facetious]

Gangerolf · May 24, 2003, 20:13

karma police

pyramid song

I like those

Menlas · May 24, 2003, 20:14

Radiohead

Coldplay

Gangerolf · May 24, 2003, 20:17

coldplay is a decent band. "green eyes" is one of my favourites

The Templar · May 24, 2003, 20:17

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeltz
Thank you for this thread Stefu. Radioghead is shitty whining and I don't like Limp Bizkitz either, they suck even more.

There's nothing wrong with Limp Bizkit that a flamethrower can't fix.

Jeltz · May 24, 2003, 20:34

donät woory indont get it either.

Bkeela · May 24, 2003, 20:57

It was the Science Fiction like dystopia of OK Computer that made me a fan of Radiohead. Love every track except Electioneering which I found a bit ordinary. One of the few albums I own that I can sit down and listen to like its a film.

We all have a limited scope of appreciation for the world around us. Some like cats, others dogs. Some may like all mammals but hate cockroaches. Some freaks out there like cockroaches. I like Radiohead, you may like Abba or Rap or Death Metal. I don't. There is no universal absolute standard of taste. Even God's predilection would be biased - He probably likes everything we produce that isn't hurtful - like any doting parent's love for the pathetic crayon scripple their child has presented them.

You don't have to like Radiohead.

At least you arn't one of these people who jump on the bandwagon and love something because everyone else loves it.

Zero · May 24, 2003, 23:36

Because... stefu, Obviously you dont smoke large copious amount of big fat dope.

It improves the quality.

P.S Yeah I dont like bands that tries to be really serious with meaingless deep lyrics and images either.

reds4ever · May 24, 2003, 23:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Bkeela
It was the Science Fiction like dystopia of OK Computer that made me a fan of Radiohead. Love every track except Electioneering which I found a bit ordinary. One of the few albums I own that I can sit down and listen to like its a film.

We all have a limited scope of appreciation for the world around us. Some like cats, others dogs. Some may like all mammals but hate cockroaches. Some freaks out there like cockroaches. I like Radiohead, you may like Abba or Rap or Death Metal. I don't. There is no universal absolute standard of taste. Even God's predilection would be biased - He probably likes everything we produce that isn't hurtful - like any doting parent's love for the pathetic crayon scripple their child has presented them.

You don't have to like Radiohead.

At least you arn't one of these people who jump on the bandwagon and love something because everyone else loves it.

To use your analogy (sp) some like cats, others dogs, but not many keep mould as pets

Drake Tungsten · May 25, 2003, 00:30

The funny thing about Radiohead is that their popularity grows inversely to the quality of their music. Where were all the Radiohead groupies when "The Bends" came out? These trendy bastards killed one of my favorite bands and will doom me to more shite like "Kid A".

Master Zen · May 25, 2003, 01:00

I don't get it either....

"Karma Police" is really good though, and "Idioteque" but I'm not to fond of anything else from them...

Timexwatch · May 25, 2003, 01:43

I don't think popularity has killed Radiohead. I sincerely think that they're one of the few 'mainstream' bands out there that is able to sell records and experiment at the same time.

Pablo Honey was pretty conventional. The Bends was good, but pretty conventional. OK Computer was amazing. Kid A and Amnesiac are essentially one album cut into two with a hit or miss mix of regular and 'experimental' songs. I'm still mulling over "Hail to the Thief", however....

One thing people need to realize is that Radiohead is more a "listen to it by yourself" band than a "put it on for a party" band. If any of your friends put it on in a party, slap them.

BustaMike · May 25, 2003, 04:12

Kid A and Amnesiac are unquestionably their best stuff. I love both albums. Pyramid Song, Optimistic, Morning Bell, I Could Be Wrong, all great. I can see how other people might not like them, but then again a lot of you listen to **** like Sum 41. I'm sorry this band doesn't use 3 chords in a retardedly predictable manner.

As for Coldplay, they are much more mainstream trendy college ****, but they have 1 or 2 good songs. Trouble is a good song, but I would never consider buying a CD of theirs.

Ya know what band kicks ass though? Opeth!

Laertes · May 25, 2003, 06:26

I think it takes a lot of listening to appreciate Radiohead (and, like my wife, you might still not like it after all that!).

I bought OK Computer years after it came out. Only liked one song at first, then gradually warmed to the rest over many many playings. Another couple of years later I bought The Bends, and again, it took ages to really enjoy it.

I am just thinking about taking the plunge into Kid A and/or Amnesiac, but I might skip both and buy the new one instead.

IMHO a lot of British guitar bands since and including the Verve, Coldplay and others whose names I forget have been poor sales-oriented rip-offs of Radiohead's style, except with blander music and soppy lyrics.

FrustratedPoet · May 25, 2003, 09:15

Radiohead are OK (pun? what pun?). The Bends is still their best album, though. I think they're way over-rated by many people, but that doesn't mean I hate them.

Buck Birdseed · May 25, 2003, 11:34

Thom Yorke should be muted with a red-hot knife blade.

Radiohead have done more damage to good music than any other band before them, except possibly Led Zeppelin.

Drogue · May 25, 2003, 11:37

Quote:

Originally posted by orange
I love both Radiohead and Coldplay

Likewise

Stefu: As for explaining it, it's not really something you can. I don't think bad of anyone because they do or do not like them, it's just whether it appeals to you. The first time I heard them I thought they were different, and there was a lot more emotion in their songs, they made me think. I like the fact they do different things, some of it didn't work (Like Spinning Plates from Amnesiac sucks on the album, but live, without all the weird backplaying, it's great). I like almost everything they've done, because I get so bored with much mainstream music, which doesn't try anything new. So much is written in 4/4, with predictable chord changes and lyrics, etc. Radiohead aren't like that. Sure, it's not as easy to listen to, and it's very much an acquired taste, but many people just dismiss it as mindless, meaningless and pretentious, without really listening to it. Though some fans maybe, I could never describe Radiohead as pretentious, and their songs have meaning. It may be very hard to find and decifer, probably intentionally, but they are meaningful.

As for Thom's voice, I love it, I think it's beautiful, but I can understand people feeling otherwise. It's a bit like Liam Gallaghar (Oasis), some of my friends keep saying he has a great voice, but I never get it, I think he sounds drab and monotonous, and I am sure many people think that of Thom Yorke. It's just personal taste.

For those of you that have dismissed Radiohead, try to listen to "True Love Waits". It was only released on the live album (I Might Be Wrong) but you can DL it live of Kazaa. One of the most beautiful songs I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. That and Exit Music (for a film) show that Radiohead can do a decent, meaningful and relatively normal guitar song. I see them like Picasso. I really don't like Picasso, he was a great artist, who could draw the real world fantastically, but decided to do something different, which I happen not to like. Radiohead can do decent rock music, but they got bored, and did somethings that were different. Except I happen to like what they've done.

In short, what makes them great to me is because they do different things. I don't listen to them and know instinctively exactly what's coming next, I get surprised. Very few bands do that for me, and those that do quite often sound unlistenable to me. Even with things like Damon Albarn's Mali Music, which was new and inventive, still was predictable, it followed many of the normal musical rules of what chords follow what, and what rhythms work.

Coldplay I like because it can surprise, but it is just beautiful music to me. Very melodic, the lyrics always make me think, on traditional themes (love, angst, time, etc.) but never in a usual way, so it usually takes a couple of listens to get what they mean. Also, they are the best live band I've ever seen. I went to see them for my 18th birthday, and it was the greatest night, their songs are very different live than on record, it is no longer laidback and whiny, it becomes much harder, edgier, and more vibrant. And however many thousands of people there were singing Trouble was one of the biggest highlights. They even choose great support acts (Idlewild

).

I'm not trying to convert anyone to Radiohead or Coldplay, It's just personal choice. But to dismiss them as meaningless and pretentious isn't right. Not only is it critically acclaimed, popular and different (3 things I never thought I'd see together) but it has meaning. If you don't get the meaning, that's another thing, but it doesn't mean it isn't there.

Drogue · May 25, 2003, 11:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Buck Birdseed
Radiohead have done more damage to good music than any other band before them

In what way? How have they damaged any other band, or music in general? WHo have they directly influenced that are that bad, or done anything that means that have damaged music?

chequita guevara · May 25, 2003, 13:26

Hey, Jacksonville doesn't have many hometown bands. All we got is Limp Bizkit and Lynyrd Skynyrd, so lay off. You'd think Fred Durst was the devil or something. At least he sponsors something of an alternative in this ******* of Florida.

BustaMike · May 25, 2003, 14:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Drogue

In what way? How have they damaged any other band, or music in general? WHo have they directly influenced that are that bad, or done anything that means that have damaged music?

Don't worry. Form what I can tell, Snapcase hates all music except Missy Elliot. He has the worst musical taste possible (next to only liking country) and he has an opinion on everything (usually how he hates it).