Artist: Radiohead
Label: Parlophone Records
Release: 2009
Rating: 4.1/5
Radiohead had already carved out a sound all their own with The Bends, and became one of the pioneers of the so-called post-rock movement. With OK Computer they didn’t just try to repeat themselves. They kept that recognizable sound, but still pushed it a step further sonically, and convinced everyone they’re one of the best popular bands of recent times.
With OK Computer, Radiohead didn’t just hit a musical peak, they proved the MTV generation can still be surprised, with top-notch videos that make you think. Around that time we also heard plenty of praise from other musicians (Peter Gabriel among them) and other influential figures (I remember Slavoj Žižek raving about them and this album too).
The first disc of this reissue holds music that showed that not everything commercial is bad after all. Hits like Paranoid Android, No Surprises and Karma Police say plenty about what kind of album this is. If the hits are on such an enviable level, it’s almost logical that the rest of the album is even better. And it is! Radiohead lean more and more on hypnotic keyboard parts, but they still haven’t forgotten about electric guitars. There are lots of acoustic guitars too. Once again you could call it a mix of post-rock with elements of psychedelia and alternative rock. And once again they’ve made something that’s both accessible and experimental.
On the reissue’s second disc we once again get to hear some rare goodies, which this time are much sweeter than on the first two albums. You can hear a few rarities from the Paranoid Android and No Surprises EPs, which hold their own pretty well against what’s on the official album. Then there are some other rare recordings (from BBC Radio sessions) that also deserve a place on the new edition of this legendary album.
I’ve said it many times: Radiohead aren’t exactly amazing musicians, or, to put it better, they don’t show it, at least. They care much more about innovation and melody than technical showing off, and that’s hard to pull together. Radiohead pulled it off brilliantly, and that makes the musicians themselves come across as far more impressive. The album is sonically very rich, and that’s what Radiohead are still getting better at today, even though back in the OK Computer days it already seemed like they’d reached everything they could in that department. Yet they keep adding new sonic elements and never stagnate.
Instrumentally, then, OK Computer is a top-class achievement, but for me personally the vocals are once again the weaker part. Fine, Thom Yorke is a very particular singer with a very particular voice that plenty of people find annoying, but it fits Radiohead’s music well. The lyrics are also getting more and more demanding, offering a sharp insight into the philosophical, psychological and sociological state of our society.
Personally, OK Computer is their most likable album. They found the right balance of catchy parts, hypnotic instrumental moments and experimentation. It’s definitely the peak of their visual and sonic output, which shows in the quality of the videos they made and the music found on both CDs. This OK Computer reissue is absolutely worth your money, and I recommend it to all fans of the band, as well as those of you who don’t know them yet, because in my opinion this is the band’s greatest achievement.
Lineup
Thom Yorke – vocals, guitar
Colin Greenwood – bass
Jonny Greenwood – guitar, keyboards
Ed O’Brien – guitar, vocals
Phil Selway – drums
Production
Radiohead
Tracklist
CD1:
1. Airbag (4:44)
2. Paranoid Android (6:23)
3. Subterranean Homesick Alien (4:27)
4. Exit Music (For a Film) (4:24)
5. Let Down (4:59)
6. Karma Police (4:21)
7. Fitter Happier (1:57)
8. Electionnering (3:50)
9. Climbing up the Walls (4:45)
10. No Suprises (3:48)
11. Lucky (4:19)
12. The Tourist (5:24)
CD2:
1. Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2) 4:23
2. Pearly 3:37
3. A Reminder 3:53
4. Melatonin 2:09
5. Meeting in the Aisle 3:09
6. Lull 2:29
7. Climbing Up the Walls (Zero 7 Mix) 5:19
8. Climbing Up the Walls (Fila Brazillia Mix) 6:25
9. Palo Alto 3:44
10. How I Made My Millions 3:09
11. Airbag (Live in Berlin) 4:49
12. Lucky (Live in Florence) 4:36
13. Climbing Up the Walls (BBC Radio 1 Evening Session 28/5/97) 4:20
14. Exit Music (For a Film) (BBC Radio 1 Evening Session 28/5/97) 4:35
15. No Surprises (BBC Radio 1 Evening Session 28/5/97) 3:58
