Something I didn't mention in my last post is that I am currently in my cousin's house for a barbecue. The charcoal is not warming up at all however, and it may be a long time before I get anything to eat. I have only eaten breakfast, and I am quite hungry so something better be put in my belly soon.
Now to the song. A live performance of "The Bends" by Radiohead played on vh2 when I was younger. I can't remember if I liked the song at that moment, but the album (that takes its name from the song) contains some of Radiohead's most popular songs, including "My Iron Lung", "Just" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" and I liked those songs when I saw their music videos on the TV. For that reason I asked for "The Bends" for one of my previous birthdays - I can't remember which one.
The song starts quietly with a thirteen second sample of a guy training some kids outside of a hotel where the band were staying. The song is also about 'knowing who you real friends are'. My favourite part is the last section when the instruments seem to raise in volume, an great guitar solo occurs and Thom starts wailing 'I wanna be part of the human race.' It sounds so uplifting.
I'm edging nearer to my hundredth post. Quite weird. I never thought I could keep this up for so long.
'In Rainbows' was the long awaited Radiohead album that was released as a download, pay-as-much-as-you-want in 2007.
I'm not a great fan of the band, in comparison to other crazy Radiohead fans, I am nothing - I might have already said this in my 'Airbag' blog.
So when 'In Rainbows' way back when, I didn't really see the fuss about it. I thought it was cool that people could pay whatever they wanted like 1p or £100, most fans paid nothing anyway, which resulted in many complaints about how companies don't get enough money for their stuff being released or whatever. Apparently, pre-release sales were more profitable than the total money from sales of 'Hail to the Thief.' So they must have done something right from changing their selling tactics.
I have to admit too that as an album, I still haven't given 'In Rainbows' a chance. I've never sat down and fully listened to the whole package. I should do. I really should. Most fans like it more than 'Hail to the Thief' and I think that 'HTTT' is a very good album, so what could go wrong?
The songs on my iPod from this album are not those I liked upon listening to the album once I received it for Christmas 2007. 'Jigsaw Falling into Place' played repeatedly on MTV2 and I liked that song and the video too, no matter how weird the cameras were. The song would be the first I would hear from 'In Rainbows'.
I first properly paid attention to 'All I Need' when MTV2, again, dedicated five minutes of its schedule to advertise its EXIT campaign. The 'advert' was basically a music video for 'All I Need', which you can watch by clicking these two words.
Still, I didn't think much of it.
Listening to it many times after though, I realised that the song is great. Quite calming actually. You're provided with a smooth, soothing vocal by Thom Yorke with a steady backbeat by Phil Selway and a strong bassline by Colin Greenwood. The lyrics come off kinda stalkerish, 'I am all the days, that you choose to ignore', 'You are all I need. You're alll I neeeeeeeed.' You probably wouldn't recognise this, because the instrumentation is very calming. It's like slowly sinking into a beanbag when you begin to sleep in it. But then, the song picks up and there are thrashing cymbal crashes, a chorus of piano and, overall, a real build in tension of atmosphere with Thom singing 'It's all right, it's allll riiiiiiiight!' And just when you think the song is going to climax, it ends.
It's a magical song. I really need to listen to 'In Rainbows'. Fully though, not just the singles.
The opening track to, according to besteveralbums.com, the best ever album... ever.
I got OK Computer as a present for my fifteenth birthday, along with Hail to the Thief, and I think The Bends too.
OK Computer is an excellent album, I can say that. When I generally listen to any album for the first time, I never think anything special of it. Especially if it's one that is always talked about, like this, or 'The Dark Side of the Moon', 'Sgt. Pepper' or whatever. But after a few listens, I always get why people talk. 'Paranoid Android', 'Karma Police' and 'No Surprises' were those that I'd seen and listened to and liked - the videos for those singles are something else too. But they only made the songs better for me.
'Airbag' isn't my favourite song from the album. However it's a great way to start things off, look at the opening lyrics:
'In the next world war
In a jack knifed juggernaut,
I am born again.'
That's pretty awesome considering how before 1997, when the album was released, 'The Bends' was their last album. Putting in 'OK', hearing the first notes of 'Airbag'... I could only imagine that it would have been a slap in the face for many a Radiohead fan. Radiohead certainly had been born again. I was only two, so I can't really speak for anyone.
The chopped up drums, the semi-complete bassline, the spaced out guitar sounds by Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien, Thom Yorke's vocals. Yeah. It can't get much better.
"In an interstellar buuuuuuuuurrrrrst. I'm back to save the uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuniveeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrse."
Until next time.
Jamie.
P.S. This may have seemed like a really lazy blog. I apologise if it did. Many Radiohead fans may be disappointed. But there are many more Radiohead songs to come.
