Radiohead - "Kid A"

[Suedehead]

And yes it's my favourite Christmas album

As in - I love listening to it around Christmas time.

 

[octophone]

Anyone who favours the Amnesiac 'Morning Bell' should be considered suspect in every sense.

 

[octophone]

I mean, of course it's a masterpiece. Who else in the history of pop/rock/whatever has stripped away their defining musical characteristics and delivered their greatest album? Answer - no-one. Kid A's genius is how it placed the unease at the core of Radiohead's music front and centre, refusing to sugar-coat it with sparkling guitars and vocal harmonies. Instead, they want us to experience the audio turmoil, moving the weird noise down the stairs at 3am to middle of the sound picture, rather than hiding it beneath the surface, letting the loop that won't get out of your head sit for a while, wandering away into dreamlike errands before warping into a classic anxiety nightmare. It's a surreal, disquieting album which has proved thoroughly prescient.

 

[Sheena]

BORING. Like the rest of their TURGID OEUVRE.

 

[Sheena]

I mean, of course it's a masterpiece. Who else in the history of pop/rock/whatever has stripped away their defining musical characteristics and delivered their greatest album? Answer - no-one.

THE CHEEKY GIRLS!

Seriousky, though, that’s hyperbole nonsense too. You only have to look back as Folklore to see another example.

 

[Sheena]

I have TRIED AND TRIED AND TRIED with Radiohead but it’s just meandering shite with gloomy vocals. It irks me how well it’s all still regarded, this far on.

 

[octophone]

THE CHEEKY GIRLS!

Seriousky, though, that’s hyperbole nonsense too. You only have to look back as Folklore to see another example.

Nah - if anything Swift went *back* to acoustic instruments with everything she'd learned from her 'pop' albums.

The closest thing to Kid A is Talk Talk's "Spirit Of Eden" which dissolved song structures but retained a clutch of their audio signatures. With Kid A, a lot of the guitars are unrecognisable and even Yorke's voice is distorted beyond recognition or missing altogether on a couple to tracks, as well as being reduced to a handful of repeating phrases elsewhere. That's gutsy.

 

[Dark Carnival]

Anyone who favours the Amnesiac 'Morning Bell' should be considered suspect in every sense.

Hi! I prefer Amnesiac over all. Though I don't care about either Morning Bell to be honest.

 

[RaspberrySwirl]

I can’t remember/decide which out of Kid A or Amnesiac I like the most. If they could be combined into one album, without a couple of fillers (incl Morning Bell) then it would be one of the best albums ever.

Kid A has Everything in Its Right Place, Idioteque and Motion Picture Soundtrack.

But Amnesiac has Pyramid Song, Knives Out and Like Spinning Plates.

 

[octophone]

Amnesiac has some of their best 'conventional' songs but all the 'experimental' pieces are outclassed by their closest companions on Kid A, I think.

 

[Dark Carnival]

Listening to Amnesiac right now.

You and Whose Army!!!
Knives out
PYRAMID SONG

 

[RaspberrySwirl]

A moon full of stars and astral cars
And all the things I used to see

 

[RaspberrySwirl]

Lately I’ve been listening a lot to this instrumental and dance-ier cover of Everything in Its Right Place that I found a while ago.



I’ve been thinking of using it for whenever we do ASFM covers again but I guess it might be more appreciated in here.

 

[Suedehead]

PYRAMID SONG is probably their greatest song ever and ever.
That being said I do prefer KID A album as album.

 

[Suedehead]

I also listened to IN RAINBOWS earlier - and wow, one of their best.

Radiohead top 5 albums for me (today at least):

1. Kid A
2. OK Computer
3. The Bends
4. In Rainbows
5. A Moon Shaped Pool

 

[POP!]

It's been awhile since I revisited the others, but my top 3 are OK Computer, The Bends and In Rainbows.

 

[octophone]

Kid A
OK Computer
In Rainbows
The Bends
Amnesiac
The King Of Limbs
A Moon Shaped Pool
Hail To The Thief
Pablo Honey

But HTTT is a 7.5/10 album. That's how strong their catalogue is.

 

[Suedehead]

Let's face it, the holy trifecta is Kid A/OK Computer/In Rainbows (whichever order you prefer). I never thought I would say that pre-In Rainbows (The Bends) was always my 2nd fave) but parts of it have not aged that well (The Bends) whereas In Rainbows is just *chef's kiss*

 

[Suedehead]

I need to revisit King of Limbs. It's always left me COLD - unlike the rest of their OEUVRE (hi @Underneath the Shee ;)

 

[Suedehead]

Can I just add here that the opening notes of Kid A are probably joint with the opening bars of "Like A Prayer" for me as the best intro to an album by anyone ever.

Prove me wrong!

 

[octophone]

I need to revisit King of Limbs. It's always left me COLD - unlike the rest of their OEUVRE

It's a weird album and it could have been better - they said that they left off The Butcher because it didn't fit and it might be my favourite song from the whole era!

The answer was simple - the album was three groups of three, not two 4 song sides. You put The Butcher before Feral so part 1 is the first three songs, part two is The Butcher/Feral/Lotus Flower and part three is the last three songs. A 3 sided double would have been just the thing.

(Mid you, Morning Mr Magpie is crap - no idea what got into them there).