Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)
10/10
When i think of all the albums that i've listened to which have had a genuine effect on me, the one album which always sits at the top of the list is this. Most people who know me, will know that i'm a huge Radiohead fan. I've always been fascinated ... Read review
O.K Computer - Radiohead
Whilst one suspects some kind of pre-millennial hysteria prompted Q magazine's readers to ... more
vote OK Computer The Greatest Album Ever Made scarcely five months after its release, it certainly doesn't look stupid up there in the pantheon. Following the hot...
vote OK Computer The Greatest Album Ever Made scarcely five months after its release, it certainly doesn't look stupid up there in the pantheon. Following the hot red rock attack of 1995's The Bends, OK Computer heads out into the cold deep space of prog-rock and comes back with stuff that makes mere pop earthlings like Stereophonics tremble. Whilst the eight-minute-long "Paranoid Android" comes across like "Bohemian Rhapsody" with a gun held to its head, and "Electioneering" is a little too like a kiddy-version of Blood And Chocolate-era Elvis Costello to be truly revelatory, the rest of OK Computer spans the sublime to the ridiculously sublime. Thom Yorke had been obsessed with Ennio Morricone during the recording of the album (in a haunted mansion, fact-fans), and it shows on the expansive space-dream of "Subterranean Homesick Alien" and the endlessly comforting closer "The Tourist". And if neither "No Surprises" (played on a toy guitar with Yorke and Ed O'Brien harmonising like a two-man Crowded House) nor "Lucky" (recorded in one day for the Bosnian aid album War Child--it reduced Yorke to tears the first time he heard it played back) make the hairs on your skin spit with electricity, then maybe you're with the Q reader who voted for Anita by Anita Dobson. --Caitlin Moran
drama and conceptual sweep certainly put it in that category. OK Computer, though, is a complicated and difficult record: an album about the way machines dehumanize people that's almost entirely un-electronic; an album by a British "new wave of new wave" band that rejects speed and hooks in favor of languorous texture and morose details; a sad and humanist record whose central moment is Thom Yorke crooning "We hope that you choke." Sluggish, understated, and hard to get a grip on, OK Computer takes a few listens to appreciate, but its entirety means more than any one song. --Douglas Wolk
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approx. Allow up to 14 Days for delivery as item is manufactured to order. Your poster is professionally mounted on a High Quality Canvas resulting in a fine piece of Art for your enjoyment. A modern and popular alternative to framing a poster which also makes an ideal gift. Process is irreversible please see our help information for further details., Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
A review by tehfincheh on OK Computer - Radiohead December 9th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Originality
Groundbreaking
Lyrics
Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks
Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Music which'll stay fresh for a lifetime .
Disadvantages:
Takes a while to grow on you .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Radiohead - OK Computer (1997) 10/10
When i think of all the albums that i've listened to which have had a genuine effect on me, the one album which always sits at the top of the list is this. Most people who know me, will know that i'm a huge Radiohead fan. I've always been fascinated by the link between musical content and the message which it sends out to society. There are some bands who make no excuses for what they're worth. They churn out poppy songs with fancy hooks that shift records from shelves. I was a fan of those particular bands for, well, most of my life. Until i heard Radiohead's "OK Computer". This one album changed my entire taste in music, and also introduced me to a slightly more reflective outlook on society. They're the band that inspired many of today's acts. Coldplay and Muse have both cited Radiohead as their ultimate catalysts. Rightly so, Radiohead are the modern day Pink Floyd in that they bring something utterly different to a music indistry which is flagging painfully.
"OK Computer" is the album which propelled Radiohead from post-Grunge alternative rockers, to become the most important band in the world. Arriving on the scene in 1993 with their debut album, "Pablo Honey", they were dismissed as one hit wonders in the light of their one big commercial hit ("Creep"). Fronted by Thom Yorke, they remained essentially a guitar-driven band through the early 90's. The release of their second album ("The Bends") saw them earn a very loyal fan following and there was a reasonable deal of expectation surrounding their next record. When "Ok Computer" was released in 1997, it received worldwide acclaim and quickly became acknowledged as one of the records of the year. Swooping various awards, the critics loved the futuristic sound that resonated from the album. Success took the band members by storm, and Thom Yorke has been, and still is, notoriously vocal in his dislike for the spotlight which they were plunged in to. A global tour through 1997 and 1998 turned Radiohead in to arguably the most respected band on the planet.
I still remember the first time i listened to "OK Computer". It didn't click at first. Like most Radiohead records, their sound is so complex, so multi-textured, it really does take a few listens to understand just what it is that Yorke's lyrics are trying to convey. After playing it through a few times, i slowly found myself slipping in to each track and becoming emerged in the music, in a way that i've never felt before. Each song is constructed in such a way that the album succeeds admirably in making every song sound different, yet never losing the theme of the record.
The theme itself is often pondered over, and the band have never really given a clear indication of what it's all about. Believing, probably quite rightly, that to disect every last detail would be to reveal the magic, Thom Yorke has gone as far as to refuse interviews on the subject. When a band refuses to talk about it's own music, it merely serves to create more interest. Perhaps an indication as to why their follow-up album ("Kid A") debuted at number one worldwide without any radio or television play. Even now, eight years on from it's original release, OK Computer remains a remarkable feat of musical engineering. It's the album which refined the way that i listen to music, and it sits at the top of my list when it comes to all-time favorite records. If you haven't heard this album, i wouldn't say that you're missing out, since there's no other record that you can compare it to. It's an album which you have to be patient with. I often preach about intelligent music which requires the listener to make the effort to appreciate it, and people tell me that it's crazy to have to do such a thing. But this album is an artistic achievement more than anything, just like a good book, it requires a lot of effort to understand. The reward though, is an experience that you'll rarely find in the modern day music industry.
Track Listing
Airbag - ( In an interstellar burst / I am back to save the universe ) - 8.5/10
Thom: "Has an airbag saved my life? Nah...but I tell you something, every time you have a near accident, instead of just sighing and carrying on, you should pull over, get out of the car and run down the street screaming, 'I'm BACK! I'm ALIVE! My life has started again today!'. In fact, you should do that every time you get out of a car. We're just riding on those things - we're not really in control of them."
The album kicks off with this excellent track and it really sets the tone for the album immediately. A drum loop features in the background, and Yorke's voice hums over the proceedings. Some great guitar work, a recurring theme across the album. This is one of Radiohead's better openers to an album.
Paranoid Android - ( When i am king / You will be first against the wall / With your opinion / Which is of no consequence at all ) - 9.5/10
An epic six-minute track which originally started as three smaller songs. The band took inspiration from John Lennon and pieced them together, the result is one of Radiohead's most famous pieces of work. A fan favorite when played live, Jonny's guitar work here is some of the greatest on any album, past or present. When Thom cuts in to his crying of "Rain down, Rain down, Come on rain down on me" you almost feel sorry for the guy. This song was released as a single, with a famous cartoon video. A centerpiece to the album.
Subterranean Homesick Alien - ( I'd tell all my friends but they'd never believe me / They'd think that I'd finally lost it completely ) - 8/10
This song floats along with some great studio work, the dreamlike sounds float up and really mesmorise if you listen with headphones. The lyrics are equally dreamlike, with Thom voicing his dismay at society. Almost forgotten amidst the other heavyweight songs, this is perhaps one of the best achievements from a musical standpoint.
Exit Music - (Wake from your sleep / The drying of your tears / Today we escape / We escape ) - 10/10
Thom: "I saw the Zeffirelli version [of Romeo and Juliet] when I was 13 and I cried my eyes out, because I couldn't understand why, the morning after they shagged, they didn't just run away. The song is written for two people who should run away before all the bad stuff starts. A personal song."
This song acts as the closing credits for the remake of "Romeo and Juliet". It's a hugely powerful track which starts off with the mere acoustic guitar work of Yorke, followed by the clear vocals of how a couple are being torn apart by their parents. As the song progresses, the rest of the band come in and the sound spirals out of control until finally dying down as Thom screams that "Now we are one, in everlasting peace". You can feel the emotion and this is a fine example of what Radiohead do best.
Let Down - ( One day / I am gonna grow wings / A chemical reaction / Hysterical and useless ) - 10/10
This is perhaps Radiohead's most underated song in all of their commercial work. It bounces a long with excellent drumming and such a complex sound that even now, after hundreds of listens, i'm still discovering extra riffs and hooks. There's a point halfway through this song where the music peels apart only to come back together as Yorke chants the final chorus, and it's a captivating feeling when it finally hits you. It still amazes me how any band could put together a sound this complex, yet hit all the right notes in the all the right places. This is probably my favorite song on the album.
Karma Police - ( For a minute there / I lost myself ) - 9/10
Jonny: "It was a band catchphrase for a while on tour - whenever someone was behaving in a particularly shitty way, we'd say, 'The karma police will catch up with him sooner or later'"
Thom: "This is a song against bosses, fuck middle management!"
One of the most famous songs in Radiohead's repertoire. Karma Police was released as a single and received a lot of airplay for it's hymn like quality. Some excellent backing vocals really make this song for me. It's structured perfectly and makes use of each band member's craftwork. Not quite as catchy as the hooks you'll find in the mainstream, but by Radiohead's standards, it's a great singalong.
Electioneering - ( When i go forwards / You go backwards / Somewhere we will meet ) - 9.5/10
Thom: "We live under a world banking system and media that make it almost irrelevant who is in power. Political systems worldwide are at the mercy of business and bullshit economies. I can't recycle any of the polythene packaging that fills my house. Why?"
Originally frowned upon for standing out slightly from the rest of the album, this is a rip-roaring rock song which raises the tempo and follows a brief computerised interlude known as "Fitter Happier". The guitar work, as you'd expect here, is outstanding. It's amazing how the three guitarists can play their seperate parts in tandem and produce such a faultless sound. A political song, which really gets the crowd moving when played live.
Climbing Up The Walls - ( So lock the kids up safe tonight / Put the eyes in the cupboard / I've got the smell of a local man / Who's got the loneliest feeling ) - 9/10
This acted as a sign of things to come for Radiohead. Described as the first scary song in the band's repertoire, the eerie dancing sounds combine effectively to produce a song which really does strike an uncomfortable nerve with me. It has a threatening scary sound, but one of the standout transitions of the album which really marks Radiohead for their intelligence. The track scares the listener in to a state of insecurity, before fading straight in to a child's lullaby.
No Surprises - ( A heart that's full up like a landfill / A job that slowly kills you / Bruises that wont heal ) - 10/10
Infamously panned as "Cut your wrists" music on Sky News, No Surprises is positioned perfectly on the album. It takes the unsettled listener back to bed with a simple glockenspiel intro which has become a trademark sound for Radiohead. This song really is capable of guiding you in to a deep sleep and the sounds are so enchanting that you hear something new every time, although on the surface it sounds like a simple format. Yorke's voice retains it's cool throughout. Originally slated as a potential "World Number One Hit", it's hard not to fall in love with the "little is more" sound that the band produce here.
Lucky - ( Pull me out of the aircrash / Pull me out of the lake / I'm your superhero baby ) - 8/10
A happy song deliberately modified with a slow tempo to fit in with the rest of the album. The opening tingly rift sets the tone immediately and the band once again whisk the listener away from the cosy "No Suprises" in to a much larger sound. Yorke's vocals are near their most effective hear and he really gets the emotion across perfectly. Some nice inventive guitar work helps retain the theme of the album through yet another song.
The Tourist - ( They ask me where the hell i'm going / At a 1000 feet per second ) - 9.5/10
Thom: "We were in a beautiful square in France on a sunny day, and watching all these American tourists being wheeled around, frantically trying to see everything in 10 minutes. I was shocked at how these people could be in a place so beautiful and so special and not realize it because they weren't taking the time to just stop and look around."
A really beautiful closing to the album. Yorke pleads with the listener to "Slow down", and you can feel the spacey strings bringing out every last drip of emotion. The track sounds like the perfect ending to any album, as it slows the tempo and winds in to a furious cry of emotion from the frontman. The song fades away quietly and you know that you've been taken on a music exploration of such diversity, it really is hard to explain. The Tourist marks the end of Radiohead's guitar routes, and the end of OK Computer.
Advantages: Superb follow up to the Bends Disadvantages: Track 7
...from the Oxford band was Ok Computer a superb album, which again would move the goal posts for modern music.
The British band are becoming one of the biggest acts in the world and this album released in 1997 went a bit further to proofing that point.
Tracks
*******
1) Airbag
2) Paranoid Android
3) Subterranean Homesick Alien
4) Exit Music (For a Film)
5) Let Down
6) Karma Police
7) Fitter Happier
8) Electioneering
9) Climbing Up The Walls
... ...1: Airbag
**************
The albums opening track starts with a guitar and some bells gently tapping in the back ground before the drums come in leading into the vocals. A pretty mellow sounding song that wouldn't be out of place on the bends eases you into the third album. A solid drumbeat throughout the song and the first use of the samples, which have become do prominent in this album. The end of the track uses even more samples before eventually ...
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Advantages: 60 minutes of bliss Disadvantages: Let Down is a let down
...across the world, changed forever. Ok Computer, a record encompassing every emotion imaginable, wrapped in a 5 inch plastic disc, changed my way of thinking forever. Why? I simply can't answer that yet.
This album constitutes a different approach to recording for Radiohead. Nigel Godrich, a good friends of Radiohead, had previously produced the b-side Permanent Daylight and was brought along to produce Ok Computer. The band asked Godrich to build ... ...arena rock anthem opens up Ok Computer perfectly just as Planet Telex did for The Bends. The band would more often than not open up their shows with this song, after walking in during Fitter Happier. Airbag is another song about cars, a fear that Thom Yorke has. According to Yorke, the song is about the thrill people get after almost getting in a car crash.
Track 02 - Paranoid Android
Track two is the strangest, longest, and most complicated song ...
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Advantages: Possibly their finest moment to date Disadvantages: Some call it depressing
...dated quicker than an Citroen, OK Computer still stands the test of time.
Why? While it has been voted album of the year / decade / century etc, I have to admit that I prefer a couple of other albums. I’m still not sure if it is better than The Bends. But what I am sure of is that it comprises of wonderful musicians playing the songs of a superb singer-songwriter.
There are many things that mark out OK Computer from Kid A. Most notably is ... ...Yorke are full of wonderful nuances, corporate sloganeering with a lump of irony. "In a fast German car / I’m amazed that I survived / An airbag saved my life" is the cry in the guitar-heavy opener Airbag.
Prog rock takes over on track two, otherwise known as the ambitious single Paranoid Android. But again the lyrics are sublime too. The striking sarcastic growl "God loves his children, yeah!" finishes this classic track.
Then the album ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Something totally unique, a fine collection of music Disadvantages: Can get a bit on the dark and depressing side for some
...time and couldn't believe that OK Computer was in the top 5 - up there with the likes of Revolver and Dark Side of The Moon - so having already heard the fabulous Paranoid Android single taken from it, I was sold and went to my favourite Sundown Records and bought it the very next day. The spooky thing was that the chap behind the counter was actually putting a copy in a bag just as I was walking up to the counter to ask for it .. which still confuses ... ...the simple answer. I bought OK Computer a few years ago and didn't like it too much until I started getting into music proper, it was a bit weird for me I thought back then, but now, oh yes, weird is good :), anything but Westlife please … Let's have a butchers shall we?
1 : Airbag
I told you that this was going to be hard going didn't eye? not overly well known for their uplifting titles (Iron lung and bones being amongst some of the earlier tracks), ...
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Advantages: Good strong tracks Disadvantages: Doesn't really know where its heart lies
...the rest of the tracks. It could well be the bridge between the bends and ok computer.
12 The tourist
Heavy and solemn choral back drop to finish off the album. Altogether a good album, not as good as the bends but that would be hard. ...
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Advantages: This is simply a beautiful album with no weak links Disadvantages: You will buy other CC albums and be left a little dissapointed
...August and everything After sits comfortably in my top five favourite albums of all time. For your own interest and to show the quality of this superb album, my list reads:
1) OKComputer, Radiohead
2) Counting Crows: August and everything After
3) The bends, Radiohead
4) Manic Street Preachers: The holy bible
5) Defnitely Maybe: Oasis
This album is immense and actually the only album other than OKcomputer which I don't skip a song. So why is it so good? Well its perfect in everyway. They always say the key to a good album is a good entrance, if thats true, Round Here (Song 1) fulfills every criteria
This song is faultless, the moody introduction of the Hammond organ sets a stunning resonance to which an uncomplicated but beautiful guitar line comes in, your left hanging for a few seconds until the distinctive Adam Duritz...
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Advantages: Great addicitve songs Disadvantages: Maybe depressing a bit!
...This is one outstanding, diverse album. The bends has some great songs on it, some classics and on the whole, is very gloomy and depressing to begin with (which I suppose int a good thing!). This album (and their following "OKCOmputer") simply put Radiohead by far and away at the forefront of British alternative music. They are the most talented, creative and down to earth band in England. The Bends has some epic tunes, including "High and Dry" and the rather scary "flake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit". There are some other great songs of note, including "black Star" and "Sulk" but I think if you buy this album, you will defintely find every song very appealing and attractive in its own right. This is a remarkable improvement on thier debut album, "Pablo Honey" which can almost be described as a one hit wonder, with the song "Creep...
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Advantages: 10 tracks - perfect album length Disadvantages: One weak track
...If you were a fan of Radiohead during The Bends and OKComputer phase but not so much Kid A and Amnesiac then this is the album for you. Where the previous offering "Hail To The Thief" was a mix of their previous styles, it was disjointed and lost it's way several times. In Rainbows is a more concise album and for the most part shows Radiohead back to doing what they do best - playing great songs on guitars.
Opener '15 Step' is really the only track that could fit in during the Kid A era. From then on, 'Bodysnatchers', 'Reckoner' and 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place' are cracking guitar led tracks, 'Faust Arp' and 'Videotape' show Radiohead's mellower side that fans grew to love with classics such as 'High and Dry', 'Fake Plastic Trees' and 'Exit Music (For A Film)'. The highlight of the album though has to be 'Nude' which has appeared in...
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Album Notes: Radiohead: Thom Yorke (vocals); Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Phil Selway. Additional Personnel: Adam Cummings (guitar). Engineers include: Nigel Godrich. OK COMPUTER was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for Album Of The Year and won the 1998 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance. OK COMPUTER, Radiohead's third album, is the bombastic follow-up to 1995's sleeper hit THE BENDS, which left critics and listeners as impressed with the band's ability as they were curious about their potential. In spite of its technological-sounding title and apocalyptic sci-fi themes, OK COMPUTER is firmly grounded in the rock verities. Waves of guitars rage beneath the haunting melodies and near-hysterical fits of singer Thom Yorke. This complex, intense swarm of guitars is held aloft by a solid, inventive rhythm section and an impressive array of piano and keyboard textures. "Paranoid Android" is a six-minute-plus epic with alternating time signatures, wild dynamic shifts, drama and adrenaline to spare. "Let Down," with its double-tracked vocals and rhythmic throb, may give a brief glimpse back at Radiohead's past, but at no point is OK COMPUTER anything but a hurtle forward.
Album Reviews: Q (6/00, p.91) - Ranked #2 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.65) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Spin (9/99, p.122) - Ranked #9 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s." Q (12/99, p.92) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (10/01, p.112) - Ranked #1 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" Entertainment Weekly (Spring 2000, p.166) - Ranked #4 in EW's "Top 10 albums of the '90s" Spin (1/98, p.86) - Ranked #2 on Spin's list of the "Top 20 Albums Of The Year." Village Voice (2/24/98) - Ranked #2 in the Village Voice's 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. Q (1/98, p.114) - Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1997." NME (12/20-27/97, pp.78-79) - Ranked #2 in NME's 1997 Critics' Poll. Melody Maker (12/20-27/97, pp.66-67) - Ranked #2 on Melody Maker's list of 1997's "Albums Of The Year." Rolling Stone (7/10-24/97, pp. 117-118) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...OK COMPUTER - a stunning art-rock tour de force - will have you reeling back to their debut, PABLO HONEY, for insight into the group's dramatic evolution..." Spin (8/97, pp.112-113) - 8 (out of 10) - "...Unlike their majestic models U2, Radiohead take on techno without switching instruments or employing trendy producers....As with post-rockers Tortoise, Laika, and Seefeel, Radiohead have a fuzzbox or two and obviously know how to use 'em..." Melody Maker (6/14/97, p.49) - "...unlike anything I've ever heard....I definitley know it isn't good for me, and I'm certain it says more about my life than I'd like....in terms of composition and performance, it's very impressive. Radiohead have excelled themselves. They've seen the future." Entertainment Weekly (7/11/97, pp.65-66) - "...Shrouded in wafting guitars, swoony rhythms, and moody-blue strings, it shrugs off mosh-pit conventions for a poignant delicacy and breadth, with Yorke's cracked-throat voice the album's melancholy center....For all of Radiohead's growing pains...their aim--to take British pop to a heavenly new level--is true..." - Rating: B+
Titles on disc 1
1.: Airbag
2.: Paranoid Android
3.: Subterranean Homesick Alien
4.: Exit Music (For A Film)
5.: Let Down
6.: Karma Police
7.: Fitter Happier
8.: Electioneering
9.: Climbing Up The Walls
10.: No Surprises
11.: Lucky
12.: Tourist
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