Tag: OK Computer

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Aaaaand we’re back…

Radiohead, New York, NY 1997. Photo by Danny Clinch
Radiohead, New York, NY 1997. Photo by Danny Clinch

Is anyone still here? After spending some time cleaning the cobwebs, we’re back to bring you the latest Radiohead happenings. We apologize for the radio silence. A mixture of server issues and just being too busy at normal life stuff meant that this site took a back seat.

A lot has happened since we last posted. We celebrated our 15th year on the internet in late March. It’s kind of hard to believe. So much has changed since we began as a small AOL-hosted website. Now we feel old.

Unfortunately, not all has been rosy in Radioheadland over the past few months. On June 16th, Radiohead’s drum technician, Scott Johnson, was killed when scaffolding from the stage collapsed and struck him hours before the band were set to perform at Downsview Park in Toronto. Three others were injured. Phil Selway posted on Dead Air Space that they “have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague. He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott’s family and all those close to him.”

This tragic event forced the band to reschedule seven European shows. The new dates are:

SEPTEMBER
Thursday 20th – Switzerland, Canton de Vaud – Quarry of St Triphon
Saturday 22nd – Italy, Roma – Hyppodrome Capanelle – Rock in Roma
Sunday 23rd – Italy, Florence – Parco Delle Cascine
Tuesday 25th – Italy, Bologna – Arena Parco Nord
Wednesday 26th – Italy, Codroipo (Udine) – Villa Manin
Saturday 29th – Germany, Berlin – Wuhlheide (this replaces the 6th July show)
Sunday 30th – Germany, Berlin – Wuhlheide (this replaces the 7th July show)

All original tickets are valid for the re-scheduled date.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Scott’s family.

Radiohead’s third album, OK Computer, celebrates its 15th birthday. It was on July 1, 1997 when the album was released in the United States. It was released on June 16th in the UK, which at the time was complete agony for American fans as this was before music could be bought online as mp3s and more importantly, pirated easily. Your only options were to buy a pricey import CD or go to Canada, which is what I did. I remember driving with friends from New York to Montreal in order to buy the album on June 17th, which is when it was released in Canada. We must have listened to it 10 times on the drive back. Where were you when it was released?

Jack White by Jo McCaughey
Jack White at Third Man Records. Photo by Jo McCaughey

And finally, another piece of news made Radiohead fans excited and certainly perked our ears. While the band was performing at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee a few weeks back, Thom Yorke gave a shout out to Jack White. Before playing “Supercollider” Yorke said, “This song is for Jack White. We saw him yesterday. A big thank you to him, but we can’t tell you why. You’ll find out.”  A few days later, Mr. White confirmed that the band stopped by his Third Man Records in Nashville but was mum about any details. Very interesting….

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Scott Weiland covers Radiohead

Scott WeilandStone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland has released a digital-only compilation full of covers. Included is a rendition of Radiohead’s “Let Down” from OK Computer. Stereogum has the track for you to listen to and we’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.

You can purchase the compilation here.

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Radiohead “A Genre” Info-graphic

Radiohead info-graphic

Jamie Gurnell wrote in to tell us that he created an info-graphic about Radiohead’s music. On his site, he says:

Radiohead is a band that is the very definition of “unclassifiable” I developed this idea of bleeding genres into each other and plotting the corresponding songs on a graph. It was by no means a mathematical undertaking and took several hours of quite enjoyable listening and debate to achieve. What you come away with is the basic idea that Radiohead in itself is its own genre, refusing to fit anywhere but inside itself.

I am aware that this graph will come under scrutiny and be the brunt of harsh remarks, but in a way, that is what it is meant to do. It is meant to be discussed. It is an ongoing work in progress and until Radiohead stops making music it will never be finished.

If you have any suggestions, remarks or thoughts on improving or altering this design I am completely open to them.

After a few more revisions I plan on trying to get some of these made.
They will be approximately 30X30 Inch silk screens.

Many thanks to my friend Art Commisso for the help.

You can view a larger version here.
You can download an even larger version here.

You can view the info-graphic up close by checking out Jamie’s site or clicking the two links above.

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OK Computer Named Best Album of the Past 25 Years

OK Computer

Q Magazine readers recently voted Radiohead’s OK Computer as the best album of the past 25 years. No big surprise there, right? The band also took three other places in the top 30 – compiled to mark 25 years of the magazine – with The Bends at eight, Kid A at 18 and In Rainbows at 23. 13 years ago, Q Magazine had a similar poll where OK Computer was also named best album of all time. Now that is staying power.

Full list after the jump.

(thanks to Peter)

Continue reading “OK Computer Named Best Album of the Past 25 Years”
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The Lost Radiohead album

Take some time today to read this article about how Radiohead’s OK Computer and In Rainbows were meant to complement each other. Now, this is just speculation but some interesting points have been raised. What do you think?

Ten years after OK Computer shocked the world, Radiohead released In Rainbows on October 10 (10/10). Though no one was expecting the album to be released until 2008, Radiohead announced In Rainbows just ten days in advance. In Rainbows, which consists of ten letters, has ten tracks, and would be downloadable from a rumored ten servers.

Radiohead preceded the release of In Rainbows with nine cryptic messages. They repeatedly emphasized X, the Roman Numeral for ten, in phrases such as “March Wa X”, and “Xendless Xurbia”. The tenth message was posted on October 10 with a photo of the band drinking tea.

There has been a lot of speculation over Radiohead’s emphasis of ten surrounding the release of In Rainbows. One theory suggests that Radiohead was typifying a binary code of ones and zeros,1010101010. This has come to be known as the Binary Theory, also called the TENspiracy by some.

Puddlegum first addressed the Binary Theory in Radiohead: 1010101010. Someone associated with Thom Yorke contacted Puddlegum, sharing Thom’s reaction to Puddlegum’s article:

“The meaning behind all of this is right in front of our faces, we’re just overlooking it. [Thom] has been expecting an article much like this one for a couple of years, as have I. But I’m willing to wager he’ll have fun waiting a few more. On the other hand, it seems to annoy him that no one ‘gets it’ yet, given the mountain of clues.”

Ten days after our original article, we have come to believe that OK Computer and In Rainbowswere meant to complement each other. During the writing and recording process of OK Computer, Radiohead used the working title of Zeros and Ones. If OK Computer is represented by 01, and In Rainbows is represented by 10, then we have 01 and 10. In binary code 01 and 10 complement each other.

Consider that In Rainbows was meant to complement OK Computer, musically, lyrically, and in structure. We found that the two albums can be knit together beautifully. By combining the tracks to form one playlist, 01 and 10, we have a remarkable listening experience. The transitions between the songs are astounding, and it appears that this was done purposefully.

The lyrics also seem to complement each other. There appears to be a concept flowing through the01 and 10 playlist. Ideas in one song is picked up by the next, such as “Pull me out of the aircrash,”and “When I’m at the pearly gates, this will be my videotape.”

To create the 01 and 10 playlist, begin with OK Computer’s track one, Airbag, and follow this with In Rainbow’s track one, 15 Step. Alternate the albums, track by track, until you reach Karma Police onOK Computer, making All I Need the tenth track on the 01 and 10 playlist. Follow Karma Police withFitter Happier from OK Computer, for tracks eleven and twelve. These two tracks act as a bridge between the first ten and the following ten tracks on the 01 and 10 playlist. Then continue to alternate the albums again, picking up with Faust Arp on In Rainbows, with Electioneering on OK Computeras the following track.

Radiohead – 01 and 10 playlist:
1. Airbag (OK Computer)
2. 15 Step (In Rainbows)
3. Paranoid Android (OK Computer)
4. Bodysnatchers (In Rainbows)
5. Subterranean Homesick Alien (OK Computer)
6. Nude (In Rainbows)
7. Exit Music (For A Film) (OK Computer)
8. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (In Rainbows)
9. Let Down (OK Computer)
10. All I Need (In Rainbows)
11. Karma Police (OK Computer)
12. Fitter Happier (OK Computer)
13. Faust Arp (In Rainbows)
14. Electioneering (OK Computer)
15. Reckoner (In Rainbows)
16. Climbing Up The Walls (OK Computer)
17. House Of Cards (In Rainbows)
18. No Surprises (OK Computer)
19. Jigsaw Falling Into Place (In Rainbows)
20. Lucky (OK Computer)
21. Videotape (In Rainbows)
22. The Tourist (OK Computer)

Cracked.com has more about this, as well as a conspiracy theory about Kid A.

(via Kottke)

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More from memory lane…. “Lift” and “I Promise”

Spotted by one of our members at Mortigi Tempo, a new video for “Lift” has emerged on YouTube. There’s no information about when and where this was filmed, but our guess is sometime in 1996 when the band were road-testing new material for OK Computer.

Also, from the same show, the super rare, very Roy Orbison-like, “I Promise.”