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February 24, 2011
Ranked: Radiohead Albums from
Worst to Best
Spurred by the surprise release of a new album, we got a Radiohead die-hard to revisit the band's entire output.
By Sean Owen
Without warning, Radiohead sprung a new album on the world last week. Given the intricacy of their music and the obsessiveness it tends to provoke, we decided against ranking their work ourselves, instead handing the job to Radiohead die-hard Sean Owen, of the blog Radiohead At Ease. Here are his rankings.
8. Pablo Honey (1993)
While there is debate about what Radiohead's true masterpiece is, there is basically unanimous agreement that the band's debut, Pablo Honey, is their low point. Heavily indebted to American alternative guitar rock, the sound of Pablo Honey is one the band would not work in for very long. The album did spawn their biggest worldwide hit in "Creep," a song they still occasionally play live in concert. But aside from "Creep," the bombastic closer "Blow Out," and the delicate "Lurgee," there's little to bring listeners back to Pablo Honey. The album is like that first girl- or boyfriend you had in high school: you appreciated them at the time, but ultimately you were meant for better things.
Listen: Creep
MP3
7. Hail To The Thief (2003)
After a short run of gigs in Spain and Portugal in the summer of 2002, Radiohead decamped to Los Angeles with their producer Nigel Godrich in an attempt to quickly record the many of the songs played on the tour. The result was an album that featured a more guitar-based sound than the previous two albums, Kid A and Amnesiac, but also a less focused album overall. The band had a wealth of material to choose from when constructing Hail To The Thief, and it shows in a slightly bloated tracklist. That said, the album does contain an undisputed Radiohead classic in "There There" and some of their more accomplished experimental work in "The Gloaming." Personally, I'm also a big fan of its aggressive closing song, "A Wolf At The Door." But the lack of a cohesive mood means Hail To The Thief is seldom mentioned when discussing Radiohead's best work.
Listen: There, There
MP3
6. The King Of Limbs (2011)
It's really too early to tell where The King Of Limbs will fit in the Radiohead catalog, but for now it seems to fall somewhere in the middle. While it's Radiohead's briefest record in length and number of songs, The King Of Limbs is not short on creativity. The opener, "Bloom," shows off the ever increasing skill and precision of Radiohead's rhythm section, while "Feral"'s frantic beats and heavily treated "vocals" show the growing influence of dubstep on the group. The back half of the album is actually quite different and, in "Codex" and "Give Up The Ghost," features some of the prettiest and most delicate music Radiohead has yet recorded. An odd little record.
Listen: Codex
MP3
5. Amnesiac (2001)
Because it was recorded almost entirely during the same lengthy, contentious sessions that resulted in Kid A, Amnesiac is often unfairly cast aside as a "leftovers" record. But when examined on its own merits, Amnesiac is a tremendous blend of Radiohead's major influences around the turn of the millennium: electronic music, ambient music, and jazz. The album's claustrophobic mood, heightened by songs such as "I Might Be Wrong" and "Like Spinning Plates," gives it a slightly menacing feel. Even the closing "Life In A Glasshouse," with its funereal jazz horns, refuses to let the listener escape easily. Probably Radiohead's most underrated and under-appreciated album.
Listen: I Might Be Wrong
MP3
4. The Bends (1995)
It's easy to understand why there are many people who long for the Radiohead of 1995: here was an exhilarating guitar band. Unlike the straight-ahead guitar sounds of Pablo Honey, on The Bends, the band was able to use the studio in more inventive ways, giving its music the atmosphere it would be known for going forward. If The Bends is a reference to the band coming up too quickly after the success of "Creep," then things certainly seemed difficult for Thom Yorke; images of a body in distress permeate the record in songs like "Bones," "My Iron Lung," and "Bullet Proof…I Wish I Was." Yet the album doesn't wallow. The woozy yet powerful "Planet Telex" is Radiohead's most powerful opening salvo while the closing "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" remains one of the band's very finest songs. The Bends also ends with one of the greatest and simplest pieces of advice ever given out by a rock band: "Immerse your soul in love."
Listen: Street Spirit (Fade Out)
MP3
3. In Rainbows (2007)
While the pay-what-you-want pricing scheme of In Rainbows grabbed all the early headlines, what's left now is one of Radiohead's true classic albums. Recorded over a lengthy period from 2005 to 2007, In Rainbows seamlessly melded the band's experimental side with their impeccable songwriting. Gone was the excess baggage of Hail To The Thief; this time around, every song played a part and every song had its place. As a result, In Rainbows manages to appeal to many different facets of Radiohead's fan-base: the three-pronged guitar assaults of "Bodysnatchers" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" appease one crowd, while the glitchy electro opener, "15 Step," appeals to another. And "Reckoner?" Well, it appeals to everyone, as it's one of the greatest songs the band has yet released. In Rainbows is a triumphant record.
Listen: Reckoner
MP3
2. Kid A (2000)
When Kid A appeared in October 2000, there was no single and no video to introduce the album to the masses. What we got instead was a record that seemed to arrive out of nothing, beamed in from some distant locale without any context or distraction. The opening notes of "Everything In Its Right Place," played on an electric piano, heralded a very different Radiohead than the band we got to know in the '90s. Gone were the big guitars and epic choruses. In their place were ambient soundscapes ("Treefingers"), nervy electronica ("Idioteque"), and bass-heavy grooves ("The National Anthem"). Jonny Greenwood, the band's resident guitar genius, brought an ondes Martenot (an obscure early electronic instrument) into the studio, and its eerie wails give songs like "How To Disappear Completely" an otherworldly feel. While many originally felt that Kid A was a difficult record to love, over time it has grown to be considered perhaps the band's finest album and a perfect soundtrack for the new millennium.
Listen: Everything In Its Right Place
MP3
1. OK Computer (1997)
There's not much to be said about OK Computer that hasn't been said many, many times before. It is quite simply one of the greatest albums ever recorded, and its massive influence on many artists cannot be ignored. Shedding the verse/chorus/verse structure of much of The Bends, OK Computer features more ambitious songwriting and an increasing comfort in the recording studio (which this time around happened to be an old English manor in the Bath countryside). The chopped beats of "Airbag," which come crashing out of the speakers to open the record, signaled Radiohead's love of electronic music for the first time. While the big singles, "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police," garner a lot of the attention, the real strength of OK Computer is in less celebrated places, like the direct storytelling of "Exit Music (for a film)" and the celestial beauty of "Let Down," the final minute and half of which is my favorite Radiohead moment ever. And sometimes I think "Lucky," coming toward the end of the album, is Radiohead's most perfect song. When OK Computer ends on that note-perfect "ting" of a triangle, it's hard to dispute the brilliance of the album and the band.
Listen: Lucky
MP3
Commentarium (179 Comments)
I like every album they've done, and also rank pablo honey right up there!
i'm a big fan of kid-a but surprised the average fan ranks it that high (because it got slated on release by most),
just like limbs is right now, but it's growing on me so much it could end up a favourite!! so smooth and easy on the ear!
Sean is such a bangable blog babe!
pics or it didnt happen
wow. i always thought ok computer was unlistenable. if that's their best, i cant imagine what the worst is like!
give it another chance... or three. ok computer sat on my shelf for a few months after my initial "meh" reaction. it is now my favorite Radiohead album, and a top 3 all time favorite. radiohead's music requires effort to start building the neuron connections, it is not light listening.
what are your other top 3 albums?
you have to consider that ok computer was the best album in the 90´s decade.
I love that album but best of 90s? IDK these are my top 90s: Bjorks Homogenic or Massive attack Mezzanine or Tortoise TNT
I'm not all that familiar with Radiohead's entire catalogue, but I always seem to have "Lucky" on my iPod. I literally listened to it on my bus ride home last night. It's nice to find it here topping this list.
STFU elmer fudd. I don't know if that comment is supposed to be uber-hipster or uber-mainstreamer, but either way it's uber-douchey.
Don't feed the trolls
:)
I would just like to politely remind everybody (Stu) that there are tons and tons of people who like good music but simply don't care for Radiohead, and that those people aren't necessarily trying to be provocative. For some reason, Radiohead fans tend to have trouble seeing this.
The problem is with people who simply bash Radiohead for the sake of bashing Radiohead. Like most great music, Radiohead is an acquired taste (not to say that everyone will like Radiohead). It seems short sighted when people who have only heard a few songs and don't instantly connect to the music decide to bash the band in a knee-jerk reaction in an attempt to resolve their cognitive dissonance.
And yet there are many people who "get" Radiohead (they're not *that* smart/arty/interesting of a band) and have even acquired the taste before (perhaps in high school) but have moved on with their lives. There's a whole world of good music for smart people out there, and Radiohead isn't the end of it.
What Ray said. ^ I don't like Radiohead all that much, but I do see them as a very important band for music artform at least.
You sound like a robot.
20th-century Radiohead is transcendent...
I don't get the later, ambient stuff *at all*.
Here's hoping that one day, Radiohead will get back to its roots...
so true... used to love them back then... but now it's kind of elevator music sometimes
I think that's what's so great about Radiohead though. They don't have they're own "old roots". They're constantly changing they're sound. And some people don't like it, while others do. But that isn't a bad thing. They play what they feel, and obviously, they're always feelings something different.
In Rainbows #3? You've got to be kidding me. It's gotta be at least lower than Amnesiac. I would put it beneath Hail to the Thief as well. The Bends is overrated as well.
In Rainbows has an okay first half with a very dull second half. It definitely belongs a little bit above Hail to the Thief, but not much. I'd rank the top three as Bends, OK and Kid A.
I was never that crazy about In Rainbows either.
Agree, but 3. Bends 2. Kid A, 3. OK!
The Bends is better than In Rainbows! For a long time (in the early 2000's) the Bends was my favorite. 1.) Kid A; 2.) OK Computer; 3.) The Bends
What about Com Lag? Doesn't that count as a Radiohead album?
Nope. That's just a collection of b-sides. I was ranking studio albums.
I like Radiohead. I enjoy most of their albums. However their latest just seems to be weird for the sake of being weird, and over the years it's really started to grate on me how their fans view them as completely infallible. Radiohead has some things that anyone else would be abhorred for releasing, yet fans declare it to be aural decadence. Why is this? Because anyone who dares to voice a negative opinion is decreed "too dumb" to appreciate it.
Grumble mumble pretentious music snobs.
Only the vocal fans. It's always a vocal minority that makes the rest of us look bad. I love Radiohead, but I'd never push my enjoyment on anyone else. Also, I think they have some pretty weak songs, which is to be expected over 8 albums and countless B-sides.
since the bends, their music as been in steady decline. usually 1-2 decent songs with a bunch of crap = album, and their latest is only different in that it is about as crappy as 'hail to the thief.'
In my opinion, their music has got better since Ok Computer as it has evolved, it certainly carries more sentiment for me. One mans 'Crap' is another mans gold and for me 'Hail To The Thief' is right up there with the best Radiohead albums, This would be my list;
8) Pablo Honey
7)The Bends
6)Amnesiac
5)Ok Computer
4)TheKingOfLimbs
3)Kid A
2)Hail To The Thief
1) In Rainbows
I guess I count as a new fan since I wasn't born until the year they released the bends, but In Rainbows is my favorite album. I didn't like it at first when my dad played it in the car but it slowly grew on me. All the music is so beautiful after a few listens and now it's like musical comfort food for me. Really eerie comfort food...
OKComputer is one of their most boring efforts...like listening to Creep at this point.
KidA, InRainbows, HTTT are all better albums.
I agree with everything this article says. Cheers.
Yea, pretty much.
See, Bean, I like them more than that, and WalterBoyd, I LOVED OK Computer, but alot of their other stuff just makes me go 'huh, that's kind of weird' and then I read a review and they talk about multiple layers and the crunchy texture of it like it's a GD fruit. And for the record, Thom York looks retarded and like a hobo who killed a mime for his clothes as he "dances" in the black lotus video.
good luck pushing these opinions on actually radiohead fans...
I've enjoyed most of what Radiohead's done since, and including, The Bends. For my money, In Rainbows is the best thing they've done and one of the best discs I've heard.
Agreed. I'd swap 'In Rainbows' with 'OK Computer' in this list.
No doubt.
In Rainbows was the first album of theirs that I loved right away. I especially love the 2nd disc, but that opinion doesn't seem to be shared much.
Nope. With you. Second disc is amazing. I'd rank Kid A #1.
1. OK Computer
=2. Kid A, In Rainbows, The Bends (Sorry can't make up my mind, love them all so much)
5. Hail to the Thief
6. Amnesiac
7. Pablo Honey
8. King of Limbs ( To me this shouldn't even count, since it's basically Thom Yorke's 2nd solo album)
I haven't listened to KoL yet, but I don't think its a Thom Yorke solo because the other band members contributed significantly to the songwriting
Yeah, I heard Thom even let Phil programme some of the drums. Ed made the tea.
At first, I also had the same feeling as The Eraser. It's growing on me a little now, but I don't think it'll end up one of my favorites.
Hail to the Theif was THE BEST ALBUM. How could 2+2=5 not even be mentioned as a classic? Also, Amnesiac is a far superior album to the Bends.
I second this!
YES. Finally someone sticking up for Hail to the Thief. It is by far my favorite Radiohead album
Include me in the Hail to the Thief party! It's the Radiohead album I keep coming back to.
He listed them by strength of the album. With Hail to the Thief as one of my favorites as well, I still agree with the ranking. All their other albums had a very strong the tying the whole thing together. Hail to the Thief was basically a greatest hits album of brand new song. Meaning, they took the best parts of everything before it and meshed them together in new material.
YES! AT LAST! HTTT is my favourite album, i know the songs don't have the strength or are as iconic as others, but i can't dislike any song (not a big fan of we suck young blood though), i find most of the songs extremly powerfull and grafic... Also amnesiac has the most epic album ending of all time, shouldn't be behind the bends
<3 Haol to the Thief! best album ever! *-* and 2+2=5 i cant live without this song
I would also like to add my name to this list of Hail to the Thief supporters. I love this album! Just f*ing love it! From the first to last song, it is filled with gold. However, it took me a long time to get to this appreciation of the album. My favorite albums kept changing as I listened more and more to Radiohead. I think it's now settled on Hail to the Thief though.
Hail to the Thief should definitely not be treated like leftovers. "Go to Sleep." should also be included in the classics. I'll admit, the first time I listened it didn't click. I listened to "Scatterbrain" and it just didn't have much to it, but that was probably one of the weakest songs on the album. I definitely see how many of these songs served as a transition between Kid A/Amnesiac and In Rainbows, but I think it deserves a spot above In Rainbows which in my opinion has more filler than HTTT. But what do I know, I don't even rank OK Computer in the top 3--haters gonna hate.
This ranking is perfect! Period. Thank you!
I agree the same, except the bends is in 3 for me
This is some bullshit. The Bends is number 1 without a doubt.
Swap King of Limbs and Amnesiac. For the rest a perfect list with perfect descriptions.
I remixed "Codex"...you guys can check it out! And I love "Hail To The Thief" the most also, "c'mon".
http://soundcloud.com/generalmusician/radiohead-codex-general
Hope you like it!
Nice article. I like how you put a key song to each album. Radiohead ranking is not for the weak, so grats. I've been a Radiohead fan since hearing "Creep" for the first time. For me, ever since Amnesiac, every album has taken some getting used to. The sound patterns don't always come together initially, but when it finally does it is transcendent and very rewarding. I can imagine that not everyone is willing to take that time, or there are people with differing tastes that just won't "get it". I'm setting Limbs to the side for the moment for when I'm ready to give it further listening.
Totally agree con, great ranking review for a relatively difficult musical topic
I don't get why HTTT gets so much shit. Actually I get it, it's bloated. But, overall the album is actually quite fantastic and has some of their best material. So I too, would switch HTTT and King of Limbs. Ironically, he criticized HTTT for having a lack of cohesion and vision. Well, so does TKOL. It sounds like two EPs thrown together. So if that's HTTT criticism (and being about 4 songs too long), then I would gladly take HTTT any day over the TKOL.
I also agree with those saying IR is ranked too high. But whatever, it's all opinion anyways.
I find it somewhat hilarious that the same people who complained about HTTT being bloated turn around and complain about the brevity of KoL.
FAIL. A Linear Method is NOT the way to rank Radiohead albums.
Duh! He should have used a 7 dimentional spiral! Hur hur hur!
Hail to the Thief is Radiohead's best...
+1
I'm a total Radiohead fan, so yes this comment is biased. But I think patience is part of the Radiohead listening experience.
So far, for every studio album, the first listen was always somewhat uncomfortable for me (which I think is part of the art). But subsequent listens helped me grow to love the balance between the "easy listening" and "hard listening" parts of the albums.
I haven't bought King of Limbs yet, but I believe its a good album. The reason is because I know I'll grow to love it, just like with the other albums.
Swap 5 and 7 and you have yourself a list.
1.) Kid A (In Limbo)
2.) OK Computer (Let Down)
3.) King of Limbs (Separator)
4.) The Bends (Planet Telex)/Amnesiac (Dollars and Cents)
6.) Hail to the Thief (There, There)
7.) In Rainbows (Faust Arp)
8.) Pablo Honey (Blow out)
just my humble opinion
Of course, most of this depends on mood! It's especially hard to compare a solid alt rock album (The Bends) to a complex electronic album (Amnesiac). I'm one of the few people who was left in the cold by In Rainbows...the songs seemed to drag live IMO, and the album seemed predictable and lethargic. The King of Limbs is densely layered and rewards you for multiple spins--this is quickly becoming one of my favorite radiohead albums.
Nice to see that there is other people enjoying In Limbo.. :)
This list nails it for this Radiohead fan. I would switch up Kid A with OK Computer just because I listen to Kid A more, but it's hard to argue that OK Computer isn't their best.
Radiohead is the Apple Inc. of the music world.
That my friend is an outrageous slur, how very dare you.
Any rankings that don't have The Bends and OK Computer as interchangeable 1/2 is completely worthless
Let's be honest here, Kid A was a piece of crap - higher than The Bends - really???
Kid A is by far the greatest RH record!! Its an album that dragged me into completely new musical directions. Especially electro, ambient and jazz.. Cant say that about any record of this time
Kid A was a work of art. I agree Lars. I literally began to listen more distinctively and discreetly after that album. And I don't like swear by Radiohead, but its in my desert island top ten.
Yeah, Kid A should be number 1.
1-Ok Computer (Climbing up the Walls)
2-In Rainbows (Reckoner)
3-The King of Limbs (Lotus Flower)
4-Hail to the Thief (Where I End and You Begin)
5-Kid A (Morning Bell)
6-Amnesiac (Life in a Glasshouse)
7-The Bends (High and Dry)
8-Pablo Honey (Creep)
Yes, yes I'm a dumbasss,(" how in the hell can you put X album on Y position?, bla, bla,bla...")
1-Ok Computer (Climbing up the Walls)
2-In Rainbows (Reckoner)
3-The King of Limbs (Lotus Flower)
4-Hail to the Thief (Where I End and You Begin)
5-Kid A (Morning Bell)
6-Amnesiac (Life in a Glasshouse)
7-The Bends (High and Dry)
8-Pablo Honey (Creep)
Yes, yes I'm a dumbasss,(" how in the hell can you put X album on Y position?, bla, bla,bla...")
You nailed it. My list as well, including the songs. Limbs is growing on me at every listen, it is a short sweet album with perfect flow. To me the sequence Magpie>Little By Little > Feral > Lotus Flower is perfection.
Nice job. I'd agree with all of your rankings. I'd consider moving King of Limbs given time.
It's mighty tough having to choose only one song to highlight per album, but here goes:
8. Pablo Honey (Creep)
7. Amnesiac (Knives Out)
6. The King Of Limbs (Separator)
5. Hail To The Thief (Scatterbrain)
4. The Bends (High And Dry)
3. In Rainbows (House Of Cards)
2. Kid A (Idioteque)
1. OK Computer (The Tourist)
this is wrong.
"and the celestial beauty of "Let Down," the final minute and half of which is my favorite Radiohead moment ever." Totally agree! :)
100%
Brilliant brilliant piece here Sean. Good stuff.
This list is terrible because every single person will have a different list of best Radiohead albums. Hail to the Thief is like... their best album, along with In Rainbows and I think that The Bends is not good at all.
Are you a fan or a critic? You're terrible at both.
I'm sure Radiohead doesn't construct their albums in terms of rank. They all have an immutable, versatile character. Guaranteed your list will change over time. However for me Kid A is a brilliant album. Just a pleasure to listen too. I get lost in Idioteque. And being that Amnesiac was born of Kid A sessions its naturally my second favorite. I think its amazing how Radiohead can appeal to a lot of different psyches and draw so many interpretations of their music. Thom Yorke is a great, great mind.
they all tie for worst. there are some good songs, but i do not understand them or their popularity!
Well, then, what were you doing reading an article about Radiohead?
I don't really know why, but I just love the shit out of HTTT. I get why it's low on the list though.
1. The Bends
2. OK Computer
3. In Rainbows
4. Kid A
5. Hail to the Thief
1. Kid A
2. OK Computer
3. King of Limbs
4. The Bends
5. Hail to the Thief
6. Rainbows
7. Amnesiac
8. Pablo Honey
I want to hate you for making the list at all, but I have to give credit where it's due; that was well written.
What about the secret album?
1) Ok Computer (No surprises, Lucky, The Tourist)
2) In Rainbows (Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, House Of Cards)
3) Hail To The Thief (Go to Sleep, There There)
4) Kid A (everything in its right place)
5) King Of Limbs (Separator, Give up The Ghost)
6) The Bends (Bulletproof... i wish i was, Fake Plastic Trees)
7) Amnesiac (Pyramid Song)
8) Pablo Honey (Creep)
Currently:
1. In Rainbows ('Weird Fishes/Arpeggi')
2. OK Computer ('Let Down')
3. Pablo Honey (motherfreaking 'Blow Out' or 'Lurgee' or 'I Can't')
4. Hail To The Thief ('A Punch Up At A Wedding' or 'Sit Down, Stand Up')
5. The King Of Limbs ('Give Up The Ghost')
6. Amnesiac ('Like Spinning Plates' or 'Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box')
7. Kid A ('Idioteque' or 'Everything In Its Right Place')
8. The Bends ('The Bends' or 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)')
The My Iron Lung EP plus a few songs from The Bends would have made an amazing album for me.
I love how different people like different things about the band. An REM version of this would tickle me. :)
You sir, are wrong
i think its cool that people cant agree which album is the best or what period of their music they liked. everyone has different tastes and radiohead has musically satisfied a diverse selection of them. maybe theres not something for everyone, but i dont personally know anyone in my peer group who doesn't dig something by them. personally i think its all great, except maybe the bends, im not that into the bends. actually, no, there are a few songs on the bends i really like too. so yeah.
I love how their is almost no mention, except for Arpeggi, of "No Surprises." I am not and have never been a fan of Radiohead, but I have always love that song. Also, Creep and High and Dry. I must be a sellout, haha.
Just wondering if anyone else had the same impressions of the King of Limbs as I did... I swear I was listening to the Eraser part 2! I've listened to the album 20 plus times now, and I still feel it as more of an Eraser part 2 then a Radiohead album... Perhaps another 20 or so and I will figure it all out. Btw, I like it.. just my initial feelings
OOOOOOOHH BOY YOU ARE SOOO WRONG !!!! SEEMS LIKE YOU WANT TO BE THAT DIFFERENT OUT OF STEP GUY ....
PABLO HONEY anyone can play guitar
AMNESIAC you and whose army
THE BENDS just
HTTT where i end up and you beguin
IN RAINBOWS 15 step/ faust arp
KID A idioteque
OK COMPUTER lucky
TKOL DOESNT COUNT SINCE IT HASNT EVEN BEEN OUT LONG ENOUGH AND AS A WHOLE YET, WE DONT KNOW IF THEY GOT MORE MATERIAL OR IF THIS IS A SERIES OF EPS FOR A WHOLE LP.
8) Pablo Honey - Anyone Can Play Guitar
7) The King Of Limbs - Codex
6) Amnesiac - Pyramid Song
5) In Rainbows - House of Cards
4) OK Computer - Paranoid Android
3) The Bends - Just
2) Kid A - Everything In Its Right Place
1) Hail To The Thief - 2+2=5 (or A Wolf at the Door)
uhmmm almost +1 for me
1)OK Computer
2)the Bends
3)Kid A
4)In Rainbows
5)TKOL
6)Hail To The Thief
7)Amnesiac
8)Pablo Honey
The premise of this list is kind of silly. Every Radiohead album is good.
That said, Hail to the Thief is the biggest stinker-- not Pablo Honey.
HTTT has some of their best songs! A Wolf At The Door man! A Wolf At The Door!
2+2=5, backdrifters, the gloaming, I will...It is awesome.
As much as I enjoy most of them, Thom' solo effort gets played more than anything else and has the biggest effect on me. Just a thought.
Because of this I will give it another spin.
no way is hail to the thief number 7. very underrated album, from start to finish.
1)In Rainbows
2)Kid A
3)TKOL
4)Amnesiac
5)HTTT
6)OK Computer
7)The Bends
8)Pablo Honey
got a bit of a different approach to mine
8.Pablo honey
7.Amnesiac
6.King Of Limbs
5.In Rainbows
4.Kid A
3.Ok Computer
2.Hail To The Thief
1.The Bends
personally i dont like the rankin of hail to the thief at all on this as it maybe pretty rushed but it is also the only album wich shows every radiohead stage
Well I'd have to say my list goes like this.
8. OK Computer
7. Kid A
6. The Bends
5. In Rainbows
4. Amnesiac
3. Hail To The Thief
2. The King Of Limbs
1. Pablo Honey
And your a complete fuckface if you think the order of worst to best is actually this way.
(1, 2, and 3 in no particular order) The Bends, OK Computer, KidA
(4 and 5 in no particular order) Hail to the Theif, In Rainbows
(6 and 7 in no particular order) Amnesiac, King of Limbs
(8) Pablo Honey
And I'm hesitant to even rank KoL b/c it is so new
1. In Rainbows
2. Kid A
3. OK Computer
4. The King of Limbs
5. Hail to the Thief
6. The Bends
7. Amnesiac
8. Pablo Honey
dun really like amnesiac
Craziness. Amnesiac is right up there with Kid A as the greatest pair of Radiohead albums ever. I don't understand how or why anyone would separate them on a list like this. Hail to the Thief isn't far behind, possibly their most atmospheric album. OK Computer after that, and The Bends, leaving the mostly-forgettable-as-albums (but with a few nice tracks) The King of Limbs, In Rainbows and Pablo Honey to languish at the bottom of the list.
Would swop The Bends with HTTT, Kid A with OK Computer. If OK Computer is a revolution, Kid A is a total paradigm shift - never heard anything like that before. Love every album after Pablo Honey.
Am i the only one that thinks Amnesiac is actually a little better than KidA?
They're both really good, it just depends on what you like. I can't make up my mind, personally.
@musikfreak I like Amnesiac better too. My favorite is HTTT though. Here's my list
1. Hail to the Theif
2. In Rainbows
3. OK Computer
4. Amnesiac/The Bends
5. Kid A
6. The King of Limbs
7. Pablo Honey
I also think HTTT is very underrated. But in the end, Radiohead is the best band around. The ranking just depends on the person.
I also tend to like Amnesiac a little better than Kid A but as of recently the scale has shifted and I'm going back to liking Kid A more. For me that's the great thing about Radiohead. My list of favorite albums is completely fluid and changing all the time. At this moment in time my list probably goes like this:
1. In Rainbows
2. OK Computer
3. Kid A
4. Amnesiac
5. Hail to the Theif
6. The Bends
7. The King of Limbs
8. Pablo Honey
As proof of how fluid it is for me, not too long ago I would have had The Bends up at number 2. I also agree with others that over time KoL will become more appealing.
1. OK Computer
2. The Bends
This is a wonderful, comprehensive list! I love Radiohead, but am not ashamed to admit that I didn't "get" Kid A. It is an album of interesting moods and soundscapes, but aside from "How To Disappear" there isn't much to the songwriting. Just big, weird & wonderful sounds. I would rank In Rainbows and The Bends above this monumental piece in terms of great music. Would also agree that King of Limbs is the band's most derivative album - Most of the tracks sound like the "Hail to the Thief" and "Amnesiac" B-Sides. They've done it all before but better....
"And sometimes I think 'Lucky,' coming toward the end of the album, is Radiohead's most perfect song."
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Almost no one ever shows enough appreciation for this song, which happens to be my favorite Radiohead song ever.
1) OK Computer (Let Down)
2) Kid A (In Limbo)
3) In Rainbows (Weird Fishes)
4) The Bends (Just)
5) Hail to the Thief (There, There)
6) Amnesiac (Packed like Sardines..)
7) King Of Limbs (Separator)
8) Pablo Honey (Ripcord)
...but dammit if there aren't some unbelievable b-sides...."Worrywort" is my favorite song of all time from any band
I've been a fan since the beginning and I couldn't agree more with this list!
Great Job!
1. OK Computer (Paranoid Android)
2. Kid A (How to Disappear Completely)
3. The King of Limbs (Give Up the Ghost)
4. The Bends (Fake Plastic Trees)
5. In Rainbows (Nude)
6. Hail to the Thief (There, There/Myxomatosis)
7. Amnesiac (Pyramid Song)
8. Pablo Honey (Creep)
Now I love Amnesiac, as I love all of their albums (besides Pablo Honey), but the reason its so low onthe list is because I don't feel a connection with it like I do with most of the others. I plan on listening to it a lot more to inspire myself towards it. Maybe they will play some of it this February at their Tampa show (which I got tickets for!!!!). Radiohead has a magical effect on people at live shows. Its going to be heavenly.
who ever wrote this is a fucking idiot. Grow up ... and you call yourself a fan... why don't you go suck chris martin's cock you pop lovin cunt
No one ever appreciates the opening song to Pablo Honey "You" that is a great rock song especially the wail about a minute and half into it. Pablo is still by no means their best it. I think its a tough call whether OK Computer or Kid A is their best work but In Rainbows is my favorite.
I must question the unnerving prole-like following that feeds the myth of Radiohead.
They are a sole creation of British music media industry and magazines like NME and Q decided to create a band that they could to write something about to fill column inches. The tried and failed with Blur, Happy Mondays, Suede, Manic Street Preachers and had a flashing success with Oasis, who the record buying public on both sides of the Atlantic were conned into believing that "Morning Glory" was something special (it"s retreads of Beatle/Who/Stones ideas were a clumsy and lazy concoction and after all the huff and puff, is a mostly forgotton creation).
With Radiohead they upped the ante in hype (the new vogue of over- hyping was a successful tactical marketing tool that obviously worked in marketing this band and used in Hollywood films like "Independence Day" and "Titanic'). They decided that Radiohead will be the greatest band ever and would manipulate the collective conscious of the people to believe this. They repeated ad nauseum that firstly "The Bends" was the greatest thing since U2. Then they upped the ante and said that quite boldly that "OK computer" was the greatest album released in the 90's. As time went on this became the greatest in history. I guess it is true that if you tell someone that something is good enough, especially these high and mighty trend-setting magazines, that this Pavlovian reinforcement would work on the mass public whom would not dare question the hallowed opinions of these publications.
My opinion is EMI must of paid these magazine substantial payola to pedal this ruse as well.
I have owned OK Computer, Kid A, Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows and The Bends and tried my hardest to resist other people's opinions and submerge my senses into listening to this music without prejudice and expectation.
While there are good moments on each of these albums, the songwriting and instrumentation is generally derivative by numbers indie muzak , and the experimental works attempts at high brow worthiness are contrived. The music tries too hard to match the pedestal this band is put on. I do feel sorry in a way for the band as it is a artistic straight jacket that actually promotes hubris rather than progression as they don't appear to have the nerve to loose up and expand in other directions.
What have is a band that is a creation of the expectations and tastes of the critics and tastemakers. I compare this band to a "American Idol" concept, as they are obviously are worker bees for the critics and seem content to meet their expectations for the rest of their careers.
While I'm not questioning the tastes and enjoyment people have obviously gleaned from listening to Radiohead, I have never witnessed a band before or since (maybe when a British magazine stated that the Flaming Lips " Yoshimi battles the pink robots" cd the greatest album released in the magazines lifetime and gave it a ridiculous OTT review) that has generated so much unjustified hype with an average and uninvolving catalogue of music.
That's your opinion and clearly you're entitled to it but to call the songwriting and instrumentation "generally derivative by numbers indie muzak" is plainly just nonsense, their is no other band that sounds like Radiohead and their influences are obviously many and varied.
The reason the British press amongst many others have raved about them is purely down to the quality of their music and clearly not down to any idiotic conspiracy theory, which are incredibly rarely true. Conspiracy's generally involve humans who are fallible as well as corruptible and therefore secrets are not easily kept.
I would say there's a touch of either xenophobia or possibly just complete misunderstanding due to cultural differences, as I presume from your comment you're American
I think Radiohead have had an incredible evolution over their career, you just have to compare the rocking "The Bends" to the sophisticated later works of "In Rainbows". They are one of the rare bands to willing experiment and change their sound and not compromise their quality. I think to say the band is a mere puppet of the music industry is ridiculous. They have had a lot of hype of course....because THEY'RE GOOD! I think bands that they have influenced, like Coldplay, just go to show how they are revered. "Derivative by numbers indie muzak"....just listen to "In Rainbows" and the sounds that come from at album are like nothing else I have heard from anyone else. I think that British music never sat comfortably for people in America and that is why there is a cultural difference. Want to see biased critical writing....read the Rolling Stone magazine in the 70's and 80's and their overblown reviews on any Bruce Springsteen/Bob Dylan/Patti Smith album.
Hail is my favorite. I don't understand why this album is always slighted. It is brilliant!
Everybody has different opinions on what is their best work, that is why they are brilliant. For me Kid A is their best record (and in my opinion one of the best records of all time) but i love all of there albums (besides pablo honey)
1) Kid A:
1 Idioteque
2 The National Anthem
3 Morning Bell
2) In Rainbows:
1 Nude
2 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
3 Reckoner
3) Ok Computer:
1 Paranoid Android
2 Lucky
3 Airbag
4) Amnesiac:
1 Pyramid Song
2 Life In A Glasshouse
3 Knives Out
5) Hail To The Thief: 5) The King Of Limbs:
1 There There 1 Lotus Flower
2Where I End And You Begin 2 Separator
3 A Wolf At The Door 3 Morning Mr. Magpie / Little By Little
6) The Bends:
1 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
2 Fake Plastic Trees
3 High And Dry
I'd definitely go for In Rainbows as not only Radioheads best album but as one of the greatest albums of all time, its one of those that grows on you with repeated listens and before you know it its sublime beauty has enveloped you entirely.
On a side note there's nothing wrong with people disliking Radiohead, everybody has different tastes but I would say there's a definite difference between my dislike of much soulless manufactured music where a writing committee has developed the song and the artist/artists has/have just mailed in the vocals and someone who thinks Radiohead are "sh#t" just because they dislike or quite often don't understand or appreciate the musicianship.
Radiohead are in no way "sh#t", you can dislike the music fine but to not understand the quality of it is simple ignorance.
I agree. "In Rainbows" is incredible. And I agree that there is a lot of Radiohead haters and I have no quarrel with their opinions, it just seems that Radiohead are a largely misunderstood band. I agree wholeheartedly about the record making process these days and the soulless, manufactured way of making a record. A vocalist records their vocals on their computer, e-mails the file to the producer on the other side of the world,who pro-tools it to death, and within days streams it for digital download all over the world. Absolutely no artistic interaction between artist and producer. Any of the blah blah feat. Blah blah, ie Rihanna feat. Jay Z or Nicki Minaj feat Pitbull/Snoop Dogg (David Guetta remix) for example, is excreting this kind of souless rubbish by the truckload and is never a true collaboration. Any wonder people don't buy new albums these days.
8. Pablo Honey (Blow Out)
7. The King Of Limbs (Separator)
6. Ok Computer (No Surprises)
5. Kid A (Idioteque)
4. Amnesiac (Pyramid Song)
3. Hail To The Thief (Myxamoatsis)
2. The Bends (Planet Telex)
1. In Rainbows (Nude)
This is why Radiohead is a great band. They're my favorite band since The Bends. But anyway A lot of people I know just like a lot of people on this thread all have their favorite album from them. A lot of people like OK Computer the best, or Kid A, or In Rainbows, or The Bends, or Hail To The Thief...so much greatness to choose from.
That is tough for me, I have not listened to all of Radiohead yet (I just got introduced to it, love it though) but I have listened to Creep, all of Ok Computer, all of Kid A, Knives Out and You and whose army? From amnesiac, 2+2=5 on HTTF, and In Rainbows. My favorite (as there is no best album, only favorites) album that I have listened to is Ok Computer, then Kid A by the narrowest of margins, but I like all of their songs that I have listened to, well I don't particularly care for The National Anthem.
Buy all the albums except "Pablo honey" and the "Best of" which is all too brief. Every album has it's riches to unravel. Always be persistance as every album won't grab you with it's first or second listen, but definitely will become favourites.
Not an easy task! I kinda agree with you Sean. That's exactly how I'd rate them... I'd be tempted to put In Rainbows at #2, but just can't b/c, well Kid A is there...and #1, well, OK Computer has to be #1. I don't see any way to change any of tier/rating ... I base my "likability" on one simple thing, "music paints atop the rhythm of my heartbeat"... if a song & record is catchy to me, that's all. OK Computer is all killer, no filler, #1
Here is my list.
1. OK Computer-Kid A-In Rainbows-The Bends-King of Limbs-Amnesiac-Hail to the Thief
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Pablo Honey
All of their albums are great (except Pablo Honey) and I would feel really bad putting any of the other 7 even close to Pablo Honey.
Oh man -- you got it all predictably wrong. OK Computer was great and groundbreaking in the 90s, but 'times they are a changing' -- and that's precisely what Radiohead is all about. The list should go as follows:
Kid A
Limbs (one can only grasp the greatness on the 20th listen)
In Rainbows
Amnesiac
OK Computer
Thief
The Bends
I am so excited! I listened to some more of Hail To the Thief, it is alright, one of my favorites is Sail to the Moon. I still need to listen to The Bends and TKOL, and from what I hear, I do not want to listen to Pablo Honey. But the reason I am excited is I am going to a Radiohead concert in a week!!!!! While I do love Kid A and Ok Computer, I hope they play some of the songs that I haven't listened to like some songs on TKOL (How is Lotus Flower anyways, I hear it is a pretty good song)...
I've seen them 8 times over the past 10 years, and you are certainly in for a memorable experience! This will be a great tour to see them on as well. Thom Yorke says they are rotating through 75 songs in all, so looks like each show will have some special treats! Nearly every album is more inventive than what many bands produce. It is really hard to rank them, because each LP sounds and feels like a new band. That said...
1 - KID A
2 - AMNESIAC
3 - OK COMPUTER
4 - HAIL TO THE THIEF
5 - IN RAINBOWS (DISC 2)
6 - IN RAINBOWS (DISC 1)
7 - THE BENDS
8 - KING OF LIMBS
9 - PABLO HONEY
In their prime... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj-Rsl8brt8
Let me speak to you all...every person that has put a comment on this page liking Radiohead tsmanca advare misguided fuckwits.
Thank you for your attention
1. OK Computer (The Tourist)
2. The King of Limbs (Lotus Flower)
3. Amnesiac (You And Whose Army?)
4. In Rainbows (Jigsaw Falling Into Place)
5. The Bends (Planet Telex)
6. Kid A (Optimistic)
7. Hail to the Theif (There There)
8. Pablo Honey (Creep)
Surely Paranoid Android for the best song Radiohead has ever written, let alone best song on OK Computer?? Surely?!
1) OK Computer (Exit Music)
2) In Rainbow (1&2) (Nude)
3) Amnesiac (Morning Bells)
4) Kid A (Kid A)
5) The Bends (Nice Dream)
6) Hail to the Thief (The Gloaming)
7) TKOL (Feral)
8) Pablo Honey (Stop whispering)
All I can say is.. Because there is so much debate about which is the best, which is the worst & the fact that all the albums are rated at both ends of the scale - tells me that all of their albums are brilliant in different ways & mean different things to different people. Massive waste of time debating it to this extent in my opinion.
The Bends is the ONLY decent Radiohead album, as the rest of their catalog is nothing more than pretentious winning that laughs at it's listeners. I'm sure Tom sleeps grinning at how he has been able to fool everyone with this garbage,
The Bends was the height of their "approachable" music. After that it became a stream of increasingly ponderous art house experimentation for it's own sake and for the sake of the pretentious twee-critics who adore their avant garde "futuristic" alt "rock". Boring.
I like songs from every album of theirs. I can definitely agree that Pablo was their lowest point! Luckily for them they got better with time, like a bottle of wine! I'll be honest though, when I first got into Radiohead, I really didn't care for OK, which I know is blasphemy in most Radiohead fans' minds. However, overtime it has grown on me, but I will always be an Amnesiac and Kid A girl.
Personally my top two favorites are: 1. The Bends 2. Pablo Honey. Not big on their recent stuff
WRONG WRONG WRONG:
1. - Kid A
2. - In Rainbows (very nearly #1)
3. -Amnesiac
4. - OK Computer
5. - King of Limbs
6. - The Bends
7. - Hail to the Thief
8. - Pablo Honey
you got 7 & 8 right, which deserves some congratulation, well done.
Hail to the Thief has to be in the top 3.
I think you really hit the nail on the head regarding Hail to the Thief, overall feels like a tutti fruity record with no specific mood. This is mainly why i more or less cherry pick tracks on that one ... Same never happens with Kid A.
So apparently my Radiohead tastes are way off in left field, because my most played album is Amnesiac, with most played song - "I Might Be Wrong". It's an excellent opener for my mix-lists, sometimes I think it gets lost in the middle of the album.
A list that I agree with.
I find it funny how much we all value our own opinions. We shouldn't gt mad at each other for liking one album more than another. I personally agree and disagree with almost everything here. But no one has the same musical taste as everyone else. Honestly, the songs How to Disappear Completely and Kid A are my FAVOURITE songs by Radiohead. But the album Kid A isn't my favourite. (It is up there though!) I don't think anyone can put up a list of Radiohead's albums from least to greatest, because only that person will agree with that list.
I agree with the top three (but i would swap Kid A to no.3 and In rainbows to no.2)As for Hail To The Thief i would put it at no.5 after The Bends. I would have The King Of Limbs at no.6, Pablo Honey at no.7 and Amnesiac at no.8 as i find its there weakest album. Still a good album dispite that.
IN RAINBOWS should be first
I love all of radioheads albums.....there a bit like leonard cohen ....once you get what there about yuo love them forever....a seminal band....
Pablo Honey - 5/10
Hail to the Thief - 8/10
The King of Limbs - 7.5/10
Amnesiac - 9/10
The Bends - 9.5/10
In Rainbows - 9.7/10
Kid A - 10/10 - 'otherworldly'
OK Computer 10/10 - like heroin for my ears
they are the best band in the world, not that i have listened to many bands, but some classic bands like the beatles, pink floyd, jimmi hendrix, nirvana, coldplay, U2, no doubt, linkin park and the crap we have nowadays
at first when i tried listening to them their music sounded weird, but as i kept listening to each album more and more my ears finally got their sound, now i get the genius in their music, i can appreciate them more and more and i enjoy and love their music more everytime i listen to them, is like i discover something new i was not aware of last time, they are the best band in the world
Great read. Some I agree with and some I don't. One thing I emphatically agree with Sean, is the last half minute in Let Down being the best Radiohead moment. 15 years on and Let Down will forever keep me listening to this band.
Kid A - 11 - the finest album ever recorded - Idioteque
Amnesiac - 10 - Pyramid Song
OK Computer - 9.5 - Lucky
In Rainbows - 9.5 - Reckoner
The King of Limbs - 9 - Give Up the Ghost
The Bends - 9 - Street Spirit (Fadeout)
Hail to the Thief - 8 - Myxomatosis
Pablo Honey - 7 - Creep
Myxomatosis
Give up The Ghost
Morning Bell (kid A)
Knives Out
House of Cards
Fake Plastic Trees
You
Pablo Honey - ??? - {have to give it a listen}
The Bends - 8/10 - {pretty good album, some of the production seems a bit dodgy} - Planet Telex
OK Computer - 9/10 {doesn't quite live up to the hype, but an outstanding album nonetheless} - Climbing Up The Walls
Kid A - 10/10 - {absolutely brilliant, emotional beyond compare except for some classical music} - can't pick a standout
Amnesiac - 8/10 {never quite understood "like spinning plates", and whenever I listen to the whole thing through I feel kind of despondent afterward} - You And Whose Army?
Hail To The Thief - 8/10 - {some dodgy material, but mostly fairly strong if not concise} - Backdrifts
In Rainbows - 9/10 - {another fantastic record but "reckoner" isn't as good as everyone says it is in my opinion} - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The King of Limbs - 8/10 - {some wonderful songs, some not-so-great, like "feral"} - Separator