Amazon.com

Oasis albums have always prompted flashbacks--Was that a Beatles melody? Is that chorus on loan from T. Rex? Wait, wasn't that a Crowded House song once? But the mouthy British group's latest really sounds like a pop artifact. Both in production and execution, Don't Believe The Truth feels like an album better suited to 1965 than 2005. From the tambourines and jangling guitars that chime in opening track "Turn Up To The Sun" to the tinny pre-hippie philosophizing of "Keep The Dream Alive," it's an album that thinks the way forward is by looking back. First single "Lyla" borrows its opening swagger from the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man," while "The Meaning of Soul" lifts the Small Faces' mod jitters wholesale. But hack through the clichéd lyrics and worn riffs and the most important element on the follow up to 2002's Heathen Chemistry remains distinctly Oasis' own: Attitude. And in such wonderful abundance, "No one could break us/ No one could take us," they sing. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (1)

BEST ALBUM SINCE WHATS THE STORY MORNING GLORY
Well... just heard it as a promo adn i must say Oasis have gone back to their roots and now have turned up with the their best album since Whats the Story Morning Glory.A def. buyand must have item for the summer and its always good to album that will be a piece of music history. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Radiohead's third album got compared to Pink Floyd a lot when it came out, and its slow 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 ... Read more

Reviews (1469)

The Best Album of the 1990s
From someone with very broad, eclectic, and rather dubious tastes, its not a small thing to name an album the Best of an entire decade. But even giving due consideration to the greats that emerged from the 1990's, there is -still- no doubt in my mind that this is the album, alright. THE BENDS hinted at good things to come, but OK COMPUTER is quite simply a tour de force that blows away all expectations.

This is a slow and deliciously textured album, every song building up a collage of eerie noises, merging without warning into schizophrenic mayhem, dancing on the dark side of the moon for a while, and suddenly being swallowed by a cascade of little blipping computer noises. The music is superbly melodic, expressive and - a wonder in modern rock - above all, new. Instead of regressing to techno cliches, Radiohead opted to build a monolithic, surrealistic masterpiece out of a cross between DJ Shadow-style cut-paste and the dreamy little licks Johnny Greenwood spins off his guitar. This is not to say OK COMPUTER is a wholly lightweight piece of work. Many of the songs still feature the deliriously loud, fuzzed riffs that were so prominent in Radiohead's earlier efforts. But the raw, energetic pieces and the slow, moody pieces don't fight each other. Instead, they stand out, each offering a foil to the preceeding. The overall effect is - dare I say? - psychedelic.

OK COMPUTER has been called a DARK SIDE OF THE MOON for the 90's. While the similarities are striking - both are landmark progressive albums for their decade, of consistent quality and staying power - Radiohead does not -sound- like Pink Floyd, per se. The kinship lies more in the attitude which frontman Thom Yorke seems to share with Roger Waters, a kind of morbid humanism that is at once romantic and cynical. Perhaps the starkest illustration of this is "Fitter Happier," a concept piece midway through the album in which a computerized voice reads a litany about the yuppie lifestyle, to a background of slow, mournful piano and an array of horror-movie sound effects. When the robot's speech is over, it segues seamlessly into "Electioneering," an anthemic rocker condemning modern politics.

As if the sheer art of this album weren't enough to impress, it's also blessedly listenable. OK COMPUTER is one of the few albums that does not become tiresome with repeated listenings, and indeed, you'll find yourself with a new favorite track every week. Quite simply, if you don't own this album, you should. Like THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON and like SGT. PEPPER'S, it is a landmark in music. When, three decades from now, another generation discovers the 1990's, this is the album future music fans will be digging up to spin.

A Tricky Task To Review
Every possible opinion in existence has been had by somebody with regards to Radiohead. Still, larger than the loyal demographic who actually purchases (and proactively listens to) their albums is the demographic which holds Radiohead with a substantial amount of respect in their minds. "They do their own thing with integrity, never sell out, and make good music."

So here's just another person's shot at objectifying one of their most "artistically accomplished" recordings. Be forewarned, there will be some - gasp - opinions...albeit educated opinions...in my opinion.

"Ok Computer", and Radiohead in general, is not prog rock. This is what's so frustrating when trying to "categorize" (all the hardcore fans can now raise their glasses)their music. Why categorize? Pigeonholing is by no means the ultimate goal, but even when developing one's own convictions about this music so he or she can encapsulize it into a review, it IS a head-scratcher that Radiohead is more or less a rock band - and you better damn well call them progressive.

But I found a way to crack the case. Think back to music 101 - the basic elements of ALL music are melody, harmony, pitch, volume, rhythm, spatial placement, - and TIMBRE (the particular characteristic of a sound that distinguishes a trombone from a clarinet). It is this latter characteristic that has been Radiohead's primary tool for shaping their music, bascially starting from this 1997 recording. From the beginning fluid line of "Airbag" to the closing strains of "The Tourist," people have been drawn to this album - and Radiohead - for the band's talents at sprinkling so much electronica over their "rock and roll" and yet maintaining a mind-boggling human emotion aesthetic. It's as if two poles that should normally resist each other somehow defy the laws of physics. Now we can start giving the album some stars.

"Let Down" and "No Surprises" are the moments when all of the stars align. These songs feature a marriage of sensitive songwriting, harmonic innovation, and stellar atmospheric paintings. Along with crafty compositions like the well known "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police",the soul from years gone by has stayed alive in rock and roll, but it is moving onward at the same time. That is what a great album SHOULD do, and the fact that most of the other songs are just as good (and the pace of the album has an uncanny flow to it) makes me start thinking "historically significant recording."

But hold on there - those that want to analyze no further and accept Radiohead as the "best band ever" are blindly still getting sucked into the mainstream of the underground. This album gets much praise for artistically forging ahead - in a time where it's either Thom Yorke or the teeny bopper bands - but there's a whole lot of music out there that deserves the fight for the 5th star much more than these guys. I would plead for you to hold back from the negativity until you really check into what I'm talking about. Porcupine Tree, OSI, and Chroma Key, as examples, all have quite a bit up on Radiohead. Those bands are REALLY good, also trying to pave new ground while never veering from what they strongly believe in. But unlike Radiohead, they also have TREMENDOUS musicianship. And I'm sorry. But if you have the sound of the future, AND you can really play, you're going to keep my attention longer. "Paranoid Android" goes off into some jamming, and there are some very intersting musical ideas in "Subterranean Homesick Alien" and "Exit Music". But all in all, if you are really hungry and are given the choice of a lonely chicken wing or an entire chicken, what in your right mind will you choose? Only problem is, you never really considered looking to eat a whole chicken. (I can see it now, 'reviewer tries to compare Radiohead to a wing'). Don't get lost in the metaphors - just know that if you think Radiohead is really that great, you've probably never even heard of Chroma Key. Probably because regardless of who you are, popularity (nomatter how big or how small) will ALWAYS be an ingredient in the music choices people make. And I'm no less guilty than anyone else.

The bottom line is, I listen to this album over and over, having to try too hard to get into it. It speaks to me, but not nearly as strongly as I'd like. It's a shame, because one whisper from Mr. Yorke can be worth a thousand piece choir. And the lyrics are SOOOO amazing. The album IS really good, but it leaves me wanting. I need more. And so do many others out there.

It's not a bad thing, but Radiohead is not prog rock. It's just with their style of music, they would be better if they were, and too many people out there are trying to unfairly blur the line (isn't it blurred enough?). There are much better musicians out there with comparable hearts and ambitions. If you look elsewhere, you don't lose a Radiohead; rather, you gain some more awareness. And if you like this album, that means that you do not consider awareness an irrelevent factor.

"Ok Computer" belongs in anyone's cd collection. Given that you're reading about Radiohead, that means there's a hell of a lot of worse things you can be doing with your time. Peace.

Genius.
This is the exception to the rule that the music on the radio from my generation sucks. This is purely wonderful music, of genius caliber. Radiohead, with each song and album that the release, will simply put you into a state of awe. This are five seriously talented musicians. Thom Yorke(lead singer) is a modern musical genius, and his other four bandmates (Colin Greenwood, Johnny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway) work together to produce a sound that no other group of musicians has ever done. Radiohead is a band that will be remembered for generations to come, and OK computer is the pinnacle of their work. Radiohead is a name that will be remembered along with the likes of The Beatles and Pink Floyd.

THE BEST RADIOHEAD ALBUM EVER
When one is looking for an album to satify all tastes of the tounge, OK Computer delivers, and with style. This album is haunting and yet beatiful when the graceful chords of No Suprises or Exit Music (For a Film) fill one's ears. But then blasts out a pure rock song such as Electioneering (which in a way does not have the same lyrics as a regular rock song). Then there is obviously the fear and depression of looking into the mind of a mental patient in Climing up the Walls (Thom got the idea for this one by working in a mental instiution). And of course who could forget the song that takes this whole album and encapsulates it in a 6 minute epic by the name of Paraniod Android.
Yes, this may be the best album of the '90s, and I believe that it is just the begining of the praise this album will receive.

OK....They have been plugged straight into the mains
Radiohead have always created complex and exciting rock. OK Computer now defining the laws of rock and roll and giving us more complex melodies and structures. This is very fitting for Radiohead because they have always tried to push their songs just that little bit further. Its very different from Pablo Honey and The Bends.
'Ok Computer' is packed with beautiful and melodic songs. Thom expressed himself that he tried to be a different person on every track, it shows. For example, the tortured torment he portrays on 'Climbing up the walls' is very different to the lulling 'No Surprises' - an instant classic.
The whole album is very varied in styles but not in quality, as all tracks stand out as strong and intricate 'art-rock'. Any one of them could have been a single.

1) Airbag - Brilliant introduction into the album, the song that reveals the wonderful way in which 'an airbag saved my life'. Very strong and some brilliant phasering effects.

2) Paranoid Android - The best song i have heard for some time now. Radiohead melt art-rock, solemn acoustics and hard rock, all into 6 and a half minutes of pure genius. Definitely one of the best songs ever written.

3) Subterranean Homesick Alien - One of my favourite tracks on the album. A mixture of calming rhodes piano with mystifying guitar effects to give you the feeling you have really been abducted by aliens.

4) Exit Music (For a film) - This song is played at the end credits of the film 'Romeo and Juliet'. Beautiful, almost baroque style. Strong, with haunting keyboard effects and a strong pulse until the end.

5) Let Down - A soft and wonderful mellow piece with the mention of squashing bugs and transport. Beautiful.

6) Karma Police - The trade mark 'the karma police will get you' track. A very Radiohead-like song. Brilliant hook-line, 'this is what you get, when you mess with us'.

7) Fitter Happier - A joke track Thom did on a Mac. Features the Macs monotone voice explaining a better way of life. Very funny.

8) Electioneering - Powerful political rock, a raging riff with furious guitars. One to play full blast!

9) Climbing up the Walls - Somewhat gothic and tortured as Thom's voice is distorted, which to me fits the song superbly. Strong yet elegant piece which includes some of Jonny's radio tuning at the beginning.

10) No Surprises - Swaying and lulling track, beautiful in every way. 'No alarms and no surprises please'

11) Lucky - Superb rock track with brilliant rhythmic guitar and a great riff by Jonny. Another of their classic songs.

12) The Tourist - Written by Jonny. A very slow tempo song with a beautiful melodic feel, almost the same feel you get from listening to No Surprises. Thom's vocals are persistent and continuously gorgeous.

THIS ALBUM IS A MUST FOR ANY MUSIC FAN. IF YOU ARE A RADIOHEAD FAN, YOU MUST OWN THIS ALBUM, THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE IT YOU HAVE THE LISTEN TO IT YOURSELF. 10/10 ... Read more

Amazon.com

While Radiohead saw its stock rising in 1994, it wasn't until 1995's The Bends that it really became a blue chip band. And for good reason. The quintet honed its talent for bombastic Brit Rock, yet still preserved an edge of unpredictability. Even singles like the title track didn't give in to the kind of swooning guitar clichés usually embraced by commercial radio. If the CD proved anything, it was that Radiohead could find solid ground between pop experimentation and the tradition of born-in-the-bone, balls-out rock. --Nick Heil ... Read more

Reviews (432)

Good Music and the Misery of Radiohead
One of the better songs on this album is the very first one, "Planet Telex." It begins with a cold electronic wind sweeping in, then vibrating pianos that few bands would attempt. It turns out "Planet Telex" is dry, heavily layered, somewhat mysterious, very melodic, and overall, quite depressing, with lyrics like "everything is broken" at the chorus. Though "Planet Telex" may not dish out inspiration by the bucketload, it does make for thoughtful, reflective music, indispensible in my own cd collection. Welcome to the world of Radiohead, welcome to the "The Bends."

"The Bends" the song somewhat contradicts the icy opener, sounding nearly classic rock, less robotic, and giving these guys some needed humanity. The two released songs, "High and Dry" and the hopeless "Fake Plastic Trees" begin the cycle of hard and soft songs throughout the album. The high energy "Bones" gets things moving again in a HUGE way. If you haven't heard this massive Radiohead tune, don't let it pass you by. Listen for Thom Yorke hitting the high notes at the chorus and the grinding riff that completely rocks out. "Bones," along with "Planet Telex," are practically worth the price of the cd alone. But there's much more on "The Bends," of course. "My Iron Lung" floats by on a high pitched guitar lick that sounds half sick and anemic compared to the rip-roaring portion of the song that later kicks in. That's a definite technique with these guys on this album. In a different style than Nirvana, Radiohead love to begin quiet and lulling, only to tear things apart later on in the songs. You could call them an electronic Nirvana or aspiring Smashing Pumpkins, though many would call them much better than the Pumpkins.

The last four or five songs definitely bear mentioning, due to their subtle, melodious effects. "Bullet Proof" is a slow and nice sounding song with delicate, behind-the-scenes guitars. "Black Star" follows, fading in with guitars of the same variety, but picking up sonically in a big way; it turns out to be one of the highlights of the entire album. Luckily, Radiohead refuse to rest on their laurels as the album winds down. "Sulk" keeps up the work of the great chiming guitars, nearly like bells ringing to announce the near end of the record. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" ends "The Bends" on a predictably sour, strange note, with those same tickling guitars.

Though "The Bends" is music for the masses, Thom Yorke's high-pitched voice may not please everybody. Indisputably, however, the music is ultra-catchy and enjoyable, if not hugely downtrodden in parts, especially lyrically. Overall, this is just a well put together album which rocks when it needs to, slows down at precisely the right moments, and places the background and foreground distortion in all the apt places. It's only a little puzzling why Radiohead didn't release some of the more dynamic tunes on this record. This is both easy listening - due to all the hooks in every song - and difficult, due to the depressing aura that infiltrates everywhere. Either way, Radiohead put a lot of effort into this record, finding a way to hold listeners rapt all the way through.

my baby's got the bends
If you're chronically depressed and would like to stay that way, this could be the album for you. For whatever reason, the mood is extremely sullen this time around, and there is not an uplifting song anywhere. But it doesn't matter, because all of the songs are consistently good! That seems to be rare these days, where you buy an album and it turns out that the three hit singles were all it had going for it. Believe the hype: Radiohead probably is the best thing to happen to rock music in the '90s.

"High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees" are slow-moving and depressed, but the mope-rock shtick never gets mushy, and there are some songs that rely on sudden dynamics changes to keep the energy going ("Just," "Bones"). Singer Thom Yorke has become one of my favorite male vocalists, the way he can sound desperate and pleading, then incredibly angry, and his voice stays so beautiful. The rest of the band is rather understated, but they're great, not to mention gritty and experimental. They've got a really amazing grip on dynamics, their sophisticated chord progressions make the catchy tunes durable, and their artistic integrity is almost unsurpassed. No snotty superstar whining about these guys!

In my eyes, Radiohead and their two best albums, The Bends and OK Computer, are a very good reason to hold out any hope for rock music in the coming few years.

Modern Rock Masterpiece!
Radiohead truly prove themselves to be masters of their craft and thoroughly proficient musicians with this release. They do an extremely effective job of creating a sort of mental/emotionally melancholy mood that lasts throughout the album. The highly effective tone of this album is especially personified by the songs 'Fake Plastic Trees' and 'Street Spirit'. These songs have a very melancholy feel to them, yet the album does not feel heavy at all in its texture. Radiohead somehow manages to make truly melancholy songs that feel really light. Basically, listening to this album is a highly impressive intense cerebral experience. The band keeps things thoughtful, creative, and fresh all throughout. One technique that they use to do this is to basically incorporate several stark changes into several songs all while keeping the overall feel of the song consistent. I was turned onto this album around six months ago and I've really grown to respect and appreciate Radiohead as a group since then. I've heard all of their albums after this one and this one is definitely the least experimental, but that also makes it the most accessible to those who are new to the group. This album and "O.K. Computer" are both amazing modern rock masterpieces, but I feel that "O.K. Computer" is slightly greater, even though this is the album that I listen to most often. They are both two of the greatest and most intricate rock albums to be released in the past fifteen years. This is truly thoughtful and intelligent music here that works well as a whole and complete concept from beginning to end, and I encourage you all to take a listen.

Just Beautiful!
I know it's a shame that I just bought this album almost a decade after it came out, but fortunately I did buy it. I can't really say that I am a true Radiohead fan since I don't have all their albums and am fairly ignorant when it comes to their songs, but The Bends is truly a beautiful piece of work. I rarely listen to CDs from beginning to end, but this one is a rare exception. I can actually listen to the whole CD and not be bored with certain songs.The album is filled with absolutely fantastic music and very profound messages.
I must say that I am having a difficult time believing that many people state that O.K. computer is better than The Bends. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe O.K. computer is better, but it will require me to listen to that album for long periods of time before it can, in my humble opinion, equal the beauty and complexity of The Bends.

Radiohead's Best ???
Well... if you haven't heard Ok Computer (shame on you), this would easily be considered their best. But then, ok, so "Ok" probably is their best work, but The Bends is an amazing work on its own. If you like any of Radohead's other albums you will like this one. Undoubtably. No question. Just an amazing album. Nuff Said. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This big rock candy mountain of an album justifies some if by no means all of the poses and pretentious statements made by Manchester's natural-born rock & roll deities. A dramatic attempt to rekindle the flames of the original British Invasion, Morning Glory rolls 30 years of Britpop tradition into one irresistible (if achingly self-conscious) whole. "Wonderwall" can be read as a Beatles tribute, "Don't Look Back in Anger" feels like a Mott The Hoople anthem and "She's Electric" and "Morning Glory" are chewy pop confections.--Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Reviews (321)

Rock n Roll for the 90's
I don't buy into the hype and put on labels that are so common in today's music. I had heard about this upcoming band back in 94 and was a bit intrigued. When Morning Story came out and Wonderwall was the big single, I started to like what I hear, but Champagne Supernova was the clincher for me.

Spearheaded by Noel and Liam Gallager, Oasis has been hailed as the new Beatles etc etc. That I certainly don't buy, but they are certainly influenced by the Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones. Morning Glory is simply a great melodic Rock N Roll album, and one of the best albums of the 90's. After enduring the depressing era of grunge and cheezy pop songs, Oasis is a real breath of fresh air.

The guitars are forceful and loud yet retaining melodic hooks, Liam's vocals have the right mix of attitude and sincerity. Alan White is a terrific drummer. Paul McGuigan & Paul Arthurs fill out the band nicely, albeit they're no longer in Oasis now.

Standout songs include Hello, Roll With It, Wonderwall, Cast No Shadow, Morning Glory and Champagne Supernova. Put aside the mindless hype, and if you're looking for Rock music with a real sense of melody and respect for the classics then Oasis is among the best of today.

The Definitve 90's Release
When the dust finally settles, and we're all able to objectively look back at the 90's, I believe that "(What's the Story) Morning Glory" will emerge as the decade's best known and, arguably, greatest CD. Why? Because songs like "Wonderwall", "Don't Look Back in Anger", "Cast No Shadow" and "Champagne Supernova" are among the best-written and most memorable tunes of the '90's. And perhaps more importantly, with this album, Oasis nearly single-handedly saved the dying genre of classic rock-n-roll. Oh sure, they had a little help from their friends (oops...enemies) Blur, but Oasis, at least here in the United States, emerged as the World's Greatest Rock-n- Roll Band.

In 1995, US airwaves were suffocating from lethal doses of Grunge, tuneless Alternative and Gangsta Rap. Then, late in the year, something wonderful happened-- another British Invasion!! Suddenly, airwaves rang with the friendly British accents of Oasis, Blur, Cast and Pulp who, unlike their Grunge/Alternative counterparts, could actually sing and play their instruments well. More importantly, these guys wrote killer songs with unforgetable hooks. In an eerie coincidence, at the very same time, yet another wave of Beatlemania swept America in wake of the Anthology TV series and the single "Free as a Bird". Seemingly every Fall issue of every music magazine featured the Fab Four on its cover. Inevitably, those same magazines all ran the obligatory story touting Oasis, Blur, etc. as heir-aparents to the Beatles throne. Of course, no one dethroned the Beatles, but what did happen was that "Morning Glory" dominated US radio like no album had in recent years. You couldn't go anywhere in Fall 1995 without hearing Liam's wonderfully nasal drone on mega hits "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova".

Oasis' songs are straight out of the classic British Rock mold. While Liam and Noel always cite the Beatles as influence numero uno, one can easily hear echoes of Mott the Hoople, the Stones and T-Rex. Oasis isn't afraid to make their influences obvious. "Wonderwall", the album's most grandiose and arguably best song, is the title of George Harrison's first solo album. The haunting "Don't Look Back in Anger" opens with a piano bit which is eerily reminiscent of John Lennon's "Imagine". The intro of the bouncy "She's Electric" unashamedly quotes the Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic". (The catchiest song on the CD, "She's Electric" should've been released as a single.) While many have criticized Oasis for borrowing from classic songs, I believe they, more than any other band, understand the importance of preserving the artform of pure rock-n-roll. Oasis is not attempting to break new ground. They are merely carrying on in the tradition of their rockin' forefathers. On "Morning Glory" Oasis nailed it perfectly. The songs are a tuneful marriage of styles both old and new-- a style which emerges, ironically, as Oasis' own. I doubt that Oasis will ever top "Morning Glory". That's not a putdown, it's merely confirmation of this album's greatness. Very few bands have ever released a bonafide classic which will live on eternally. When all is said and done, "Morning Glory" will earn its proper resting place among the likes of "Revolver", "Pet Sounds", "Who's Next", "What's Goin' On", "Parklife" and a select few others residing in the rarified air of Rock's Kingdom.

Hopeless
It is hopeless to keep searching for a good song by Oasis. I have to announce that I'm tired of listening to the same bad-fake-beatlelike-sound. I do not recommend this cd to anyone. Looking for good rock of the 90's, listen to Pearl Jam, Alice, Pilots and Peppers. More soft stuff listen to REM and Hottie

One of the best albums ever.
All you need to do is listen to this album and realise how great it is.
Its sheer brilliance, it also shows that rock can have proper tune while making a loud noise also.
While Oasis for a while lost it a bit with their two following albums, many songs off Heathen Chemistry (their 5th album) prove that they have still got what it takes, and without question Oasis WILL return to form and blow away all this rubbish music thats cluttering up the place.

Tasty Britpop
Despite Oasis' big claim to be a much better band than The Beatles (lead singer Liam Gallagher even went as far to verbally attack George Harrison in an interview), as well as proclaiming to be the best band in the world, they have made some excellent, tasty music that's hard not to love. If you can ignore most of the embarrassing (and often laugh-out-loud hilarious) behavior attached to the band's mystique, you may just enjoy their music, too.

_(What's The Story) Morning Glory?_ is a non-stop train of tasty, ear-pleasing rock candy, with that, add in a little bit of swaggering attitude, and you have Oasis' niche. Songwriter (and sometimes, singer) Noel Gallagher has an excellent ear for melody.. even if most of his musings seem to be, more or less, stolen from The Beatles and their British Invasion contemporaries. If you're a music lover who is lamenting the lack of Britpop/British Invasion spin-offs in the popular music pantheon these days, or if you just want some loud, good-old fashioned rock n' roll, look into this album, and some of Oasis' other offerings. That's basically it for this review. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Most modern Hollywood films have musical "temp tracks" laid in as they're edited, usually classical standards or music from other soundtracks that helps shape the dramatic and emotional intentions of works in progress. Sometimes these temp tracks become the score (as in "2001"), but more often they serve as a template for the film's eventual scorer. That said, we'll boldly climb out on a limb and opine that director Ridley Scott was listening to a whole lot of Holst's The Planets as he was cobbling together his modern gladiator epic. Credit Hans Zimmer for taking "Mars, the Bringer of War" and hammering its familiar harmonic and rhythmic Sturm und Drang into something serviceably fresh; cohort Lisa Gerrard generally handles the more ethereal, atmospheric passages. As epic in scope as its thematic inspiration (and with enough occasional nods to "authenticity" to make it work), this is nonetheless a work of often surprising nuances, and one that recasts the traditional heroic orchestral score in deliciously dark and ominous tones. Warning: repeated listening may inspire the invasion of neighboring countries. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (334)

How could you not love this soundtrack?
I'm actually listening to the Gladiator soundtrack as I write this review. From beginning to end, this work satisfies completely. You don't need to watch the movie to be able to enjoy the soundtrack, and that speaks volumes to the talent of Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, who have managed to create a work that not only compliments the scenes of the Oscar winning movie, but stands on its own legs. (It's actually one of the very few times in recent history that I happened to agree with the philistines at the Academy)

The two longest cues at roughly 10 and 10 1/2 minutes, #3 "The Battle" and #13 "Barbarian Horde" are chest thumping triumphs that are monumentally powerful. They combine a mix of strings and horns that reminds me of "Mars, bringer of War" from Holst's "The Planets", but, mixed with the subtle background of the synthesizer, creates an entirely different effect that is just amazing. 8 1/2 minutes into "The Battle", Hans segues into the melodic strings accompanied by Lisa's beautiful voice, which sets up for #4 "Earth" and #5 "Sorrow" which are probably my favorite cues on the whole soundtrack. Combined, they're only a mere 4 1/2 minutes long, yet they manage to (softly) speak more to me than many pieces have done in an entire hour. So beautifully set within the goings on of the movie, they set the mood perfectly when Maximus arrives home.

The next cue, #6 "To Zucchabar" is ethereal and strange, and speaks of distant and foreign lands. Other pieces, notably #9 "The might of Rome, and 10 "Strength and honor" are incredible. There's not a wasted note in this soundtrack. The last three compositions, #15 "Elysium", #16 "Honor him", and #17 "Now we are free" all work together to complete the exhausting emotional rollercoaster ride that is "Gladiator". Obviously, I cannot say enough about this piece of work. I loved it as much as I loved the movie. Both are among my favorites of all time.

One of the few bright spots in current film music
Each year, the number of quality orchestral soundtracks diminishes, and the soundtrack to Gladiator is so far the only excellent work in this genre I've heard this year. Lisa Gerrard receives co-credit with Zimmer, but her material on the album is only a fraction of the whole. Still, her work provides a memorable, spiritual depth to this fascinating musical journey, and it contrasts perfectly with Zimmer's music, which switches between robust glory, ethnic flavored themes, and violent pounding action rhythms. (I agree with the Amazon reviewer, "Mars the Bringer of War" must have been the temp music for the battle scenes.)

The album makes for a unified experience, especially with most of tracks blending into the following track. The two ten minute action tracks (Battle; Barbarian Horde) are exhilirating and incredibly suspenseful as they build up to their frenzy. The last three tracks provide a moving coda where Gerrard and Zimmer weave in and out of each other to send our hero to his final reward.

A worthwhile dramatic listening experience, even if you haven't seen the film (and you should).

Great soundtrack
I think that this is one of only a handful of soundtracks that should appeal to just about everybody whether or not they liked the movie. I didn't particularly care for the film myself, but I love the soundtrack. This score is reminiscent of other Zimmer works like the Rock and Crimson Tide in parts, but possesses a powerful emotional underpinning. I would recommend this soundtrack highly, along with Badelt's Pirates of the Caribbean which is also excellent although perhaps less reflective and more action oriented.

Seamlessly Entrancing
Of all my favorite classical soundtracks from the movies - Zimmer's & Garrard's Gladiator disk is hands-down my all-time favorite. More epic in scope that William's Jurassic Park and more hypnotic than Mansell's Requiem for a Dream. For me this is the epitome of modern movie/classical music that I can sink into while allowing my mind to fantasize.

I learned of this disk while visiting a handful of high quality/elite audio stores a few years back, many of which by default used this soundtrack as a showcase to demonstrate the range, depth, clarity and overall quality of their high-end sound systems & speakers.

As an audio connoisseur of the classical genera I was blown away by the quality and dynamics of this compilation. Yet, even on the mediocre system I have, the dynamics, range of emotion & character this album exhibits are sublime - this IS a model showcase soundtrack. It's kind of like an educational amusement park ride in the Roman Era in my eyes - full of adrenaline, hype, tragedy, love and entertainment and war - yet amazingly, not cheesy in the slightest.

I learned of this album well before seeing the movie, and in fact - after seeing Gladiator the movie, I was disappointed that it did not deliver what my imagination could while listening and focusing on this soundtrack.

From dramatic orchestral movements to soft and emotional sounds of drama and tension and beyond, the music of this album tells a complex story which does not require pictures to illustrate. Let your imagination be the canvas and paint while listening to this story.

The vast range of emotions and sounds are nothing short of miraculous given how well this album seamlessly blends together such a wide variety of distinct emotions and even hype that are tied together within each musical aspect or 'feel' of this epic.

Music can tell a story, this is true - we agree on this I'm sure. This entire album is a fluent story with an abundance of emotions, which have the possibility to become very entrancing when listened to in full.

This is not an album where you listen to a track here and there (if you do this and judge this CD on a track or two you are seriously short-changing this work - don't make that mistake). Listen to this work of art all the way through then you can understand what makes it so full of life and so unique.

Listen all the way through; this is one soundtrack I can say without doubt - it is far better than the movie. But you'll never know it unless you listen to just the soundtrack by itself.

The Greatest Motion Picture Soundtrack
This is definately one of the best scores to any movie I have ever heard. It absolutely never gets old or tiring. Hans Zimmer is a real master at this, and I love this album. Go buy it, you won't regret it. ... Read more

Album Details

Oasis Return with the First Single from their Long Awaited Album ‘don't Believe the Truth'. As Noel Gallahger Says, the Sound Approximates "The Soundtrack of Our Lives Doing the who on Skol in a Psychedelic City in the Sky (Or Something!)". 'lyla' is Backed by Two Non Album Tracks: 'eyeball Tickler' and 'won't Let You Down'. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Great song but haven't I heard this same bashing before!
The more I listen to this song the more I like it. The b-sides are excellent and remind me of Oasis 1994. I don't understand why people want to constantly bash Oasis for ripping off riffs from other bands. Led Zeppelin, arguably the greatest rock band of all time, constantly ripped off riffs from Robert Johnson, example "Whole Lotta Love." This practice has been going on for the last forty years. The bottom line is that this is a good song.

lyla lyla lyla
ok..... although the song "lyla" has the feeling of street fighting man.... it is quite good, one of my oasis fav by now.

and the true reason to buy this single are the b-sides, wich are very good

eyeball tickler is a simple but amazing rock songs

wont let you down, after a few listenings you will love it: simple and direct lyrics and good sound... love it

oasis never left us, so i cant say its their return.... but
GREAT SINGLE, this songs blew my out my mind

HEYYYY LYLA!!!
I'm loving it! What a great single. The b sides go extremely well with it.

Don't listen to apple pie and tea
I bought the single 2 days ago and its great! I already heard the whole album and I think it's their best since WTSMG. The boys never left us, they've always been where they are now.

MMMAD FER IT!!!

Their worst song ever! If not the worst song ever!
What ever happened to Oasis.
While some say they lost it, what did they lose?
Maybe they lost the songs that made Definitley Maybe and Whats the story morning glory so huge and, madethem such a huge band when they first came out.

Adn following that were three albums between 1997 and 2002.
Be Here Now, Standing On the Shoulder of giants and Heathen Chemistry (which featured some nice come backs) were slated as being huge dissapointments, while I'm sure many sensible people could quite clearly see they were brilliant in a musical sense and although the songs did'nt match up to "Wonderwall" "Don't Look Back In Anger" in the like, they were all great albums.
Although Heathen Chemistry was a bit bland and over produced at times. It consisted of some of the first Oasis classic songs in a long time "The Hindu Times" "Little By Little" and "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" and the should of been single "Born on a different cloud".

If you have'nt heard "Don't Beleive the truth" your lucky because its awful.
Never before have Oasis sounded so washed up and fake, sounding like an album thats meant to be thrown straight into the charts and thrown out again in a few weeks.

Oasis originally planning to record an album with "Death in vegas" producers. It was an album meant to be full of rockers with no ballads. The recording sessions did'nt work out though, and were scrapped - "god" only knows why! Probably cause it was sounding like "real" music. Instead they went ot LA to record a pop, beatles sounding fancy old and unmodern record with a sh*t album cover.

A huge dissapointment. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

How is it that Kid A's opening track, laden with an electronic vocal stuttering "bleh, bluh-bleh bleh bluh" is the most fascinating statement made in rock & roll this year? Because somehow, even when Radiohead blathers and blips nonsense, it's profound. The band's future-perfect musical grammar may be hard to decipher, and the melody is even more subliminal, but the journey traveled with Radiohead reveals them to be not only rock music's greatest adventurers in 2000, but teachers as well.--Beth Massa ... Read more

Reviews (1878)

About 10 years behind the times...
I'll start off by saying that 'Kid A' is a good album. It is interesting enough to keep me from getting too bored. However, this music is not "groundbreaking". In fact, it's very derivitive. This is nothing that Tricky, Massive Attack, Bjork, PJ Harvey, (the list goes ON and ON....) weren't doing 10 years ago. I think that it is great that Radiohead are expanding their horizons, but to ditch the very elements that make them great in an attempt to become something they "would like to be" isn't going to cut it. (It's kind of like when Eric Clapton tried his hand at Reggae--Yeah, it sounded OK, but couldn't hold a candle to Bob Marley) It's obvious that Radiohead are big fans of the bands I listed previously. That's fine. But, 'Kid A' is basically a watered down Tricky album. Radiohead is an excellent rock band that has the ability to assimilate electronica into their brilliant songwriting. However, in this album, they have abandoned their brilliant songwriting in favor of becoming something that they just can't do as well as the real genre innovators. Do yourself a favor and listen to Tricky's 'Pre-Millenium Tension' or 'Maxinquaye', or even Massive Attack's 'Blue Lines' (Released in 1990, but still far more groundbreaking than Kid A. Kind of shows you that Radiohead are a little late jumping on the boat with this stuff) 'OK Computer' was great because it was Radiohead being "Radiohead influenced by electronica". 'Kid A' is Radiohead "wishing desperately that they were a trip-hop group because they are huge fans of the genre and thought they would give it a try." 'Kid A' is good, but not all that memorable. Definitely not a cornerstone in the history of rock, and DEFINITELY not original or groundbreaking. People who think it is groundbreaking only do so because they are fans of rock that have never been exposed to Tricky, Bjork, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, Portishead, yada yada yada. The media needs to get out of bed with this group. By kissing their a$$es all the time, it is not inspiring them to be great. I have a feeling that if Thom Yorke took a Pi$$, recorded it, threw in a drum beat, with some violin-synth swelling, the press would say that it was the most inventive thing ever recorded. This is sad, because until this love affair is over, Radiohead will continue to spin it's wheels.

This will be considered to be their Magnum Opus in 10 years
After rejecting conventional pop song structure and seeking refuge in the detached sonic textures of ambient/electronic music, David Bowie confounded the general listening public while receiving a great deal of critical acclaim for his adventurousness. The result? Record sales plummeted. Bowie was dropped from his label and began making conventional, run-of-the-mill pop records for the entirety of the 1980s. Twenty years later, Bowie's most experimental albums are considered the work of pure musical genious while his stadium filling 80s work has been labeled "sell out'. Much like their influential musical godfather, Radiohead is yearning to grow. The Bends was fantastic, OK Computer was the seminal Rock opera bombast akin to early 70s Concept/Prog Rock. Although these albums were far from conventional alternative fair, they contained enough catchy hooks to impress the most cyncial of critics to the average brooding 20 year old. If one listens carefully to their first three full length albums, the content of KID A is not incredibly shocking. Although rather guitar-driven, the songs on OK are layered with swirling high-tech noises and songs move from a whispering lull to an ecstatic climax to a brooding dirge within the course of minutes. Yorke's vocals have never been completely coherent, yet the haunting power of his vocals is indisputable. Therefore,his decision to use his voice as a sort of instrument on several tracks is certainly not a total misuse of his talent. In short, Radiohead has created a beautiful sounding little record with moments of icy chilliness while retaining certain elements of their pop sensibility. It requires several intense listens and is by far their most aurally demanding work. Not for the casual rock fan. Unlike many reviewers that have posted, I am of the belief that this record does make a great deal of sense and I am excited to see what musical direction they will take next. In the spirit of the Beatles, Bowie and Roxy Music they have taken more than one risk and have, once again, created great art. 4 stars.

music for sheep who don't want to be sheep
Pointless, redundant, possibly the worst form of per capita matter that has ever taken up space on this earth. I was not a huge fan of OK Computer, but I liked it. I felt the same about the bends. But this album is just plain trash. How is it getting five star reviews you ask? I will tell you. The people who are giving this album five stars are people who call themselves "anti-corporate," hiding behind such facades as "if you like Kid A don't listen to Britany Spears" or "not for people who listen to corporate radio" or "this is a very deep and emotional album." To the contrary, I hate Britany Spears, I don't listen to the radio, and I can say this is not a deep emotional album. This is pure unadulterated crap. It is deep for the sake of being deep, and with this ideology comes the making of shallow people listening to "deep" music, or is "deep" people listening to shallow music? Either way, the record is crap. You think it's groundbreaking? The ground has been broken by bands like Rush and Sigur Ros. Why do overrated bands get to produce crap like this and sell millions of copies? Because the sheepish people who don't consider themselves sheep because they listen to "abstract" music buy it in order to get their "anti-normal points." Who keeps count anyway?

Anyone who actually has a sense of what it is to listen to music for the actual enjoyment of it should stay as far away from this album as possible.

my favorite
I'm not going to say that Kid A is the best radiohead cd, but it's my favorite. I decided this while I listened to it in its uninterrupted glory during a two hour late night walk through suburbia with my dog. It is an experience; this album and Amnesiac are the ones you have to hear all the way through in one go because it's hard to appreciate most of the tracks by themselves, because they don't really make sense in small pieces. If someone played you treefingers or in limbo by itself you might not remember what they sounded like afterwards at all.
But it's hard to describe the experience. Everything in its Right Place is probably my favorite radiohead song ever. It defines the mood. Verse chorus verse does not exist starting now; Thom Yorke will mumble into his vocoder or whatever and then repeat short lines over and over in the songs where you can understand him (besides national anthem and morning bell). The acoustic songs like national anthem, optimistic and limbo are kind of uneventful because they really just float in the air for a while. Kid A and Treefingers are little more than atmosphere pieces, and Idioteque is an atmosphere piece with an unexpected club beat. Morning Bell, possibly the only "real" song on the cd, is kind of quietly intense, even more intense than the screaming horns and raging bassline in national anthem. And just when you thought it was all over, Motion Picture Soundtrack confuses you beyond all rational limits (there are even harps and a long long silence in the middle) and does something indescribable to your soul if you're really immersed in the music. It probably makes more sense under the influence of illegal chemical substances, so i've heard, but it takes a lot of patience and almost no expectations to have the love for this music that I have.
But to clear things up this is NOT A ROCK ALBUM by any stretch of the imagination. There are NO HOOKS and NO SINGLES or anything. It is about as abtruse and intentionally inscrutable as anything radiohead has done up to this point, so tread carefully.

Brave New World
I can't help but think of a term thrown around in the seventies when I hear Kid A: Future Shock. The idea was that modern technology was transforming our society at such speed that the world one was born into would bear little resemblance to the one of his/her adulthood. While "OK Computer" outwardly attacked the homogenization of modern society, "Kid A" works its way inside-out from the belly of the beast; here, Radiohead captures the language of isolation, and expresses the apathy, the ennui, and, finally, the repressed violence of a lost generation.
"Kid A" is set in a very different context from "OK Computer," embracing keyboard sounds, filters, computer processing: this furthers the overall metaphor by placing more distance between the listener and the artist. "Soundscape" is a term thrown around when people refer to this CD. The songs are set into large, open musical spaces that give a drifting feeling to all the songs; this effect is brought foward in the instrumental "Treefingers" as a strong expression of helplessness.
"Treefingers" is a bridge between "Kid A's" primary section, which is more contemplative and complacent, and the secondary, dealing more with anger and violence aimlessly escaping into its evironment of complacency. "How to Dissapear Completely's" refrain "I'm not here, this isn't happening" is a disassociation from the world and from one's self. It's mirror image, "Idiotecque" rebels against this in its warning "We're not scaremongering, this is really happening;" the voice now looks with fear and hatred.
What begins in the lines of "Everything in its right place/yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon" (ie a good, organized life in which one feels a nagging sense of incompletion) later comes to terms in Morning Bell: "You can keep the furniture, A bump on the head...Where'd you park the car? Clothes are on the lawn..." A divorce scenario ("Cut the kids in half") describes the breakdown of and breakaway from modern institutions and societal pressures.
This might seem ridiculously analytical, but Kid A is that kind of CD. As "Everything..." concludes "There are two colors in my head:" the noise of modern society, of modern living, fills our minds all the time, and is often at odds with itself. Radiohead attempts to come to terms with this dichotomy, or, perhaps, decides, "I think you're crazy, maybe..." ... Read more

Reviews (900)

To Hear Them Is To Love Them
Radiohead are one of the few bands alive today who have proven themselves to be true musical artists in every sense of the word, and their brilliant new album "Hail To The Thief" more than cements that fact. Here are moments of stark beauty, dark despair, all driven by the bands' masterful insturmentation and Thom Yorke's emotionally powerful voice. I am so glad to see this wonderful band evolve to where they are today, recieving the acclaim and praise they so richly deserve. Real stand out tracks for me are "Sail To The Moon", the semi-folksy "Go To Sleep", the crunchy in-your-face "Myxomatosis", "Sit down. Stand up", the dreamy "A Wolf at the Door"...the whole album is fantastic from start to finish, and you'll want to hit "repeat" once it has played through the first time in its entirety..it's THAT excellent!! Radiohead's newest masterpiece is NOT to be missed and is a definite addition to my list of best cds of 2003...with this stunning new collection of songs, Thom and the boys have nowhere left to go but up~and towards an ever brighter future.

they got their energy back
There is a point as a musician where you stop experimenting with new things and do what you know how to do as well as you can possibly do it. Radiohead is a mature band now, and I would compare this album's mood to the Bends more than anything after that because it takes what has already been done and just squeezes all the possibilities out into what may be their most finely tuned album yet. They are using thier minor failures of the past to make sure there are no missteps here; in other words, structurally, this album pretends Kid A and Amnesiac never happened. The electronic aspect has not been discarded, however, but even in the IDM tracks, Thom Yorke says more than he's said since OK Computer. I think his lyrics are better than they've ever been, and the musical aspect of the songwriting is in top form as well. The key is that, even though the thematic and political element of this album is like OK Computer, each track is in perfect balance with itself, just like the Bends, but this time there is so much more to work with.
2+2=5 is sure to become another of their classic openers, going from a melancholy 7/4 lament to a screaming frustrated rock song that keeps changing. Sit Down Stand Up is hypnotic and unusual, and the rest of the album is dynamite, never repeating itself (like Kid A and Amnesiac did), and having emotions that range from quiet ballads (I Will, Sail to the Moon) to unexpected and very loud techno bits (Myxomatosis). The atmosphere is impeccable on tracks like We Suck Young Blood and perfectly ironic on songs like A Wolf at the Door. I cannot repeat that whether you like every song or not, there is little you could do to improve on any aspect of any of them. No matter when you started listening to radiohead, or whether you never started, this may be their finest work.

Great Album
While I can't say this is my favorite Radiohead album, I give it 5 stars because it's still better than 90% of everything else.

2+2=5 - Starts slow then explodes into a defiant/paranoid rock song. Great opener for the album. (9/10)

Sit Down, Stand up - One of my favorites. It's got that distinct Radiohead haunting/gloomy feeling that you either love or hate. I love it. I also like the song drastically changes about halfway through. (10/10)

Sail to the Moon - Pretty solid song. It's a little slow, but very pretty. The lyrics are nicely done as well. (9/10)

Backdrifts - Atmospheric, but not as strong as the other opening tracks. (8/10)

Go To Sleep - I have no idea what this song is doing on this album. It completely disrupts the flow set by the first four tracks and doesn't seem like it fits anywhere else either. In addition to that, it sounds like a rock song any other band might make. Or maybe something that might have appeared on Pablo Honey or The Bends. Not what I've come to expect from Radiohead. (4/10)

Where I End And You Begin - I've only listened to this one a few times, but I can't bring myself to like it as much as some of the other tracks. The lyrics are hard to make out and the sound isn't particularly great either. (6/10)

We Suck Young Blood - Another one of my favorites. Seems slow and boring at first, but once you adjust to it you can appreciate its musical genius. It's also a little creepy, so it fits in well here. (10/10)

The Gloaming - Not quite on par with Sit Down Stand Up or We Suck Young Blood, but good nonetheless. Sounds kind of techno-ish. (9/10)

There There - It's ok. Nothing special. (7/10)

I Will - Short, but powerful. Has some touching vocal harmonies and great lyrics. (10/10)

A Punchup At A Wedding - I really can't decide if I like this one. I can't figure out how it connects to the rest of the album. (7/10)

Myxomatosis - Another favorite of mine, mostly due to the lyrics. Nice sound too. (10/10)

Scatterbrain - Eh. This is my least favorite song on the album, aside from Go To Sleep. It just sounds...ugly. (5/10)

A Wolf at the Door - I don't understand why this one is so well-liked. Maybe after a few more listens I'll like it more, but at the moment I don't see what all the fuss is about. (7/10)

My ratings might look kind of low for an album that I gave five stars. It's just because I'm hard to please, and I also hold Radiohead to a higher standard. Trust me, this album is well worth your money.

Excellent!!
I have always enjoyed any album from Radiohead, but by far this is my favorite so far. Can be "gloomy", but I love a good gloomy album. The albums flows well, excellently blended along with great lyrics. I find that I could listen to this over and over again. If I had to cut my CD collection this would be a CD that would make it high on the list.

I sat in the cupboard and wrote it down in neat...
The latest Radiohead album, Hail To The Thief, is actually a tricky one to review. While it can't be denied that it doesn't match their two classics, The Bends and OK Computer, it is still a piece of art that proves the genious of Radiohead and shows some real music in comparison to today's majority of acts who are either schematic, uninspired, silly, or absolutely devoid of any talent.

One thing I'll have to admit is that so far I have listened not to britpop or alternative rock, but to American alternative post-grunge metal or, if you will, to much-hated nu-metal. And it is noteworthy that Hail To The Thief was the album that showed me how wrong I was.

The secret of Radiohead's music lies, in my opinion, in its unexplaiable expression. It was of course present on The Bends and OK Computer, but, as the new album is considerably less melodic than both, it is one of the first things that attract the listener's attention and make him fall in love with the music. Radiohead's ability to express feelings or states of mind or to recall situations from life in their music is untopped. Tom Yorke's vocals and lyrics (on Hail To The Thief they are deliberately 'childish' - just read the song titles - but it really helps settle the mood, making the album a slight medieval gothic flavour) suit the instrumental parts ingeniously well and alltogether they paint a wonderful atmosphere.

Some listeners say Hail To The Thief hasn't got a topical unity as OK Computer did, but I have to disagree and point out that the feeling of doom, end, and inevitable danger can be seen in any of the album's 14 tracks, giving the album a universal, apocalypthic side that so far has been absent in the group's catalog. Tom Yorke explained that the main topic of the album, and the second title, is 'the Gloaming', which means that bad times have come to people who were unaware, 'not paying attention'. Just listen to the eponimous track and read the lyrics. I believe you'll get the feeling.

As to the musical side of Hail To The Thief, virtuosity and subtle, layered arrangements remain part of Radiohead's music like on previous releases and can be witnessed on every track. However, some songs include non-electronic instrumentation which is pleasant to hear and, although it is definitely not 'coming back to the roots', it makes the album more adventurous and, yes, more fun. Rocking songs are followed by more electronic ones, or by piano-driven pieces that help the record avoid the occasional dullness of its two predecessors.

The songs themselves are versatile also, and offer different dynamic and tempo changes. While, as I mentioned before, they are perhaps not so melodic and instantly memorable as on The Bends and OK Computer, the songwriting has improved even further. As on Kid A and Amnesiac, Radiohead don't usually use traditional verse-chorus song structures and this only demonstrates their immense imagination. Perhaps the most catchy tunes are 2+2=5, There There, A Punchup At A Wedding and Where I End And You Begin. However, there are songs that show the group's ralents equally well, such as Go To Sleep, Myxomatosis and I Will which all paint emotional pictures that get stuck in your mind. The only song that drags a bit to me is We Suck Young Blood, but anyway it is supposed to capture the feeling of devil's coming which anyone can hardly like.

So the bottom line would be that this album is highly recommended to people who like either Radiohead themselves, today's alternative rock or simply atmospheric, emotional, expressive, beautiful music. One of the best bands in the world. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

More song-driven and acoustic than Kid A, Radiohead's Amnesiac isn't quite "Kid B," but it is unquestionably cut from the same far-out cloth, as the band revels in fascinating quirks and abject nihilism. It's also the first time in Radiohead's career that a new record hasn't meant a complete shift in artistic priorities. Surely, however, regardless of which was released first, they both deserve recognition; after all, Amnesiac, like Kid A, is an amazing piece of work.

Only lightly augmented with electronics, songs like "You and Whose Army?" and "I Might Be Wrong" almost sound like they came from a typical five-piece rock band. You may even believe the band still employs a guitarist after hearing Jonny Greenwood's wistful surf-guitar lead on "Knives Out" or his subtle but noticeable contributions to the anticapitalist rant "Dollars and Cents." But inevitably, the band continually shifts gears, moving into Boards of Canada territory on "Like Spinning Plates" and delivering dark, bass-laden oddities like "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors," a fuzzed-out piece of avant-garde techno that could just as easily be on an Autechre or Aphex Twin record. The song's half-sung, half-spoken vocal was laid down by either a heavily distorted Thom Yorke or, just perhaps, a loquacious microwave oven. Either way, the music always has momentum, regardless of whether propelled by man or appliance. Radiohead as a band understand how to make rock interesting again, and in the end, that's all they set out to do when they recorded Amnesiac, as well as Kid A. It's more than can be said for the bad frat-punk, teen-pop and soulless techno that currently rules the charts, and for that alone, Radiohead's astonishing exploration of 21st-century anguish deserves credit. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (742)

Annoying and Prententious
Top Ten Reasons this album sucks:
1. Leftovers from Kid A
2. Radiohead were too chicken to release a double album so they made the fans wait eight months to fork out an extra ($$$).
3. Whiny, and not in a razor-edged Billy Corgan sort of way but in a "kick me and put me out of my misery" sort of way.
4. Does anyone really believe Thom Yorke is as depressed as he tries to be in these songs?
5. A lack of coherent song stucture does not automatically make music experimental. It just makes music harder to listen to.
6. Lyrics whining about the pressures of fame, doing interviews and touring are pretty hypocritical coming from a band that has long ago reached the point where it doesn't have to do anything it doesn't want to.
7. Listen to the first 10 seconds of Mourning Bell. Need I say more?
8. Radiohead fans are so annoying that the whole time you'll just feel embarassed listening to something so overrated.
9. If you examine the packaging closely you can see the lame attempts Yorke and Co. used to try and make themselves seem all cool and fractured and mysterious.
10. Because I said it does.

On the plus side, the song "I might be wrong" is really good. I'm sure Yorke didn't intend it, but when I hear it I like to imagine that its a song about how he realized that the rest of Amnesiac is garbage and he might be wrong about, well, basically everything Radiohead has done in the last few years. I gave the album three stars 'cause its fun to listen to just for a laugh to see what all the fans are so obsessed about. Kinda like a Britney Spears record.

Otherwise, the hordes of Radiohead fanatics realizing they might be wrong? Not very good.

Not 'Kid A', but pretty close
How do you even approach this album? It's powerful enough to completely change the magic that was Kid A, the perfect album. Now I have to question it- what if, for instance, they put 'Pyramid Song' as the second song of Kid A instead of 'Kid A', or 'Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors' instead of 'Idioteque'. Some will say this is more accessable than Kid A, but it's not- it might be more "conventional". There ARE songs with guitars, notably 'I Might Be Wrong', with an infectious guitar lick and the most radio-friendly, 'Knives Out', and the buildup of the wonderful, piano-driven crescendo of 'You and Whose Army?', which is the best song you'll find here. Amnesiac is just AS good as Kid A, but it's missing the conceptual glue to stick it all together, and that's where this album falls short. However, it nearly makes up for that in lyrics, which are significantly better than Kid A's. 'Pyramid Song' has some of the best lyrics Thom's ever written, probably my favorite; and there's the sheer mock-ment of record companies and modern-day music in the very catchy 'Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box' ("I'm a reasonable man, get off my case, get off my case, get off my case...") and 'Dollars and Cents', where he almost desperately sneers "We are the dollars and cents, and the pounds and pence, the marks and yen..." The can't-quite-grip beauty of Kid A is still here, and it may even surpass it. The most beautifully haunting songs like 'Pyramid Song', 'You and Whose Army?', and 'Like Spinning Plates' are the inaccessable gems of the album. Amnesiac ends on a different note than the rest of the album, with the New Orleans death march of 'Life in a Glass House', which I also love. The only thing I really can criticize is 'Hunting Bears', which I don't think is a bad track, but 'The Amazing Sounds of Orgy' or 'Trans-Atlantic Drawl' should've been put there instead. Do buy this album, but don't look at the liner notes; they're far too disturbing... I'm afraid to open the CD case.

I'm a Reasonable Man
There seem to be various and sundry reviews about Amnesiac: those that claim it to be the most astounding example of Radiohead's brilliance, and those that were less impressed by the collage of texture it presents. So, I offer more noise to the already confused clamor by examining the points of contention.
Well, I don't really see Amnesiac as a sequel to Kid A, but the two albums are obviously linked (hence, the revisted 'Morning Bell' as title cut). Many of the songs, such as 'I Might Be Wrong' and 'Knives Out,' first appeared during the Kid A tour and were probably penned around that album's production. Apples from the same tree, you could say.
While Kid A was a cohesive whole where each song led into the other, Amnesiac is more a complilation as each song exists in independent musical space. The crunchy bass textures of 'Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors' provides a claustrophobic backdrop to the processed vocals, while the thick piano chords of 'Pyramid Song' are adrift on ambient synth swoops and orchestral strings. 'Life in a Glasshouse' takes a trip to the swing era with a horn section, while 'Like Spinning Plates' plays the background backward while Yorke sing the melody foward but makes it sound backward with phrasing (confused yet?). One thing is for sure: there's a lot going on in every track!
I think Radiohead was trying to expand their creative boundaries here (if they have any :) by trying different approaches and techniques. The focus seems to be on the production methods and sound textures, as if they wanted to see what they could come up with. As a result, some songs are great (like 'Knives Out,' one of their most straight-foward melodies highlighted by clear arpeggios) and others fall short (like 'Hunting Bears,' a guitar instrumental which is just kind of "there," although it's very similar to the melody of 'I Might Be Wrong,' so maybe I'm missing the point).
All that being said, Amnesiac is a good CD that any Radiohead fan or fan of avant rock will want to pick up, and most will find it a satisfying 45 minutes; however, if you're looking for the conceptual and thematic sweep of OK Computer or Kid A, I'm afraid you won't find it.

misunderstood
Pyramid Song is one of the most quietly beautiful songs EVER.
That being said, I find the rest of this album slightly harder to understand as a single unit than Kid A, which cannot be touched or repeated even though these songs were made at the same time. Maybe that's because this album really just doesn't fit together as well, although many of the songs have textures which Kid A made familiar. There are songs that stand out, like the last one, the reworking of Morning Bell, and Dollars & Cents (which really had to grow on me), and Pulk/Pull Revolving doors. I really like You and Whose Army because it kind of looks forward to we suck young blood, the way it crescendos. Spinning Plates is cool and trippy and Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box is very calm and well constructed; in short, all the electronic songs are well done. But the other rock tracks: I Might Be Wrong and Knives Out, are pretty good, but feel lacking somehow in placement or maybe they just aren't as great because they've kind of been done before, or maybe my instinct is wrong.
It's like Kid A was made for the middle of the night and Amnesiac was made for facing dawn, with bits of the past still lingering and affecting the present but everything having a different tint to it and being a little bit easier to do. Amnesiac is not Kid A part two, it's more like Kid A's brother. With each Radiohead album, it gets harder to categorize them in relation to their predecessors, so just listen to it and see what you think.

Hunting Bears
I would agree with some others that "Amnesiac" is not as good Kid A. It's slightly below the level of the other records Radiohead has releasted in the past half decade. However, even if it's a lessor effort, it is still a very good album. As a whole, the album isn't as strong or profound as their other works, but it does have a few individual sounds that are quite amazing.

Rathern than go into a long-winded review of the album, and analyze every aspect of the album, I'll leave that to the other reviews here.

However, I must take the opportunity to defend the track "Hunting Bears." Reading many of these reviews, most of them unfairly criticize this song, condemning it as mere "filler" and "a boring two-minute repetitive guitar bit." It's much more than that. Yes, it's just an instrumental, it's bascially two minute-long guitar bits played back to back--what's wrong with that? I find it altogether enigmatic, atmospheric, and tranquil. I also like how they throw in a soft whooshing sound in the background to support the guitar.

There is also a short instrumental on Kid A, "Treefingers." That song is also often unfairly dismissed. Both "Treefingers" and "Hunting Bears" are astounding, trance-inducing instrumentals that hit inner strings inside me that few other songs can. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Before Radiohead became the biggest critics' darling since Pavement or Dr. Dre, they were just another pre-Oasis British band with some loose indie ties, trying to gain some cred. Loopy enough to name this moody, often battering debut album for a Jerky Boys routine, they were also a lot more interesting when they hadn't yet learned the word "soundscape." "Creep," the miserably majestic single they now claim nearly ruined them, may not even be the best thing here; try "Anyone Can Play Guitar," an epitaph for River Phoenix before the fact. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (153)

A bit early for Radiohead?
Although this is one of my five favorite bands, I have to admit, this isn't a very good album. However, it shows that a band could make a more coherent direction. The Drill EP was awful, but this is like gold compared to it. However, it's no Bends, OK Computer, or Kid A. That doesn't mean that the album has nothing to offer.

For instance, "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is the album's best song. It's a punk-influenced, faster-paced tune you can get into.
"Creep" is a good song even though I feel that it started post-grunge. But if "You" were to be released, I'd say the same thing.

The lyrics on Pablo Honey aren't bad, either. It's quite encouraging in fact. Well, one may find a song about [masturbation] ("Thinking about You) offensive, but I don't mind.

The album seems to have potential but not really get its quality. However, when I said post-grunge, I wasn't talking about stuff like Creed or Godsmack, more the post-Nirvana stuff, even though they were still existant at the time. It's grunge, but for this band, their style is better when it's not grunge. However, the first two songs and "Anyone Can Play Guitar" are the standouts, but the other songs are between average and unbearable. It's just that they sound the same to me. "Ripcord" wasn't really bad, either. It's also a more anthemic song on the album.

If you're trying to collect every Radiohead album, maybe buy this, but if you aren't already a fan, don't bother.

An amazing debut full of emotion and honesty.
It's amazing to think how much Radiohead have progressed from "Pablo Honey" to "OK Computer." I can't see how people can slam this album. Just goes to show the true nature of all snobby ... intellectual music fans who praised "OK Computer." I think you could describe "Pablo Honey" as bittersweet. It's depressing but hopeful at the same time.

It starts out with the killer musically and lyrically opening track "You" followed up the famous "Creep" which was reuined by too much radio play and the world marking Radiohead as a one-hit wonder. I see how Radiohead could regret writing it but it's still an amazing song and speaks with real honesty. "How Do You?" is a fast paced post-punk rock song about a betrayal. The next two songs are my favorite on the album. "Stop Whispering" has a great catchy guitar riff with light drumming in the background that starts out slowly and rises along with Thom Yorke's vocals. It may not be fancy or really creative but it does something to me inside. "Thinking About You" is a beautiful light acoustic song. The lyrics are about questioning a relationship and weather to pursuit it or not. "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is one of Radiohead's most uplifting tunes. It has an under surface message that really you can do anything in life. It also brings up a funny image of Thom Yorke as Jim Morrison. "Ripcord" has an average silent than loud rock sound. "Vegetable" has a beautiful guitar chord going through while Thom Yorke silently sings. "Prove Yourself" has a great message and really spoke to me when I first heard it. "I Can't" is much like the other songs on the album. "Lurgee" and "Blow Out" put a nice touch to the ending of the album. My only thing I have to say is..what the heck is an edited version of Creep doing at the end as a hidden track? Oh well

I hate to sound cheesy but this is an album that has helped me through the hard times and it is as grand and sincere as "The Bends" and "OK Computer."

This sucks!
I hate this band. Everytime I hear something good about one of their albums and I go out and buy it I am let down. I bought this and it sucked! 'Creep' is the only halfway good song on the album. I am honestly getting suck of it now and I havent even heard it that much. Radiohead is a band that like the whole world likes or whatever so I am gonna eat sh** for writing this but Radiohead is just a bunch of noises put together through a computer. You people say they sound differnt well they make their music from computers so they sound just like every other crappy band out their. Radiohead says their not prog-rock, well then they are the next best thing. And who ever said that they had good guitar bands and that they are the best guitar band out right now is on crack they are not a guitar band and if they want to hear good guitar players they need to hear Joe Perry, Slash, and Zakk Wylde cause they are the best guitar players out right now!

the prelude to a long series of masterpieces
You know your album is sub-par when your strongest single is on the disc twice. But despite the fact that this cd is only so-so, I still love listening to it. This album represents what I wish I could see more bands achieve. How many times have you listened to an album and thought to yourself, "I can hear so much potential." Even though the album isn't as great as you would like it to be, you're still applauding the effort. Occasionally, as in the case with Radiohead, a band will seize that potential and go beyond all expectations. Radiohead started out as a pretty weak band but soon became my all-time favorite musicians. This album is an important precursor to the greatness they would achieve later and should not be passed up.

As a side note, the song they became famous with, 'Creep', soon became the band's least favorite song. Through the 'Bends' and 'Ok Computer' years, Radiohead would often refuse to play 'Creep' while on tour. Last year while touring for 'Hail to the Thief', the band unexpectedly performed 'Creep' for the Atlanta crowd. Thom Yorke seemed to enjoy playing the song that he despised so much and acted playful on stage even adjusting some of the lyrics, like "I wanna perfect soul" with, "so I can look good next to you," while showing off his best feminine pose. It seemed that they were comfortable enough with their post-Creep accomplishments that they felt it was OK to play that 'wretched song'.

Before Radiohead were interesting...
...they sounded like every other guitar rock band on the planet, and if there's anything Radiohead usually aren't, it's generic.

Alas, Radiohead's debut has not aged well at all in any way. Momentary flashes of the group's later brilliance pop up occasionally (most notably in the horrendously-overplayed (yet still high quality) "Creep" and the wonderful "Anyone Can Play Guitar"), but for the most part, it's a group trying to find its voice and failing miserably, as most of this album will be forgotten as soon as you're done listening to it.

Some would say that this album was ahead of its time when it came out. No it wasn't. Radiohead sounded like every other post-grunge outfit on the radio at that time. It can't really be "ahead of its time" if its sound can be classified by the time period it was released in.

Some would also say that you shouldn't come down so harshly on this album for being such an early release by the band, and this may be true. However, just going by the differences between Pablo Honey and The Bends (their second album), the jump in quality between the two is staggering. Even the difference in quality between Pablo Honey and the My Iron Lung EP (released the year after Pablo Honey) is pretty noticeable.

Overall, what we're left with are the very sketchy beginnings of one of the greatest bands in rock and roll. Some of you Radiohead fans might be tempted to buy it just to make your collection complete. Don't. You'll probably only listen to this album once and put it away on a shelf somewhere. Your money would be much better spent elsewhere. Also, those of you thinking about buying Pablo Honey as an intro to the group should think again. The Bends makes a much better introduction to the group's sound. ... Read more