Ranking their albums and songs is so damn hard for me. Ok Computer is pretty consistently my favourite though.
top 3 (maybe) for me and the best song they did pre-Kid A - the lead gtr 2:36 makes me want to jump out a 100/mph moving vehicle and punch you in the face
I think the majority of HTTT covers what Radiohead do best? It mixes rock and electronics very well, I know it's not a very cohesive album but there are so many standout tracks. Some tracks are very accessible too (2+2=5, Go To Sleep, There There) and I really like the variety throughout the whole album. I adore it.
I first got into Radiohead in 2002, and kind of worked through their discography to that point over a period of a month or two. Initially, it was hearing "Airbag" that flipped a switch in me and changed my taste in music permanently. I know that song isn't necessarily a consensus favorite for fans, but it will always be one of mine. I started out mainly spinning The Bends and OK Computer, then eventually warmed up to Kid A. After awhile, the latter became my clear favorite, and to this day I regard it as a top 10 album of all time - even though 90% of what I listen to is nothing like it, at all. It is a true masterpiece and one of the most cohesive "journey" albums ever. But I wouldn't recommend a new listener start there, unless they're just really into experimental/atmospheric stuff and specifically looking for that. With all their records far in hindsight now, I definitely struggle to decide between Kid A and In Rainbows as the pinnacle of their career. They're very different, but both masterpieces beyond a doubt. I do have to agree with what someone else said a few pages back: I'm not sure if a new listener would quite appreciate IR properly without knowing the context of their earlier material first. It's so weird for me to think about approaching this band's catalog that way, when IR came after so much waiting and years of regarding OKC/Kid A as untouchable (I honestly had no hope they'd ever match it, since I found HTTT relatively disappointing). But hey, everyone's musical journey is different - and honestly, working through everything in hindsight for the first time is probably the more objective way of assessing a band's catalog.
OK Computer, In Rainbows, Kid A, The Bends in that order. The rest I'm not too huge on in comparison.
Surprised to see Hail To the Thief love. I think that is my least favorite Radiohead album after Pablo. Think my ranking would be In Rainbows, OK Computer, Kid A, The Bends, Amnesiac, King of Limbs, Hail to the Thief, Pablo Honey.
New Instagram preview: Either we're getting a new video today, some sort of announcement, an actual album release (!!!) or Thom has lost the album in a car park and felt like sharing.
I can back In Rainbows as the most accessible Radiohead album but it's second tier in their catalog and I agree with whoever said listening to it first would cheapen OK Computer. I give a slight nod to Kid A over that album as it's the most focused and perfectly realized album in their catalog, but OKC is such a landmark album in itself. I can't fathom putting IR top 3 but not OKC. It's a great album but it's probably the only time in their catalog where they got a little retread-y. The Bends is...solid. Fake Plastic Trees and Black Star are incredible and most of it is good but it's kind of just an above average rock album. That makes it better than HTTT where a collection of mostly mediocre songs gets by on interesting arrangements but it's otherwise just a baby step to me on the way to the heights they would scale on the next three albums.
I think they could drop it anytime this weekend. They're not the kind of band that gives a shit about chart position and their last two albums were only available to purchase from their website at first. Who fucking knows though.
a full visual album from PTA would probably set my hype levels above where they've ever been. But that won't happen