Think back to 1997; those of you old enough to remember it well (I was 15), it was the year of the almighty return of Oasis. The Be Here Now juggernaut was in overdrive unaware of the crash and burn waiting just around the corner upon its release. The Verve finally reached the peak of the proverbial musical mountain only to self-implode against the strain of success, and before all of this there was OK Computer. Released to critical acclaim yet overshadowed by the hype surrounding others; hell, even I was a lemming being led by messrs Gallagher over the Britpop cliff – but; and I mean this entirely, without OK Computer I would not be writing this and would simply not be here writing anything in connection to the world of music.
We all have defining moments, little things that alter out perception, big things too wide in scope to ignore, inspirational moments of clarity, and most of all; pertinent to our musical appetites, that single piece of music where you just know ‘this is mine, this is for me’, hence forth I will love and embrace the musical landscape around me, I will listen to anything and everything in search of something as perfect as this moment.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you OK Computer by Radiohead – my moment of clarity.
Until this album I had little time for the world of music. No higher interest than taping the charts off the radio [like we all used to before the days of downloads]. It’s hard to fathom how I came about taking an interest in OK Computer. It was probably through a friend at school [or something mundane like that]. I recall being in Ireland upon its release and buying it on tape for my Walkman; [yes Walkman people] only to have the tape shred to shit on first listen, then my dad refusing to pay another £8 to get me another one! Anyway it got to me eventually and Radiohead became my brand of choice for the stereo, opening my ears to others like Spiritualized, Portishead, and R.E.M. to name but a few – consider me hooked. But why is OK Computer so defining?
You only need to look at the effect in the years since its inception to realise the impact it has had on the musical landscape, so many bands since ’97 have been tagged with ‘the new Radiohead’ [Muse, Coldplay, basically everyone]. This was due to the sound that Radiohead had created on OK Computer helping them to become a dominating resonance throughout the music industry, even to this day. On a par with Darkside of the Moon and Sgt. Pepper for innovation, OK Computer elevated Radiohead from mere doom-rockers to a plateau of auteur whilst simultaneously fracturing the band to such a degree that it has taken them over 10 years to replicate anything near to the quality of their 3rd album with 2008’s In Rainbows. Look no further than the DVD of their accompanying tour Meeting People Is Easy to see the effect that OK Computer had on Radiohead as a band, invariably portraying an exhausted, and alienated band. The follow-upalbums Kid A and Amnesiac were both blatant attempts to escape the shadow that OK Computer had cast over the band. For an album so steeped in themes of alienation, isolation, and escape it would appear that through OK Computer,Radiohead had alienated themselves, isolated themselves, and had no escape route.
Opening with a track that Thom Yorke described as “sounding like a car accident” [it’s hard to disagree with that statement], Airbag very much sounds like a major malfunction as it’s melodies are thrashed together creating a meltdown effect – interspersed with strings and chimes and fuzz it’s a cacophony as Yorke intones “I am born again”. Intended to replicate DJ Shadow and failing, instead they conjured up an all-together unknown quantity that would set the tone for what was to follow.
When making a comeback after an album lauded by critics and public alike (1995’s The Bends) you would think a nice easy 4-minute bog-standard track that’s nice and radio friendly would do – seems pretty straightforward. Not if your Radiohead, what better way in their mind meant a 6mins 27secs almost prog epic that was essentially a Bohemian Rhapsody for the disaffected generation, meshing together 3 differing tracks to create something truly otherworldly. Splicing webs of intricate guitars, computerised voices dribbling “I may be paranoid but no android”, Jonny Greenwood’s wall of wailing guitars, almost monastery-like chanting with Yorke leading them in “Rain down, Rain down on me”, and ending in the mightiest riff in the Radiohead canon. Throw all this together and you have Paranoid Android. No other Radiohead track sounds like it, infact no other track sounds like it period – consider this a benchmark.
Following up with Subterranean Homesick Alien clearly in reference to Bob Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ but an altogether different beast. Focusing on popular culture’s craze for aliens [think the X-files] in the 90’s with lyrics about what would aliens think of Earth if they came down for a look. “Up above aliens hover making home movies for the folks back home”. More importantly, it’s a tale of how life in suburban Britain is so fractured that we search in vain for something, anything to get us out of the mundanity of our lives.
Reaching a calming point with Exit Music (For A Film), that is essentially anything but calming. Written for Baz Luhrmann’s 1997 film ‘Romeo & Juliet’ it tells the tale of the two lovers but in a hushed tone creating a sort of Gothic prayer that is haunting. Especially ending on the incredibly happy line of ‘We hope that you choke” after a furious crescendo of drums and throbs. Yorke set out to make a kind of Portishead malevolent track and I do believe he may have exceeded his own expectations.
The finale of Exit Music is so unsettling that Let Down seems more like light relief, Yorke writing from less of an introspective point of view by writing lyrics about the passing by of the world. Coupled with the intensifying melody, Let Down becomes an incredibly beautiful layered piece of art. The final lyrical roll is incredibly uplifting despite it's content which is mainly due to the musical swirling up that creates an almost euphoric noise. Quite surprisingly Let Down was almost left off OK Computer which would have been to the detriment of the album.
Karma Police is probably more vividly remembered for its video, or [for those of you who were there] their outing at Glastonbury in ’97 as the heavens opened. Hailing from a Radiohead in-phrase, Yorke adopted it to write this amaziing track. “Someone who has worked for a large company, a song against bosses. Fuck middle management!”. Indeed. Yet despite this vitriol, Yorke actually views this track as “the only funny song” on the album and you can agree with his point of view with lyrics such as “Karma Police/Arrest this girl/Her Hitler hairdo/Is making me feel ill”. The track is built around a repetitive piano and simple acoustic guitar before Colin Greenwood’s chunky bass filters in making for a truly wondrous noise when coupled with the vocals and lyrical content. The albums centrepiece; if you will, and I guess the end of side 1 of the album, time for the intermission anyone want a choc-ice?
"Fitter Happier More productive Comfortable Not drinking too much Regular exercise at the gym (3 days a week) Getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries At ease Eating well (no more microwave dinners and saturated fats) A patient better driver A safer car (baby smiling in back seat) Sleeping well (no bad dreams) No paranoia Careful to all animals (never washing spiders down the plughole) Keep in contact with old friends (enjoy a drink now and then) Will frequently check credit at (moral) bank (hole in wall) Favours for favours Fond but not in love Charity standing orders On Sundays ring road supermarket (No killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants) Car wash (also on Sundays) No longer afraid of the dark Or midday shadows Nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate Nothing so childish At a better pace Slower and more calculated No chance of escape Now self-employed Concerned (but powerless) An empowered and informed member of society (pragmatism not idealism) Will not cry in public Less chance of illness Tires that grip in the wet (shot of baby strapped in back seat) A good memory Still cries at a good film Still kisses with saliva No longer empty and frantic Like a cat Tied to a stick That's driven into frozen winter shit (the ability to laugh at weakness) Calm Fitter, healthier and more productive A pig In a cage On antibiotics"
What better way to usher in the second half of OK Computer with a balls-to-the-wall rock-out? Electioneering is just that. Jonny Greenwood is unleashed to slash n‘burn his way through 4 minutes of extremity. Thom Yorke wanted to write a politically challenging song that commentates on the times, what with Blair just being ushered in and a new dawn seemingly rising. “Riot shields/Voodoo economics (bloodshed, bloodshed)/It's just business/Cattle prods and the IMF/I trust I can rely on your vote”. Social commentary has never been more indecipherable.
If your looking for darkness on this album; you may think you’ve already heard it, however you are mistaken. Climbing Up The Walls is a brooding, malevolent track that pierces you with it’s frightening lyrics about murder and pure viciousness. Lrics like “Open up your skull/I’ll be there” or “Do not cry out or hit the alarm/You know we're friends 'til we die”. The track has an unyielding bass-line that throbs incessantly throughout and Yorke gives an incredibly sinister vocal delivery [especially in the tracks climax] as he’s surrounded by 16 discordant violins creating a nightmarish soundscape that leaves you begging for respite.
Thankfully it arrives in the almost celestial No Surprises all plinking beauty and majesty. Don’t you just love a Glockenspiel now and again? And once again, we are confounded as we hear this luscious track. When you listen closer to the lyrics there is an underbelly that seeks to wash away the “waste and debris” of life. Yorke described it thus “We wanted it to sound like What A Wonderful Life and Marvin Gaye. There’s no hint of suicide in this. It’s the sound of newly-fitted double glazing all hopeful, clean, and secure.” For me I think he’s just about right, this is an uplifting track and the delivery of the vocal is hugely important to this despite the subject matter.
Lucky was recorded for the 'Help!' compilation in 1995 and apparently was included on this album through sheer embarrassment at its performance as a single from the compilation (reaching 51). Eerily brooding into view as Yorke scorches "I'm on a roll this time". Seemingly using the tale of a disaster as some kind of metaphor for the times. Though Yorke maintains that "Lucky was pages of notes. It was all bollocks, trying to be really political and in the end it wasn't". Lucky soars constantly throughout, evoking the spirit of Pink Floyd at their most grandiose. Ed O'Brien commented at the time "it was the best song we'd ever done".
The final track The Tourist was written by Jonny Greenwood and bafflingly according to him given pride of place as the album's closer, seemingly an afterthought. A solemn end to the album whilst still maintaining the stirring chorus of "Hey man slow down/Idiot slow down" that gradually filters out to leave Greenwood wailing away on guitar. The microwave clicks and you can stick a fork in OK Computer it is done to perfection!
OK Computer undeniably changed the landscape of music and it’s a testament to this day as it continues to top various publications "best of" polls across the globe – its effect is monumental and hard to clarify in mere words on a page. With Kid A, Radiohead would once again change the musical landscape for altogether different reasons, but it would be true to say that without OK Computer they would never have had the opportunity.
Here’s what the band have to say about the album
Jonny Greenwood: "OK Computer was the title of a song that's not in the CD. It was a bad song but the title was good. They're just the first words you read when you've got the CD in your hands. There is no intention to define the meaning of twelve songs. A lot of people think it's about fear for computers, but on the contrary. It says OK Computer!
We're from the generation that grew up with computers. All the artwork is done on a computer. Some tracks on the record are completely made on the computer. Other songs are cut on tape, but that's a different story".
Thom Yorke: "More than half of OK Computer is about escapism. And I'm not ashamed. (...) You should listen to the album more than five times to hear what the album is all about. There are people who think that this album is our commercial suicide. Because it's not a pop-album. But I think it's full of poppy-melodies. There are no love-songs on the album, because I'm not in love. To be honest, I'm not good at writing love-songs. If you want, "Lucky" can be a love-song".
Track-listing 1. Airbag - 4:44 2. Paranoid Android - 6:23 Single 26/05/1997 3. Subterranean Homesick Alien - 4:27 4. Exit Music (For A Film) - 4:24 5. Let Down - 4:59 6. Karma Police - 4:21 Single 05/08/1997 7. Fitter Happier - 1:57 8. Electioneering - 3:50 9. Climbing Up The Walls - 4:45 10. No Surprises - 3:48 Single 12/01/1998 11. Lucky - 4:19 12. The Tourist - 5:24
Released: 16/06/1997 Label: Parlophone
Radiohead Are: Thom Yorke - Vocals & Guitar Jonny Greenwood - Guitar Ed O'Brien - Guitar & Vocal Colin Greenwood - Bass Phil Selway - Drums
Credits: Radiohead - Production Nigel Godrich - Production, Mixing, & Engineering Chris Blair - Mastering Stanley Donwood - Artwork Gerard Navarro - Studio Assistant Jon Bailey - Studio Assistant Chris Scard - Studio Assistant Nick Ingram - String Conductor
Videos:
1. Paranoid Android
by Magnus Carlsson
Thom said,
"Robin is great. He is so much more then that kid who showers with the cap on. In him I see the totally innocents. Defiance his bad habits and the tuff, big city he lives in, he is soft and gentle. And what ever happens he never loses his temper. Nothing affects him. He gets bossed and makes stupid things. People convince him to swallow things and dance naked. Next morning he wakes up anyway and feels rather okay and has forgotten last night. I wish I could be like that. Just forget. Never really bother. It never works in the real world. When we record can I live like that. Just get drunk till I forget. And when I get to the real world, there is nuclear weapon, unhappy love, people who don't recycle their cans. Everything that can't leave me alone, and things that always are going to disturb me. "
2. Karma Police
by Jonathan Glazer
Thom on the video:
"It means things will catch up with you."
3. No Surprises
by Grant Gee
Grant Gee on the video:
"It's the perfect image of anxiety and helplessness in the face of technology."
Go out and buy this because:
So just why should you own this album? I spent ages once with one of my speakers disconnected [it was an accident] and I really had no idea. All albums sounded pretty much the same and my trained ear didn’t notice any differences. Then one day I was reminiscing about the good ol’ days of youth and decided to stick OK Computer on for a little blast from the past and instantly I was like “Whoah!” this sounds freakin’ weird but not it that freakin’ weird way of say seeing a four-legged budgie attack a shark but more in the freakin’ weird way of I’ve just mixed Doritos with a Chicken & Mushroom Pot Noodle and it’s the bomb!
I guess what I’m getting at is that OK Computer has so many dimensions and will sound different on whatever you are playing it - be it computer, stereo, mp3 player etc. I think that is a real special quality to find in an album. Also the reason you should buy OK Computer is because it’s the absolute dog’s bollocks and if that’s good enough for the Queen (sic Eddie Izzard) then that’s good enough for the rest of us.
man this is amazing. i totally forgot about walkmen's! i never really discovered radiohead until one early morning on the amazing, now deceased show mtv2's 120 mins. idoioteque came on and i fell in love right away.
ok computer was voted number 1 all time best albums on channel 4 wasnt it? couple of years back i think. they are pioneers in the electronic music scene, thom yorke is just on another level to anyone else out there.
you checked out his solo album mark? it's fucking incredible, listen to it with headphones to appreciate it more though. radiohead seem to be getting better and better, in rainbows was brilliant, a grower admittedly but still amazing.`
here is fav track of mine by unkle/dj shadow feat the big man thome yorke (what a combination), his vocal boundaries are incredible. the video is just brilliant too
again nice one mark this is brill, had made my day
For me this album was a peak they will never reach again.
__________________ “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”Hunter S. Thompson
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Re: ClassicSounds - OK Computer by Radiohead
Mark you have raised the bar even further with this bad boy. Awesome piece of work.
__________________ I am a Welsh Record Producer, Graphic and Web Designer, Film Maker, Photographer, Artist and Writer. Phew, that's a mouthful! Hit me up if you need work done.
This was a peak for them, but I think they will be able to reach these heights again, 'In Rainbows' is astounding and as close to it as they have came so far but that's the great thing with Radiohead you just never know what they are going to pull out of the hat next!
Mark, sorry buddy but I wouldn't hold out for an album as good as OK Computer. We are talking about the album that tops more respectable polls than any other. You really believe one band has the ability to produce the top two of all time? Not likely.
It's not just about it being equally as impressive to us each individually, it's about having the kind of effect on the masses that OK Computer had too.
Many indie elitist snobs try and knock this album now, but that's just silly, childish nonsense. It's an astounding piece of work.
__________________ “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”Hunter S. Thompson
Well seen as you often find The Bends up at the top of these lists alongside OK Computer I can't help but feel they could produce the goods again, I can't think of many bands that consistently produce quality work of commercial and critical success - all bands have dips I think Radiohead got theirs out of their system with Pablo Honey.
Well seen as you often find The Bends up at the top of these lists alongside OK Computer I can't help but feel they could produce the goods again, I can't think of many bands that consistently produce quality work of commercial and critical success - all bands have dips I think Radiohead got theirs out of their system with Pablo Honey.
Intersting. I don't consider that to be their dip.
With regards The Bends being up there - well that makes it even less likely then. All of the top three best albums of all time? No way sir.
__________________ “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”Hunter S. Thompson
I think most people would consider Pablo Honey to be the album that's least interesting of theirs, yes it has Creep on it but not a whole lot else really sticks in the memory about it.
I didn't mean The Bends as in the top 3 but more like the way The Beatles tend to have 3 or 4 albums always ranked up there with the best and Radiohead have 2 already out of 7 and I reckon In Rainbows could make that 3 out of 7, I can certainly see Radiohead producing more astounding pieces of music in years to come that will challenge concepts and perceptions and no doubt become landmarks like OK Computer is.
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ClassicSounds - OK Computer by Radiohead
opening my ears to others like Spiritualized, Portishead, and R.E.M. to name but a few – consider me hooked. But why is OK Computer so defining?
alienated band. The follow-upalbums Kid A and Amnesiac were both blatant attempts to escape the shadow that OK Computer had cast over the band. For an album so steeped in themes of alienation, isolation, and escape it would appear that through OK Computer, Radiohead had alienated themselves, isolated themselves, and had no escape route.
Following up with Subterranean Homesick Alien clearly in reference to Bob Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ but an altogether different beast. Focusing on popular culture’s craze for aliens [think the X-files] in the 90’s with lyrics about what would aliens think of Earth if they came down for a look. “Up above aliens hover making home movies for the folks back home”. More importantly, it’s a tale of how life in suburban Britain is so fractured that we search in vain for something, anything to get us out of the mundanity of our lives.
What better way to usher in the second half of OK Computer with a balls-to-the-wall rock-out? Electioneering is just that. Jonny Greenwood is unleashed to slash n‘burn his way through 4 minutes of extremity. Thom Yorke wanted to write a politically challenging song that commentates on the times, what with Blair just being ushered in and a new dawn seemingly rising. “Riot shields/Voodoo economics (bloodshed, bloodshed)/It's just business/Cattle prods and the IMF/I trust I can rely on your vote”. Social commentary has never been more indecipherable. 
Lucky was recorded for the 'Help!' compilation in 1995 and apparently was included on this album through sheer embarrassment at its performance as a single from the compilation (reaching 51). Eerily brooding into view as Yorke scorches "I'm on a roll this time". Seemingly using the tale of a disaster as some kind of metaphor for the times. Though Yorke maintains that "Lucky was pages of notes. It was all bollocks, trying to be really political and in the end it wasn't". Lucky soars constantly throughout, evoking the spirit of Pink Floyd at their most grandiose. Ed O'Brien commented at the time "it was the best song we'd ever done".
Re: ClassicSounds - OK Computer by Radiohead
