47 replies to this topic

[(GiveUpTheGhost)]

These 10 songs you pick should be the songs you think very highly of or love listening to, but generally won't find on anyone's top 10 for RH. Also, songs that you were just recently hit with, where you realized "Wait... this is fucking brilliant". Just pick 2 or 3 of those songs since there's another thread with that subject.

Mine:

1. Scatterbrain
2. Kid A
3. The Tourist
4. Give Up The Ghost
5. Blow Out
6. Planet Telex
7. In Limbo
8. Treefingers
9. Bones
10. India Rubber

Scatterbrain

Hail To The Thief is the weirdest Radiohead album for me. Scatterbrain used to be my least favorite track on the album, I would always skip it. And now the only reason I ever go back to that album is so I can listen to Scatterbrain. That's all the proof of Radiohead's brilliance, initially I had no connection with the song at all, but now I think it might be the most emotional song the band has ever done. When I say emotional, I don't just mean sad or moving. It goes beyond that...it's a good feeling to know a song like that actually exists in the world.

India Rubber

This is a nice tune I discovered on youtube. My favorite early RH b-side.

Planet Telex

Surprisingly a very easily dismissed track from The Bends, but recently I've noticed many people considering it one of the best RH songs. And it is. Maybe next to Just, the best "pure rock" song on the album, and an innovative bridge-way leading into OK Computer. It's about things that are out of your control, and the closing line "Why can't you forget" sung by a plastered Thom Yorke, remains one of my favorite moments of RH's discography.

Bones

Always loved this song, a lot. Ever since I got into Radiohead. The "used to fly like peter pan" line is silly, but sung with such raw emotion that it doesn't even matter. After seeing live versions of this track, the deal was sealed. I have to say it's fucking transpiring. Probably the best RH track that's considered "subpar" on not on quality with the others. The sound of guitar in this song is an acquired taste that you need to warm up to. And put the bass on full-blast. Then you'll get this track.

Treefingers

Absolutely perfect track. Meditation, peace, and yet uncertainty. You need to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this track, but once it clicks, it's a beautiful experience.

In Limbo

I think getting into "Little By Little" helped me appreciate the layers of this track more than I used to, but seriously. Just imagine yourself on a raft out in the middle of the ocean during a storm. That's what In Limbo feels like.

Give Up The Ghost

The repetition in this track bugs some people, but once you move past that, you'll realize it's one of RH's very best.

Blow Out

This is why you can't trust critics or even fans for that matter, because if you go by them, you'll ignore Pablo Honey. If you ignore Pablo Honey, you'll never get to hear this track.

The Tourist

Along with Scatterbrain this was the biggest "Holy shit this is good" surprise for me. It's a good counterpoint to Airbag. The Tourist has resolve though, it's not just about the dangers of getting inside your car. Airbag is brilliant, but overly dark for my tastes, despite that the guy in Airbag apparently survives the crash. C'mon, you listen to the opening chords of that song, you telling me someone survived that?

Kid A

There was a period of quite a few weeks that only ended just recently, where every morning I would have a cigarette by my window while listening to this song. Psychologically this song transfused with my addiction, so I can't listen to it for a while. And that makes me angry.

[Treehut]

Kid A

[Lazuarna]

1. Kinetic
2. Climbing up the walls
3. Feral
4. Faust Arp
5. How I made my millions
6. You and Whose Army
7. Drunken Punch-Up at a wedding
8. The Gloaming (Basement Version)
9. You never wash up after yourself
10. Electioneering

[bisnVV]

. Kid A
. Morning Bell
. Faust Arp
. Bullet proof (I wish I was...)
. Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong
. The Daily Mail
. Blow Out [Astoria version]
. Little By Little
. Life in a Glasshouse (Extended Version)
. Fog

I'm Sorry, but I can't put numbers on'em. Too hard. (I hate tops)

[crazyaga]

1. punchdrunk lovesick singalong

[rose ocean]

These 10 songs you pick should be the songs you think very highly of or love listening to, but generally won't find on anyone's top 10 for RH.

bizarre concept really
i feel like i don't even really have a pulse on this kinda thing at all so i'll leave you to it

[chroma]

kid a and cutw are on my top 10 list anyways.

i don't know how to do this really. i guess you want songs that are good but that nobody thinks are good? argh

[Ed O'Brien]

worrywort
subterranean homesick alien
chernobyl 2
how i made my millions
lozenge of love
in limbo
morning mr magpie
we suck young blood
packt like sardines
bangers and mash

[chroma]

worrywort
subterrenean homesick alien
chernobyl 2
how i made my millions
lozenge of love
in limbo
morning mr magpie
we suck young blood
packt like sardines
bangers and mash

woohoo nobody ever talks about lol

[Ed O'Brien]

it's very nice, they don't have much like it in the their discography either

[rose ocean]

kid a and cutw are on my top 10 list anyways.

i don't know how to do this really. i guess you want songs that are good but that nobody thinks are good? argh

yeah its a pretty silly exercise

[Hansy]

Kudos for this thread, it's an excellent idea and I loved your opening post. I will try to do something similar here. The line that defines what is a "typical" Top 10 Radiohead song is very blurry for some songs; I will assume the likes of Bloom and Weird Fishes, although not common "favourite" material, are rated highly enough not to be in an alternative top (they both won their album elections back in ToxicBadger's polls, after all).

1. Dollars and Cents
I consider this track to be the true masterpiece of Amnesiac. The whole thing revolves around the drums, guiding us through a dense soundscape; Dollars and Cents has maybe the best backing vocals in any Radiohead track, be it the desperate pleas of Thom in the first chorus or the echoes that add a sinister effect to the song. On top of that, the message is strong and 10 years later, it still stands true: forget about money, save the planet. While I'm listening, there's nothing else around; Dollars and Cents takes me to another world.

2. Airbag
When I first discovered Radiohead, I started by listening to OK Computer, as I'd heard people talking about and praising it as an amazing album. I didn't fully get it right away, but Airbag was one of the main reasons I kept listening and the band kept growing on me. Contrarily to the OP's opinion, I don't see this as a dark track; what stands out for me is the perfect combination of guitar, electronic production, and gorgeous moments like the distorted guitar at the second verse, the irregular patterns and the featuring jingle sound. Overall, the perfect adjective for Airbag is beautiful. Thom's vocals are smooth and hopeful; after all, he just got a second chance, an airbag saved his life!

3. Planet Telex
Many of The Bends is outdated to my ears. This track is an exception. Planet Telex is a prototype of future Radiohead albums to come, its sound being much more evolved than the standard Bends rock song. I feel the song is perfectly executed for what the lyrics are trying to transmit: there's a spacey feeling all over the place, Thom's singing sounds like the world is shattering. My personal highlight is in the line "You can break all the rules", the sound of sudden realization. Just like he said, everything is broken. The only solution is to go to space.

4. Morning Bell
It took me a while to realize how genius this song is. Morning Bell is about divorce, everyone knows that, Thom has said it. The amazing thing is how the evolution of the song is shaped just like the process itself - it starts by being a simple piano line and drum beat, but it progressively spins out of control, just like the song's subject loses grasp on his life, the storming noise grows louder and louder, and in the end there's only emptiness. I think I don't need to bother with explaining sonic details, because the second half of the song pretty much speaks for itself.

5. All I Need
A common In Rainbows outcast, although it's a consensus the climax of the song is probably the strongest point of the album. I used to disregard the first half as "filler", mattering only as buildup, but now I realize it is full of beautiful moments. Each small note sounds like it's filled with life and emotion. This is maybe the most subjective bullet on my list, because I came to associate this song with a part of my life, so maybe that's where the emotion lies within for me; I just know that the climax never sounded so right before. "It's all wrong, it's all right" indeed. So I consider myself "lucky" to have connected with this song on a personal level, because otherwise its beauty may have never been unraveled to me.

6. Up On the Ladder
This is my favourite B-Side in Radiohead's catalogue. I love everything about Up on the Ladder - the guitar riff, the beat, the bass, the noise which distinguishes the second verse, the way each part slips in and fades out of the song. It doesn't go anywhere, but that is the point - this song is about being trapped, after all.

7. Backdrifts
How typical is this argument: "HTTT could be so much better if they cut out X and X". Often one of the neglected songs is Backdrifts. To thosepeople, I say it's their loss, as this is easily one of the highlights of the album. To me, Backdrifts is an easy listen at every time, because despite the constant experimentation with different beats and sounds, it is a very relaxing song. I like to think of Backdrifts as TKOL-prototype, as I've said elsewhere, I feel the same cool vibe from both sides.

8. Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was
Another song from The Bends I'm very fond of. It's a simple guitar song, yet it's really beautiful. One of those sad songs for sad people; it always helps me feel better when I'm sad. My highlight is the gorgeous extra guitar in the chorus.

9. These Are My Twisted Words
Released in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely no fuss, it's no wonder people often forget this song even exists. It's another of those songs that I immerse into when I'm listening. Just close your eyes, let yourself be taken away by the sound and enjoy the experience.

10. Kinetic
Often dismissed as a "weird experiment", Kinetic is my favourite B-Side from the Amnesiac lot. More than the jazzy background voice, my favourite thing about it is the frantic drums, which put me on edge all the time; and who doesn't feel an urge to sing "Kinetic, Kinetic" along with the roaring spaceship? Overall, it collects a lot of good ideas and jams them together in one song.

---

Didn't mean for this post to get so long, I'm sorry for that; hope someone enjoys it

[Bluebelle]

in no order whatsover:

Stop Whispering
Permanent Daylight
Fitter Happier
House of Cards
Inside my Head
Last Flowers
Bangers n' Mash
I Will
The Bends
Meeting in the Aisle

[(GiveUpTheGhost)]

bizarre concept really
i feel like i don't even really have a pulse on this kinda thing at all so i'll leave you to it

Thankyou for feeling a need to reply at all

[irene]

FAUST ARP

[rose ocean]

Thankyou for feeling a need to reply at all

[NervousMarionette]

Skirting on the Surface (full band version)

Worrywort

(nice Dream)

Lozenge of Love

Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong

Subterranean Homesick Alien

Sail to the Moon

Gagging Order

In Limbo

Dollars and Cents

[NervousMarionette]

in no order whatsover:

Stop Whispering
Permanent Daylight
Fitter Happier
House of Cards
Inside my Head
Last Flowers
Bangers n' Mash
I Will
The Bends
Meeting in the Aisle

yay!

[Ed O'Brien]

3. Planet Telex
My personal highlight is in the line "You can break all the rules", the sound of sudden realization. Just like he said, everything is broken. The only solution is to go to space.


10. Kinetic
and who doesn't feel an urge to sing "Kinetic, Kinetic" along with the roaring spaceship?

and i'm pretty sure Airbag is too popular for these lists

[NervousMarionette]

I just listened to Dollars and Cents and In Limbo back to back. They seem like companion tracks to me. I can't really explain it, but they both seem to have regressive guitar licks. Maybe regressive isn't the word...I don't want to say that they sounds like they are played backwards....does anyone know what the fuck I'm talking about?

Edit: Maybe like the guitar parts are going against the grain or something. Like they are pushing through the rest of the noise or something and barely succeeding.