Time Stamp Ok Computer reaction '-')/ 1:05 Airbag 3:12 Paranoid Android 7:03 Subterranean Homesick Alien 9:30 Exit Music ( for a film ) 12:42 Let Down 15:14 Karma Police 18:21 Fitter Hapier 19:54 Electioneering 21:57 Climbing Up the Walls 24:51 No Suprises 27:16 Lucky 29:31 The Tourist I like ur pure reaction benn, yea some of them song on ok computer its great, hope yall enjoy
All of their albums have a different feeling about them which is wonderful to see in a band. In rainbows, while being sad, feels so light and kind of joyful. It's like seeing beautiful flowers grow on a war torn landscape. OK Computer in comparison sounds bleak, heavy, and grounded. The same feeling as a dystopian city. All the industrial sounds in songs like climbing up the walls feel very familiar. Where as in rainbows feels like the conditions within a person's spirit, ok computer feels like the material conditions of people in future society. Then comes Kid A which is not grounded at all, seems like a place where the laws of physics do not apply. It probably takes place in the deepest depths of a person's mind. Filled with personal abstractions and gibberish that only make sense to you. It takes time to digest the feelings in in rainbows. It takes time to digest the technical sounds in OK Computer. And it takes time to digest the soundscape of Kid A, but when you do it starts becoming calming and homely. Not to sound too pretentious, this is just what I get out of these albums.
Not pretentious AT ALL! I loved this! And you're so right about In Rainbows and OK Computer in their comparing sounds and how they appear! Totally relate to all of this! Also makes me even more keen for Kid A! Thank you!! 💙
Subterranean Homesick Alien is still one of my favorite songs of all time. It's just beautiful. Airbag, Let Down, and No Surprises are my other top songs from this album. Radiohead were truly ahead of their time. Since you love Thom's voice, you really should go back and listen to The Bends. There are some amazing vocals from Thom on The Bends. It's definitely more of a rock album, but songs like High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Iron Lung, and Street Spirit are definitely worth listening to.
SHA was what got me into Radiohead, I listened to the albums chronologically as a teenager and didn't really get them until that song just hit me so hard
A slight run down with some opinions and some general info: OK Computer is their best selling album (huge on release as Radiohead were one of the best selling bands of the 90s and it has continued to sell and have success as it has really stood the test of time) and it is generally regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time (you'll find it towards the top end of almost all respected online lists from critics or general listeners). I wasn't hugely into it at first - it's a very heavy record both emotionally and thematically - but over time it really grew on me as I digested all the subtle elements (many have said that this album feared what we are living today). Today, It's almost certainly my favourite album of all time but it took nearly a year of listeing to it here and there to come to that conclusion. I suppose it's less instantly rewarding than In Rainbows. The lyrics are more abstract, the vocalist Thom Yorke seems to prefer to use statements that evoke certain emotions rather than make specific references to things/experiences (though there is an element of both techniques within the record). It's a writing style that leaves more up for interpretation which some will prefer and others won't. Great reaction to the album btw - it's good to see someone unafraid to actually express a mixed opinion on what they're hearing. You acknowledge both what you like and what you're not to sure about. I appreciate that. Keep it up!
Firstly, thank you for the appreciation! It's always so nice to have people respect a different opinion! Secondly, THANK YOU for all the information! Love love love reading this stuff from people who love the band and the albums I react to! The lyrics breakdown makes perfect sense too! And you're so right, not as instantly rewarding as In Rainbows! Really appreciate the comment!
Let Down is a song that really grows on you. Pretty much no one has it as their favorite early, but so many Radiohead fans have it as their favorite Radiohead song.
the great things about this album and kid a, is that they were released back to back, in damn near two completely different genres with completely different soundscapes, and yet they are both considered two of their best albums ever, including in rainbows which is almost a fusion of the two. the band is versatile as hell
Imo this album is the greatest collection of cathartic songs ever put into one album: Airbag, Paranoid Android, Exit Music, Let Down (esp. the second verse), Karma Police (for a minute there I lost myself), No Surprises, Lucky, The Tourist!!
Very excited to see you react to the rest of their albums, they really do change things up so much with every single album!! OK Computer and In Rainbows are my faves, but honestly there are so many great tracks across all the albums it's hard to choose :) There are a billion amazing b-sides too!
I personally think it’s an album you need to listen to more than once to connect with. I also think that, like Dark Side of the Moon, it’s an album to be listened to as a whole.
I'm not a Radiohead full album person but I bought their songs "Creep" & "Karma Police". I came here to see your reaction to that song. I have loved that song since it came out. I'm glad you liked it too! :-)
Glad to see you do more Radiohead, I love this album so much, I am also an In Raimbows guy but man this one speaks to me, sad to see you didn't quite enjoy The Tourist, that one especially hits me haha, but that's alright. Hope you continue, I think there's some stuff you'd really like in A Moon Shaped Pool too, great album
I was surprised considering is was the closing track! They usually bring the goods, but maybe I was just too emotionally drained by the time it came around 😂 The songs I loved though omg, love, but yeah as a project, In Rainbows OVERALL, but I mean, that doesn't take way anything from his project. I'm keen to see what else they have for sure!
@bennshouts Yeah I get it, and again, that's alright, everybody got their own stuff, my own controversial opinion is that I don't like Karma Police a whole lot! But yes, when it hits, it hits so hard, Exit Music blew my mind the first time I listened to it, it's great!!
Let’s go! Continuing on the Radiohead journey. Can’t wait for Kid A. My favorites are Paranoid android, Exit music, Climbing up the walls and No surprises.
I found it really interesting to hear you speak of songs in films and how some of the songs on this album would sound on certain genres etc. I actually beleive that this album was so influential it inspired film makers to write films about the themes, sounds and lyrics of it. Its crazy to me to realise year after year that in 1997 they nailed what living now has become in the 2020s, they warned us ! Jonny Greenwood has been nominated for an Oscar recently for original score and missed out on a nomination on a technicallity for another score, (There Will Be Blood) hes a serious composer, Thom has also now started doing some scores and has been lauded for it. My favourite Radiohead album could change everytime I'm asked depending on my mood and I'm sure yours will too once you hear their discography, none of their albums sound the same and after doing 9 that is a helluva feat. P.S if you latch onto Kid A straight away your a better judge than me, took me about 6 months for it to finally click with me, now it blows my mind and is one of my favourites.
They totally did! Listening in 2023, it's like... okay this is literally life ha. Creepy! I love that Thom's doing scores now, makes perfect sense with how this sounded and I would love to see some movies that he scores! 9 albums doesn't sound a lot, but when it's this type of work, it's SO in-depth with how much goes into each song, I'm so keen to hear them all tbh! Kid A sounds very intriguing from everyone haha, so I'm keen to see how I take it x
@@bennshouts They have a huge amount of non-album tracks that in many cases are as good or better than their album ones they are pretty unique in that respect.
Yep. They used it for the closing of the film and the only reason it wasn’t included on the soundtrack is because Radiohead chose to add it to OK Computer
I love different things about all of their albums - and I love reactions where people respond honestly, thanks - but on this one Im still listening in my 50s to this and still enjoying. Keep going mate - its great watching you doing this
@@bennshouts Ill tell you a secret! I didnt like Ok Computer at first, I hated Kid A so much I stopped listening to them. I love them all now but only a liar likes songs straight off - its like people, my now wife was at first the most annoying person in the world. Now were married 20 years :) Your honesty is the key
@@cgallagher4501 I actually put Radiohead aside for a number of years after Kid A that is how much I did not like it then I caught the In Rainbows basement session and started all over again as a more mature listener and I like it all now.
I think this actually was a very great and honest first reaction. I remember it took me weeks to really get into this album and appreciate all of it's details. I love pop music and appreciate a great hook as much as I love this kind of artistry. It's like two totally different emotions i get out of music. Like how you just vibe and dance with some music that makes you smile and gives you energy. And there is something like OK computer. First you are intrigued but also confused. Then you start listening to it more. It got me totally obsessed. I was a teenager at the time and it felt so deep and important to me. I totally get some songs didn't click with you right away. Let down for example is a grower. I didn't care for it at first. It's now one of my favorite songs of all time. Keep it up and thank you for these reactions and I hope you dive into Kid A, like other people suggested.
Not sure anyone mentioned this, but 'Exit music (For a Film)' was written for the end credits of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film 'Romeo + Juliet', starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. They asked for the song not to be included in the film's official soundtrack, as they wanted to use it in their next album, i.e. 'OK Computer'.
@@bennshouts (Re-reading now what I wrote, I might have been misleading in the way I phrased things: the song wasn't included in the official soundtrack *album*, but it was certainly used in the end credits sequence [which, as a matter of fact, is what got me to listen to 'OK Computer'].)
As a longtime Radiohead fan, IMO this is when they realized they’d “figured out” rock music and were clearly straining against its limitations. I think this is a stellar album, but it is still very traditional at its core, or as you said “soundtrack music”. A lot of people call this the greatest of all time. I think a better description would be greatest album of ITS time. Nostalgia is powerful, and when you listen to this with fresh ears and almost 30 years of music naturally evolving it can sound a bit... boring. It deserves almost all the praise it gets, but the band themselves famously hated touring it and immediatley followed up with a full-on rejection of rock music. Kid A is the sound of them just being done with all of this, and it’s absolutely wild they were released back to back. I remember buying Kid A the day it came out and being deeply confused for quite some time, but unable to stop listening to it. That was 23 years ago and I just listened to the whole thing again last week for the billionth time.
I love your perspective and I agree, I said to my friend who first recommended them, I don't get WHY it was so influential, but that's because I'm looking at it in 2023, like you said, for ITS time, 100%, but now, it's hard to see because of just how much music there has been! So totally agree with you there! Also, wild that everyone says how different the back to back albums are! That in itself is so impressive, especially when a lot of the time you had to wait until the album was out haha, none of this sneak peak crap that so many artists do. I'm very keen for Kid A!
@@bennshouts I think what’s crazy is Kid A being released at their height of popularity. They were headlining festivals and selling millions of albums and decided to release arguably the most avant garde pop album of the era when they could’ve just released b sides (of which they have dozens of great ones) and cashed the checks. Imagine, like, Lizo releasing an album of soundscapes with often nonsensical lyrics next year with no singles. Lots of artists get experimental when their fame fades a bit, but only a handful knowingly release difficult material simply because they want to. Kendrick Lamar, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, the Beatles, ect
Meant to come back to you - of all the people reacting to full albums yours was among the best/honest/emotional/natural to watch. Would love to see you do another. You might consider trying Hail to the Thief - one of their least rated by casual listeners but contains some of their best sounds 👍
I'd say that especially the first album by Muse, "Showbiz", was inspired by Radiohead. If I'm not mistaken it was produced by John Leckie, who also produced Radioheads second album "The Bends". So you aren't completely wrong there :))
Thanks for doing these Benn. I often think chronological order is best. Still too late for that now! Anyway.... OK Computer isn't as 'nice' or easy-on-the-ears as In Rainbows. But I do encourage you not to go back and revisit just the songs you like. Give the whole album a few listens.You'll probably find it grows on you. We all did. It's a true album experience, like DSOTM. I don't think many of us 'loved' this on first listen (although many of us were blown away by the soundscape) but many of us love it now. 'Let Down' for example is kinda famous (for many) as the less-interesting song that one day becomes one of the best musical moments ever! So keep coming back!
This album grows on you. It needs several listens to have it click in your brain. This album is in 2nd place for me with In Rainbows in 1st. 3rd is Kid A. 4th is Moon Shaped Pool. I love all their albums.
Fun fact: The Tourist loops back to the beginning of the album, Airbag. The Tourist is about slowing down, and Airbag is about a car crash. I guess they didn't slow down.
Go back and listen to Exit Music with the context of Romeo & Juliet in mind. It was used in the 1996 movie along with another of their songs - Talk Show Host - a Bends era B-side with a DJ Shadowesque drum track and a bassline that wouldn’t feel out of place on OK Computer
The album title is taken from a line in the novel A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! Which lead singer Thom Yorke read in the '90s, and thought "Ok, computer" was an appropriate and resigned-sounding phrase he could use for describing how people of the time were starting to give up their autonomy, independence and free thought to the powers of technology and the government. It really perfectly captured the feelings and fears of the oncoming new millennium and all the changes that were just beginning to occur because of the rise of the Internet, cell phones, 24-hour news, and modern politics in the mid '90s. And in light of advanced technology and even things like pandemic, this album's themes are just as relevant today. OK Computer is definitely inspired by its time (1997) but yet it is timeless.
@@bennshouts ooh Benn, and talking about Kid A, the cover says a lot. It's like a reflexive montain in the dark vacuum world, it's tragic and beautiful.
Check out their performance of paranoid android from Jools Holland show from 97 and the Glastonbury stuff you will better understand just how unique this band is. As amazing as the albums are they consistently outshined live.
well that brought me back in time to when I was listening to Ok computer on my first computer. RIP huge-a$$ computer, you have no idea what the world looks like now, maybe thats for the best 😢
Loved The Bends, but Ok Computer was magical, profound and decades ahead of its time. I felt it was the best album of the 90's but have since revised that to one of the best concept albums of all time and one of the greatest albums of all time.
Their best album (Beware, this comment will make controversy) is their latest one, A Moon Shaped Pool. As you love the production on many recent albums, seeing your reactions since the beginning, I think it could be your fav album ever.
In interviews from around that time Radiohead talk about being heavily influenced by DJ Shadows endtroducing and Aphex Twin. It made for an album that is miles away from their earlier albums that were fairly generic for the time. Its like they found their voice with this album and to me similar about face / reinvention (and annoying their fansbase) as when U2 a few years earlier went from the bombastic Rattle and Hum to the Eno produced Achtung Baby. I think a big driver to this is Jonny Greenwood who along with Thom became involved with a lot of side products around this time. Thom on Unkles psyence fiction and many other collaborations and Jonny who has since become one of the foremost contemporary soundtrack producers.
Rolling Stone ranked this at number 2 on their best albums of the 90’s list, whatever that’s worth…which is not much for me lol. It’s definitely in my top 5.
Apparently, the original lyric was:- "God loves his children, That's why he kills them" The record label demanded they change it before they would release the album.
The line in No Surprises 'You look so tired, unhappy. Bring down the government. They don't speak for us' is less about politics and more likely about someone telling the protagonist of the song to try and do something like take the government down if they're unhappy. It's like, yeah no shit they don't speak for us, and the protagonist knows this but doesn't care. He's too miserable to worry about why they've abandoned us. But yeah loved the reaction as always, hope you enjoy their other albums! (Kid A might be a bit tough for you to get into though lol, it's a bit weird, The Bends would probably be a great continuation from here)
Disagree. Thom addresses the real world, of the state, of his existence in a society which privileges some over others, and which functions to instill unjustified, unnecessary, and avoidable hierarchy. This album is overall political. Thom is a leftist even if he has no teeth and is a bit ignorant on some topics.
@@crumbtember Yes, obviously its meant to be political in one sense, and the line definitely reflects Thom's political beliefs. But what I'm saying is that (with the context of the rest of the song lyrics) he is too tired to try and fight against the government that he rejects. I never said it was apolitical
This is what separates good music from pop. You listen to pop once and you hear everything it's basic and simple repetitive. Don't just pick your favourites from a couple of listens. This is a masterpiece and the more you listen to it the more every song reveals more to you and your favourites will change every time you listen to it.👍
Do yourself a favour don’t compare Radiohead to anyone else or any genre . Grunge is basically 4/4 time , with 4/8 for the better tunes, also Radiohead is not about production everything you hear they do live . Bye
It’s not an album but they made a song released as kind of an EP along with another song and it’s called The Daily Mail. I’d love it if you could react to them next time you react to one of their albums
Please do The Bends after Kid A, that album comes right before OK Computer when they were still indie and alternative rock with some experimental elements.
I've found people tend to think the first Radiohead album they hear is their favorite of the catalogue. I hate you didn't get to hear this one first, but In Rainbows is worthy alternative.
Haha, there's still a few that might take it - but I think In Rainbows is more align with the type of music I listen to normally, so probably why it grabbed me harder than this one
"Exit Music" was written For The Romeo+ Juliet movie From 1996 but it was rejected by the director for being too sad, hahaha. Thom Yorke tells that he was watching The Franco Zeffirelli's versión of this beloved tale and he just couldnt understand why they didnt scape. So, the song is based on that. Kisses , handsome.
I'm sure someone has already said but...those of us who are big fans of this album and heard it when it came out are blinded(?) by nostalgia and the context of the state of music when it was released [this goes for all the arts...those people who don't understand how profound painting 'simple blocks of color' when the established critics wanted more classical style as the ideal. Yeah today its basically boring, but then it was subversive as F] . I don't know how to explain it better, just that some art you definitely have to take into account the state of 'art' at the time. Rock/grunge and the like was 'dying' and generic pop was taking over, (rock) music was predictable and not very compelling, Radiohead said...but what about this? Lets explore where this can go. This was monumental at the time, if released today it would be mostly ignored.
Time Stamp
Ok Computer reaction '-')/
1:05 Airbag
3:12 Paranoid Android
7:03 Subterranean Homesick Alien
9:30 Exit Music ( for a film )
12:42 Let Down
15:14 Karma Police
18:21 Fitter Hapier
19:54 Electioneering
21:57 Climbing Up the Walls
24:51 No Suprises
27:16 Lucky
29:31 The Tourist
I like ur pure reaction benn, yea some of them song on ok computer its great, hope yall enjoy
VIP
Thank you so much! 💙
Muse said, "What if we took the last two minutes of Exit Music and turned it into a whole career?" and then they did. Kind of inspring, really.
hahaha
at least kill or be killed was pretty decent lmao
I’ve heard that joke but it’s electioneering lol
All of their albums have a different feeling about them which is wonderful to see in a band. In rainbows, while being sad, feels so light and kind of joyful. It's like seeing beautiful flowers grow on a war torn landscape. OK Computer in comparison sounds bleak, heavy, and grounded. The same feeling as a dystopian city. All the industrial sounds in songs like climbing up the walls feel very familiar. Where as in rainbows feels like the conditions within a person's spirit, ok computer feels like the material conditions of people in future society. Then comes Kid A which is not grounded at all, seems like a place where the laws of physics do not apply. It probably takes place in the deepest depths of a person's mind. Filled with personal abstractions and gibberish that only make sense to you. It takes time to digest the feelings in in rainbows. It takes time to digest the technical sounds in OK Computer. And it takes time to digest the soundscape of Kid A, but when you do it starts becoming calming and homely. Not to sound too pretentious, this is just what I get out of these albums.
Not pretentious AT ALL! I loved this! And you're so right about In Rainbows and OK Computer in their comparing sounds and how they appear! Totally relate to all of this! Also makes me even more keen for Kid A! Thank you!! 💙
Excellent summary
Subterranean Homesick Alien is still one of my favorite songs of all time. It's just beautiful. Airbag, Let Down, and No Surprises are my other top songs from this album. Radiohead were truly ahead of their time. Since you love Thom's voice, you really should go back and listen to The Bends. There are some amazing vocals from Thom on The Bends. It's definitely more of a rock album, but songs like High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Iron Lung, and Street Spirit are definitely worth listening to.
Ooo okay! thank you!
SHA was what got me into Radiohead, I listened to the albums chronologically as a teenager and didn't really get them until that song just hit me so hard
A slight run down with some opinions and some general info:
OK Computer is their best selling album (huge on release as Radiohead were one of the best selling bands of the 90s and it has continued to sell and have success as it has really stood the test of time) and it is generally regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time (you'll find it towards the top end of almost all respected online lists from critics or general listeners). I wasn't hugely into it at first - it's a very heavy record both emotionally and thematically - but over time it really grew on me as I digested all the subtle elements (many have said that this album feared what we are living today). Today, It's almost certainly my favourite album of all time but it took nearly a year of listeing to it here and there to come to that conclusion. I suppose it's less instantly rewarding than In Rainbows. The lyrics are more abstract, the vocalist Thom Yorke seems to prefer to use statements that evoke certain emotions rather than make specific references to things/experiences (though there is an element of both techniques within the record). It's a writing style that leaves more up for interpretation which some will prefer and others won't.
Great reaction to the album btw - it's good to see someone unafraid to actually express a mixed opinion on what they're hearing. You acknowledge both what you like and what you're not to sure about. I appreciate that. Keep it up!
Firstly, thank you for the appreciation! It's always so nice to have people respect a different opinion!
Secondly, THANK YOU for all the information! Love love love reading this stuff from people who love the band and the albums I react to! The lyrics breakdown makes perfect sense too! And you're so right, not as instantly rewarding as In Rainbows!
Really appreciate the comment!
Let Down is a song that really grows on you. Pretty much no one has it as their favorite early, but so many Radiohead fans have it as their favorite Radiohead song.
the great things about this album and kid a, is that they were released back to back, in damn near two completely different genres with completely different soundscapes, and yet they are both considered two of their best albums ever, including in rainbows which is almost a fusion of the two. the band is versatile as hell
So keen to hear that after listening to this!
10:52 Every time he says "such a chill" I literally get goosebumps. I must have heard this song over 100 times and it still gets me.
Imo this album is the greatest collection of cathartic songs ever put into one album: Airbag, Paranoid Android, Exit Music, Let Down (esp. the second verse), Karma Police (for a minute there I lost myself), No Surprises, Lucky, The Tourist!!
Very excited to see you react to the rest of their albums, they really do change things up so much with every single album!!
OK Computer and In Rainbows are my faves, but honestly there are so many great tracks across all the albums it's hard to choose :)
There are a billion amazing b-sides too!
Yeah I think with them, even if you don't love the entire project, there's gonna be such stand out tracks which I'm so keen for!
I personally think it’s an album you need to listen to more than once to connect with. I also think that, like Dark Side of the Moon, it’s an album to be listened to as a whole.
I'm not a Radiohead full album person but I bought their songs "Creep" & "Karma Police". I came here to see your reaction to that song. I have loved that song since it came out. I'm glad you liked it too! :-)
Good taste! :P
Climbing Up The Walls could belong on THE BATMAN sound track.
cant wait for a moon shaped pool!!!
Glad to see you do more Radiohead, I love this album so much, I am also an In Raimbows guy but man this one speaks to me, sad to see you didn't quite enjoy The Tourist, that one especially hits me haha, but that's alright.
Hope you continue, I think there's some stuff you'd really like in A Moon Shaped Pool too, great album
I was surprised considering is was the closing track! They usually bring the goods, but maybe I was just too emotionally drained by the time it came around 😂
The songs I loved though omg, love, but yeah as a project, In Rainbows OVERALL, but I mean, that doesn't take way anything from his project.
I'm keen to see what else they have for sure!
@bennshouts Yeah I get it, and again, that's alright, everybody got their own stuff, my own controversial opinion is that I don't like Karma Police a whole lot! But yes, when it hits, it hits so hard, Exit Music blew my mind the first time I listened to it, it's great!!
HAHA, I suppose it's their most mainstream sounding on the album IMO, so maybe that's why? :P Exit Music omg, incredible!
Let’s go! Continuing on the Radiohead journey. Can’t wait for Kid A. My favorites are Paranoid android, Exit music, Climbing up the walls and No surprises.
VERY GOOD SONG CHOICES 💙
Great honest reaction! I love how you constantly relate the music to movies. Its an interesting perspective.
Thank you!! ❤️ I think I missed my calling finding music for movies haha
I found it really interesting to hear you speak of songs in films and how some of the songs on this album would sound on certain genres etc. I actually beleive that this album was so influential it inspired film makers to write films about the themes, sounds and lyrics of it.
Its crazy to me to realise year after year that in 1997 they nailed what living now has become in the 2020s, they warned us !
Jonny Greenwood has been nominated for an Oscar recently for original score and missed out on a nomination on a technicallity for another score, (There Will Be Blood) hes a serious composer, Thom has also now started doing some scores and has been lauded for it.
My favourite Radiohead album could change everytime I'm asked depending on my mood and I'm sure yours will too once you hear their discography, none of their albums sound the same and after doing 9 that is a helluva feat.
P.S if you latch onto Kid A straight away your a better judge than me, took me about 6 months for it to finally click with me, now it blows my mind and is one of my favourites.
They totally did! Listening in 2023, it's like... okay this is literally life ha. Creepy! I love that Thom's doing scores now, makes perfect sense with how this sounded and I would love to see some movies that he scores!
9 albums doesn't sound a lot, but when it's this type of work, it's SO in-depth with how much goes into each song, I'm so keen to hear them all tbh!
Kid A sounds very intriguing from everyone haha, so I'm keen to see how I take it x
@@bennshouts They have a huge amount of non-album tracks that in many cases are as good or better than their album ones they are pretty unique in that respect.
Thank you for more Radiohead reactions! I enjoy your vids so much. 🖤
Aww, thank you! I'm glad!
Exit music was written for Baz Luhrmanns Romeo and Juliet. Great tune, brilliant album!
Yep. They used it for the closing of the film and the only reason it wasn’t included on the soundtrack is because Radiohead chose to add it to OK Computer
Great reaction! Love this album. If I had to pick a selective list of quintessential songs that defined the 90's - Karma Police would be high up there
Thank you!!
omg , so excited to watch this !!!!
I love different things about all of their albums - and I love reactions where people respond honestly, thanks - but on this one Im still listening in my 50s to this and still enjoying.
Keep going mate - its great watching you doing this
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! Especially when people enjoy the honesty, even when it means I don't always like something!
@@bennshouts Ill tell you a secret! I didnt like Ok Computer at first, I hated Kid A so much I stopped listening to them.
I love them all now but only a liar likes songs straight off - its like people, my now wife was at first the most annoying person in the world. Now were married 20 years :)
Your honesty is the key
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA gold
@@cgallagher4501 I actually put Radiohead aside for a number of years after Kid A that is how much I did not like it then I caught the In Rainbows basement session and started all over again as a more mature listener and I like it all now.
Tbh, this guy's style and vibe is so fucking cool
Aww thank you!!!
I think this actually was a very great and honest first reaction. I remember it took me weeks to really get into this album and appreciate all of it's details. I love pop music and appreciate a great hook as much as I love this kind of artistry. It's like two totally different emotions i get out of music. Like how you just vibe and dance with some music that makes you smile and gives you energy. And there is something like OK computer. First you are intrigued but also confused. Then you start listening to it more. It got me totally obsessed. I was a teenager at the time and it felt so deep and important to me. I totally get some songs didn't click with you right away. Let down for example is a grower. I didn't care for it at first. It's now one of my favorite songs of all time. Keep it up and thank you for these reactions and I hope you dive into Kid A, like other people suggested.
Not sure anyone mentioned this, but 'Exit music (For a Film)' was written for the end credits of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film 'Romeo + Juliet', starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. They asked for the song not to be included in the film's official soundtrack, as they wanted to use it in their next album, i.e. 'OK Computer'.
love this fact!
@@bennshouts (Re-reading now what I wrote, I might have been misleading in the way I phrased things: the song wasn't included in the official soundtrack *album*, but it was certainly used in the end credits sequence [which, as a matter of fact, is what got me to listen to 'OK Computer'].)
Exit Music is incredibly sad yet so beautiful
HAHAHAHAHA YES!!!!
The Tourist is a crazy grower - really underrated.
OK Computer is my favorite winter album and In Rainbows is my favorite summer album
Ooo I love that!
As a longtime Radiohead fan, IMO this is when they realized they’d “figured out” rock music and were clearly straining against its limitations. I think this is a stellar album, but it is still very traditional at its core, or as you said “soundtrack music”.
A lot of people call this the greatest of all time. I think a better description would be greatest album of ITS time. Nostalgia is powerful, and when you listen to this with fresh ears and almost 30 years of music naturally evolving it can sound a bit... boring. It deserves almost all the praise it gets, but the band themselves famously hated touring it and immediatley followed up with a full-on rejection of rock music.
Kid A is the sound of them just being done with all of this, and it’s absolutely wild they were released back to back. I remember buying Kid A the day it came out and being deeply confused for quite some time, but unable to stop listening to it. That was 23 years ago and I just listened to the whole thing again last week for the billionth time.
I love your perspective and I agree, I said to my friend who first recommended them, I don't get WHY it was so influential, but that's because I'm looking at it in 2023, like you said, for ITS time, 100%, but now, it's hard to see because of just how much music there has been! So totally agree with you there!
Also, wild that everyone says how different the back to back albums are! That in itself is so impressive, especially when a lot of the time you had to wait until the album was out haha, none of this sneak peak crap that so many artists do. I'm very keen for Kid A!
@@bennshouts I think what’s crazy is Kid A being released at their height of popularity. They were headlining festivals and selling millions of albums and decided to release arguably the most avant garde pop album of the era when they could’ve just released b sides (of which they have dozens of great ones) and cashed the checks.
Imagine, like, Lizo releasing an album of soundscapes with often nonsensical lyrics next year with no singles.
Lots of artists get experimental when their fame fades a bit, but only a handful knowingly release difficult material simply because they want to. Kendrick Lamar, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, the Beatles, ect
Incredible!
I really did not like it all that much at the time but all their records take time to properly digest.
Great video! I think you’d enjoy Fake Plastic Trees and High and Dry from their previous album The Bends which are a bit more mainstream!
Thank you & yessss, keen!
Climbing the walls is so fucking awesome I actually cannot even deal with it. Fitter Happier and CUTW are absolutely my favorites
Meant to come back to you - of all the people reacting to full albums yours was among the best/honest/emotional/natural to watch. Would love to see you do another. You might consider trying Hail to the Thief - one of their least rated by casual listeners but contains some of their best sounds 👍
The disrespect for The Tourist. Tsss... Nah, it's fine, to each their own, but to me, that one is an absolute banger.
i think you will enjoy kid a more, and if you feel very sad/mellow go for a moon shaped pool album from them ;)
Haha thank you!
in 1997, OK Computer sounds like it came from the future
The more I hear the tourist the more it becomes my favorite off the record.
I'd say that especially the first album by Muse, "Showbiz", was inspired by Radiohead.
If I'm not mistaken it was produced by John Leckie, who also produced Radioheads second album "The Bends".
So you aren't completely wrong there :))
Thanks for doing these Benn. I often think chronological order is best. Still too late for that now! Anyway.... OK Computer isn't as 'nice' or easy-on-the-ears as In Rainbows. But I do encourage you not to go back and revisit just the songs you like. Give the whole album a few listens.You'll probably find it grows on you. We all did. It's a true album experience, like DSOTM. I don't think many of us 'loved' this on first listen (although many of us were blown away by the soundscape) but many of us love it now. 'Let Down' for example is kinda famous (for many) as the less-interesting song that one day becomes one of the best musical moments ever! So keep coming back!
Thank you! Really appreciate all of this!!
Would love to see a reaction to 12 Memories by Travis. Excellent and flawed diamond of an album
This album grows on you. It needs several listens to have it click in your brain. This album is in 2nd place for me with In Rainbows in 1st. 3rd is Kid A. 4th is Moon Shaped Pool. I love all their albums.
ben back with the bangers :)
hehe
Fun fact: The Tourist loops back to the beginning of the album, Airbag. The Tourist is about slowing down, and Airbag is about a car crash. I guess they didn't slow down.
please do an album reaction to Parklife by Blur :)
And their other albums hopefully :D
“Ok Computer” is a much used line from Douglas Adam’s book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”.
Marvin the “Paranoid Android” was also in the book.
Go back and listen to Exit Music with the context of Romeo & Juliet in mind. It was used in the 1996 movie along with another of their songs - Talk Show Host - a Bends era B-side with a DJ Shadowesque drum track and a bassline that wouldn’t feel out of place on OK Computer
The album title is taken from a line in the novel A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! Which lead singer Thom Yorke read in the '90s, and thought "Ok, computer" was an appropriate and resigned-sounding phrase he could use for describing how people of the time were starting to give up their autonomy, independence and free thought to the powers of technology and the government. It really perfectly captured the feelings and fears of the oncoming new millennium and all the changes that were just beginning to occur because of the rise of the Internet, cell phones, 24-hour news, and modern politics in the mid '90s. And in light of advanced technology and even things like pandemic, this album's themes are just as relevant today. OK Computer is definitely inspired by its time (1997) but yet it is timeless.
Absolute masterpiece!
OBS: Can i suggest you an artist? Kate Bush, the alternative goddess.
I've done a couple of her albums
@@bennshouts ooh Benn, and talking about Kid A, the cover says a lot. It's like a reflexive montain in the dark vacuum world, it's tragic and beautiful.
Check out their performance of paranoid android from Jools Holland show from 97 and the Glastonbury stuff you will better understand just how unique this band is. As amazing as the albums are they consistently outshined live.
well that brought me back in time to when I was listening to Ok computer on my first computer. RIP huge-a$$ computer, you have no idea what the world looks like now, maybe thats for the best 😢
Loved The Bends, but Ok Computer was magical, profound and decades ahead of its time. I felt it was the best album of the 90's but have since revised that to one of the best concept albums of all time and one of the greatest albums of all time.
Pretty sure they used climbing up the walls in Yellowjackets season 2! Very creepy scene
OK COMPUTER is their response to the state of the world, KID A is the world they created. Looking forward to it!
Their best album (Beware, this comment will make controversy) is their latest one, A Moon Shaped Pool. As you love the production on many recent albums, seeing your reactions since the beginning, I think it could be your fav album ever.
Give it another listen… you’ll probably start to get the tracks you didn’t get this time through as well.
In interviews from around that time Radiohead talk about being heavily influenced by DJ Shadows endtroducing and Aphex Twin. It made for an album that is miles away from their earlier albums that were fairly generic for the time. Its like they found their voice with this album and to me similar about face / reinvention (and annoying their fansbase) as when U2 a few years earlier went from the bombastic Rattle and Hum to the Eno produced Achtung Baby.
I think a big driver to this is Jonny Greenwood who along with Thom became involved with a lot of side products around this time. Thom on Unkles psyence fiction and many other collaborations and Jonny who has since become one of the foremost contemporary soundtrack producers.
Exit Music is considered one of the saddest songs ever. Does anyone know that Father Ted scene? 😂
Rolling Stone ranked this at number 2 on their best albums of the 90’s list, whatever that’s worth…which is not much for me lol. It’s definitely in my top 5.
In wainbows
When Nicole Dollanganger? Are you don't remember about her? 🥺❤️
"the panic, the vomit,
the panic, the vomit.
God loves his children
God loves his children."
in Paranoid Android gives me chills every time
Apparently, the original lyric was:-
"God loves his children,
That's why he kills them"
The record label demanded they change it before they would release the album.
Muse are bugs compared to Radiohead.
LOL
The line in No Surprises 'You look so tired, unhappy. Bring down the government. They don't speak for us' is less about politics and more likely about someone telling the protagonist of the song to try and do something like take the government down if they're unhappy. It's like, yeah no shit they don't speak for us, and the protagonist knows this but doesn't care. He's too miserable to worry about why they've abandoned us.
But yeah loved the reaction as always, hope you enjoy their other albums! (Kid A might be a bit tough for you to get into though lol, it's a bit weird, The Bends would probably be a great continuation from here)
Disagree. Thom addresses the real world, of the state, of his existence in a society which privileges some over others, and which functions to instill unjustified, unnecessary, and avoidable hierarchy. This album is overall political. Thom is a leftist even if he has no teeth and is a bit ignorant on some topics.
Funny you take a lyric which explicitly stated take down the government as apolitical.
@@crumbtember Yes, obviously its meant to be political in one sense, and the line definitely reflects Thom's political beliefs. But what I'm saying is that (with the context of the rest of the song lyrics) he is too tired to try and fight against the government that he rejects. I never said it was apolitical
This is what separates good music from pop. You listen to pop once and you hear everything it's basic and simple repetitive. Don't just pick your favourites from a couple of listens. This is a masterpiece and the more you listen to it the more every song reveals more to you and your favourites will change every time you listen to it.👍
Do yourself a favour don’t compare Radiohead to anyone else or any genre . Grunge is basically 4/4 time , with 4/8 for the better tunes, also Radiohead is not about production everything you hear they do live . Bye
I’ll do what I want.
Once you listen to Radiohead there’s no going back so good luck with the journey
HAHA, I'm very keen!
It’s not an album but they made a song released as kind of an EP along with another song and it’s called The Daily Mail. I’d love it if you could react to them next time you react to one of their albums
this album is incredible
You have a Björk pfp and listen to Radiohead omg
Please do The Bends after Kid A, that album comes right before OK Computer when they were still indie and alternative rock with some experimental elements.
Ooo, okay! I am shook at how many genres they cover haha
I must apologize for my rather strong impulse to yell at you when you made a comparison to grunge. Sorry. They existed well outside that genre. :)
I think you should be listening to this stuff with headphones on.
Agreed. Although I don't know his current set-up. Maybe he's got some proper speakers..
My top 3 Radiohead albums...
1.. In Rainbows
2.. Moon Shaped Pool
3.. Kid A
I've found people tend to think the first Radiohead album they hear is their favorite of the catalogue. I hate you didn't get to hear this one first, but In Rainbows is worthy alternative.
Haha, there's still a few that might take it - but I think In Rainbows is more align with the type of music I listen to normally, so probably why it grabbed me harder than this one
If i remember correctly Paranoid Android, No Surprises, and Karma Police were the singles.
"Exit Music" was written For The Romeo+ Juliet movie From 1996 but it was rejected by the director for being too sad, hahaha. Thom Yorke tells that he was watching The Franco Zeffirelli's versión of this beloved tale and he just couldnt understand why they didnt scape. So, the song is based on that.
Kisses , handsome.
Omg, makes so much sense! Definitely movie soundtrack worthy!!!
I'm sure someone has already said but...those of us who are big fans of this album and heard it when it came out are blinded(?) by nostalgia and the context of the state of music when it was released [this goes for all the arts...those people who don't understand how profound painting 'simple blocks of color' when the established critics wanted more classical style as the ideal. Yeah today its basically boring, but then it was subversive as F] . I don't know how to explain it better, just that some art you definitely have to take into account the state of 'art' at the time. Rock/grunge and the like was 'dying' and generic pop was taking over, (rock) music was predictable and not very compelling, Radiohead said...but what about this? Lets explore where this can go. This was monumental at the time, if released today it would be mostly ignored.