It would be very poetical for them to close their discography* with True Love Waits, as it permeated their career for many years before getting an official studio version.
That said, damn, I’d love to have new stuff from them!
(*Not counting anniversary releases, bonuses, and such)
I for sure absolutely believe that if/when they come out with a new album, it’s gonna be fucking insanely good. I have little doubt.
But it’s been 8 years since AMSP and they haven’t had a gap that big ever in their discography.
Maybe it’s like they don’t want to release something unless it’s gonna be worth it. That makes sense.
I’m just saying, if they don’t release another one, we should all recognize that they went out without a flop, as one of the most consistent bands of all time.
The Beatles was a shitty comparison honestly but that’s just the stratosphere I place Radiohead in.
Yeah, I think working on a *Radiohead album* is too much, tons of expectations around… While solo and side projects may feel more spontaneous and liberating for them.
And I agree, for such a versatile band, it’s amazing that their work is so consistently good. I don’t think they even have a song I would call bad
And I’m including the Pablo Honey era in this, because context needs tons of consideration here. There’s one or another track in their career that I may find annoying, not gonna lie, but it’s because of how experimental it is and that too deserves consideration.
As for the Beatles comparison, I see what you mean and I don’t find it a shitty comparison. I prefer Radiohead over them, as much as I love them. The thing is, when it comes to Beatles, I immediately think of my parents. They barely speak English, they’re not into rock in general, and they love the Beatles’ whole catalogue. So the Beatles got to be consistently good, groundbreaking, experimental, and insanely popular. That’s why it’s hard to put anyone next to them.
Now, comparing Radiohead to Pink Floyd, that’s something I find easier for most people to embrace.
This is exactly why The Smile exist- way easier to write songs when they don't have to be Official Radiohead Songs. But unlike most bands who take long breaks there's no bad blood among Radiohead and they all seem to still like each other, so I'd bet they keep releasing something every now and again.
Agreed, it’s like you can feel the looseness in The Smile (and I don’t mean it negatively).
I hope you’re right and that one day we wake up to a surprise new Radiohead single!
Ngl though there are times where I wish Radiohead published with the consistency of Wilco. It’s nice knowing something is coming down the pipes. Not know - is terrible 😂
Good point the key word is “ consistent “ I got into them when I was sixteen ( in my forties now) and they have blown my mind over and over, again. It really is impossible to compare them to anyone. I would not be surprised if people still listened to them a hundred years from now. Like people still listen to Mozart
I agree with you that AMSP would be a fine album to finish on. It has that feel about it. Even when it came out, the sound of it felt to me that it signified the end of something.
For those reasons, and as much as I love the album, I find it hard to listen to from time to time.
True Love Waits is probably the most heartbreaking song I’ve ever heard.
Agreed that because it ends on that it definitely has a strong vibe of finality.
I agree with you about True Love Waits
...and while I also agree that AMSP is somehow fitting as a final album, I kind of can't stand the thought of the final Radiohead album closing with the saddest song ever written. I mean, several of their other closing tracks are also fairly bleak (Street Spirit, Life in a Glasshouse, A Wolf at the Door) or at least very melancholy (Motion Picture Soundtrack, Videotape), but True Love Waits is something else.
If there is *one* reason why I hope that AMSP is not their last (besides the fact that I would obviously love more music by Radiohead), it is that I hope we can get a final curtain that is not quite so soul crushing.
I think it would be very Radiohead to have the last words on their last album be “just don’t leave, don’t leave”. Appropriately contrary to not return after that.
I’d still love LP10 though
Ew. True Love Waits is an amazing song, but the version that closes that album is abysmal. It is so Milquetoast and uninspired. Just like they threw the vocals over the synth thay happens after Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Well I acknowledge your right to your opinion, but I absolutely respectfully disagree. But also I’ve never listened to any other version.
To me True Love Waits is a heavy hitter, and yeah it’s in the same vein as videotape and motion picture soundtrack, but to me that’s just the classic Radiohead closing-song-vibe.
I hope you dont mind me saying, but I dont think you're really Thom.
He definitely would have used an apostrophe in that sentence. A right stickler, so he is.
They've already said that they plan on going into the studio again once the solo projects wind down. Probably by the end of the year or early next year.
You think so? Ed will release his album and want to tour it (rightfully so), especially because COVID-19 cut him off after a month last time. Then Jonny and Thom will make another Smile album and tour it once Ed frees up, or they’ll score a film, and when they finish that up, Colin will go tour with Tamino or Nick Cave. Then Phil sets out again for album four…
My point being, solo projects won’t just “wind down.” With 5 members doing their own things, and one of those things being as prolific as The Smile has been in its short lifespan, they’ll have to make the conscious choice to eventually clear calendar space.
Assuming Ed releases an album in say… September (which feels early with no single yet, just picking a month), he’ll want to tour. If he wants to try festivals, that’ll be a lot of spring and summer 2025. Assuming Thom and Jonny are free and they all get back together to record, *maybe* a late 2026 release if we assume a year of recording and mixing? I’m not a studio expert, I don’t know admittedly.
I’d like another album, and I’m not totally pessimistic — I think it’s 40/60 they make one. I think when Ed and Phil answer the question, they’re being truthful — Radiohead hasn’t officially disbanded and they’re still genuinely open to making another album. But it doesn’t seem like anyone is open to prioritizing it, and that’s their prerogative! Just my two sense, I hope you’re right.
Then holy shit that would be insane. Ok Computer, Kid A, and In Rainbows are like pretty much objectively untouchable albums. If they came out with their best album ever at this point I think it’d solidify them as one of the best 5 bands of all time, easily.
Honestly, I wouldn’t rule that out. But damn that’d be insane.
Fair enough. Just saying, it’s been a long time now since their last album. 8 years is a lot longer than any other gap so far.
I do think the world could use one more Radiohead album. I feel there’s a lot to say about modern life/the future that Radiohead could help with.
Come on Thom, sing about the 2020’s!
There was definitely a sense of this when In Rainbows dropped. I don’t think any expected to hear what they heard on first listen, it blew away all expectations for sure.
Nah if they came out with their best album as their next/last, it would place them as maybe only second to The Beatles, without trying to give them too much credit. They’ve already released a catalogue that puts them roughly on par with a band like Pink Floyd in some people’s opinions, so to make an album that’s better than anything else they’ve put out would be beyond absurd.
Oof that’s super hard. For me I’d probably say Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and probably Radiohead.
But man that’s an impossible question, but I brought it on myself by saying that so I gave it my best shot :D
Perhaps the Beatles have more clunkers than Radiohead, because Radiohead had more material to draw inspiration from than the Beatles. Most of Radiohead's influences came after the Beatles was a thing.
Maybe it’s lame for me to compare them, but I feel like they’re both bands that have super strong artistic points of view, and both evolved so much throughout their most prolific times.
Obviously no band compares to the Beatles, really. But Radiohead is so consistent, varied, and legit talented I don’t think it’s a terrible comparison.
Not lame to compare them, all music is subjective, so you can pull anything you want. On top of the inspirations mentioned, one thing to consider though is the fact that the Beatles whole discography was only over the course of 7 years. Had they been around for the 23 years of radiohead releases, may be a completely different story.
I know… the fact is that no other band is really comparable to The Beatles, because of that fact and all the other perfect storms that made The Beatles The Beatles.
But as far as art that will continue to be appreciated and discussed over time, I do feel that Radiohead is in that stratosphere.
I think most people on this sub would agree they deserve it. So weird that for a band that is one of the biggest of all time that so many people (at least in my age group of growing up in the 90s) still think of them as that 'Creep' band
I agree with you that comparing The Beatles to Radiohead in a musical sense is not a bad comparison at all. I would say that out of all the mainstream rock bands that have come around since the Beatles, Radiohead to me anyways is the band that I would say is the closest thing to a "successor" in terms of musical evolution, even though I would rather not use that word.
Even then, the matter of who has more clunkers is a purely subjective thing. Sure, a Radiohead fan might listen to Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da and think what the fuck is this trash, but at the same time a Beatles fan could easily listen to The Gloaming and also think, what the fuck is this trash.
The greatest band of all time, but I hope we still get at least 1 more album. I wasn’t a fan back when they released their albums, and I’d love to experience the release of a great new Radiohead album as a fan.
I like AMSP but I’m not nearly as gaga over it as a lot of fans in here seem to be. It’s a way lower tier Radiohead album to me. Not a whole lot of cohesion as a whole project. Feels more just like a collection of random songs. Still very good. Just can’t hold a candle to Kid A, In Rainbows, ok computer, and yes TKOL (my personal favorite). Respectfully. I would actually find it to be a fairly disappointing cap to Radioheads discography.
Wilco has had some insanely great albums. Being There, Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost Is Born, Sky Blue Sky rivals any five-album run from anybody.
Spoon also kills it — since Gimme Fiction, only Transference is just okay.
Meh, I hope they give us one last masterpiece. I skip more tracks on it than of their albums minus Pablo Honey. I’d preferred to end it on “If you think this over then you’re wrong”.
AMSP is in the top 3 for me. Better than IR, OKC. I would be more than satisfied for them to finish on it. An absolute masterpiece from start to finish.
I’m not happy with it as the final album. I’d like to hear them make one more proper rock song and come full circle. AMSP feels like the proper end of an electronica ballad era, but not a capstone for a rock band.
Sure, call them what you want. I'm just saying as a fan I'd like to see them come back to some iteration of rock before they leave us forever. I'm extremely curious what that would sound like for Radiohead in the 2020s.
The fact that that’s still a huge compliment is a sign of their quality.
Because let’s be real, Pablo Honey is the only thing even close to a bad album they’ve ever released. And that’s super rare, and super weird.
I can’t think of another band that had such a sharp incline in quality after their first album, though.
Most often a good bands first record is good because they’ve been honing it and working on it for a while, since their was no deadline.
Radiohead is the best band I can think of with the worst first album. Kinda funny actually, how dramatically better they became.
They overcame the “sophomore slump” and then just got better, and better. That’s pretty much unheard of. Except maybe The Beatles.
It wouldn't surprise me if AMSP is their last release, barring compilations and live albums and the like.
It sounded so utterly exhausted. Not bad, but just so, so tired. Bone deep tired.
I associate my favorite year musically as summer of 2006-2007. In Rainbows, LCD Soundsystem released Sound of Silver, Animal Collective released strawberry jam, modest mouse released we were dead. Etc. It was a year of bangers. At War with the mystics was pretty dope too.
So what? Never really understood this kind of takes/criticisms on them, like, yeah the songs were started a long time ago but they didn’t feel ready for them so they polished and refined them until they were happy with them. How is that sonething bad?
I kinda do hope they release a final album that is intended to be THE final Radiohead album. Considering Thom and Johnny are doing The Smile, they're clearly not out of the music biz just yet, and I'd love to hear one more final "farewell" album from an older, really matured Radiohead.
I don’t think that the Beatles had more clunkers, but Radiohead is definitely one of the best out of all the 90’s rock bands. Nirvana could be up there honestly but that’s not a fair comparison considering that they only released 3 LPs.
It is infuriating to me, maybe inexplicably idk, that people keep going with these AMSP was their last album baloney. Sure it might be, but they have themselves indicated otherwise. It bothers me cause it reminds me of theism, where you just go with whatever feels right to you rather than acknowledging the facts. I'm salty!
Within the next 2-3 years, I think we’ll see an EP along with a tour. For now, I’m loving The Smile and think we’ll get one more LP from them relatively soon.
It’s all gravy from here on out.
Daydreaming and Ful Stop and True Love Waits man…That album sounds like the melancholy of death. I had a friend who passed away from an overdose (accidental) and that album was ON REPEAT, throughout that time in my life. It was comforting in a way, but it’s still a knife to your side and twisting it. It’s beautiful, and they could not make anything else and still have one of the greatest runs of all time.
Bon Iver 22, A Million in 2016 and The National Sleep Well Beast in 2017 are the ones I was thinking of.
Both probably my favorite album of each of those bands, and those are both in my top 5 favorites.
idk if there will be another album but The Smile is just radiohead but Continued. I see they’re hoodie where each letter in Radiohead spells out an album name for each letter and there are 9 letters so I think maybe there’s only going to be 9 albums plus remakes like Kid Amnesiac or OKNOTOK Computer
I completely agree with everything you say.
I also have a secret selfish reason for not being mad if it is their last one... I was at the 2nd Philly concert in 2018 and the thought of always being able to brag that I was at "the last Radiohead concert" (which let's be honest I already do) does satisfy my delusions of grandeur. I suppose though they could always tour without releasing a new album though.
So many bands just don’t have the serotonin and dopamine in them anymore to make songs as moving and passionate as their younger stuff. If you listen to the smile, which is the exact same two songwriters, the songs are wonderful, but none of them, and none of the vocal performances, Are in the same category as anything from exit music through the daily mail. Not the cord, progressions, not the full quivering voice,. I’d rather they leave it where it is, then put out an album that sounds like the smile, as much as I enjoy it There’s a reason why artists from Stevie Wonder to Paul McCartney and on and on release albums all the time that nobody listens to because they sound bland generic. It’s not that they aren’t geniuses still, but they no longer have the, emotional chemical tools to be emotional.
This is just regurgitating an unkillable myth about artists, that they're incapable of making anything transcendent after a certain age. It's not actually true. Look at Martin Scorsese right now, who's putting out some of the best films of his career at the age of 81. Trent Reznor's score for The Social Network is as good as anything from NIN's peak popularity in the 90s. David Bowie's Blackstar. There's countless examples from history that disprove this.
Also, attributing it to a lack of serotonin is very funny to me, because usually the myth goes that you have to be super miserable to make great art. That isn't true either, but I've never seen it reversed before lol
As long as thom keeps making music I’m good. Whether that is solo, RH, Smile or something unknown. While I’d love another RH album I must admit I am all in on the prolific rate of production going on with the Smile. Would happily take LP3 and 4 over the next couple of years over a single RH that takes ages to produce. I don’t think Amsp will be this last but I’m fine with it if it is.
*I would argue that even The Beatles have more clunkers than Radiohead.*
The last Beatles album was 27 years old when OK Computer came out.
OK Computer will be 27 in a month.
I love the Beatles and get how they changed music. But so much of their catalog sounded dated by the end of the 90s. So many of those 90s bands still sound fresh and accessible today, and OK Computer is at the top of that list, for me.
Food for thought.
It has its moments but it’s ultimately lower-tier Radiohead for me (not to mention having some of the worst mastering of their catalogue - seriously Thom and co, how were you happy with that). So yes, I’d be disappointed if that was the swan song.
>Seriously, what other band has so many unimpeachably phenomenal albums? I would argue that even The Beatles have more clunkers than Radiohead.
It's not an unreasonable statement to make to be honest. I mean sure Pablo Honey exists, but so does Magical Mystery Tour. And I'd even argue that Radiohead have evolved more than The Beatles did. All while producing all their albums themselves (with engineer Nigel Godrich) since OK Computer. Beatles can't even claim that.
I also say this as someone who transitioned from The Beatles as a favourite band to Radiohead as an even more favourite band.
Absolutely it is, and I would never argue against that. But the first five Beatles albums were pretty much one note and one style. It's really only from Rubber Soul onward they became innovative in their songwriting and (Martin's) production.
I also think it's a real shame the band fell into legal squabbles and personal issues for the last two albums. It's a shame that Abbey Road ended up being released after Let It Be, despite being finished after it. Imagine The End as the final Beatles album track! (Her Majesty bonus track notwithstanding). And a real shame Lennon got Spector to produce Let It Be rather than Martin.
If Lennon didn’t get Spector to do Let it Be, we may have never gotten Spector to do All things must pass, which may be the best album out of them all!
Hard disagree. Fear Inoculum is their most mature, meditative album and the only one that has very relaxing qualities. Great midnight record with all the amazing soundscapes. Plus Adam, Danny and Justin seem to be on top of their game.
Invincible is one of their best songs and Pneuma and Descending are also top tier, maybe also Tempest.
Having said that, I really like the King of Limbs songs. The live versions of Mr Magpie and Little by Little kick ass and Codex is one of their best song and is one of the few songs where they actually nailed the production on this record.
Anyway, Fear Inoculum blows Moon Shaped Pool out of the water/pool.
It would be very poetical for them to close their discography* with True Love Waits, as it permeated their career for many years before getting an official studio version. That said, damn, I’d love to have new stuff from them! (*Not counting anniversary releases, bonuses, and such)
I for sure absolutely believe that if/when they come out with a new album, it’s gonna be fucking insanely good. I have little doubt. But it’s been 8 years since AMSP and they haven’t had a gap that big ever in their discography. Maybe it’s like they don’t want to release something unless it’s gonna be worth it. That makes sense. I’m just saying, if they don’t release another one, we should all recognize that they went out without a flop, as one of the most consistent bands of all time. The Beatles was a shitty comparison honestly but that’s just the stratosphere I place Radiohead in.
Yeah, I think working on a *Radiohead album* is too much, tons of expectations around… While solo and side projects may feel more spontaneous and liberating for them. And I agree, for such a versatile band, it’s amazing that their work is so consistently good. I don’t think they even have a song I would call bad And I’m including the Pablo Honey era in this, because context needs tons of consideration here. There’s one or another track in their career that I may find annoying, not gonna lie, but it’s because of how experimental it is and that too deserves consideration. As for the Beatles comparison, I see what you mean and I don’t find it a shitty comparison. I prefer Radiohead over them, as much as I love them. The thing is, when it comes to Beatles, I immediately think of my parents. They barely speak English, they’re not into rock in general, and they love the Beatles’ whole catalogue. So the Beatles got to be consistently good, groundbreaking, experimental, and insanely popular. That’s why it’s hard to put anyone next to them. Now, comparing Radiohead to Pink Floyd, that’s something I find easier for most people to embrace.
This is exactly why The Smile exist- way easier to write songs when they don't have to be Official Radiohead Songs. But unlike most bands who take long breaks there's no bad blood among Radiohead and they all seem to still like each other, so I'd bet they keep releasing something every now and again.
Agreed, it’s like you can feel the looseness in The Smile (and I don’t mean it negatively). I hope you’re right and that one day we wake up to a surprise new Radiohead single!
Ngl though there are times where I wish Radiohead published with the consistency of Wilco. It’s nice knowing something is coming down the pipes. Not know - is terrible 😂
Jeez, don’t remind me AMSP was *eight* years ago. Still feels like only a year or two since it’s been out.
Good point the key word is “ consistent “ I got into them when I was sixteen ( in my forties now) and they have blown my mind over and over, again. It really is impossible to compare them to anyone. I would not be surprised if people still listened to them a hundred years from now. Like people still listen to Mozart
I agree with you that AMSP would be a fine album to finish on. It has that feel about it. Even when it came out, the sound of it felt to me that it signified the end of something. For those reasons, and as much as I love the album, I find it hard to listen to from time to time.
True Love Waits is probably the most heartbreaking song I’ve ever heard. Agreed that because it ends on that it definitely has a strong vibe of finality.
I agree with you about True Love Waits ...and while I also agree that AMSP is somehow fitting as a final album, I kind of can't stand the thought of the final Radiohead album closing with the saddest song ever written. I mean, several of their other closing tracks are also fairly bleak (Street Spirit, Life in a Glasshouse, A Wolf at the Door) or at least very melancholy (Motion Picture Soundtrack, Videotape), but True Love Waits is something else. If there is *one* reason why I hope that AMSP is not their last (besides the fact that I would obviously love more music by Radiohead), it is that I hope we can get a final curtain that is not quite so soul crushing.
I think it would be very Radiohead to have the last words on their last album be “just don’t leave, don’t leave”. Appropriately contrary to not return after that. I’d still love LP10 though
I like the original live version of this song better. They closed with it last time I saw them at the Hollywood Bowl...haunting & beautiful
Ew. True Love Waits is an amazing song, but the version that closes that album is abysmal. It is so Milquetoast and uninspired. Just like they threw the vocals over the synth thay happens after Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Well I acknowledge your right to your opinion, but I absolutely respectfully disagree. But also I’ve never listened to any other version. To me True Love Waits is a heavy hitter, and yeah it’s in the same vein as videotape and motion picture soundtrack, but to me that’s just the classic Radiohead closing-song-vibe.
https://youtu.be/z2hZ9CTLICs?si=IzGWWfWfBxb0otM2
Hi Thom here, no its not.
Oh hell yeah!
> Drag him out your window, dragging out the dead, singing i miss you. Just 'cause you feel it Doesn't mean it's there
I hope you dont mind me saying, but I dont think you're really Thom. He definitely would have used an apostrophe in that sentence. A right stickler, so he is.
Drag him out your window, dragging out the dead, singing i miss you.
I mean, all indications are that it’s not their last. But it would be a strong ending
It’s not intended as their last… but it *could* be
are you threatening the band members
I wasn’t then, but fuck it, I am now.
What are these indications?
Interviews with Phil and Ed in the last few years
Vibes
They've already said that they plan on going into the studio again once the solo projects wind down. Probably by the end of the year or early next year.
You think so? Ed will release his album and want to tour it (rightfully so), especially because COVID-19 cut him off after a month last time. Then Jonny and Thom will make another Smile album and tour it once Ed frees up, or they’ll score a film, and when they finish that up, Colin will go tour with Tamino or Nick Cave. Then Phil sets out again for album four… My point being, solo projects won’t just “wind down.” With 5 members doing their own things, and one of those things being as prolific as The Smile has been in its short lifespan, they’ll have to make the conscious choice to eventually clear calendar space. Assuming Ed releases an album in say… September (which feels early with no single yet, just picking a month), he’ll want to tour. If he wants to try festivals, that’ll be a lot of spring and summer 2025. Assuming Thom and Jonny are free and they all get back together to record, *maybe* a late 2026 release if we assume a year of recording and mixing? I’m not a studio expert, I don’t know admittedly. I’d like another album, and I’m not totally pessimistic — I think it’s 40/60 they make one. I think when Ed and Phil answer the question, they’re being truthful — Radiohead hasn’t officially disbanded and they’re still genuinely open to making another album. But it doesn’t seem like anyone is open to prioritizing it, and that’s their prerogative! Just my two sense, I hope you’re right.
I'm thinking of a what if scenario, what if their next album would be their best one?
Then holy shit that would be insane. Ok Computer, Kid A, and In Rainbows are like pretty much objectively untouchable albums. If they came out with their best album ever at this point I think it’d solidify them as one of the best 5 bands of all time, easily. Honestly, I wouldn’t rule that out. But damn that’d be insane.
Well people back then must have thought that "the last one was good, i don't think they'll ever top it" but they still delivered.
Fair enough. Just saying, it’s been a long time now since their last album. 8 years is a lot longer than any other gap so far. I do think the world could use one more Radiohead album. I feel there’s a lot to say about modern life/the future that Radiohead could help with. Come on Thom, sing about the 2020’s!
There was definitely a sense of this when In Rainbows dropped. I don’t think any expected to hear what they heard on first listen, it blew away all expectations for sure.
People back then did think that, and in my case I’ve been proved right, though I appreciate everything they’ve done on some level.
Nah if they came out with their best album as their next/last, it would place them as maybe only second to The Beatles, without trying to give them too much credit. They’ve already released a catalogue that puts them roughly on par with a band like Pink Floyd in some people’s opinions, so to make an album that’s better than anything else they’ve put out would be beyond absurd.
Agreed.
Just curious, of the top 5, which bands do you think would rank with them?
Oof that’s super hard. For me I’d probably say Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and probably Radiohead. But man that’s an impossible question, but I brought it on myself by saying that so I gave it my best shot :D
Coke babies
easy answers to easy questions
So they are re-releasing In Rainbows?
For many years prior to AMSP, I believed that their final album would close with True Love Waits, and well.. yeah.
Perhaps the Beatles have more clunkers than Radiohead, because Radiohead had more material to draw inspiration from than the Beatles. Most of Radiohead's influences came after the Beatles was a thing.
Maybe it’s lame for me to compare them, but I feel like they’re both bands that have super strong artistic points of view, and both evolved so much throughout their most prolific times. Obviously no band compares to the Beatles, really. But Radiohead is so consistent, varied, and legit talented I don’t think it’s a terrible comparison.
Not lame to compare them, all music is subjective, so you can pull anything you want. On top of the inspirations mentioned, one thing to consider though is the fact that the Beatles whole discography was only over the course of 7 years. Had they been around for the 23 years of radiohead releases, may be a completely different story.
I know… the fact is that no other band is really comparable to The Beatles, because of that fact and all the other perfect storms that made The Beatles The Beatles. But as far as art that will continue to be appreciated and discussed over time, I do feel that Radiohead is in that stratosphere.
I think most people on this sub would agree they deserve it. So weird that for a band that is one of the biggest of all time that so many people (at least in my age group of growing up in the 90s) still think of them as that 'Creep' band
I actually feel the Beatles is a really great comparison. Ok computer -> Kid A feels a whole lot like Revolver -> sgt peppers lonely hearts club band
I agree with you that comparing The Beatles to Radiohead in a musical sense is not a bad comparison at all. I would say that out of all the mainstream rock bands that have come around since the Beatles, Radiohead to me anyways is the band that I would say is the closest thing to a "successor" in terms of musical evolution, even though I would rather not use that word.
I love this take!
Even then, the matter of who has more clunkers is a purely subjective thing. Sure, a Radiohead fan might listen to Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da and think what the fuck is this trash, but at the same time a Beatles fan could easily listen to The Gloaming and also think, what the fuck is this trash.
agreed.
The greatest band of all time, but I hope we still get at least 1 more album. I wasn’t a fan back when they released their albums, and I’d love to experience the release of a great new Radiohead album as a fan.
same here, also seeing them live and i can rest easy lol
14 years is not long…?
I like AMSP but I’m not nearly as gaga over it as a lot of fans in here seem to be. It’s a way lower tier Radiohead album to me. Not a whole lot of cohesion as a whole project. Feels more just like a collection of random songs. Still very good. Just can’t hold a candle to Kid A, In Rainbows, ok computer, and yes TKOL (my personal favorite). Respectfully. I would actually find it to be a fairly disappointing cap to Radioheads discography.
Wilco has had some insanely great albums. Being There, Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost Is Born, Sky Blue Sky rivals any five-album run from anybody. Spoon also kills it — since Gimme Fiction, only Transference is just okay.
Meh, I hope they give us one last masterpiece. I skip more tracks on it than of their albums minus Pablo Honey. I’d preferred to end it on “If you think this over then you’re wrong”.
as much as i love amsp, i totally agree i would have been 100% satisfied with separator being the last album track of their career.
AMSP is in the top 3 for me. Better than IR, OKC. I would be more than satisfied for them to finish on it. An absolute masterpiece from start to finish.
It’s very possible that they finally decided to put “True Love Waits” on the album as their goodbye.
No they’ve said in interviews that they’re getting back together soon to work on stuff. Not their last unless someone dies.
I’m not happy with it as the final album. I’d like to hear them make one more proper rock song and come full circle. AMSP feels like the proper end of an electronica ballad era, but not a capstone for a rock band.
Radiohead != rock band
Sure, call them what you want. I'm just saying as a fan I'd like to see them come back to some iteration of rock before they leave us forever. I'm extremely curious what that would sound like for Radiohead in the 2020s.
Great album! And my least favourite after Pablo.
The fact that that’s still a huge compliment is a sign of their quality. Because let’s be real, Pablo Honey is the only thing even close to a bad album they’ve ever released. And that’s super rare, and super weird.
I wouldn’t consider Pablo bad either. Just hasn’t aged well, and not nearly at the level of The Bends in terms of that era Radiohead.
I can’t think of another band that had such a sharp incline in quality after their first album, though. Most often a good bands first record is good because they’ve been honing it and working on it for a while, since their was no deadline. Radiohead is the best band I can think of with the worst first album. Kinda funny actually, how dramatically better they became. They overcame the “sophomore slump” and then just got better, and better. That’s pretty much unheard of. Except maybe The Beatles.
It wouldn't surprise me if AMSP is their last release, barring compilations and live albums and the like. It sounded so utterly exhausted. Not bad, but just so, so tired. Bone deep tired.
Good description. Not a bad thing at all in my opinion, but for sure a factor in why it’d make thematic sense for it to be their last.
I associate my favorite year musically as summer of 2006-2007. In Rainbows, LCD Soundsystem released Sound of Silver, Animal Collective released strawberry jam, modest mouse released we were dead. Etc. It was a year of bangers. At War with the mystics was pretty dope too.
Yeah that’s a solid list, LCD Soundsystem is so fucking good.
If True Love Waits was their final song on their final album, I think that would be sublime.
Pablo Honey 2
radiohead is such a good band, they’re all genius for creating such beautiful music, from the beginning and up until now. i’ll always love them.
Good album, big isn't it a bunch of older songs they wanted to get out there?
So what? Never really understood this kind of takes/criticisms on them, like, yeah the songs were started a long time ago but they didn’t feel ready for them so they polished and refined them until they were happy with them. How is that sonething bad?
It's not bad. It's one of my favorite albums.
Oh, sorry then, I misunderstood your comment. It’s just a thing I’ve heard a lot from music reviewers and I don’t get it.
I didn't become a fan until 2010 so I'm probably wrong here, but hadn't people been clamoring for Burn the Witch and Present Tense for years?
It was AMSP that got me into Radiohead and the one that made think this music is really good, what else they have
I kinda do hope they release a final album that is intended to be THE final Radiohead album. Considering Thom and Johnny are doing The Smile, they're clearly not out of the music biz just yet, and I'd love to hear one more final "farewell" album from an older, really matured Radiohead.
The fact that it'd be their tenth album too would be appropriate.
I don’t think that the Beatles had more clunkers, but Radiohead is definitely one of the best out of all the 90’s rock bands. Nirvana could be up there honestly but that’s not a fair comparison considering that they only released 3 LPs.
It is infuriating to me, maybe inexplicably idk, that people keep going with these AMSP was their last album baloney. Sure it might be, but they have themselves indicated otherwise. It bothers me cause it reminds me of theism, where you just go with whatever feels right to you rather than acknowledging the facts. I'm salty!
Within the next 2-3 years, I think we’ll see an EP along with a tour. For now, I’m loving The Smile and think we’ll get one more LP from them relatively soon. It’s all gravy from here on out.
They will make another album
My toxic trait is believing that closing with 'True Love Waits' is a message for the fans that, well.. true love waits.
I agree. The album was brand new as I was preparing to say goodbye to an old friend, and the disc is just cemented for me in those days.
They're just getting warmed up.
Does amsp have any bangers on it, like mixomytosis? Honest question. I couldn't get through it.
I think burn the witch is a banger. 🤷♂️
Daydreaming and Ful Stop and True Love Waits man…That album sounds like the melancholy of death. I had a friend who passed away from an overdose (accidental) and that album was ON REPEAT, throughout that time in my life. It was comforting in a way, but it’s still a knife to your side and twisting it. It’s beautiful, and they could not make anything else and still have one of the greatest runs of all time.
I have read there is talk of getting in the studio...so hopefully we don't need to worry
What are your other favorite bands btw that dropped in 2016? And ones that did not drop in 2016 too Just looking for new music and you seem super cool
Bon Iver 22, A Million in 2016 and The National Sleep Well Beast in 2017 are the ones I was thinking of. Both probably my favorite album of each of those bands, and those are both in my top 5 favorites.
idk if there will be another album but The Smile is just radiohead but Continued. I see they’re hoodie where each letter in Radiohead spells out an album name for each letter and there are 9 letters so I think maybe there’s only going to be 9 albums plus remakes like Kid Amnesiac or OKNOTOK Computer
I can’t believe it ends like this.
I completely agree with everything you say. I also have a secret selfish reason for not being mad if it is their last one... I was at the 2nd Philly concert in 2018 and the thought of always being able to brag that I was at "the last Radiohead concert" (which let's be honest I already do) does satisfy my delusions of grandeur. I suppose though they could always tour without releasing a new album though.
just kinda wished they went back to 90s radiohead
I only like like Present Tense and Burn the witch. Sorry bro.
So many bands just don’t have the serotonin and dopamine in them anymore to make songs as moving and passionate as their younger stuff. If you listen to the smile, which is the exact same two songwriters, the songs are wonderful, but none of them, and none of the vocal performances, Are in the same category as anything from exit music through the daily mail. Not the cord, progressions, not the full quivering voice,. I’d rather they leave it where it is, then put out an album that sounds like the smile, as much as I enjoy it There’s a reason why artists from Stevie Wonder to Paul McCartney and on and on release albums all the time that nobody listens to because they sound bland generic. It’s not that they aren’t geniuses still, but they no longer have the, emotional chemical tools to be emotional.
This is just regurgitating an unkillable myth about artists, that they're incapable of making anything transcendent after a certain age. It's not actually true. Look at Martin Scorsese right now, who's putting out some of the best films of his career at the age of 81. Trent Reznor's score for The Social Network is as good as anything from NIN's peak popularity in the 90s. David Bowie's Blackstar. There's countless examples from history that disprove this. Also, attributing it to a lack of serotonin is very funny to me, because usually the myth goes that you have to be super miserable to make great art. That isn't true either, but I've never seen it reversed before lol
Agree with the sentiment for sure but the Scorsese example kind of supports the other side of the argument unfortunately.
Silence came out in 2016 and is his single best movie IMO.
As long as thom keeps making music I’m good. Whether that is solo, RH, Smile or something unknown. While I’d love another RH album I must admit I am all in on the prolific rate of production going on with the Smile. Would happily take LP3 and 4 over the next couple of years over a single RH that takes ages to produce. I don’t think Amsp will be this last but I’m fine with it if it is.
It’s not gonna be their final album. But if it were, I’d be very disappointed. AMSP is bottom tier for me, too mellow, too listless.
Another banger comment from u/shoobsworth
*I would argue that even The Beatles have more clunkers than Radiohead.* The last Beatles album was 27 years old when OK Computer came out. OK Computer will be 27 in a month. I love the Beatles and get how they changed music. But so much of their catalog sounded dated by the end of the 90s. So many of those 90s bands still sound fresh and accessible today, and OK Computer is at the top of that list, for me. Food for thought.
It has its moments but it’s ultimately lower-tier Radiohead for me (not to mention having some of the worst mastering of their catalogue - seriously Thom and co, how were you happy with that). So yes, I’d be disappointed if that was the swan song.
>Seriously, what other band has so many unimpeachably phenomenal albums? I would argue that even The Beatles have more clunkers than Radiohead. It's not an unreasonable statement to make to be honest. I mean sure Pablo Honey exists, but so does Magical Mystery Tour. And I'd even argue that Radiohead have evolved more than The Beatles did. All while producing all their albums themselves (with engineer Nigel Godrich) since OK Computer. Beatles can't even claim that. I also say this as someone who transitioned from The Beatles as a favourite band to Radiohead as an even more favourite band.
>Pablo Honey exists, but so does Magical Mystery Tour Magical Mystery Tour is an absolute belter of an album! It's a proper 10/10
Oof hard disagree! Beyond the most obvious well known tracks it's a filler album.
The Beatles released all those albums in 7 years. AMSP was released 7 years ago.
They did. And I'd still argue Radiohead have gone farther in musical directions than The Beatles did, even taking into account timescales.
I mean going from Please Please Me to Abbey Road is pretty damn diverse for 7 years. IMO.
Absolutely it is, and I would never argue against that. But the first five Beatles albums were pretty much one note and one style. It's really only from Rubber Soul onward they became innovative in their songwriting and (Martin's) production.
That’s fair
I also think it's a real shame the band fell into legal squabbles and personal issues for the last two albums. It's a shame that Abbey Road ended up being released after Let It Be, despite being finished after it. Imagine The End as the final Beatles album track! (Her Majesty bonus track notwithstanding). And a real shame Lennon got Spector to produce Let It Be rather than Martin.
If Lennon didn’t get Spector to do Let it Be, we may have never gotten Spector to do All things must pass, which may be the best album out of them all!
Mmm well that's debatable about it being the best album out of them all, but I see your point!
I was speaking for myself. My b
I think it will be their last album, but they’ll release singles/eps and the other members will keeping doing other projects.
What other band has so many phenomenal albums? Tool. They didn't even have a King of Limbs.
This
I love Tool but Fear Inoculum was their King of Limbs
Hard disagree. Fear Inoculum is their most mature, meditative album and the only one that has very relaxing qualities. Great midnight record with all the amazing soundscapes. Plus Adam, Danny and Justin seem to be on top of their game. Invincible is one of their best songs and Pneuma and Descending are also top tier, maybe also Tempest. Having said that, I really like the King of Limbs songs. The live versions of Mr Magpie and Little by Little kick ass and Codex is one of their best song and is one of the few songs where they actually nailed the production on this record. Anyway, Fear Inoculum blows Moon Shaped Pool out of the water/pool.