“Big things have small beginnings.” So says Michael Fassbender’s character in Prometheus. He was referring to a blob of alien goo that would go on to spawn the monster that drives the Alien series, but he just as easily could’ve been talking about Radiohead.
Like that daub of black goo, Radiohead’s origins were inauspicious. The band — consisting throughout its existence of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, electronics), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, various other instruments), Colin Greenwood (bass, synths), Ed O’Brien (guitar, backing vocals), and Phil Selway (drums) — formed in 1985 in the music rehearsal room of their Oxfordshire boys’ school. The band’s awkward original moniker was On A Friday — their usual practice time.
Unlike so many of their contemporaries, On A Friday did not spend years slugging it out in the indie tour circuit before achieving broader success — their path to glory was more in the classic-rock mold. After a university-born hiatus through the late ’80s, On A Friday signed a six-album deal with EMI without ever touring. Pressured by their label, the band changed their name to Radiohead, after a Talking Heads song. A year later, the band recorded a song called “Creep,” and the rest is history.
When most people think of Radiohead now, they think of Radiohead the iconoclasts: the band that resurrected progressive rock with OK Computer, dove headlong into experimental music with Kid A, and precipitated an entirely new business model with In Rainbows. For a high-profile band with so much to lose, Radiohead has historically been relentlessly ambitious. No two of their albums sound alike. (Not even Kid A and Amnesiac — more on that later.)
But Radiohead has achieved their status as one of the last consensus-building rock bands because of their broad populist streak. That populism is musical as well as political. Even at their most challenging and experimental, Radiohead ruthlessly edits their music into catchy, pop-sized chunks. Beneath the swathes of digital gauze and strange sound is a Beatles-style hit machine.
After eight albums, Radiohead may be close to the end of their creative arc. The band has expressed growing (and characteristic!) dissatisfaction with the process of writing and recording albums. Said Yorke during the press cycle for The King Of Limbs: “None of us want to go into that creative hoo-hah of a long-play record again … I mean, it’s just become a real drag.” (Then again, The King Of Limbs concludes with Yorke informing the listener that, ”If you think this is over, then you’re wrong.”)
So now is as good of a time as any to reflect on Radiohead’s catalog. Here are all eight of their full-length albums, analyzed and examined, and ranked from worst to best. If you disagree — and oh, will some of you ever disagree — then feel free to crush my list like a bug in the ground with your comments.
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i think their “first truly great album,” to use your own words, deserves a much higher spot than #4
Seriously. The Bends > Hail to the Thief any day.
Agreed, and for me even > than Kid A (but I know that’s not a popular opinion :) )
i agree, i would’ve put it at #1, i just didn’t want to get jumped on
Hail to the Thief ahead of The Bends, In Raindows, and Amnesiac? Hail to my ass, dude…that’s absurd.
HTTT live track are better than the Bends live, but barely…but The Bends will always have my heart, it’s so good. and most the songs are fairly simple especially compared to OK Computer, but yet SO pure.
I’ve been looking forward to this one. Nothing makes people lose their shit like a Radiohead list!
The fact that Pablo Honey was not placed in the top 3 proves that these lists are not designed exclusively as comment-rage bait.
However, the fact that Pablo Honey was not placed last proves that these lists are designed at least partly as comment-rage bait.
Or maybe it adheres to the radical and insane notion that it’s actually based off somebody’s opinion. Honestly I agree with the list’s author: The King of Limbs just wasn’t very good.
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Oh. My. God. This list has been prophesied since the beginning of time.
I always knew this day would come. It’s… so… beautiful. *tear
They got #3 wrong though.
And I almost agree with it.
For me it would be:
1: Ok Computer
2: Kid A
3: The Bends
4: Four way tie for fourth I think.
8: Pablo Honey
No matter how fast you rip off the bandaid, it still hurts man, it still hurts… hons you’re killin me with this four way tie! i’m thinking:
1. OK Computer
2. Kid A
3. The Bends
4.Amnesiac
5. Hail to the Thief
6. In Rainbows
7. King of Limbs
8. Pablo Honey
Ugghh if I was pushed into ranking 4-7…
4: Amnesiac
5: In Rainbows
6: Hail to the Thief
7: King of Limbs
But I dunno. That’s tough.
Nope, you got it right.
1. OK Computer
2. Kid A
3. The Bends (almost put this at #2 though)
4. In Rainbows
5. Amnesiac
6. King of Limbs
7. Hail to the Thief
8. Pablo Honey
Every single one is still amazing though.
For me:
1. The Bends
2. OKComputer
3. Kid A
4. In Rainbows
5. Hail To the Thief
6. Amnesiac
7. Pablo Honey
8. King of Limbs
That’s just purely my opinion, society says I like In rainbows too much and I don’t dislike Pablo Honey enough and I don’y like KOL enough, but to me the list really separates into three main sections:
1. The Bends
2. OKComputer
3. Kid A
4. In Rainbows
5. Hail To the Thief
6. Amnesiac
7. Pablo Honey
8. King of Limbs
So it looks like we’ve all reached a unanimous decision that the top 3 should include Kid A, OK Computer, and The Bends. Turns out, these same three all got the same exact score over at Pitchfork: 10.
Pure perfection
^everything is in its right place, right there
Pablo Honey should not be ahead of KOL that is some bullshit.
Tell it like it is, Rob.
BRAVE
Get this guy to 60
who can take him to 69??
YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just got him to 69, dude!
idk, sure KOL is light years more mature, unique, interesting. not sure if that makes it BS to have it ranked lower. im sure plenty would rather PH if forced to choose between the 2. personally, i’d take blowout over anything on KOL.
Kings of Leon?
maan why’d you post that pic of kelly now i have a boner
seriously guys, why did you do this?
Seriously.
Listening to High and Dry while looking at this gif. For a few seconds there, the frame switches matched perfectly with the music.
aside from Pablo honey, RH never made a “bad” album by their standards.
though i have to say KOL live is a much better beast than KOL the album. Bloom remains one of their best songs ever written post OKC. still , its very much an enjoyable headphone listening experience.
signed
fanboy for lyfe :P
Yeah. I encourage everyone I know who was disaffected by King of Limbs to watch their Austin City Limits performance. It really makes one understand those songs better.
So although they never made a bad album (Pablo Honey is still great, it is just easily their worst), Radiohead was not too happy with Hail To The Thief, feeling that they did not flesh out some of their experiments enough, or appropriately cut some songs. It is not a bad album by any means, but I would have ranked KoL above PH and HTTT
“z0mg hail 2 the theif is #3? u guyz r lyke srsly retarded. n the bens r so low wtf?”
Ben, you are a douche.
Sorry, let me try that again. Timmy, you are a douche.
Doesn’t matter the name, the douchiness remains the same.
It’s Tommy, but you’re getting there, chief.
hey, fuck you buddy!
I feel like having KOL last is A+ trolling by Doug here. Folding in some of the additional output in the KOL era (These Are My Twisted Words, the amazing The Daily Mail\Staircase single) fills out the KOL picture a lot more.
But really, choosing between OK Computer, Kid A, and Hail To The Thief is pretty cruel for a listmaker.
Nah, no troll. I really do like Pablo Honey better than TKOL, though it’s close. Not a popular opinion, but I calls’em like I sees’em.
Comment.
WTF just happened?? KoL and In Rainbows scrubbing the bottom of this list? Are you INSANE?! No really, though, this list should have every album as #1… and Pablo Honey as #8. It’s the only way.
I’m likes a HUMUNGUS radiohead fan and i’ve never listened to pablo honey because I DONT LISTEN TO SHIT.
NOW, BACK TO MY KINGS OF LEON THESE GUYS FUCKING RULE, BROS!!!!!
I’ve also never listened to Pablo Honey all the way through.
I know Creepz though.
What’s your point, exactly?
I’ll break it down.
First sentence is agreeancing with you that pablo honey is shite. Never even listened to it and I love radioheads.
Second sentence is a lil joke for the fans based on the last sentence, where I’m like Mr. Only Listen to Good Music listens to Kings of leon who suck.
Pretty good post and joke, IMO.
Pt. 2 breakdown – mr. only listen to good music is me. I’m referring to myself. I’m really on some next level shit these days and from the voter response I’m getting I can tell that I’m moving in the right direction.
I thought I was the only person who calls himself “Mr. Only Listen to Good Music”
Indeed. I need to run home and console my copy of In Rainbows and talk King of Limbs down off the roof
Oh shit, ‘Gum. We knew this day would come. Prepare for comment apocalypse.
… raining down from heaven like jesus topher-chris
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DOWNVOTE THIS MAN
This ain’t no time for irony, son. Sit down, please.
Stand up, walk into the jaws of hell.
duh, nostalgia, ultra reference. you all should sit down. SIT THE FUCK DOWN AND THINK ABOUT THIS REFERENCE YOU JUST MISSED.
pathetic.
Thanks, Donny. I was hoping I wasn’t the only person who knew what he was referring to!
always there for you
Ooof. In Rainbows and Amnesiac over HTTT any day. Also, am I the only one who prefers Kid A to OK Computer?
I’m with you. Kid A slightly over Ok Computer but it’s oh so slight.
I’m also with you, and it’s not so slight for me. I’d go with Kid A, then In Rainbows, then OK Computer. I got into Radiohead late (around 2007), and OK Computer was their first album that I listened to. It was great, sure, but I was listening to a lot of 90s trip hop/electronic music at the time–Massive Attack, Bjork, DJ Shadow–and OK Computer just felt a bit sonically thin compared to these artists, and even compared to another 90s “rock” album, Loveless.
At some point, I found out about The Knife’s Silent Shout, and in the Pitchfork review it was compared to Kid A, an album I hadn’t yet heard, since I had somewhat moved on from Radiohead after assuming that OK Computer was the best they’d done, according to most critical rankings of their albums. Given all this, when I first heard Kid A, it felt like the perfect culmination of that 90s trip hop/IDM type of sound. It didn’t feel like a “gutsy career move” so much as the full realization of their potential, no longer fettered by the rock-centric notion of a “band”, and all the member roles that that notion entails. Kid A wasn’t a move away from a particular sound, so much as a move towards a superior one. It just seemed like the most logical progression to me. If I’d've approached Radiohead as someone who had heard and loved The Bends first, then perhaps I’d have a different opinion, but coming from a more electronic-focused background, Kid A sounded like the album I’d been wanting all along. Not to imply that any fan of OK Computer is purely a rock fan, or that any fan of Kid A is purely an electronic fan–of course there’s going to be plenty of overlap. But this is just how I happened to get into Kid A.
Sorry for writing so much, but I couldn’t resist on this one. I still love OK Computer, but Kid A just sounds unbelievably right to me, and it was the album that immediately converted me into a Radiohead fan, rather than just an appreciator of their one most critically acclaimed album that I had heard up to that point.
I think this list is unfair to The King Of Limbs and In Rainbows. The perceived drawbacks seem to be drawn from what a “Radiohead”album is expected to sound like.
It’s also hard to judge them because of their sense of newness. OK Computer, Kid A, and The Bends are absolute classics. It’s near impossible to argue otherwise.
It’s similar with Hail To The Thief. Had this list came out 5+ years ago, I doubt anyone would be rating it higher than The Bends.
Great list! I really enjoy the explanations. My personal list would be a tad different though:
1. Kid A
2. OK Computer
3. In Rainbows
4. Amnesiac
Hail to the Thief
6. The King of Limbs
7. The Bends
8. Pablo Honey
Never was really able to get in to their 90′s rock sound, with the exception of OKC
This looks a lot more like my list. There’s no reason for Pablo Honey to be anything but last.
YESSS. Finally some sense in these halls. My list would look EXACTLY like this, with Amnesiac and HTTT switching it out depending on my mood.
Aside from “Creep” and “You,” Pablo Honey is not a Radiohead record to me. Call it On a Friday or whatever…but that’s not Radiohead.
Pretty darn close to my list as well. I like how Hail to the Thief defies the list, and refuses to have a number in front of it. It’s too raw, too unrevised to play by such rules.
Who makes a list and puts ‘The Bends’ at #7? Who does that?
Yes ‘In Rainbows’ is DEFINATELY better than ‘Amnesiac’. Some songs on ‘Amnesiac’ only ever sounded good to me when I heard them on the ‘I Might Be Wrong’ live album. This live album possibly should count on the list in the same way as ‘Nirvana Unplugged’ would count if they had a list. Also it’s ace!
I think the whole Pablo Honey beating KOL was bound to generate some controversy. As dull as I find KOL to be, it is still better than Pablo Honey. PH is good just for listening and thinking “Well, gee, they really didn’t come from an alien planet that communicates strictly with music.” Other than that, it’s a pretty lame album by anyone’s standards.
I do agree with the Hail to the Thief ranking, though…I feel it is severely underrated.
Yep. KOL and In Rainbows to low. Pablo Honey too high.
1. Kid A
2. OK Computer
3. In Rainbows
4. The Bends
5. TKOL
6. Amnesiac
7. HTTT
…
8001. Pablo Honey
But seriously, all subjectivity aside, placing In Rainbows so low and Pablo Honey as anything but Radiohead’s worst album is nothing but a transparent attempt at comment-baiting.
good stuff, and pretty damn close to mine. for what it’s worth:
1. kid a
2. in rainbows
3. ok computer
4/5. tie between the bends / hail to the thief
6. the king of limbs
7. amnesiac
8. pablo honey
this is taking into account only how much i enjoy the songs on each album, and none of the “cultural significance.” and yeah, i don’t know how one can rate in rainbows so low – literally every song is amazing, which is a rarity. ok computer i can’t say the same about (although i almost can). that all said, i’m glad to see hail to the thief get some love for once. there there, where i end and you begin, and go to sleep are top-tier radiohead for me.
1. Ok Computer / Kid A (Sheer Brilliance)
2. In Rainbows / The Bends (Fantastic Start to Finish)
3. Hail to the Thief / King of Limbs / Amnesiac (Amazing albums with experimental deep cuts that some fans aren’t into)
4. Pablo Honey (Proto-Radiohead)
Yeah, this is really the only way to make this list.
In Rainbows could stand at number #2 with The Bends slightly, slightly lower, in my opinion. But all the rest just as you’ve said.
I think you’ve successfully delineated the four major sub-specialties students will be able to choose from when majoring in “Radiohead Studies” in the future. This assumes Radiohead will assume some sort of “Wild Stallions” status in said future (fuck it, why not)
*Wyld Stallyns
nice try.
I’m really curious to know what is everybody’s favorite song on KOL. I suspect there will be a lot of variation, but the reason I ask is because “Separator” is just amazing to me and I was shocked it wasn’t more lauded by fans.
So what’s YOUR favorite KOL song?
Codex just barely squeaks by Little By Little for me, but I’ve always been a fan of the incredibly bleak Radiohead songs.
“Little By Little” is my jam.
morning mr. magpie but I am a lover of the whole thing.
The bookends (Bloom and Separator) are two of Radiohead’s BEST songs IMO.
Separator for sure. One of the best Radiohead songs.
“Give Up the Ghost” anyone?
My favorite KOL song is probably ‘Use Somebody’, but I think ‘Sex on Fire’ is pretty good as well.
agree with you man, Separator is IMO one of Radiohead’s finest songs. So subtle
Feral. Fuzzy wuzzy bassiohead
Why don’t we include the KOL era in here too? Because Staircase and The Daily Mail top all the album cuts IMO.
Absolutely, how can they possibly forget about those sloppy redneck sons of bitches when discussing Radiohead’s catalog. Why not include everything from “Youth and Young Manhood” all the way through that album where they have the video where the bring a magician to village of black children. Yep, KOL sure know how to make poverty sexy.
bro wrong comment, Colin actually referred to songs by Radiohead.
Hell yeah! Get them page views!
your post made me think of this british comedy sketch..hilarious.. cheeerioo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHS3ci9H_Uc
did you write this feature just so you could use the word threnody?
Man, what just happened here? This list was advertised as the best + worst lists to end all best + worst lists according to Stereogum lore. The list finally materialized in front of our very eyes, and it landed with a thud. KOL behind Pablo Honey? After how much alcohol? In Rainbows behind Amnesiac and HTTT? After how many straight hours of David Guetta related torture? The Bends behind HTTT? Are you just looking to fight me now?
In all seriousness though, once you’ve established Pablo Honey is the only blemish (which you didn’t), the order becomes irrelevant due to how amazing this band has been for two decades now.
Kid A for #1
Come on. KOL is better than Pablo Honey, there is no question. And In Rainbows should be #3. I personally prefer Kid A to OKC but I think that’s sort of a coin toss.
Wow, top two picks aside this is a seriously confused list.
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Please please please can we get Radiohead’s 10 Best Songs next? The rage in that comment section is all I want for Christmas
What I think at anytime of the day, any day:
1) The Bends, Ok Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows are masterpieces;
2) Amnesiac and KOTL are great great records that i’ve come to love more and more;
3) Hail To The Thief is a bummer: great tracks with some minor ones.
4) Pablo Honey is mediocre.
KING OF THE LIMBS
Pablo Honey is underrated, IMO (though definitely their “least best” album). I’ve often said that it’s a problem of sequencing moreso than content. For those who are so inclined, I’d recommend checking it out in this order:
Ripcord
How Do You?
Stop Whispering
Creep
Thinking About You
You
Anyone Can Play Guitar
Vegetable
I Can’t
Lurgee
Blow Out
Prove Yourself
Again, that’s not gonna move it up to #3 or anything, but it’s a much more interesting album than the sequence they released…
I expected a much stinkier and greenish shit storm than what I’m seeing. I’m proud of you, Stereogum Commentors.
You’re right. I think it’s because everyone’s pretty comfortable, they’re not drinking a lot, they’re getting fairly regular exercise at the gym (maybe 3 days a week) and in general they’re getting on better with their associate Stereogum contemporaries.
a patient better commenter, a safer space, shot of moving gif strapped in significant thread-point
I’m sorry but In Rainbows is far better than Amnesiac & Hail to the Thief
yea so uh pretty good list, here’s mine
1. Pablo Honey
2. Pablo Honey
3. Pablo Honey
4. Pablo Honey
5. Pablo Honey
6. Pablo Honey
7. Pablo Honey
8. rainbowz
I know that people may disagree on some choices but I was expecting a Everything In Its Right Place kind comment. (well I made one)
You’re sacrificing integrity for the sake of page views and comments.
go on…
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Ok. Stop.
This page is officially on an infinite loop. Feeling fitter, more productive, not drinking too much caffeine now…
I’m still waiting for stereogum to do this for Bruce Springsteen. BRUUUUUUUUUUCE!
God I would love a Springsteen list.
That would awesome.
Be.
You accidentally the verb.
I don’t think it’s a verb.
It’s definitely a verb.
I think it’s a linking verb.
I stand corrected – it’s the infinitive of the verb. Nice one.
I could be wrong… but the weak shit storm here seems to only be happening because many of you predicted a shit storm would result from a Radiohead list. Really, there is nothing enraging about this list.
Radiohead doesn’t have a “worst” album, just an EIGHTH BEST. Radiohead rules modern music.
#TEAM IN RAINBOWS.
after OKC and KA, of course.
I like the second half of KOL better then the first half. Lotus Flower, Codex, Give up the Ghost, and Separator are all amazing songs.
Right! This Douglas Moore cruisin’ for a bruisin’ with this list. I demand to see your credentials, sir!
I second this motion
House of Cards was bland?! Come on, that was like my second favorite off of that record, the record itself being my 2nd favorite by them. Oy, it’s all subjective I guess.
woah, not much love for TKOL and Rainbows… too bad, they’re both gems. Pablo would be a great album that most other bands would kill for in their catalog, but it just does not hold up with the rest of these giants.
1- OK Computer
2- Kid A
3- In Rainbows
4- Amnesiac
5- Hail to the Thief
6- The Bends
7- TKOL
8- Pablo Honey
simple.
I’ve spent more time with TKOLRMX than the album itself, and perhaps that is why the low ranking of that record surprises me as it does. Nevertheless, a good and brave effort here.
This fool put Pablo Honey over TKOL…you should be ashamed of yourself sir, ashamed!
Personally:
1. The Bends
2. Kid A
3. OK Computer
4. In Rainbows
5. The King of Limbs
6. Amnesiac
7. Hail to the Thief
8. Pablo Honey
The thing about it though, is spots 1-6 are incredibly close. Hail to the Thief I still enjoy but has a few weak tracks in my opinion. Pablo Honey, just, yeah I don’t really need to say anything.
Also I strongly disagree Re: TKOL first half > second half. Codex, Give Up the Ghost, and Separator are all better than anything on the first half minus Bloom.
I feel lied to. When In Rainbows came out, I said House of Cards was boring. Then every site and list said House of Cards was THE single of the year! Now we get a few years out and we’re finally calling it what it was? Where were you when I needed the support?
Hail To The Thief is incredible.
Where I End And You Begin is so got dang amazing. My fav song of theirs.
AH-GREED!
That’s always been my personal favorite too. Surprisingly heard it live too. That’s another thing about Hail To The Thief – EVERY song is amazing live. “The Gloaming” is practically a staple and if you’ve ever heard “A Wolf At The Door” live then you’ve already experienced some of the best moments this life has to offer.
agreed, A Wolf At the Door is one of the best closers EVER!
A thought: a top 10 Radiohead b-sides list. Radiohead has released a number of absolutely ripping b-sides. Anyone here have any particular favorites?
If I wrote such a list I’d definitely include Talk Show Host, Pearly, and Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2).
Those are all fantastic, I would add Worrywort, True Love Waits (does that count?), Fog (Live b-side), and How Can You Be Sure
I can be sure that I would include How Can You Be Sure!
“palo alto”
Great idea, Caroline!
“How I Made My Millions” – breaks my heart every time I listen to it.
i would go so far as to say that talk show host is maybe even my favorite song by them
The King of Limbs sucks all right
Me myself personally:
#1 Kid A
#2 OK Computer
#3 The Bends
#4 In Rainbows
#5 Hail to the Thief
#6 Amnesiac
#7 King of Limbs
#8 Pablo Honey
Count me among those who liked the second half of King of Limbs more than the first. Give Up the Ghost is my favorite on that record.
Hail to the Thief was the album that got me into Radiohead, so it has some special significance for me but honestly it is overstuffed and no way is it better than The Bends. Even the lean and mean In Rainbows edges it out for me.
I don’t have a whole ton of beef with this list because Radiohead albums tend to be pretty subjective. They’re different for different people. However. The King of Limbs DROPS OFF its second half?! NO SOUL?! “Codex” man! “Separator” for goodness sake! The second half of TKOL in my opinion contains some of R.head’s most soulful and emotionally rich songs, like, ever.
And, since I can’t resist:
1. In Rainbows
2. OK Computer
3. Kid A
4. The King of Limbs
5. Hail to the Thief
6. Amnesiac
7. The Bends
8. Pablo Honey.
I agree that King of Limbs is soulful in its own way. It may appear not to have the melancholy like the great “How to Disappear Completely” but they are taking you to places unheard on KoL. Maybe it is more of a universal soul sound than just being on a human plane. KoL may have the most depth in listening experience than their other albums, imo.
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Switch TKOL with Pablo and In Rainbows with Hail to the Thief and you’ve got my list.
my list
1. ok computer, the bends, kid a, amnesiac
5. hail to the thief, king of limbs
7. in rainbows
8. pablo honey
Not that bad of a list. Here is mine:
1. OK Computer
2. Kid A
3. The Bends
Those are the three absolute masterpieces. Then the rest (all of which are pretty solid, too).
4. Hail To The Thief (the best of the rest)
5. Amnesiac (Some of their greatest work, but also a little spotty)
6. The King of Limbs (totally underrated)
7. In Rainbows (totally overrated)
8. Pablo Honey (on its own an enjoyable trip down memory lane with some outstanding moments)
i wouldn’t say “In Rainbows” is underrated. It’s pretty much considered one of their finest works, minus Stereogum author’s assessment.
you dick
oh thomas….such intellect
1) OK Computer
2) The Bends
3) In Rainbows
4) Hail To the Thief
5) Kid A
6) Amnesiac
7) King of Limbs
8) Pablo Honey
I’m not trying to troll putting Kid A down so low. For me, it’s an album I never have a desire to return to, nor do I think it’s all that mind blowing. It’s good, but it doesn’t blow me away the way it does for most people. Sorry.
Also, I’m glad Hail to the Thief finally got some respect.
pretty dead on, right until the screeching halt that has “In Rainbows” placed so far behind the others…like amnesiac and hail to the thief, passable, halfway great, halfway ok records…that are in this writer’s opinion, a better selection of content and creativity and vitality in the Radiohead canon then their last masterpiece In Rainbows which is absurd, obviously.
1. OK Computer- Their Dark Side of the Moon that changed the game and music
2. Kid A- Their Sergeant Pepper, revolutionary, reactionary
3. The Bends-Their shimmering slice of brit-pop, like Hunky Dory, ect.
4. In Rainbows-Their classic critical favor comeback album, like Blood on the Tracks
5. Amnesiac- Their halfway great record, like Magical Mystery Tour
6. Hail to the Thief-Their bloated somewhat great, but bogged down album, like a Genesis record
7. The King of Limbs-Their Flying Lotus tribute album
8. Pablo Honey-eh….passable debut…ala Bleach, ect.
I agree with you on this…except I’d switch In Rainbows and The Bends.
and i think you’d be right actually. Loving In Rainbows. Maybe in 10 years plus that record will stand as their seminal masterpiece. Who knows.
Would it not have been hilarious if the Drill EP was #1?
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Radiohead was just a normal 18 year old boy, until he went to do an interview at his local FM station, and was bitten by a radioactive radio.
Yeah I downvoted you. Whatever. I’m hardcore.
That’s OK computer. At least I learned something weird today.
I haven’t read a thing, I’m here for the gifs.
the staff of pitchfork is coming down here to beat everyone up
i’m personally glad to see KOL listed last.
likewise.
thom yorke hates “pablo honey” too! i know because i had an imaginary interaction with him last week:
http://happymusicsadmusic.blog.com/2012/10/17/i-wonder-if-thom-yorke-is-a-nice-person/
downvote away, haters.
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honestly?
nope, not really.
I rage’d hard at HTTT being higher than In Rainbows and Amnesiac. In fact, aside from the obvious Pablo Honey, I think it’s their absolute worst.
Apparently Radiohead were not in love with the album either, mentioning disappointment with the length and certain songs not fleshing out ideas well enough:
Members of Radiohead have admitted regrets about Hail to the Thief. In a 2006 interview with Spin, Yorke said, “I’d maybe change the playlist. I think we had a meltdown when we put it together. ‘There There’ is amazing, and ’2 + 2 = 5′ is good, but as Nigel says, I wish I had another go at it. We wanted to do things quickly, and I think the songs suffered. It was part of the experiment. Every record is part of the experiment.”[65] In 2008, O’Brien told Mojo: “We should have pruned it down to 10 songs, then it would have been a really good record. I think we lost people on a couple of tracks and it broke the spell of the record.” In the same interview, Colin Greenwood said: “I didn’t want three or four songs on there, because I thought some of the ideas we were trying out weren’t completely finished (…) For me, Hail to the Thief was more of a holding process, really.”[66]
I do not know if they think it is their worst, but they are not in love with it either.
But ‘There There’ IS amazing.
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Finally, someone who makes a list and gives Hail to the Thief the credit it deserves. I’m so sick of how many RH fans ignore that album and then have the balls to say that the bends is better. Then again it’s those same annoying people at the concerts screaming for them to play “blackstar”, but all is fair in love and Radiohead. Different strokes i guess.
And OK Computer AT NUMBER 1? No way. Yes it was the beginning to their near flawless like albums but to say that it is superior to Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief well that is a hard pill to swallow. I am just one of those fans that think Kid A is when they really started making perfection. And lastly In Rainbows will one day be recognized as a perfect album as well. Due to the age of most of the songs on there it sounded like older material but polished to the present tense (pun intended for all fans waiting for that song).
Hail to the Thief is AMAZING. If the Bends is above that for you, I have a band you may never have heard that will suit you perfectly. Coldplay.
It’s interesting that you mention Coldplay because I feel like there is an interesting parallel between them and Radiohead aside from the obvious similarity to their early sound. Both bands were potential one-hit-wonders with “Creep” and “Yellow”, and then both followed up their first records with brilliant sophomore albums. Each of their respective sophomore albums have two huge singles that are also somewhat similar in composition: “High and Dry” is to “Clocks” as “Fake Plastic Trees” is to “The Scientist.”
But this is where they differ, and why OK Computer was such an important record. Instead of taking the formula as represented by their 3 big singles and repeating it to death, a la Coldplay, Radiohead goes and makes OK Computer. And although there are certainly more rock-oriented elements on OK Computer, it was the beginning of a series of continual reinventions that is what makes them one of the most interesting bands of the last 20 years.
And as for Coldplay, well, they became a very solid example of exactly what it means to sell out.
1. OK Computer
2. The Bends
…and I’ll stop there because those are the only two Radiohead albums I like. And no, I’m not trolling, just being honest.
As soon as I saw Pablo Honey wasn’t at the bottom:
And then seeing seeing Hail to the Thief at #3:
Could Sleater-Kinney albums from worst to best be next please
You fucking trolls. The nerve to put KOL at 8 and In Rainbows at 6…. Well you got the comments/traffic you wanted, obviously.
1. OK Computer
2. Kid A
3. The Bends
4. In Rainbows
5. Amnesiac
(slight step down)
6. Hail to the Thief
7. King of Limbs
8. Pablo Honey
I would say on the list above, In Rainbows is getting the biggest shaft, then King of Limbs. Hail to the Thief is getting the biggest bump. Depending on what people like, I can see them preferring In Rainbows to The Bends. In Rainbows is phenomenal.
Thanks for not leaving OK Computer off the list :/
Can’t really say I agree with the order, HTTT is a very uneven and inconsistent album in my opinion, surprised to see it ranked that high. I’m not the biggest Radiohead fan though and I’ve only truly liked a handful of their songs (mostly from OKC and The Bends), so I guess I’m not the person to criticize this list haha.
Thrilled to see Hail to the Thief that high, even if it’s at the expense of In Rainbows. Easily their most underrated album.
In Rainbows is #3? Puh-LEASE.
There should really be two lists here: the objective list — taking into account historical relevance, maturity, overall listening experience — and the writer’s personal favourite list.
Objective:
1. OK Computer
2. Kid A
3. The Bends
4. In Rainbows
5. Amnesiac
6. Hail to the Thief
7. King of Limbs
8. Pablo Honey
MY personal fave list:
1. Amnesiac
2. In Rainbows
3. OK Computer
4. Kid A
5. Hail to the Thief
6. TKOL
7. The Bends
8. Pablo Honey
Ha! Your personal fave list is exactly the same as mine! I guess this means if you are an Amnesiac person your brain must be wired a certain way.
Finally, some love for Amnesiac! My personal list:
1. Amnesiac
2. Kid A
3. OK Computer
4. King of Limbs
5. In Rainbows
6. The Bends
7. Hail To The Thief
8. Pablo Honey
I’ve just done a quick scan, and I am eminently pleased to see the lack of any “I used to like Radiohead…….when they were a rock band” blah blah blah….i.e. The Bends > everything else. THOSE PEOPLE deserve a swift, hard kick in the balls.
All that said, putting Pablo Honey anywhere but last is not much better. I think Thom would respond more warmly to “Play Freebird!!!!” than to a request to play ANY song from that album.
Your arrogance offends me.
I actually consider Amnesiac to be their best album, and am sad to see it so low.
I like you guys, Stereogum. But cmon, take a little time to get the names of the songs right! “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” is the right title.
1) Kid A
2) Ok Computer
3) The Bends
4) Amnesiac
5) King Of Limbs
6) In Rainbows
7) Hail To The Thief
* Pablo Honey never happened.
Radiohead has released 8 studio albums. you guys got that part right
The way I see it (and looking at the comments it seems a decent amount of people would agree) there are a few tiers of Radiohead albums.
1. OK Computer/ Kid A
2. Amnesiac/ In Rainbows
3. The Bends/ Hail to the Thief/ The King of Limbs
4. Pablo Honey
Some could argue for The Bends to be in the second level. Though if I’m going to listen to any of these besides Pablo Honey I’m happy.
Limbs is missing agonised soul? It’s too chilly? Are you an android? Is your heart comprised of pieces of gray flinty chips of metal? Dammit man, do you skip Codex every time is comes on?!
I wouldn’t go that far, but I find the claim that the second half falls off incredibly strange. I thought the second half was way, WAY better than the first – Codex and Give Up the Ghost alone should make that clear. But I can see how a few songs (cough, Feral) would give off aforementioned vibes.
This seems like a goofy way to evaluate a group like Radiohead that seems like it puts effort into ensuring some of its essential listening isn’t on its albums. Here’s some alternate tracklists that might improve the standings of some of their periods, especially the two lowest-ranking ones. If you’re a big Radiohead fan but consider their original tracklists sacrosanct, I’d point out that’s kind of counter to their ethos (there was so much acrimony over the HTTT tracklist that Thom posted his own). Besides, they’re not that different anyway.
THE KING OF LIMBS: Bloom / Morning Mr Magpie / Hearing Damage / These Are My Twisted Words / Little by Little / Feral / Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses / Lotus Flower / Codex / The Butcher / Staircase / Separator
IN RAINBOWS: 15 Step / Bodysnatchers / Nude / Weird Fishes / All I Need / Faust Arp / Reckoner / House of Cards / Down Is the New Up / Jigsaw Falling into Place / Go Slowly / Videotape / 4 Minute Warning
HAIL TO THE THIEF: 2+2=5 / Sail to the Moon / Sit down, Stand up / Backdrifts / I Am a Wicked Child / Go to Sleep / Where I End and You Begin / We Suck Young Blood / The Gloaming / Scatterbrain / There There / Paperbag Writer / Myxomatosis / A Wolf at the Door / Gagging Order
AMNESIAC: Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box / Pyramid Song / Fast-Track / You and Whose Army? / I Might Be Wrong / Trans-Atlantic Drawl / Cuttooth / Knives Out / The Amazing Sounds of Orgy / Dollars & Cents / Hunting Bears / Like Spinning Plates / Life in a Glasshouse
KID A: Great job!
OK COMPUTER: Airbag / Paranoid Android / Subterranean Homesick Alien / Exit Music for a Film / A Reminder / Karma Police / Meeting in the Aisle / Fitter Happier / Electioneering / Polyethylene, Parts 1 & 2 / Climbing up the Walls / No Surprises / Lucky / The Tourist
EARLY YEARS: Coke Babies / Creep / The Bends / Permanent Daylight / Talk Show Host / Nice Dream / Just / The Trickster / Lozenge of Love / Maquiladora / Sulk / Bishop’s Robes / Blow Out
i’m assuming you accidentally forgot to include Let Down, RIGHT?!
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I love that they have (literally) box sets worth of b-sides, rare and unreleased material, and that they don’t seem to go back to it very often. Hopefully some day they’ll package some big chunks of it and feed it to the masses. But for now it’s great that I can still come across a random Radiohead song that I don’t know front, back and sideways.
Did music really change that much after 9/11?
i mean, music changes pretty consistly by nature, right?
Here I go:
1/ Amnesiac
2/ The Bends
3/ Ok Computer
4/ Hail To The Thief
5/ Kid A
6/ In Rainbows
7/ King Of Limbs
8/ Pablo Honey
and Pablo Honey is the only one I wouldn’t get back to anyday. The rest is awesome, or great.
This was markedly more civil than I was led to expect it to be! Thanks, guys.
Again, for the record, none of this list is “trolling;” these picks were sincere. But for everyone who complained that Pablo Honey/Hail to the Thief was too high (man, you guys hate Pablo Honey), or that In Rainbows/King of Limbs was too low, I have a message:
YOUR TEARS ARE SO YUMMY AND SWEET! OH, THE TEARS OF UNFATHOMABLE SADNESS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owzhYNcd4OM
This list is fine. I’m gonna go get some tacos!
1. In Rainbows
2. OK Computer
3. Hail to the Theif
4. The Bends
5. The King of Limbs
6. Kid A
7. Pablo Honey
8. Amnesiac
Probably a controversial order of Radiohead albums, but it’s how I see it.
My list with 1 and 2 swapped.
Hey, it’s close right? Both amazing albums, along with the rest of them, even Pablo Honey has a charm.
Stop Whispering is actually pretty dope.
I fucking love In Rainbows
i normally dont care about lists, but HTTT is not better than the Bends, In Rainbows or Amnesiac. That’s a fact of nature.
I LOVE Radiohead, but (so far) I don’t love The King Of Limbs.
I don’t find myself re-listening to The Bends or Pablo Honey all that much anymore, either.
In Rainbows (with the extra tracks) is the album I’ve listened to the most, but that’s largely because I left it on repeat in my mp3 player for about six months straight as I rode the ferry across the bay each morning and evening. Great album to turn up, stare out at the water and completely forget about all the people around you.
If I HAD TO make a list, one that is coming from a totally personal place, not a “critical” one…
1. In Rainbows
2. Hail To The Thief (how many Radiohead concert staples/favorites come from this album?)
3 OK Computer
4. Kid A
5 Amnesiac (although, for me, Kid A and Amnesiac play really well together – but they were released separately, sooo…)
6. The Bends
7. The King Of Limbs (I’m really trying, but it just feels like a toss off to me – especially coming after In Rainbows, which seemed to be going someplace. I do agree the songs really come to life in a live setting)
8. Pablo Honey
Those Bends videos though still make me swoon….totally take me right back to 1996, the peak of videos and MTV actually being “GOOD!” 120 minutes, live in studio performances…’those were the dayyyys.’ god the music biz is so fucked now compared to then, it’s sad.
The cool thing about these comments is that I can look at almost any of the lists people have posted and think, “Well, yeah, I can live with that.” Speaks volumes to the quality of Radiohead’s catalog.
The only two things Radiohead has ever done that are worthy of being called music;
1. http://www.amazon.com/Creep-VINYL-Radiohead/dp/B001PCNZCM
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JQhZSTgonM
Am I the only one who puts In Rainbows at the same level as Ok Computer and Kid A?
Easily my fav
I’m with you on that one. It’s a staggeringly good album. One of the best of the 00′s.