Lee's musical Articals

Alice was asking me to write one of these the other week. Some, prorabblly very few, of you, apart from Alice, might remember I used to write a sersis of music articles. So here's a new one maybe there be more who knows.

 

I'm posting later I somehow managed to paste over the intro.

 

Radiohead the bravest band of the last three decades.

Radiohead at the height of there fame and success, turned there back on all they had built before and strove gouty in search of new musical adventures.

Radiohead the 5 piece from Oxford, Britain, had since the realse of Pablo honey in 1993 steadily built on there success over the course of there next two albums. Tom yorke, lead singer, the greenwood brothers on guitar and bass, Ed Obrian guitar and Phil Selway on drums. The Bends realised in 1995 honed there sound still further and achieved greater comical and critical success.

Then came in 1997 Ok Computer. This was a band at there peak, there traditional indie rock sound now layered with a more sophisticated set of effects, yorkes lyrics and vocals reaching new heights, both figuratively and metaphorically. The album topped numorious end of year polls, and was nominated for the British mercury music awards as best album with sales of 4.5 million the band were now established as major stars.

The band honed a indie rock sound that had conquered all before it. Singles such as Paranoid Android, Karma Police and No Surprises perfectly encapsulated their sound.

Then came kid A. The album was recorded while the band were touring with Ok Computer. In many ways the album can be seen as a rejection of all that had come before. So different was it's sound. In came eletronicair, to the side the usual indie gutiar and drums. Tracks were cut in half, starting with the endings from last songs. Tom's vocals grow even higher. The art work to the album grow darker, the packaging going from the normal cd jewel case to a paper and card one. in part you can see why, touring a album for the better part of a year can become monotonous, tiring and for a band as ambitious as radiohead stifilying.

Each song had it's own video. There was no stand out single. In almost all ways this was a rejection of the comical. Everything that the band had based there previous succeess on was turned away.

So why do this why on the comical level commit suicide. Some more cynical readers may suggest that after building a loyal fan base there work was done they could put out any nonsense as a follow up to ok computer and still have huge sales. Others, my self inculded, less cynical might see something else.

This was a band feeling trapped by there own sound and success. They had on many ways laid down a blueprint for themselves. A blue print that many others followed. They could have carried on releasing ok computer 2, 3, etc. Each to bigger sales. Carried onwith the template they had created. But they wanted to stretch to grow as a group, to experiment with their sound and express new ideas. If this meant them abandoning much of what they had built there succeess on. Then so be it. There follow up album amnisic was issued six months later by some it was seen as a band trying to get back to it's roots. And in some ways it was, tracks like pyramid song, wouldn't look completely out of place on ok, but it still continued in a simular vain.

Hail to the theif was released in 2003 it was arguably there most political album. The title it's self a slogan used against bush after his first electoral success, the album cover work by Stanley Donwood a show of the albums direction.

Arbublly the bands finest album it continued with Kid A's direction. Mixing the electronica and indie sound. A heady mix of beeps and twerps and guitars.

So why are radiohead the bravest band of the last decarde. At there height of there success and fame they turned there backs on everything and reach out to new sonic horizons, striving to create something new and different, sticking to there artist roots and creating. They refused to give in to the comecial machine and chun out copy cat album after copy cat album, un like so many of there peers. If only more artists would do the same this would be a more intesresting plant.

 

Alice you muppet bumped for you lol

 

Ive nearly finshed another on the clash btw guys