CD Odyssey Disc 316: Radiohead

Well, for a guy without a job, I've had a busy day, and I'm now trying to squeeze this in before my next event arrives. We'll see if I make it.

This next disc is one that my generation typically fawns over. Despite this popularity, I liked it anyway.

Disc 316 is...The Bends

Artist: Radiohead

Year of Release: 1995

What’s Up With The Cover?: Good question. A quick bit of research reveals it is a piece of photo art (I use the word 'art' loosely here) by a guy named Stanley Donwood, who went to art school with Radiohead singer Thom Yorke. As art goes, I think this piece is a pretty poor showing, and as a CD cover I liked it less.

How I Came To Know It: I heard this record because Sheila bought it. She is a big Radiohead fan, where I only dabble. Or maybe I bought it for her after hearing it was a good one. We've had it for a while, and I can't honestly remember.

How It Stacks Up: We have seven Radiohead albums. When I reviewed "Pablo Honey" back at Disc 223, I said it edged "The Bends" out for best record, but having given it a few listens, I'm going to have to perjure myself and admit that "The Bends" is in fact, their best record.

Rating: 4 stars.

I'm not a huge fan of Radiohead, but as I've said in previous reviews, I admire their ability as a band, and I think they are worthy of at least most of their critical acclaim. Not all of it though - Radiohead gets more critical acclaim than any band could earn.

Through the years, their sound has changed quite a bit, and over those same years I have learned that I liked them early in their career most.

"The Bends" is Radiohead at their best. Yorke's alien-yet-beautiful voice haunting the heavy atmosphere of each song. This is a record that is still solidly in the rock and roll genre of "Pablo Honey" but that has begun to branch out creatively. Much like "British Steel" is the sweet spot of Judas Priest between seventies rock and metal, "The Bends" is the sweet spot of Radiohead where they go a little weird and innovative, but where the songs are still melodic and pleasant to listen to. When Radiohead gets weirder later (like "Kid A") they lose me in the effort to be clever.

This record has many great songs, most of which left me with a bad case of melancholia (although fortunately I avoided any Infinite Sadness). In particular, the plaintive almost begging quality of Yorke's voice on "High And Dry" as he sings 'don't leave me high/don't leave me dry' makes you feel truly abandoned. On "Fake Plastic Trees", when he sings "It wears me out/It wears me out" it made me feel like I was worn out. Even typing about it is bringing me down - these guys know how to find their own private dystopia, and then invite you over.

Depressing as this can be, it is good for the soul to feel deeply, even if those feelings aren't always pleasant. We are all masochists for a little wallowing, and Radiohead delivers.

The only down-side to the lyrics are that Yorke is at times hard to understand. Admittedly, this music demands that you pay close attention, but the way it is constructed always makes my mind wander into an emotional fugue state and I forget to pay attention. This is too bad, because looking over the liner notes I find such gems as this from "Fake Plastic Trees":

"She lives with a broken man, a cracked polystyrene man
Who just Crumbles and burns,
He used to do surgery for girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins and it wears him out."

Thanks to Sheila for helping me catch that one as I drove her to Weight Watchers earlier tonight (where she is a leader and lifetime member - accomplished, beautiful AND she knows her rock and roll!).

The other line that caught my attention was an unfortunate case of misheard-lyric-itis. The actual chorus of "The Bends" is "My baby's got the bends", but in Yorke's emotionally strangled voice it comes out sounding like "My baby's got Depends." Which is great if you are trying to avoid a mess on your livingroom floor, but not so interesting for a rock song.

Overall, this is a great record, that has stood the test of time and found its way into my heart (occasionally wounding it in the process). I am sure for many people it would be a five star album, but for me I'm going to settle with excellent, and call it four.

Best tracks: High And Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, My Iron Lung, Sulk