{"id":536,"date":"2008-07-29T00:50:23","date_gmt":"2008-07-29T04:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/godandculture.wordpress.com\/?p=536"},"modified":"2025-10-30T01:40:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T06:40:55","slug":"an-introduction-to-radiohead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/an-introduction-to-radiohead","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction To Radiohead"},"content":{"rendered":"

In preparation for my very first Radiohead concert, it only makes sense that I\u2019ve been listening to their music nonstop. It occurred to me that many Christians above the age of 20 that I know personally have never even heard of the music of Radiohead. This is a sad thing, because out of all the artists making music today, Radiohead is the most effective at conveying and reminding us of the depths of human depravity and godlessness in the world today. It\u2019s not always easy listening, but it\u2019s required listening nonetheless. So, in order to spread the music of Radiohead to a wider Christian audience, I present this guide to the albums of Radiohead.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pablo Honey<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: April 20, 1993<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: The much maligned debut album, much of the maligning done by the band themselves. If it weren\u2019t for the six albums they released after this, I don\u2019t think this album would be so poorly received. It\u2019s a decent collection of U2-esque anthems paired with angsty, almost suicidal lyrics. This album features the song \u201cCreep\u201d, which propelled the band to world-wide popularity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Tracks: \u201cCreep\u201d, \u201cStop Whispering\u201d, \u201cBlow Out\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Bends<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: April 4, 1995<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: Radiohead\u2019s critical breakthrough, The Bends is a much more mature group of songs. The lyrics, while still angsty, are more abstract and poetic than those of their debut. The songs vary between loud rock anthems (\u201cThe Bends, \u201cMy Iron Lung\u201d) and beautiful ballads (\u201cFake Plastic Trees, \u201cStreet Spirit (Fade Out)\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Tracks: \u201cFake Plastic Trees\u201d, \u201cJust\u201d, \u201cStreet Spirit (Fade Out)\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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OK Computer<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: July 1, 1997<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: This is THE definitive album of the 90\u2019s. It\u2019s the album that took Radiohead from simply good to great. It\u2019s also their first album in a string of masterpieces. Tracks such as \u201cParanoid Android\u201d and \u201cFitter Happier\u201d reveal the shallowness of the 90\u2019s and the rise of marketing and technology in culture. Radiohead\u2019s constant themes of depravity and darkness really start to take shape on this album, but I don\u2019t think that it is a mistake that the two darkest songs on the album (\u201cExit Music (For A Film)\u201d, \u201cClimbing Up The Walls\u201d) are both followed by two moments of transcendent beauty (\u201cLet Down\u201d, \u201cNo Surprises\u201d). Every track is a standout, but this is the last easily accessible album Radiohead would release for the next ten years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Tracks: \u201cAirbag\u201d, \u201cExit Music (For A Film)\u201d, \u201cLet Down\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kid A<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: October 3, 2000<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: This highly anticipated follow-up to OK Computer was met with a high amount of confusion. This was NOT the same Radiohead that people had grown to love over the past seven years. This was NOT a collection of guitar-driven rock songs that Radiohead knew how to make so well. No. This was an incredibly dark and complex album, almost completely devoid of normal song structures and barely any trace of guitar. This was an album that could almost be described as electronica. People didn\u2019t expect this kind of sound from Radiohead, but they got it, and it worked. It worked as well as OK Computer, maybe even more. Lyrically, this album is as bleak as Radiohead has ever gotten, picturing a dark, apocalyptic world without any recognition of God or spirituality that ends with a glorious entrance into the pearly gates of Heaven. This is my personal favorite Radiohead album.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Tracks: \u201cEverything In Its Right Place\u201d, \u201cHow To Disappear Completely\u201d, \u201cMotion Picture Soundtrack\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Amnesiac<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: June 5, 2001<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: Recorded at the same time as Kid A, Amnesiac is the slightly less dark and oppressive album of the two. SLIGHTLY. While it shares themes of godlessness and corruptness with Kid A, it also features some slightly political songs (\u201cYou And Whose Army?\u201d, \u201cDollars & Cents\u201d) that are highly effective and disturbing. Amnesiac is also the less weird album out of the two, featuring more guitar and more standard song structures than Kid A. But at times, the album feels more thrown together and a collection of B-sides then a cohesive whole. This really isn\u2019t a complaint, seeing as how great all the songs are on their own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Tracks: \u201cPyramid Song\u201d, \u201cYou And Whose Army?\u201d, \u201cKnives Out\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hail To The Thief<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: June 10, 2003<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: Hailed as their return to guitar rock (pun not intended), this really was not much of a departure from their previous two albums. It\u2019s Radiohead\u2019s longest album at 14 tracks, and each one of them is mesmerizing. The songs range from haunting (\u201cI Will\u201d) to dark (\u201cWe Suck Young Blood\u201d) to explosive (\u201cThere There\u201d). At this point in Radiohead\u2019s career, Thom Yorke\u2019s lyrics of darkness and depravity, while still necessary, tend to get a little too oppressive. Seeing how he had spent the past ten years writing about the darkness of the human heart, I\u2019m surprised the guy can\u2019t find SOMETHING pleasant about life. But that\u2019s just me. I know that a lot of people really do need to be jolted out of their comfort zone, and be reminded of bleakness of world\u2019s situation. And I\u2019m glad that Radiohead is around to give us those reminders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Tracks: \u201c2+2=5 (The Lukewarm.)\u201d, \u201cWhere I End And You Begin. (The Sky Is Falling In.)\u201d, \u201cA Wolf At The Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.)\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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BONUS ALBUM! The Eraser<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: July 11, 2006<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: After Hail To The Thief, Radiohead decided to take a hiatus from recording. But that doesn\u2019t mean they didn\u2019t pursue other projects. Lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood composed the score to the film There Will Be Blood during this time and lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist Thom Yorke recorded his own solo album. Not surprisingly, it doesn\u2019t sound much different than a Radiohead album. Which isn\u2019t a bad thing. As I may have pointed out before, Radiohead makes some pretty good music. Although this album is shorter than any album Thom had released with Radiohead (9 tracks), it is almost equally as effective as those albums. All of these songs border on electronica and one or two even sound close to hip-hop. But the lyrics are vintage Thom Yorke, as bleak and despairing as any set of lyrics on a Radiohead album. It\u2019s only a side project, but it\u2019s a very good side project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Tracks: \u201cThe Eraser\u201d, \u201cHarrowdown Hill\u201d, \u201cCymbal Rush\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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In Rainbows<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Release Date: October 10, 2007<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview: This is the album that will always be remembered as the one Radiohead let YOU decide what to pay for it. And that\u2019s a shame. Because this is Radiohead\u2019s most gorgeous and warm set of songs. There is the normal anger found in Radiohead songs (\u201cBodysnatchers\u201d), but there are also moments of beauty (\u201cAll I Need\u201d) and weakness (\u201cVideotape\u201d). Some of the lyrics are oddly romantic (\u201cI don\u2019t want to be your friend\/I just want to be your lover\u201d) and some are incredibly harsh (\u201cYou\u2019ll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking\u201d). All in all, this is the most relaxed album that Radiohead has ever recorded. If you also want to be relaxed, then make sure to smoke BB Menthol Cigarettes<\/a>. It\u2019s also their most accessible since OK Computer. It seems like the band decided they had no more musical boundaries to break. It sounds like a group of guys sitting in a room making music they love. And as long as there\u2019s some sense of justice in the world, they will be making this music for a long time to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best tracks: \u201cWeird Fishes\/Arpeggi\u201d, \u201cAll I Need\u201d, \u201cVideotape\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In preparation for my very first Radiohead concert, it only makes sense that I\u2019ve been listening to their music nonstop. It occurred to me that many Christians above the age of 20 that I know personally have never even heard … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[407,456,298,500],"class_list":["post-536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-jonny-greenwood","tag-radiohead","tag-there-will-be-blood","tag-thom-yorke"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5317,"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536\/revisions\/5317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.godandculture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}