I Don't Get Radiohead's OK Computer

Not one bad track(maybe fitter happier which is just a 30 sec filler) on the album at all. I find the album refreshing especially in the 90s when the era was dominated by grunge or trip hop.

Yeah you probably had to hear it for the first time in the 90's to really get how truly amazing it is but it's still objectively a great piece of art whenever you hear it. Like I'm sure Sgt. Peppers was even more amazing in the 60's but it's still a masterpiece today.
 
OK Sherbros (see what I did there!). I've listened to the album a few times since I posted this thread and I've got a better answer. It's a pretty good album, but still nothing spectacular.
  • Karma Police is still the best song.
  • Let Down and No Surprises are the next best songs.
  • After that, Airbag and Paranoid Android are good songs. I especially liked the bass on Airbag.
  • Trippy/mellow songs I don't care for: Subterranean Homesick Alien, Exit Music, Climbing Up The Walls.
  • Pointless filler: Fitter Happier
  • Their version of U2's Angel of Harlem: Electioneering. A solid song.
  • Trippy/mellow songs I'm cool with: Lucky, The Tourist.
I think because of the sheer number of trippy songs, I didn't care for it. I prefer more upbeat stuff. Like almost 1/2 of the album is spacey shit. It definitely took a number of listens to in a short time to kinda get it. If you can't figure out, this is more of my jam (came out the same year, coincidentally).



Or what I consider the greatest album of all time.

 
OK Sherbros (see what I did there!). I've listened to the album a few times since I posted this thread and I've got a better answer. It's a pretty good album, but still nothing spectacular.
  • Karma Police is still the best song.
  • Let Down and No Surprises are the next best songs.
  • After that, Airbag and Paranoid Android are good songs. I especially liked the bass on Airbag.
  • Trippy/mellow songs I don't care for: Subterranean Homesick Alien, Exit Music, Climbing Up The Walls.
  • Pointless filler: Fitter Happier
  • Their version of U2's Angel of Harlem: Electioneering. A solid song.
  • Trippy/mellow songs I'm cool with: Lucky, The Tourist.
I think because of the sheer number of trippy songs, I didn't care for it. I prefer more upbeat stuff. Like almost 1/2 of the album is spacey shit. It definitely took a number of listens to in a short time to kinda get it. If you can't figure out, this is more of my jam (came out the same year, coincidentally).



Or what I consider the greatest album of all time.




Now you see I can't stand Parklife. <WhatItIs>
 
OK Sherbros (see what I did there!). I've listened to the album a few times since I posted this thread and I've got a better answer. It's a pretty good album, but still nothing spectacular.
  • Karma Police is still the best song.
  • Let Down and No Surprises are the next best songs.
  • After that, Airbag and Paranoid Android are good songs. I especially liked the bass on Airbag.
  • Trippy/mellow songs I don't care for: Subterranean Homesick Alien, Exit Music, Climbing Up The Walls.
  • Pointless filler: Fitter Happier
  • Their version of U2's Angel of Harlem: Electioneering. A solid song.
  • Trippy/mellow songs I'm cool with: Lucky, The Tourist.
I think because of the sheer number of trippy songs, I didn't care for it. I prefer more upbeat stuff. Like almost 1/2 of the album is spacey shit. It definitely took a number of listens to in a short time to kinda get it. If you can't figure out, this is more of my jam (came out the same year, coincidentally).



Or what I consider the greatest album of all time.


I do like Blur’s self titled album. That’s the one where they were influenced by the lo-fi stylings of Pavement, yes?
 
In Rainbows is their best album. I know I’m in the minority saying that, but it’s true. It’s a god damn masterpiece.

I wouldn't say it tops their glory years, but it was definitely a great redemption album after a few forgettable outings.
 
I do like Blur’s self titled album. That’s the one where they were influenced by the lo-fi stylings of Pavement, yes?
Yeah. Not proud to say it, but I'm one of the Song 2'ers. The only thing I had heard about them before was they had a war with Oasis, who are well known over here. On a lark, I decided to get the 97 album and I was shocked at how good it was. That led me to search up and discover they were the "Girls and Boys" guys too.

Asked my bro got get me Parklife that Christmas and the rest is history. My musical tastes are very eclectic, so I can rock some Song 2 or Chinese Bombs and then go into a Britpop standard like Parklife or Country House. It's a shame that over here they're pretty much just known for "the woo-who song."
 
Why’s it rated so highly? I guess because it’s technically proficient and probably the best since Pink Floyd’s The Wall in terms of balancing its concept with themes ranging from the personal to the societal. And it touches on technology too.
It doesn’t sound like a big deal but try and make a list of great rock albums that checked all those boxes. It’s not easy… and it’s a short list. Definitely a great album. It’s best appreciated as a whole work and not a collection of tracks.

Rock felt like it was in a rut back in the mid-late 90s with infantile post-grudge whingers and British Invasion tribute bands dominating the airwaves. Ok Computer along with Foo Fighters’ The Colour and The Shape (just to name one other from the same year) felt like Alternative/Grunge finally growing up, in a good way. The music still spoke to me while also realizing that we’d moved on and done some growing up.
 
Why’s it rated so highly? I guess because it’s technically proficient and probably the best since Pink Floyd’s The Wall in terms of balancing its concept with themes ranging from the personal to the societal. And it touches on technology too.
It doesn’t sound like a big deal but try and make a list of great rock albums that checked all those boxes. It’s not easy… and it’s a short list. Definitely a great album. It’s best appreciated as a whole work and not a collection of tracks.

Rock felt like it was in a rut back in the mid-late 90s with infantile post-grudge whingers and British Invasion tribute bands dominating the airwaves. Ok Computer along with Foo Fighters’ The Colour and The Shape (just to name one other from the same year) felt like Alternative/Grunge finally growing up, in a good way. The music still spoke to me while also realizing that we’d moved on and done some growing up.
Hey, I definitely agree with you on Foo. I told my buddy that that album was better than anything Nirvana did and he shit all over me. It's a top 10 album of all time for me.

Behind Parklife, of course! Hahaha.
 
It's a masterpiece. Maybe the greatest album ever recorded.

Paranoid Android is probably Radiohead's crowning achievement.
 
I"m kind of right there with you OP. I appreciate the talent of the guys in Radiohead but their music just isn't for me. Paranoid Android is the only track I regularly listen too off that album maybe I should check it out again but I gave it a listen once and it didn't stick with me.

I don't want to say Radiohead is overrated cause there is something there. I just don't like the type of music they produce mostly.
 
I am one of those people who can do without Radiohead. Their music doesn't do anything for me. Thorne Yorke is talented though.

What I do know is Thorn has amazing musical taste evident in Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin being his biggest influence and favorite musician. I first heard Aphex Twin in high school and it was life transforming. I never knew that a single person could create such magical landscapes with just synths and home made ones too.

This is the greatest piece of ambient music ever recorded. I love love love love Richard and everything he's produced. A fucking genius from Cornwall!. I'm pretty high right now and yeah I think some Aphex Twin shall be put on

Thom Yorke named Aphex Twin as his biggest influence, saying: "He burns a heavy shadow ... Aphex opened up another world that didn't involve my fucking electric guitar ... I hated all the music that was around Radiohead at the time, it was completely fucking meaningless. I hated the Britpop thing and what was happening in America, but Aphex was totally beautiful, and he's kind of my age too." In 2002, asked if he would tour with Radiohead, James said "I wouldn't play with them since I don't like them".


lol Richard D. James is awesome. Gets some lauded praise from a popular guy in the zeitgeist and is just like "*shrug* meh, fuck 'im"
 
lol Richard D. James is awesome. Gets some lauded praise from a popular guy in the zeitgeist and is just like "*shrug* meh, fuck 'im"
I remember when they told him Thorne loves his music and his reaction was hilarious. I love Richard. Back in 2015 a Soundcloud user by the name of user18081971 started uploading songs that sounded an awfully lot like the material Richard produced. The user stated he wasn't Aphex Twin. A lot of fans had a hunch it was him and it was. He released I believe as of right now 295 songs and demos. Some going as far back as the mid 80's to early 90's. In 2019 Richard said this about releasing the material on soundcloud "I've got all this music and I thought if I died what the fuck would my kids do? What would my wife do? They'd get really stressed out and they wouldn’t know what to do with it all. So I just thought I'd give it away, then they don't have to think about it."

There is a lot of songs within that dump that are of real legitimate quality and could easily have been officially released. He is my favorite solo musician by far.
 
Most rock music of the 90s sounds like noise to me. Lacked melody and good songwriting.
 
Yeah you probably had to hear it for the first time in the 90's to really get how truly amazing it is but it's still objectively a great piece of art whenever you hear it. Like I'm sure Sgt. Peppers was even more amazing in the 60's but it's still a masterpiece today.
The album was under the radar because I did buy it the same time that Prodigy's Fat of the Land came out and didnt realize that Radiohead had another album. I never really liked Pablo Honey but The Bends was a good enough album that I decided to buy and give OK Computer a shot. Ended up listening to OK Computer a lot more than Fat of the Land during the same month
 
Hey, I definitely agree with you on Foo. I told my buddy that that album was better than anything Nirvana did and he shit all over me. It's a top 10 album of all time for me.

Behind Parklife, of course! Hahaha.


I’m not totally with you but definitely in the same ballpark. I like Blur but more for select singles like Girls & Boys and Song 2 etc.

Never dug their albums. Not like I did the releases of Foo-Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, and Bjork, from that very same year or two (I probably prefer Verve’s Urban Hymns too).

But I’m probably going to give Parklife another go sometime soon. It’s been about 25 years since I’ve done so
 
I’m not totally with you but definitely in the same ballpark. I like Blur but more for select singles like Girls & Boys and Song 2 etc.

Never dug their albums. Not like I did the releases of Foo-Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, and Bjork, from that very same year or two (I probably prefer Verve’s Urban Hymns too).

But I’m probably going to give Parklife another go sometime soon. It’s been about 25 years since I’ve done so
The reason I love Parklife so much is that it's labelled as "Britpop," which it is, but there's such a variety of songs. They've got a few poppy songs meant to be hits, like Girls and Boy or Parklife, but also some weird and experimental stuff. A song about planetary moons and space sung by the bassist (Far Out), a punk rock song (Bank Holiday), mellow shit, dancy shit, a bunch of songs about a group of people I have absolutely no clue about. I have lived in the US most of my life. Even the instrumentals are enjoyable.

It's like a window into a world I don't know about. Most of the songs aren't really meant to be singles. While I love What's The Story, it sounded like Oasis was trying to make 10 singles. It's a great album and I understand if anyone puts it above Parklife, but I can't. I like all the songs, but highlights that are underrated/my favs are: End of a Century, To the End, London Loves and Magic America. If you listen to it, let me know what you liked/disliked.
 
The reason I love Parklife so much is that it's labelled as "Britpop," which it is, but there's such a variety of songs. They've got a few poppy songs meant to be hits, like Girls and Boy or Parklife, but also some weird and experimental stuff. A song about planetary moons and space sung by the bassist (Far Out), a punk rock song (Bank Holiday), mellow shit, dancy shit, a bunch of songs about a group of people I have absolutely no clue about. I have lived in the US most of my life. Even the instrumentals are enjoyable.

It's like a window into a world I don't know about. Most of the songs aren't really meant to be singles. While I love What's The Story, it sounded like Oasis was trying to make 10 singles. It's a great album and I understand if anyone puts it above Parklife, but I can't. I like all the songs, but highlights that are underrated/my favs are: End of a Century, To the End, London Loves and Magic America. If you listen to it, let me know what you liked/disliked.


Good post! I’m gonna give Parklife another listen by sometime tomorrow morning and edit this post with a proper response and some. Take it easy
 
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