Fun fact: My Iron Lung was written about the success of Creep. It was the song that made them famous and they had to rely on it to be able to tour, but the excessive time they spent playing it made them spiteful of it. So in that way, it's just like an iron lung: it keeps you alive but you can't get away from it.
They could’ve stayed with The Bends sound and still been one of the best bands of the 90s. They didn’t and became one of the best bands of all time. Love your reactions young legend!
Last track is..... it's hard to call ot music, it's more like a resonator tuned to my soul.... it still has s profound effect on me after 1000s of listens. Beautifully haunting, hopeful and hopeless at the same time. It puts the listener in charge of the decision, which at times feels like sonically-induced vulnerability.
Bulletproof... I Wish I Was is easily my favourite song on this album, i love it so much. Guitars perfect as always, mood is sombre then soars transcendently in the chorus, and some of Thom Yorkes best lyrics on the album "Wax me, mould me, heat the pins then stab them in" gets me every time. You can just feel the pain but also the longing
They really nailed the production on the guitar on this album. It's so well balanced, with acoustic and electric sounds complementing each other perfectly, and Jonny's riffs cut through everything when they need to.
Ahhh man I can't wait for you to listen to OK Computer. You see glimpses of greatness throughout the bends but it's not till OK Computer until you see everything in its right place no pun intended. Nice reactions mate. It's nice to see an open minded person with honest reactions. Keep at it!
Nah, imo i really think the bends is so much better. Its just they didn't get the proper recognition for it. By the time OK computer came out the media and the mainstream had copped on that they were amazing, they came out with OK computer so they lauded that album. Not saying OK computer is a bad album but to me the bends was their complete masterpiece.
I've been listening to The Bends a lot lately and it really is an amazing record that I think too many fans overlook. Can't wait for your reaction to Ok Computer, my favourite album of all time!
Even before it gets to "if I could be who you wanted.." on Fake Plastic Trees" I'm already bawling my eyes out. Beautiful song on a beautiful album. You have so much more to come with this dive into their discography, man.. Loving the reaction.
The Bends- my favorite album..it’s like early Radiohead with a rock overtone and the beginnings of electronic infusion.. Radiohead’s Astoria show in 1994 or 1996, is the best show!! Please give it a watch
I've loved this album since the day it was released. Its worth saying that we can hear the unique Radiohead style starting to assert itself, yet it is very much an album of it's time. The UK music scene was heavily entrenched in the 'Britpop' era with bands like Oasis, Blur, Pulp, The Verve, etc dominating the charts at the time. Radiohead embraced that sound on this album but made it more interesting and cerebral than others. Hearing it back now, I see 'Street spirit (fade out)' as a deliberate bridge between The Bends and the next album OK Computer.
Great call Dan, its gonna be so good going back through all these projects over time. I have had such a great time discovering this band and there is still so much to go
While a lot of their songs have an undertone of existentialism about them, Fake Plastic Trees is their extra strength, super concentrated, existential crisis via music. And joins a great list of songs by Radiohead, that just make you stop and think, and contemplate the various existential themes they put forward in their music like, Just, No Suprises, Wolf at the Door and Knives, along with any others I may have overlooked. Also, friendly reminder, if you're interested, take a few minutes and checkout some of the music videos for their songs, Just, Street Spirit and Fake Plastic Trees are all excellent choices from this album. For their next one OK Computer, No Surprises, Karma Police and Paranoid Android would be worth giving a watch.
Glad you're going down their catalog! Great reaction. Looking forward to OkC! Although my favorite is In Rainbows. Everyone knows Thom Yorke, but you gotta look into Jonny Greenwood. He's the real genius behind Radiohead, only one classically trained and dude plays like 50 instruments or something ridiculous like that. And ole Philip Selway always kills the drums!
Truly jealous you get to discover this band for the first time! Took me 26 years to fully discover and appreciate Radiohead too 🤣 my absolute favourite band. OK Computer will knock you for 6
Man thanks for that, your reaction brought me back a lot of memories of when i was discovering the band. Fake Plastic Trees its my absolute favourite from the album 'cause it's so soft and warm. I really thank you very much for this, I would just add that it would be nice if when you react to the albums you also put the music videos (in RUclips they made playlists with that) because if there's one thing that's almost as good as Radiohead's music it's the artwork that goes with it. Greetings from Mexico!
Thank you so much Carlos, Fake plastic trees was so moving, I would love to more music video reactions soon! I have heard so much good stuff about how impactful their vids are. Thank you for your comment Carlos, take care!
I get goosebumps every time I listen to Nice Dream, can’t avoid thinking about my life, youth and what a trip I had already, good and bad, that’s when tear come out
@@cavemanjackIt was SO nice to finally see someone be impacted by this song in the same way that I am. First time I’ve seen that. I adore this song and feel so moved when I listen to it.
That was excellent man. We have an almost identical song reaction - the 3 songs (Bones, Blackstar, and Sulk are definitely better done callbacks to Pablo - even The Bends though that one grows on you more and is wicked to see how they make those sounds live) - Street Spirit over more listens become one of their all time greatest, and I totally agree I wish they'd left out the 'hard' section of 'Iron Lung'- it would be one of their best without it. This is an album I never listened to even once OK Computer blew my brain apart as the greatest album (and I still consider it as such) ever made; I did love "Fake Plastic Trees" as it got a solid bit of MTV play and had such a gorgeous and unusual chord progression and structure - then on a road trip many years later I bought the CD and the album blew me away and I understood some of my friends who held it as their favorite. I'll never forget "Street Spirit" coming on just as I was arriving at my hotel for the night and I had to sit in silence for like 10 minutes I was so affected by it. You should see Thom play "Nice Dream" and "Street Spirit" solo acoustic back from when he was on some shows promoting the album - it both shows you what an under-rated (From the Basement even more-so) rhythm guitar player he is but his voice is at full power and it is amazing to witness. This is a phenomenal road trip album, and a couple songs like "Just," "Iron Lung" (the main part is so good you end up forgiving the mistake of putting that loud section in - they get better big time with more listens and yeah, Street Spirit is just - sublime. And man, you will REALLY appreciate the clear evolution to OK Computer from this. As I think I commented before, and especially given your starting point was Kid A how hard it might be to realize - the core of who they are is a 3 guitar, bass and drummer band setup - you definitely got it on this one - but they each find their own path better and better and by the next one they have found IT - the IT being why they are so revered - Thom plays the rhythm and more piano later on, Jonny Greenwood has such a unique lead guitar - a Tele master - and Ed O'Brien found his niche with create those textures - you should see the hour long Guitar World piece about the pedal board he had custom made to be able to do that and often double rhythm with Thom on the acoustic or when Jonny is off playing the 30 different other instruments he plays. Ed also does the backing vocals very well. There is no double tracking or anything in their recording - they are making it sound like 10 people are there when it really is just the 5 of them and once you see it live it just is so impressive. It is basically the band all of us amateurs wish we could be part of - in every way they do every thing they do. I am not here to spoil the journey but after Kid A the serious experimentation remains though they always have several more traditional songs, then they get to "In Rainbows" which - wow man, ha, I will let you have that glorious experience and I'll be watching when you do. But - I have never heard an album I consider "Perfect" - but for me in my 46 years and love of all genre's from Vivaldi to Tupac to EDM to Nirvana to Nine Inch Nails to 1930's delta blues to 80's synth pop and Pink Floyd and the Beatles (what was called classic rock for me as a kid) - OK Computer is the only one I dare - just for me personally - consider perfect. Now I've gone and propped it up wayyy too much - I'll just say, it is why they are just the best man, because it is the culmination of all they are trying to get down in this version of them (the first 3) and then to create Kid A - such a left turn - and the next 2 after - full of really amazing music but also on another ride - I'll just shut up and be there when you get to it and beyond. Thanks again!
Man what an excellent write up, had a lot of fun reading through that, glad to hear that you related to some of my thoughts on the album. It was so good to see the progression here on this project and I really connected to some of the tracks and I think as a whole the more I have listened to the project the more it has flowed. I im so dang exited to check out ok Computer, the journey has been so much fun and its so good we have so much more to enjoy, thanks for joining me once again!
@@cavemanjack The cool thing with Radiohead is almost every album has a B-Sides album that is nearly a full worth of songs, and they are kind of ho-hum from Pablo as you'd expect but stat to get rally really good - some of their best as a band - as you continue along - so it is a deep ocean. Then there are songs only played live - probably the pne which was most treasured thy finally recorded for the recent "Kid Amnesia" re-release of "KidA and Amnesiac as one congruous album, since they were recorded at the same time but Kid A stands alone as a singular piece of art - songs aside - while Amnesiac actually has both some more difficult to get into - years for me in some cases but then POOF loved them they finally found the right crease in my brain - but some really quality and less obscure sounding songs than they put onto Kid A - but the re-release also includes some out-takes, B-Sides, and a couple of brand neew songs - one of which "Follow Me Around" is just a simple dropped D solo acoustic Thom had been playing since the mid 90's, and had to be sought and found randomly on RUclips which was a quest lke a treasure hunt in the beginning of the 2000s before RUclips existed and then was only in growth mode up to around 2010 when it became the beginning of the pervasive home of the good, bad, beautiful and ugly of the human race that it is now. Point is, so much material - and this isn't fanatical fan talk - high quality steady tracks - B-Sides for every album - to look further down the road to - no life rush for that but it is happy to know that once the 9 album journey ends their is much more music. And there still some incomplete live snippets and infamous fan hidden mystery treasure songs out there from pre-show warm-ups and such - plus about 0 ide and/or solo projects -Thom and Jonny's band "The Smile" - who by the way are playing live in N. America - I live in DC and my tickets are near XMAS, and those 2 are the masterminds so it is a really fun and cool album of them jut letting loose of constraints - I'm not suggesting messing with this listening tour you are doing but if you want to have a once in a lifetime live concert opportunity, look-up "The Smile" and their tour and if you can grab floor seats, get their early and get up to the front of the stage to watch those 2 (plus a wicked jazz fusion drummer they brought in to complete their trio) trade off guitar and bass and synth duties on some really cool (I haven't fallen in love with but very much like this album - every song is cool and listenable and they are written by guys who are writing at such a level they know it might be your 20th time before all the underlying stuff finally clicks - much like it took for me with Kid A's more unusual songs - I expect I will return to it again and find myself being dawn in more. Jonny Greenwood (you probably have already gotten this from comments - mine are so long I might have even mentioned it) is maybe the most respected modern classical music composer on the scene - not a scene I am in but it is as such - and has 2 Academy Award nominations for his orchestral movie soundtracks and has done nearly a dozen movies now and does all of master film-maker Paul Thomas Anderson's movies starting with "There Will Be Blood" which due to a glitch rule couldn't be nominated for the Oscar award but would have likely won easily if it was allowed to be nominated (hell of a weapon to have such a guy to in your band on lead guitar and synths and beat programming - his older brother Colin is their bass player) both movie and soundtrack are at the top of many many lists as the greatest of their respective lanes of the 21st century - I love Paul Thomas Anderson (the guy wrote and directed "Boogie Nights" when he was just 26 - as someone who is now 46 that blows my mind and I love his movies but just the respect to pull something like that off at that age as your 2nd film then go on to create some really great movies including one which is permanent movie legend in "There Will be Blood" - and that movie is as brilliant to me as it get's credited for - not like a "fun" film to watch but an incredible work of cinema - and the film score is absolutely insane in every good way and truly the entire film is infused and affected by it - that was only the 2nd - maybe 3rd - movie arrangement Jonny had done and its just so incredible. So especially as you get further down the line you'll hear his string arrangements begin to play a cool more important role in their albums - but he also literally learned programming in order to write Radiohead's own proprietary looping and drum machine type software ("Idioteche") and plays - on many songs beginning in Kid A an instrument that maybe 10 people on the planet can play or even knew existed called the Ondes Martenot - it is worth looking it up - it is a synth keyboard played which enables those long sliding wailing sounds with vibrato such as you hear in "How to Disappear Completely" - that is plenty about Jonny - just filling in some texture as to how the band is comprised and how they have a legitimate musical genius as their "2nd" man and lead guitar player - guy is the most sought after movie music composer in Hollywood - and Thom is an even brighter shining talent - sometimes fate jus puts people together - but if anything that was to encourage you to check out the album they did to alleviate boredom during the worst of Covid and have now released and I'd still be prepared for a 10th (I sure sure hope though if so probably final full Radiohead album in a couple years and catch them live - on the floor and as close to the stage as possible) - but you can get a pretty sweet experience btw now and end of 2022 if their tour comes round your way - the guy they brought in as drummer is sick and the style - it is almost like some neo-punk, afrobeat - just two old song masters not giving a damn and having fun and as I said, I didn't fall in love with the end product but I really do like it a lot. Catch ya again - the big one is coming! That being said, "In Rainbows" is nearly equal so plenty to look forward to beyond that.
Ooh YES The Bends!! I must have listened to this album hundreds of times back in high school... my favorite Radiohead album, and one of my all-time favorites, along with Blur's "13", Pavement's "Wowee Zowee", Blur's "Modern Life is Rubbish", Nirvana's "In Utero", and Weezer's "Pinkerton" :)
You mentioned wondering what 'The Bends' means for this album. Literally, it's when you go diving and come up too fast and it can kill you. In a way, for them it was a comment on how fast they'd gotten popular (like the comment about Creep being their Iron Lung), and how when bands get big, they sell out, lose their way, become shitty. That's why they always try to innovate and grow every album. It's also maybe a statement about manic depression, and how going from super depressed to super happy in and of itself is brutal. Thom claims to have written Street Spirit in one quick sitting, and that the process felt more like being possessed/haunted than coming up with it.
The Bends is such a fun album, while not perfect it has some Radioheads most iconic tracks. Personally my favorites would be Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees, My Iron Lung, and Street Spirit. Now onto OK Computer! One of the bands best albums, and is often in conversations of being one of the greatest albums of all time, alongside Kid A and In Rainbows. (Not that this is any metric to gauge the quality of the music, but OKC is #1 on RYM, which I think is pretty telling of how highly regarded this record is) Its definitely their most conceptual, so having lyrics wouldnt hurt. The themes of an isolated and increasingly digital world have only grown more relevant and impactful over the years, and the sound is still fresh and innovative. Cant wait to to get your first impressions!
im so exited for ok computer, Feels like yesterday we started the journey with kid A, has been good to go back to the start and go from Pablo honey though! Thanks for your continued support of the channel !
Ahh the nostalgia. 1995 was the year I worked at HMV in Brixton and I remember buying this album and Oasis' DEFINITELY MAYBE and I played both of them to death. These albums had very much an emotional impact on a lot of us. I don't know if you'd still classify THE BENDS as "Britpop" today, but some of the songs do sound a lot like that era in the UK. Tracks like Bones, High And Dry and Just, in particular.
Thank you for this great reaction to "The Bends" or... "GUITARS GUITARS GUITARS" like you rightfully noticed x'D love how you were vibin' to the songs ! As a very instrumental-driven person myself this is just so relatable... Great that you enjoyed the album and totally agree with your final thoughts. One thing that i love with "The Bends" is how it feels both like the best follow-up album to "Pablo Honey" and a great prequel to "OK Computer" (as it still carries influences from Pablo with its raw, grungy and rock-based songs but also bears the seeds of what "OK Computer" will become 2 years later, already announcing their renewed approach to music with more experimental sounds and more complex instrumentals - their intro track "Planet Telex" is a good example, it'd totally fit on "OK Computer" imo). It's like the perfect middle point between classic 90s rock/music and experimentation, between simplicity and complexity, between "Pablo Honey" and "OK Computer". And the perfect middle point of a fantastic decade of alt-rock music among other albums like "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", "Wowee Zowee", "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", "A Boy Named Goo" or "Jagged Little Pill". We also have almost the same favourite songs on the album. In "The Bends", i always leaned more towards emotional songs even if i love the more energetic and upbeat ones too. My personal top 3 remains "Fake Plastic Trees" (which often manages to bring me to tears even after hundreds of listenings - there's just so much raw and fragile emotion in this song), "(Nice Dream)" and "Planet Telex". Most of us fans and listeners agree that "The Bends" isn't Radiohead's best musical piece, but that it's still a very solid one, and especially a super good 90s rock album. It's actually my favourite Radiohead album (and probably my fave album of all time). It just means a lot to me. It was a really important album of my late teenage years and helped me a lot at a time when i had to deal with many changes in my life (and changes with the way i viewed the world and myself). And when i got to know Radiohead and began diving more into their discography, it was "The Bends"'s songs that made me irremediably fall in love with this band. It's because of "The Bends" that Radiohead almost instantly became my fave band 7 years ago, and i have loved this album just as dearly as ever to this day. Not only is it right up my alley in terms of music genre and instrumentation (once again... GUITARS), but one of the main reasons why this album instantly took a special place in my life is that there's such a warmth to it - both in the electric guitar and acoustic instrumentation, in the composition and lyrics, in the simplicity of the songs and in Thom's vocals. There's such a warmth to this album, and i always felt the most comfort while listening to it. If i could describe "The Bends" with 1 word (... other than "guitars" hehe), it'd be "home". Because this album feels like home to me, every time i come back to it.
Now ama huge fan of you since your kid a reaction because I kinda reacted the same way lol And I´m glad you are making more radiohead album reactions :) keep it up!
I really do wish you did these in order so but even if you did nothing could show you how much of a shock Kid A was I stopped listening to them for years after Kid As sister album dropped ( Amnesiac ) I was really pissed off. I just was not ready for that years later I was like how di I not love these records!
I think that you should take a journey with the strokes once done with the Radiohead series. An awesome 2000s band that evolves over time. Just a suggestion. Have a good day!
since radiohead was grouped with britpop in the early 90s its fun that u like the intimate songs because in an interview ed o'brien (one of the guitarist) had said thom wanted to shy away from the crowd scene, and unlike oasis at the time they wanted to really connect with the people infront of them, and thom tried hard in ok computer to kinda get that across, so at live concerts around the bends and ok computer thom appears alot more emotional. the bands connection with music is beautiful, and maybe if u wanted a more intimate "creep" i highly recommend watching the live (ruclips.net/video/US0CUegPr3g/видео.html) it is considered one of their best lives! its really touching and it would be awesome to see another reaction to it! :,D
This is so cool to hear, it would be great to check this live vid out! The band tends to feel as though they can really connect with their audience. Those are the best moments of reactions is when I hear a certain note or lyric and it hits instantly, there was a lot of those moments on the bends
Jack - Don't know if you'd have the inclination for this, but this might get a great time to check out their 'Live At the Astoria' gig. ruclips.net/video/RjQZd8p-eBM/видео.html It was from before they released the Bends and after Pablo Honey, so you will know all the songs. But it's a great set and it REALLY shows what a fantastic live act they are / were. I think understanding that side of them is important to understanding them as a band. It's also great to see them in their young / rock stage. Even though they are generally considered more art-prog because of their varied journey and creativity, they could rock it with the best of them - of that there's no doubt. They were just too creative and hungry to stick in that vein. It's just over an hour but well worth it IMO. Keep going mate!
Thanks Michael, I will certainly try check it out as I am loving continuing to learn more about Radiohead, I really hope they tour again soon would be awesome to see them once I finish their discography! Ok computer next and im so exited
“A sense of occasion” for the Street Spirit guitar. Your reactions are understated but really astute and sensitive. It’s a joy to see someone like that experiencing these classics for the first time.
I'm so excited for you to listen to Ok Computer, it's in my top 5 albums of all time and it'll definitely give a little more of the electronic vibe that you like from Kid A. It's such a big leap up from Pablo Honey and The Bends imo :)
The reason the guitars sound so good on this record is because of the producer John Leckie. He also produced arctic monkey's debut album, which is also their record with the best sounding guitars, and overall best too, you could give that a listen, one of the best debut album ever imo.
@@cavemanjack cool, definitely worth a try, and if you do check them out, go with the debut album. They have other good albums, but the debut is head and shoulders above the rest of their discography.
Planet Telex is my favorite song on The Bends. The beat, the sonics. All you hear is this wall of sound that surrounds you from all sides even though you're listening in headphones and pods.
Sulk is for me tge beginning of in rainbows , the percussion is taking the place of the te tire of the guitars timing which by the time you get to in rainbows has become the signature of that album where Phil Selway provides a ramrod straight road with telegraphs poles of perspective that Colin hangs the wires on and then Ed Johnny and Thom swirl and spiral and play around .
So for me - this starts the golden age of Radiohead. Don't get me wrong - I appreciate their later albums alot. I'll even readily defend 'King of Limbs' But for me the greatest Radiohead albums is the straight run of The Bends OK Computer Kid A All different, all incredible
Same for the "intimate" songs..I covered a few of them heh.. But I still hold My iron lung in a special place because I am almost sure it's the first radiohead song I heard and that moved me (I have a slight doubt between that and Airbag, but it's because they both marked me..) (I might have heard creep before but somehow I don't remember and it certainly didn't catch my attention at the time..) and Black Star because that's a song that I used to play along with my first best friend/crush back in lycée.. but yes, great album c':
Alright I know I'm commenting a lot lol but I just wanted to give you some background. It's very perceptive that you experience the song "Just" as being all about the guitar. The lead guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, wrote that song. Thom wrote the lyrics and melody but Jonny wrote all the music. So there you go :)
@@cavemanjack Awesome when parents have cool shit that their kids also enjoy. I'm borrowing a pair of Yamaha NS1000's from my dad and they sound amazing.
The Bends - rising too fast! What a great album name reflecting the band's reaction to the overwhelming but ultimately off putting (for the band) public's reaction to CREEP. They rarely played it in their concerts after the time of OK COMPUTER. The BENDS has a fair amount of self criticism as a theme as opposed to OK COMPUTER that has strong criticism of society.
The Bends is definitely better than Pablo Honey. There's much greater range with these songs. Some of the songs sound like they could have been Pablo Honey, but they're done much better here.
Hey dude dont bother with Ok Computer, have you checked out ShowaddyWaddy's greatest hits.....or some ABBA.......really good sounds for your and right up your street!
Man this is such a good album, my favs are Just, Street Spirit, and My Iron Lung. The thing is, it gets even better from here, my top 3 Radiohead albums are yet to come - Ok Computer, In Rainbows, and A Moon Shaped Pool. Can’t wait for more reaction bro.
Man was so much fun! could really see the progression from Pablo Honey, super exited to keep going through this journey. I also have blur on the list, will get to them for sure soon man!
Fun fact: My Iron Lung was written about the success of Creep. It was the song that made them famous and they had to rely on it to be able to tour, but the excessive time they spent playing it made them spiteful of it. So in that way, it's just like an iron lung: it keeps you alive but you can't get away from it.
very interesting, I Never would have picked that up, thank you for sharing!
Creep died once they dubbed over the swearword for radioplay on rerelease.
They could’ve stayed with The Bends sound and still been one of the best bands of the 90s. They didn’t and became one of the best bands of all time. Love your reactions young legend!
Thank you Dan, really appreciate the support!
I think this record dropped from rock heaven. I forgot how powerful the last track is.
Such an amazing outro
Last track is..... it's hard to call ot music, it's more like a resonator tuned to my soul.... it still has s profound effect on me after 1000s of listens. Beautifully haunting, hopeful and hopeless at the same time. It puts the listener in charge of the decision, which at times feels like sonically-induced vulnerability.
Bulletproof... I Wish I Was is easily my favourite song on this album, i love it so much. Guitars perfect as always, mood is sombre then soars transcendently in the chorus, and some of Thom Yorkes best lyrics on the album "Wax me, mould me, heat the pins then stab them in" gets me every time. You can just feel the pain but also the longing
Such a beautiful song !!
They really nailed the production on the guitar on this album. It's so well balanced, with acoustic and electric sounds complementing each other perfectly, and Jonny's riffs cut through everything when they need to.
Really balanced project that flows very nicely
Ahhh man I can't wait for you to listen to OK Computer. You see glimpses of greatness throughout the bends but it's not till OK Computer until you see everything in its right place no pun intended. Nice reactions mate. It's nice to see an open minded person with honest reactions. Keep at it!
Thank you for your support of the reactions, always try keep in transparent with you guys! Super exited for Ok Computer
Nah, imo i really think the bends is so much better. Its just they didn't get the proper recognition for it. By the time OK computer came out the media and the mainstream had copped on that they were amazing, they came out with OK computer so they lauded that album. Not saying OK computer is a bad album but to me the bends was their complete masterpiece.
@@mag5020 agreed, i think the bends is a much more cohesive album and hits so much more deeply than okc
I like OKC more but they’re both amazing imo
I've been listening to The Bends a lot lately and it really is an amazing record that I think too many fans overlook. Can't wait for your reaction to Ok Computer, my favourite album of all time!
Super pumped to check it out Declan
Even before it gets to "if I could be who you wanted.." on Fake Plastic Trees" I'm already bawling my eyes out.
Beautiful song on a beautiful album.
You have so much more to come with this dive into their discography, man..
Loving the reaction.
The Bends- my favorite album..it’s like early Radiohead with a rock overtone and the beginnings of electronic infusion.. Radiohead’s Astoria show in 1994 or 1996, is the best show!! Please give it a watch
The Bends remains my favourite Radiohead album, even after all these years since I first heard it when it was released.
it's finally here!
Fake plastic trees is a gem, written so long ago, but still relevant as ever today in the new social media landscape
I've loved this album since the day it was released. Its worth saying that we can hear the unique Radiohead style starting to assert itself, yet it is very much an album of it's time. The UK music scene was heavily entrenched in the 'Britpop' era with bands like Oasis, Blur, Pulp, The Verve, etc dominating the charts at the time. Radiohead embraced that sound on this album but made it more interesting and cerebral than others.
Hearing it back now, I see 'Street spirit (fade out)' as a deliberate bridge between The Bends and the next album OK Computer.
Great call Dan, its gonna be so good going back through all these projects over time. I have had such a great time discovering this band and there is still so much to go
Can’t wait for Ok Computer reaction!
Same here Trent!
While a lot of their songs have an undertone of existentialism about them, Fake Plastic Trees is their extra strength, super concentrated, existential crisis via music. And joins a great list of songs by Radiohead, that just make you stop and think, and contemplate the various existential themes they put forward in their music like, Just, No Suprises, Wolf at the Door and Knives, along with any others I may have overlooked.
Also, friendly reminder, if you're interested, take a few minutes and checkout some of the music videos for their songs, Just, Street Spirit and Fake Plastic Trees are all excellent choices from this album. For their next one OK Computer, No Surprises, Karma Police and Paranoid Android would be worth giving a watch.
Im gonna check out some of the music videos now! That was a great reminder, I absolutely loved fake plastic trees
Bullet proof is very underrated.
Glad you're going down their catalog! Great reaction. Looking forward to OkC! Although my favorite is In Rainbows.
Everyone knows Thom Yorke, but you gotta look into Jonny Greenwood. He's the real genius behind Radiohead, only one classically trained and dude plays like 50 instruments or something ridiculous like that. And ole Philip Selway always kills the drums!
as im learning more about the band im seeing just how talented each of the members is
Bullet Proof is one of the most beautiful tracks I've ever heard, and Street Spirit is the most powerful song I've ever heard
Truly jealous you get to discover this band for the first time! Took me 26 years to fully discover and appreciate Radiohead too 🤣 my absolute favourite band. OK Computer will knock you for 6
Im so exited for Ok Computer Charlie, can't wait !
Man thanks for that, your reaction brought me back a lot of memories of when i was discovering the band. Fake Plastic Trees its my absolute favourite from the album 'cause it's so soft and warm. I really thank you very much for this, I would just add that it would be nice if when you react to the albums you also put the music videos (in RUclips they made playlists with that) because if there's one thing that's almost as good as Radiohead's music it's the artwork that goes with it. Greetings from Mexico!
Thank you so much Carlos, Fake plastic trees was so moving, I would love to more music video reactions soon! I have heard so much good stuff about how impactful their vids are. Thank you for your comment Carlos, take care!
I get goosebumps every time I listen to Nice Dream, can’t avoid thinking about my life, youth and what a trip I had already, good and bad, that’s when tear come out
Such an incredible song !
@@cavemanjackIt was SO nice to finally see someone be impacted by this song in the same way that I am. First time I’ve seen that. I adore this song and feel so moved when I listen to it.
Street sprint is something else man.
That was excellent man. We have an almost identical song reaction - the 3 songs (Bones, Blackstar, and Sulk are definitely better done callbacks to Pablo - even The Bends though that one grows on you more and is wicked to see how they make those sounds live) - Street Spirit over more listens become one of their all time greatest, and I totally agree I wish they'd left out the 'hard' section of 'Iron Lung'- it would be one of their best without it. This is an album I never listened to even once OK Computer blew my brain apart as the greatest album (and I still consider it as such) ever made; I did love "Fake Plastic Trees" as it got a solid bit of MTV play and had such a gorgeous and unusual chord progression and structure - then on a road trip many years later I bought the CD and the album blew me away and I understood some of my friends who held it as their favorite. I'll never forget "Street Spirit" coming on just as I was arriving at my hotel for the night and I had to sit in silence for like 10 minutes I was so affected by it. You should see Thom play "Nice Dream" and "Street Spirit" solo acoustic back from when he was on some shows promoting the album - it both shows you what an under-rated (From the Basement even more-so) rhythm guitar player he is but his voice is at full power and it is amazing to witness. This is a phenomenal road trip album, and a couple songs like "Just," "Iron Lung" (the main part is so good you end up forgiving the mistake of putting that loud section in - they get better big time with more listens and yeah, Street Spirit is just - sublime. And man, you will REALLY appreciate the clear evolution to OK Computer from this. As I think I commented before, and especially given your starting point was Kid A how hard it might be to realize - the core of who they are is a 3 guitar, bass and drummer band setup - you definitely got it on this one - but they each find their own path better and better and by the next one they have found IT - the IT being why they are so revered - Thom plays the rhythm and more piano later on, Jonny Greenwood has such a unique lead guitar - a Tele master - and Ed O'Brien found his niche with create those textures - you should see the hour long Guitar World piece about the pedal board he had custom made to be able to do that and often double rhythm with Thom on the acoustic or when Jonny is off playing the 30 different other instruments he plays. Ed also does the backing vocals very well. There is no double tracking or anything in their recording - they are making it sound like 10 people are there when it really is just the 5 of them and once you see it live it just is so impressive. It is basically the band all of us amateurs wish we could be part of - in every way they do every thing they do. I am not here to spoil the journey but after Kid A the serious experimentation remains though they always have several more traditional songs, then they get to "In Rainbows" which - wow man, ha, I will let you have that glorious experience and I'll be watching when you do. But - I have never heard an album I consider "Perfect" - but for me in my 46 years and love of all genre's from Vivaldi to Tupac to EDM to Nirvana to Nine Inch Nails to 1930's delta blues to 80's synth pop and Pink Floyd and the Beatles (what was called classic rock for me as a kid) - OK Computer is the only one I dare - just for me personally - consider perfect. Now I've gone and propped it up wayyy too much - I'll just say, it is why they are just the best man, because it is the culmination of all they are trying to get down in this version of them (the first 3) and then to create Kid A - such a left turn - and the next 2 after - full of really amazing music but also on another ride - I'll just shut up and be there when you get to it and beyond. Thanks again!
Man what an excellent write up, had a lot of fun reading through that, glad to hear that you related to some of my thoughts on the album. It was so good to see the progression here on this project and I really connected to some of the tracks and I think as a whole the more I have listened to the project the more it has flowed. I im so dang exited to check out ok Computer, the journey has been so much fun and its so good we have so much more to enjoy, thanks for joining me once again!
@@cavemanjack The cool thing with Radiohead is almost every album has a B-Sides album that is nearly a full worth of songs, and they are kind of ho-hum from Pablo as you'd expect but stat to get rally really good - some of their best as a band - as you continue along - so it is a deep ocean. Then there are songs only played live - probably the pne which was most treasured thy finally recorded for the recent "Kid Amnesia" re-release of "KidA and Amnesiac as one congruous album, since they were recorded at the same time but Kid A stands alone as a singular piece of art - songs aside - while Amnesiac actually has both some more difficult to get into - years for me in some cases but then POOF loved them they finally found the right crease in my brain - but some really quality and less obscure sounding songs than they put onto Kid A - but the re-release also includes some out-takes, B-Sides, and a couple of brand neew songs - one of which "Follow Me Around" is just a simple dropped D solo acoustic Thom had been playing since the mid 90's, and had to be sought and found randomly on RUclips which was a quest lke a treasure hunt in the beginning of the 2000s before RUclips existed and then was only in growth mode up to around 2010 when it became the beginning of the pervasive home of the good, bad, beautiful and ugly of the human race that it is now. Point is, so much material - and this isn't fanatical fan talk - high quality steady tracks - B-Sides for every album - to look further down the road to - no life rush for that but it is happy to know that once the 9 album journey ends their is much more music. And there still some incomplete live snippets and infamous fan hidden mystery treasure songs out there from pre-show warm-ups and such - plus about 0 ide and/or solo projects -Thom and Jonny's band "The Smile" - who by the way are playing live in N. America - I live in DC and my tickets are near XMAS, and those 2 are the masterminds so it is a really fun and cool album of them jut letting loose of constraints - I'm not suggesting messing with this listening tour you are doing but if you want to have a once in a lifetime live concert opportunity, look-up "The Smile" and their tour and if you can grab floor seats, get their early and get up to the front of the stage to watch those 2 (plus a wicked jazz fusion drummer they brought in to complete their trio) trade off guitar and bass and synth duties on some really cool (I haven't fallen in love with but very much like this album - every song is cool and listenable and they are written by guys who are writing at such a level they know it might be your 20th time before all the underlying stuff finally clicks - much like it took for me with Kid A's more unusual songs - I expect I will return to it again and find myself being dawn in more. Jonny Greenwood (you probably have already gotten this from comments - mine are so long I might have even mentioned it) is maybe the most respected modern classical music composer on the scene - not a scene I am in but it is as such - and has 2 Academy Award nominations for his orchestral movie soundtracks and has done nearly a dozen movies now and does all of master film-maker Paul Thomas Anderson's movies starting with "There Will Be Blood" which due to a glitch rule couldn't be nominated for the Oscar award but would have likely won easily if it was allowed to be nominated (hell of a weapon to have such a guy to in your band on lead guitar and synths and beat programming - his older brother Colin is their bass player) both movie and soundtrack are at the top of many many lists as the greatest of their respective lanes of the 21st century - I love Paul Thomas Anderson (the guy wrote and directed "Boogie Nights" when he was just 26 - as someone who is now 46 that blows my mind and I love his movies but just the respect to pull something like that off at that age as your 2nd film then go on to create some really great movies including one which is permanent movie legend in "There Will be Blood" - and that movie is as brilliant to me as it get's credited for - not like a "fun" film to watch but an incredible work of cinema - and the film score is absolutely insane in every good way and truly the entire film is infused and affected by it - that was only the 2nd - maybe 3rd - movie arrangement Jonny had done and its just so incredible. So especially as you get further down the line you'll hear his string arrangements begin to play a cool more important role in their albums - but he also literally learned programming in order to write Radiohead's own proprietary looping and drum machine type software ("Idioteche") and plays - on many songs beginning in Kid A an instrument that maybe 10 people on the planet can play or even knew existed called the Ondes Martenot - it is worth looking it up - it is a synth keyboard played which enables those long sliding wailing sounds with vibrato such as you hear in "How to Disappear Completely" - that is plenty about Jonny - just filling in some texture as to how the band is comprised and how they have a legitimate musical genius as their "2nd" man and lead guitar player - guy is the most sought after movie music composer in Hollywood - and Thom is an even brighter shining talent - sometimes fate jus puts people together - but if anything that was to encourage you to check out the album they did to alleviate boredom during the worst of Covid and have now released and I'd still be prepared for a 10th (I sure sure hope though if so probably final full Radiohead album in a couple years and catch them live - on the floor and as close to the stage as possible) - but you can get a pretty sweet experience btw now and end of 2022 if their tour comes round your way - the guy they brought in as drummer is sick and the style - it is almost like some neo-punk, afrobeat - just two old song masters not giving a damn and having fun and as I said, I didn't fall in love with the end product but I really do like it a lot. Catch ya again - the big one is coming! That being said, "In Rainbows" is nearly equal so plenty to look forward to beyond that.
Ooh YES The Bends!! I must have listened to this album hundreds of times back in high school... my favorite Radiohead album, and one of my all-time favorites, along with Blur's "13", Pavement's "Wowee Zowee", Blur's "Modern Life is Rubbish", Nirvana's "In Utero", and Weezer's "Pinkerton" :)
Nice choices man!! I absolutely love Blur 😍
These are all albums I should check out !
You mentioned wondering what 'The Bends' means for this album. Literally, it's when you go diving and come up too fast and it can kill you. In a way, for them it was a comment on how fast they'd gotten popular (like the comment about Creep being their Iron Lung), and how when bands get big, they sell out, lose their way, become shitty. That's why they always try to innovate and grow every album. It's also maybe a statement about manic depression, and how going from super depressed to super happy in and of itself is brutal. Thom claims to have written Street Spirit in one quick sitting, and that the process felt more like being possessed/haunted than coming up with it.
that's a great write up, thank you for sharing!
The Bends is such a fun album, while not perfect it has some Radioheads most iconic tracks. Personally my favorites would be Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees, My Iron Lung, and Street Spirit.
Now onto OK Computer! One of the bands best albums, and is often in conversations of being one of the greatest albums of all time, alongside Kid A and In Rainbows. (Not that this is any metric to gauge the quality of the music, but OKC is #1 on RYM, which I think is pretty telling of how highly regarded this record is) Its definitely their most conceptual, so having lyrics wouldnt hurt. The themes of an isolated and increasingly digital world have only grown more relevant and impactful over the years, and the sound is still fresh and innovative. Cant wait to to get your first impressions!
im so exited for ok computer, Feels like yesterday we started the journey with kid A, has been good to go back to the start and go from Pablo honey though! Thanks for your continued support of the channel !
Ahh the nostalgia. 1995 was the year I worked at HMV in Brixton and I remember buying this album and Oasis' DEFINITELY MAYBE and I played both of them to death. These albums had very much an emotional impact on a lot of us. I don't know if you'd still classify THE BENDS as "Britpop" today, but some of the songs do sound a lot like that era in the UK. Tracks like Bones, High And Dry and Just, in particular.
Im so glad I checked this album out, keen to check out definetly maybe as well on the channel soon!
Thank you for this great reaction to "The Bends" or... "GUITARS GUITARS GUITARS" like you rightfully noticed x'D love how you were vibin' to the songs ! As a very instrumental-driven person myself this is just so relatable... Great that you enjoyed the album and totally agree with your final thoughts.
One thing that i love with "The Bends" is how it feels both like the best follow-up album to "Pablo Honey" and a great prequel to "OK Computer" (as it still carries influences from Pablo with its raw, grungy and rock-based songs but also bears the seeds of what "OK Computer" will become 2 years later, already announcing their renewed approach to music with more experimental sounds and more complex instrumentals - their intro track "Planet Telex" is a good example, it'd totally fit on "OK Computer" imo). It's like the perfect middle point between classic 90s rock/music and experimentation, between simplicity and complexity, between "Pablo Honey" and "OK Computer". And the perfect middle point of a fantastic decade of alt-rock music among other albums like "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", "Wowee Zowee", "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", "A Boy Named Goo" or "Jagged Little Pill".
We also have almost the same favourite songs on the album. In "The Bends", i always leaned more towards emotional songs even if i love the more energetic and upbeat ones too. My personal top 3 remains "Fake Plastic Trees" (which often manages to bring me to tears even after hundreds of listenings - there's just so much raw and fragile emotion in this song), "(Nice Dream)" and "Planet Telex".
Most of us fans and listeners agree that "The Bends" isn't Radiohead's best musical piece, but that it's still a very solid one, and especially a super good 90s rock album. It's actually my favourite Radiohead album (and probably my fave album of all time). It just means a lot to me. It was a really important album of my late teenage years and helped me a lot at a time when i had to deal with many changes in my life (and changes with the way i viewed the world and myself). And when i got to know Radiohead and began diving more into their discography, it was "The Bends"'s songs that made me irremediably fall in love with this band. It's because of "The Bends" that Radiohead almost instantly became my fave band 7 years ago, and i have loved this album just as dearly as ever to this day.
Not only is it right up my alley in terms of music genre and instrumentation (once again... GUITARS), but one of the main reasons why this album instantly took a special place in my life is that there's such a warmth to it - both in the electric guitar and acoustic instrumentation, in the composition and lyrics, in the simplicity of the songs and in Thom's vocals. There's such a warmth to this album, and i always felt the most comfort while listening to it. If i could describe "The Bends" with 1 word (... other than "guitars" hehe), it'd be "home". Because this album feels like home to me, every time i come back to it.
hahaha it was very fun listening to guitars guitars guitars. Thank you for the kind words. It was so easy just to fall into this album
MANNN I LOVEEE YOURRR REACTIONSS !!
THaaaaaank you!
Now ama huge fan of you since your kid a reaction because I kinda reacted the same way lol
And I´m glad you are making more radiohead album reactions :) keep it up!
Thank you! very kind words, thank you for joining me on these reactions
Man I'm here for the Radiohead journey.
Add Grace by Jeff Buckley to your list too.
You'll love it.
Thanks Paul, been such a fun journey man,
Thanks for the recommendation
Street spirit is one of my all time favourite songs, it’s so amazingly played by the whole band, and always hits really hard.
Yeah buddy, right here on the journey with you. Have a good weekend!
Thanks Nate for joining me on the journey , ok computer next!
A lot of people still 3 guitar attack Radiohead but their Beatles-like progression is remarkable.
I really do wish you did these in order so but even if you did nothing could show you how much of a shock Kid A was I stopped listening to them for years after Kid As sister album dropped ( Amnesiac ) I was really pissed off. I just was not ready for that years later I was like how di I not love these records!
It must have been crazy hearing kid A for the first time ! Thank you for your comment James
I think that you should take a journey with the strokes once done with the Radiohead series. An awesome 2000s band that evolves over time. Just a suggestion. Have a good day!
Very keen to check out the Strokes at some point as well!
This album deserves to be in the company of OkC, Kid A, and (my fav) In Rainbows, prove me wrong.
since radiohead was grouped with britpop in the early 90s its fun that u like the intimate songs because in an interview ed o'brien (one of the guitarist) had said thom wanted to shy away from the crowd scene, and unlike oasis at the time they wanted to really connect with the people infront of them, and thom tried hard in ok computer to kinda get that across, so at live concerts around the bends and ok computer thom appears alot more emotional. the bands connection with music is beautiful, and maybe if u wanted a more intimate "creep" i highly recommend watching the live (ruclips.net/video/US0CUegPr3g/видео.html) it is considered one of their best lives! its really touching and it would be awesome to see another reaction to it! :,D
This is so cool to hear, it would be great to check this live vid out! The band tends to feel as though they can really connect with their audience. Those are the best moments of reactions is when I hear a certain note or lyric and it hits instantly, there was a lot of those moments on the bends
Idc what anyone says , this is my all time favourite Radiohead album
Wait till you listen to In Rainbows. Glorious.
Jack - Don't know if you'd have the inclination for this, but this might get a great time to check out their 'Live At the Astoria' gig.
ruclips.net/video/RjQZd8p-eBM/видео.html
It was from before they released the Bends and after Pablo Honey, so you will know all the songs. But it's a great set and it REALLY shows what a fantastic live act they are / were. I think understanding that side of them is important to understanding them as a band. It's also great to see them in their young / rock stage. Even though they are generally considered more art-prog because of their varied journey and creativity, they could rock it with the best of them - of that there's no doubt. They were just too creative and hungry to stick in that vein. It's just over an hour but well worth it IMO. Keep going mate!
Thanks Michael, I will certainly try check it out as I am loving continuing to learn more about Radiohead, I really hope they tour again soon would be awesome to see them once I finish their discography! Ok computer next and im so exited
Watching you fall in love with this band is evvverrything.
“A sense of occasion” for the Street Spirit guitar. Your reactions are understated but really astute and sensitive. It’s a joy to see someone like that experiencing these classics for the first time.
Thank you legend !
(Nice dream) is my favorite song in the album (aside from street spirit which is on another level)
I think same for me, with the addition of Fake Plastic Trees which was the first Radiohead song I fell in love with.
I'm so excited for you to listen to Ok Computer, it's in my top 5 albums of all time and it'll definitely give a little more of the electronic vibe that you like from Kid A. It's such a big leap up from Pablo Honey and The Bends imo :)
Im soooooo exited for Ok Computer!
The reason the guitars sound so good on this record is because of the producer John Leckie. He also produced arctic monkey's debut album, which is also their record with the best sounding guitars, and overall best too, you could give that a listen, one of the best debut album ever imo.
Actually on my list is Arctic monkeys, a band I have been wanting to get into for a very long time
@@cavemanjack cool, definitely worth a try, and if you do check them out, go with the debut album. They have other good albums, but the debut is head and shoulders above the rest of their discography.
Make no mistake this is 1 of the greatest indie albums ever.....
Such an incredible sophomore project
You’d really like Smashing Pumpkins- Mellon collie and the infinite sadness album based on the sound you prefer off this album
Planet Telex is my favorite song on The Bends. The beat, the sonics. All you hear is this wall of sound that surrounds you from all sides even though you're listening in headphones and pods.
“Baby’s got the bends” is talking about themselves. After the success of Creep, they blew up too fast. Came up too quick and made themselves sick.
radiohead is my favriote band ever i love most of their early more rock stuff but everyone one of their albums theres something to love
Sulk is for me tge beginning of in rainbows , the percussion is taking the place of the te tire of the guitars timing which by the time you get to in rainbows has become the signature of that album where Phil Selway provides a ramrod straight road with telegraphs poles of perspective that Colin hangs the wires on and then Ed Johnny and Thom swirl and spiral and play around .
awesome
High and dry is one of my favorites
So for me - this starts the golden age of Radiohead.
Don't get me wrong - I appreciate their later albums alot. I'll even readily defend 'King of Limbs'
But for me the greatest Radiohead albums is the straight run of
The Bends
OK Computer
Kid A
All different, all incredible
Such amazing albums 🔥🔥🔥
I love this album. Ok Computer is the best. In Rainbow's is beautiful
Same for the "intimate" songs..I covered a few of them heh..
But I still hold My iron lung in a special place because I am almost sure it's the first radiohead song I heard and that moved me (I have a slight doubt between that and Airbag, but it's because they both marked me..) (I might have heard creep before but somehow I don't remember and it certainly didn't catch my attention at the time..) and Black Star because that's a song that I used to play along with my first best friend/crush back in lycée.. but yes, great album c':
Can't wait for OK Computer. Also nice Teddy Fresh hoodie.
Thank you for noticing the teddy fresh hoodie!!!
@@cavemanjack No prob! I've been obsessively checking for the OK Computer reaction!!!
what alot of people dont realize is that radiohead had a really good sense of humor in their songs
My iron lung is about creep which is crazy
In rainwobs!!!
Fake Plastic Trees is beautiful
I liked Pablo Honey when it came out but this was a big level up. The next album blew my mind ok.
Based on the songs I see you get into take a listen to Jeff Buckley's album a Grace. Your life will change
Alright I know I'm commenting a lot lol but I just wanted to give you some background. It's very perceptive that you experience the song "Just" as being all about the guitar. The lead guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, wrote that song. Thom wrote the lyrics and melody but Jonny wrote all the music. So there you go :)
Thank you for sharing Matthew will always be happy to hear more insights on these albums and the music I check out on the channel
This isn't my favorite Radiohead album, but it might be the most pleasant sounding on a purely sonic level.
You're probably the only person with that level of excitement during High and Dry😅
No he's not...
if you want to live a great experience listen to the album in rainwobs , no radiohead fan will let me lie
Is that an Austrian Audio OC818?
yeah! its my dads!
@@cavemanjack Awesome when parents have cool shit that their kids also enjoy. I'm borrowing a pair of Yamaha NS1000's from my dad and they sound amazing.
I know the band doesn’t like high and dry anymore I guess they think it’s too basic. I do enjoy it tho. :)
The Bends - rising too fast! What a great album name reflecting the band's reaction to the overwhelming but ultimately off putting (for the band) public's reaction to CREEP. They rarely played it in their concerts after the time of OK COMPUTER. The BENDS has a fair amount of self criticism as a theme as opposed to OK COMPUTER that has strong criticism of society.
The Bends is definitely better than Pablo Honey. There's much greater range with these songs. Some of the songs sound like they could have been Pablo Honey, but they're done much better here.
Hey dude dont bother with Ok Computer, have you checked out ShowaddyWaddy's greatest hits.....or some ABBA.......really good sounds for your and right up your street!
Bit of Mamma Mia.. Can't go wrong
no way you said to skip OK computer
wtf
don’t use Gods name in vain
Man this is such a good album, my favs are Just, Street Spirit, and My Iron Lung. The thing is, it gets even better from here, my top 3 Radiohead albums are yet to come - Ok Computer, In Rainbows, and A Moon Shaped Pool. Can’t wait for more reaction bro.
Man was so much fun! could really see the progression from Pablo Honey, super exited to keep going through this journey. I also have blur on the list, will get to them for sure soon man!
@@cavemanjack Exciting stuff bro!! 😍