“In Rainbows” is where I feel they got the balance of electronic and rock right. It is the apex (thus far) of bridging the complex rock sounds of “The Bends”, the form, conceptualization and engineering direction they went with in “OK Computer” and the electronic/ambient feel of “Kid A”. To me, “In Rainbows” is a triumph.
@@johnnyrocco123 Only for new Radiohead listeners. Some of us that follow them since Pablo Honey appreciate a lot better Kid-A, Ok Computer and The Bends
Let Down still haunts me when I hear it. Terribly bleak and beautiful. The whole album OK Computer haunts me when I hear it. The vibe on that record is so full of possibilities and I was at a place in my life where everything was possible.
It used to be my favorite song, my "theme song" pretty much from 1998 to 2008. Today, I don't know which one it would be... I also love "All I need", "How to dissappear completely", "give up the ghost" and... I don't know anymore they made so much great songs. Been a fan since 1998 and I still love them.
@@brunobailly7013 Oh yea, I love all the songs you mentioned and many many more like The Pyramid Song, Codex, Weird Fishes, Separator, Little by Little, Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief, man you could do a four album best of easily. Still my favorite active band.
One of their most overrated songs in my mind. It’s not bad at all I just think it’s relatively boring compared to their other stuff. I feel like I’ve heard a hundred songs like it too
@@seffers4788 Well, that's like your opinion man! My opinion is that it is a real beauty! When I hear Weird Fishes, I think back to Let Down as how their multi guitar parts have evolved over the years, is remarkable.
i was working at Wherehouse Music in The Woodlands, TX when i got my hands on an advanced copy of KId A ... by the days end i was pumping what was probably the most anticipated album of my lifetime through my system at my apartment with my girlfriend, bandmates and a dear music lovin friend of ours who was like 6'5 with floppy hair, a cowboy hat and still in high school at the time.... He didnt have a band at the time but had some songs we helped record onto 8 track demos... So weird because by the end of that decade Rolling Stone put out the top 100 albums of the decade and Kid A (which blew us a way in that apartment living room ) took rollings stones #1 spot.. with our friend Win Butler's record at like number 4 or 5 with Funeral .. which was really recorded only like 4 years later.
I saw them in Warrington on Oct 2nd 2000- the same day Kid A came out in the UK. The experience was marred by hundreds of people who'd apparently paid money to stand and talk right through the show :/
I am glad rick is giving out some love for Pablo honey. Most radiohead fans hate it because its very simple compared to the bends. But I remember everyone in high school thought it was a great album. At time I thought it was a better record than the bends. And I disagree rick about creep. One of their best. And everyone at the time thought it was the stand out track.
Radiohead does not make me depressed. It makes me free and home. From their music I can climb up and face life, because I know I am not alone. They know the contents of my soul so deep.
Radiohead has great music and lyrics but it's probably the most depressing band I've ever heard. There are some exceptions to that, but ... yeah. I don't just mean melancholic by the way, but depressing. 'Don't get any big ideas, they're not going to happen' etc. No thanks. No Surprises ... ugh. Great songs but I refuse to listen to them anymore.
Married, two children, running a business music stopped being a part of my life and then OK Computer came out and it was like Radiohead has sneaked into my soul and stolen my deepest feelings and made a record of heart rending beauty. It perfectly mapped my unease and the growing disfunction in my marriage. Kid A became the soundtrack to the break up and free fall. I hadn't dared to listen to it for years but bought a copy a few weeks ago and played it whilst driving. I was fine until I got to the last track where I ha to pull over as the tears were making it hard for me to see. I listen to just about every genre of music and am lucky enough to work in such a way that I can listen to music all day and every day but for me nothing has the emotional power of Radiohead.
Thanks for sharing mate, Radiohead are one of the few bands that for me touches the deepest core of my heart and soul, there’s REAL magic in Radiohead for sure, pure emotion
This comment is the reason why they are up there with the greatest artists of all time. No matter who you are this bands invites you in for mind enticing and aesthetically irrestistable trip to a world where music is kind of its own language. Yeah, I agree w the last line.
I was at their TRNSMT 2017 gig after separating from my wife. An amazing gig! I was watching footage from the gig on youTube this morning with tears streaming down my face. Super powerful emotional responses but also just seeing the utter joy on the faces of the audience was just so lovely
Not only Radiohead is probably the best band of all times but they are at the forefront of the dissolution of the frontiers between art-music and pop-music. Something remarkable in and of itself.
Any time anyone uses the phrase "of all time" I cringe. It is pointless as no entity in creation ANYWHERE (in this dimension at any rate) can see into the future. Thus ALL TIME makes no logical sense as all time would, obviously, have to include any time in the future...and, unless you have the capacity to live forever, you have no idea what music may come.
I always come back to Radiohead. I may not listen everyday, but some days they are an all consuming obsession. A truly great band. See them live when life returns.
They create complete SONGS, no riffs, no lyrics, no bullshit singling...they put everything into creating great cohesive songs. Nice breakdown of the creativity of their creative choices of notes and chords- they’re so emotive to fit the songs
Great episode! I was a recording engineer (still am) when I first heard OK Computer. I could usually listen to anything and figure out how it was recorded, but all bets were off from the start with Airbag. I was like, "WTF is this? Distorted drums? This must be a mistake...but clearly it's not.". It was like that album got dropped off on earth by aliens, I'd never heard anything like it.It's very rare to have something come along that doesn't any reference point.
This is why i think some people don't get Radiohead, they need a reference point, but exactly why i was intrigued and ultimately love with their music, which to me is more art than music. Timeless, yet of it's time, as good now (if not better), than it was at the time it was released. Something that will not always be appreciated in it's time, but will be loved and treasured long after 99.9% of today's music has been long forgotten.
I forgot where I read this, but I remember Thom said he made a bet or something with Jonny to see how many chords they could shove into a song. As a result, Just was born.
Like the band or not, you have to respect them; talented, daring, principled and consistently ahead of their time. So nice to see you're a big fan too. I would love it if you could go over some Johnny Marr arpeggios soon!
@@edsnotgod They have some hooks. But aside from the question of whether they have any hooks, I take issue with the implication that music has to be "hooky" to have lasting value--even in pop music.
@@edsnotgod I think I'm done here. If I try to argue in support of Radiohead's musical significance relative to Lil' Wayne and Yoko Ono, it's likely to fall on (your) deaf ears, and frankly I feel like it's so self-evident that I shouldn't have to argue.
Radiohead is my favorite band. Ever. I literally listen to OK Computer, no joke, like once a week. There are many instances in that album that bring me to tears. It’s such a fucking masterpiece!!
To simply not talk about “In Rainbows” is a slap in the face to Radiohead fans. The first chord of “House of Cards” may be the most heartfelt use of the Drop D tuning ever. And “Reckoner?!” And “Videotape?!” Good God, what an album...
This whole video is making me fall in love with Radiohead all over again.....gah. Their chord progressions and melodies are so hauntingly gorgeous. More than most any other band they have this ability to express the most _subtle_ and nuanced and ineffable emotions into a musical language.
Radiohead is one of the most unique band I've ever heard in my entire life and they keep on going like the Energizer bunny rabbit. I am beginning to realize that to get the most out of your videos I have to watch them a few times to appreciate the musical insights! Thank you Rick!
Yes me too, in Wechter rock festival, and before them (if I do remember right) it was Sheryl Crow on stage, and the contrast was... Fu..ing HUGE !!! :)
@@yoannhappe9281 I was there. Took a festival coach from Newcastle upon Tyne. What a line-up!!!! And when Radiohead came on, the whole world appeared to have stopped, knowing they are witnessing greatness.
Radiohead is one of my all time favorite bands. Along with Tool, Floyd, Zeppelin, Queen, Porcupine Tree & Toad the Wet Sprocket. So glad to see other fellow musicians appreciating the same music for the same musical reasons!!!
queen and radiohead have been my 2 favorite artists for a long time. maybe it’ll change someday, but those will definitely stay in my top 5 for the rest of my life
I liked Radiohead when creep came out, it was pretty cool and kinda simple for them for the time, but I started to really love them the more they progressed. Their melodies and arrangements got more and more complex but so unbelievably amazing and beautiful. Now they’re one of my favourite bands of all time, and when it comes to the history of modern rock music, they’re definitely legends.
I just listened to “everything in its right place” about 5 million times because of you. Never heard it until last week. Omfg I cannot stop listening to that chord progression! I have had 2 friends that were Radiohead nuts, and I still didn’t listen to them, until you had the intro to that piece in your 20 greatest keyboard intros!
I don't play any instruments but I love watching you breakdown the songs. I'm learning a lot about music from you. Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin are my holy trinity. They are the cream of the crop.
It's funny because I was a huge Led Zeppelin AND Beatles fan from roughly age 13 to 18 (when most of my friends were fans of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Iron Maiden or even Sepultura), I became a Pink Floyd fan around 17 and then a Radiohead fan since the age of 18. But I've only realized a few months ago how much I still love Led Zep and "Led Zeppelin IV" is still one of my all time favorite albums (or maybe it's just that I'm going through a midlife crisis haha 😅)
@@brunobailly7013 sorry i didnt see this earlier. Thanks for your reply. The more you learn how to appreciate really great, complex, creative, innovative music the more your mind expands - wanting more, needing more, like food for your soul. Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Tool, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, early progressive Genesis are true outliers in the music world. They are on a much higher level.
@@jennifersun2638 i bought a good ukulele when they were in vigue. Quickly found my carpal tunnel i had surgery on is prohibitive of playing. Piano maybe? 🙂🎹. Thanks
Kid A changed music for me. Before then I was just obsessed with classic and Indy rock. Still don’t think another band has made an album to touch it tbh. Crazy to think now how badly it was received by critics here in the UK at the time.
Decks Dark on moon shaped pool might be my all-time. Then again there have been probably 15 Radiohead songs that were my all-time favorite at one point or another. Brilliant.
I saw them in DC at the 930 Club on that same Ok Computer tour. The 930 is about the same size as the venue that you mentioned. It was an absolutely perfect Rock Show experience; not too big, not too small. Great acoustics. They played the CD from beginning to end. Possibly the best show I've ever seen. They sounded just like the record, the professionalism was bar none; the performances top-notch. Unforgettable. That's what they were.
Man, Radiohead has had such an impact on me musically and I am a jazz pianist. IN Rainbows though.. That album has so many gems. Wish you would have addressed it, but as it is this video is very cool! Thank you!
65 this week and have just discovered Radiohead - OMG - Paranoid Android - can’t find the words to describe how this reaches into my soul and moves me to tears
Radiohead is by far, by far by far by far my favorite band. Even their less inspired songs are so interesting. And their highlights are true masterpieces.
Radiohead is not depressing as much as they is beautiful. This bands songwriting is beyond words on several songs, sometimes otherworldy and dream like.
How you articulate your awakening to Radiohead is spot on. (It's personal when that "light bulb" goes off and you realize how different/special this band is. Everyone has their own moment.)
That fast piano run in Daydreaming... Actually Jonny plays it with both hands. His right hand just keeps on playing the A-D-E pattern while his left hand adds the other notes in between (first C# and F#, then C and F, etc). That makes it unbelievably easier to play.
I've liked Radiohead for more than a year but just recently everything has really clicked and they are one of my favorite bands now. Most bands dont even come close to the talent they posess. They are just so good man.....
Hey Rick, you have REALLY been hitting your stride with how you compose your videos over the last year. Would you PLEASE revisit Radiohead? This is a good video, but I have NO doubt that today you could do SO much more to help explain why Radiohead is SUCH a great band. Thanks in advance, even if you never see this. I LOVE your channel.
Radiohead is our Beatles, IMO. Amazing breakdowns here. I love hearing someone who really knows music analyzing interesting music. Next, Rick, “Pyramid Song”. :-)
We are so lucky to have Radiohead out there writing music. The breakdown of "Daydreaming" reminded of how they're light years beyond most other bands in terms of the chord structures and progressions they're using. I would love to hear an analysis of "Pyramid Song."
"Hail to the Thief" tends to get forgotten about, but it's one of my favorites of theirs. Arguably the best of the "Anti-Bush/Blair" albums that came out post-9/11.
I think a million people died. And it was all based on so called American intelligence. Then Afghanistan happened, I forgot about Syria where they carried a bombing mission of over 12 months with no progress. But The Clash are the best political band. People forget about the call up and guns of Brixton.....
Both the Bends and OK Computer are desert island discs. So original and Johnny Greenwood is very underrated as a unique guitarist. Best music advice given by Thom . .paraphrasing of course but it was something along the line of "If you want to write original music, don't do covers"
Huge Radiohead fan here for years. Thanks for bringing to light the underrated ideas Radiohead put together in the early albums. When I started watching your videos, it felt very overwhelming hearing "that's an ____ played over ____" But as time has passed I feel more and more aware of what you are talking about. Which is especially nice when talking Radiohead! Cheers from Canada Rick!
I know nothing about music theory, but I know what I like, and you described what I like in a most delightful way. I must reiterate the sentiment of other viewers who wish to see you give us something from In Rainbows.
everything in its right place (first track on Kid A) just feels so powerful. especially when you have headphones, the synths just feel overpowering. It has good sound design without losing harmonic complexity.
I'm just a humble hand percussionist, and have absolutely NO idea of what Rick is talking about when it comes to scales, notes, tempos, etc., but I STILL enjoy how he dissects and describes the songs he does!
I was only like 11 at the time, so I don't know for sure, but from what I understand Kid A was pretty divisive at the time. It honestly makes me like the album's intro that much more, because given that context it's such a "F you, this is what we're doing and you're gonna love it." and I do indeed love it
Thank for this! As a musician myself, I know lots of other musicians, ALL of whom are huge Radiohead fans. Wonderful to see your passion for this music! That's the thing about Radiohead: You can't merely *like* them. :-)
I’ve seen Radiohead a number of times and they’ve blow me away each time. I’m going with my wife to see Thom in March and I can’t wait. As a metal and jazz fan I’d have to say Radiohead is just one of those bands that simply will never be replaced. I feel Radiohead and Failure are just 2 of the most unique bands in music today. Great video! 👍🏻
I didn't begin to appreciate Radiohead until I heard In Rainbows. I immediately sought out every album and live performance available. I know some people that don't get them and once I did they quickly became one of my most listened to bands. Everything In It's Right Place, Exit Music (For A Film), All I Need and Pyramid Song are pure mastery for starters. Ramin Djawadi uses them most in the Westworld soundtrack covers for good reason.
I spent nearly two decades living and working, more or less isolated culturally in China - so I totally missed the emergence of Radiohead in their time. But I belatedly discovered them recently, and have been RELISHING their catalog - album by album! Sublime pieces of music for the body, mind and emotions!
Man i really like your channel but this, this is amazing. And let down is one of the best radiohead songs, i had like 16,17 when i first knew them. Really changed my life. And i really like that you talk about this. thanks again rick you are changing people life's too. (sorry for the bad english)
Love Radiohead, the great thing about them is that 99% of bands get more and more commercial as they get popular. Radiohead are almost the exact opposite, they got less and less commercial and more arty as their popularilty grew. Amazing group.
Loved every minute of this. Haven't read all the comments, but I'm probably not the first to point out Rick's error at 1:42 -> the chorus changes to "Just" are *not* the same as the intro. The chorus = I, bV, IV (C, Gb, F). I mention it because that bV chord was the very first Radiohead moment that caught my ear!
My Radiohead timeline: 1998 - girlfriend bought me OKC because I loved paranoid Android. I hated it and it’s one of the only CDs I’ve ever taken back to the shop! Some years later - I bought OKC and loved every second of it like a long lost brother Even more years later - an old friend of mine asked me why I didn’t have The Bends. I said I didn’t know, bought it, and immediately loved every moment of it. Conclusion - it took me waaay too long to get to appreciate Radiohead.
The opening to Kid A (Everything in its Right Place) given me chills EVERY time I hear it. If I'm on a late night flight, that's playing through my headphones as soon as I sit down. I absolutely love that album.
On Airbag, Thom in fact plays a guitar with the B string tuned up to A, meaning the two highest strings are ringing out open throughout most of the song. This is verified by the fact that Thom is handed a different guitar every time he plays Airbag- the tuning is different to the standard tuning of his usual guitar.
So glad you took a look at their piano-based stuff. The wild thing about Everything In Its Right Place though is that part of the performance is Ed capturing Thom's performance in electronic loops and replaying them, live, differently, every time. That is a crucial part of the band's ethic, there is no backup tape, it has to be real.
I can't find words to tell you how much I love your channel and the way you teach us the music you appreciate and why. You are priceless for me. You are precious for me and I thank you so much.
Hiya Rick . Thank you for this . I think you are so talented and a great teacher . I loved Kid A so much and the follow up, but I can’t listen to them anymore . It is so emotionally intense . I find it hard to listen to Radiohead for this reason , but oh my their music sounds so complex and difficult to play . They really must put everything into every gig . Thank you .
Great video, your channel is the only reason I go on RUclips regularly. I was working at Virgin Megastore when OK Computer came out. Was life changing. Radiohead were like gods back then.
Radiohead is what you get when you put together five musical geniuses, give them free reign with no boundaries, and team them up with one of the most underrated producers of all time, Nigel Godrich (another genius).
I have no clue what you’re talking about but I’m here for it. I wish I understood music. Love the breakdown. It’s clear to me (and many) that their music is special, but to be able to break it down like this is awesome… you way a way to explain why. But I feel it.
Incredible technical and emotional analysis of Radiohead. Rick speaks the truth. Always. And so f*cking fluent on his instruments. So far beyond "thinking" about the notes, chords and progressions. And into the feel.
If only!!! Honestly, Jonny and Thom both play very important parts in the music and have their own individual strengths and weaknesses that seem to compliment each other. It seems like Thom writes some kind of skeleton of a song with a rough melody, and Jonny adds his wonderful arrangements :)
“In Rainbows” is where I feel they got the balance of electronic and rock right. It is the apex (thus far) of bridging the complex rock sounds of “The Bends”, the form, conceptualization and engineering direction they went with in “OK Computer” and the electronic/ambient feel of “Kid A”. To me, “In Rainbows” is a triumph.
Pablo Honey and The Bends and OK Computer are triumphs, equally probably in different ways.
"in Rainbows" the most beautiful record beginning to end
@@johnnyrocco123 Only for new Radiohead listeners. Some of us that follow them since Pablo Honey appreciate a lot better Kid-A, Ok Computer and The Bends
'The Bends' and 'In Rainbows' are my fav by them
NO ONE CAN CHANGE MY MIND
Thanks y'all
In Rainbows changed how I hear music. i really dig the production and overall vibe of Moon Shaped Pool as well.
Let Down is one of the most beautiful things that someone has ever created with guitars
Let Down still haunts me when I hear it. Terribly bleak and beautiful. The whole album OK Computer haunts me when I hear it. The vibe on that record is so full of possibilities and I was at a place in my life where everything was possible.
It used to be my favorite song, my "theme song" pretty much from 1998 to 2008. Today, I don't know which one it would be... I also love "All I need", "How to dissappear completely", "give up the ghost" and... I don't know anymore they made so much great songs. Been a fan since 1998 and I still love them.
@@brunobailly7013 Oh yea, I love all the songs you mentioned and many many more like The Pyramid Song, Codex, Weird Fishes, Separator, Little by Little, Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief, man you could do a four album best of easily. Still my favorite active band.
One of their most overrated songs in my mind. It’s not bad at all I just think it’s relatively boring compared to their other stuff. I feel like I’ve heard a hundred songs like it too
@@seffers4788 Well, that's like your opinion man! My opinion is that it is a real beauty! When I hear Weird Fishes, I think back to Let Down as how their multi guitar parts have evolved over the years, is remarkable.
Can you imagine hearing "Everything in its Right Place" at SXSW with 100 people before the album hit the masses. Holy crap that's cool.
i was working at Wherehouse Music in The Woodlands, TX when i got my hands on an advanced copy of KId A ... by the days end i was pumping what was probably the most anticipated album of my lifetime through my system at my apartment with my girlfriend, bandmates and a dear music lovin friend of ours who was like 6'5 with floppy hair, a cowboy hat and still in high school at the time.... He didnt have a band at the time but had some songs we helped record onto 8 track demos... So weird because by the end of that decade Rolling Stone put out the top 100 albums of the decade and Kid A (which blew us a way in that apartment living room ) took rollings stones #1 spot.. with our friend Win Butler's record at like number 4 or 5 with Funeral .. which was really recorded only like 4 years later.
I saw them in Warrington on Oct 2nd 2000- the same day Kid A came out in the UK. The experience was marred by hundreds of people who'd apparently paid money to stand and talk right through the show :/
@@javiceres 🤷🏻♂️
@@staggabob haaaaate that for ya
Honestly just that synth intro on big concert pa’s would just make me float above the ground
Maybe an unpopular pick, but Pyramid Song is my favourite Radiohead song. It is really incredibly moving. Amnesiac is a really underrated album.
It is one of the few songs that is simultaneously rhythmically destabilizing, yet melodic, and infinitely expressive.
That’s my favorite song of all time
Pyramid Song is definitely one of the best things they’ve ever done.
I am glad rick is giving out some love for Pablo honey. Most radiohead fans hate it because its very simple compared to the bends. But I remember everyone in high school thought it was a great album. At time I thought it was a better record than the bends. And I disagree rick about creep. One of their best. And everyone at the time thought it was the stand out track.
Amnesiac was my second cd album i bought after Californication in my life and is until now my favorite album ever. It is so dreamer.
Radiohead does not make me depressed. It makes me free and home. From their music I can climb up and face life, because I know I am not alone. They know the contents of my soul so deep.
my friends say radiohead is depressing moaning but this guy knows wassup. Probably my favourite band.
“Try the best you can, the best you can is good enough.”
Not so depressing!
@@fenhen Their happiest song, '15 Step', is actually about hanging.
Radiohead has great music and lyrics but it's probably the most depressing band I've ever heard. There are some exceptions to that, but ... yeah. I don't just mean melancholic by the way, but depressing. 'Don't get any big ideas, they're not going to happen' etc. No thanks. No Surprises ... ugh. Great songs but I refuse to listen to them anymore.
Get new friends.
I literally hate people who say that. They are talking out of their bland, boring, uncool, dull little arseholes
Radiohead is my generation's Pink Floyd.
I've loved them since the very beginning and I'll never stop.
I've been saying the same thing for years!!
Sorry but in my opinion Radiohead is way better than Pink Floyd
I always thought of them more like the beetles
Radiohead is a
More talented and prolific band than Pink Floyd. Don’t even try to change my mind
@@Airfarts_ this can’t be a serious statement
Rick yelling chord progressions over the piano is my jam.
Married, two children, running a business music stopped being a part of my life and then OK Computer came out and it was like Radiohead has sneaked into my soul and stolen my deepest feelings and made a record of heart rending beauty. It perfectly mapped my unease and the growing disfunction in my marriage. Kid A became the soundtrack to the break up and free fall. I hadn't dared to listen to it for years but bought a copy a few weeks ago and played it whilst driving. I was fine until I got to the last track where I ha to pull over as the tears were making it hard for me to see. I listen to just about every genre of music and am lucky enough to work in such a way that I can listen to music all day and every day but for me nothing has the emotional power of Radiohead.
charles jeez, what a hard thing to share. I hope you are doing ok!
Thanks for sharing mate, Radiohead are one of the few bands that for me touches the deepest core of my heart and soul, there’s REAL magic in Radiohead for sure, pure emotion
This comment is the reason why they are up there with the greatest artists of all time. No matter who you are this bands invites you in for mind enticing and aesthetically irrestistable trip to a world where music is kind of its own language. Yeah, I agree w the last line.
correct
I was at their TRNSMT 2017 gig after separating from my wife. An amazing gig! I was watching footage from the gig on youTube this morning with tears streaming down my face. Super powerful emotional responses but also just seeing the utter joy on the faces of the audience was just so lovely
Not only Radiohead is probably the best band of all times but they are at the forefront of the dissolution of the frontiers between art-music and pop-music. Something remarkable in and of itself.
What?! That statement is not very solid, I'm sure people wouldn't call Radiohead something close to pop.
Yeah, mainstream music would’ve been more apt
Any time anyone uses the phrase "of all time" I cringe. It is pointless as no entity in creation ANYWHERE (in this dimension at any rate) can see into the future. Thus ALL TIME makes no logical sense as all time would, obviously, have to include any time in the future...and, unless you have the capacity to live forever, you have no idea what music may come.
@@hpoonis2010 Thank you for the philosophical clarification. Obviously I meant of all time up until today.
I mean, you're talkin of the Beatles right?
I always come back to Radiohead. I may not listen everyday, but some days they are an all consuming obsession. A truly great band. See them live when life returns.
SOOOOO good live.
They create complete SONGS, no riffs, no lyrics, no bullshit singling...they put everything into creating great cohesive songs. Nice breakdown of the creativity of their creative choices of notes and chords- they’re so emotive to fit the songs
"No riffs, no lyrics, no singing" LMAO have you ever listened to radiohead
@@RabbidTheNabbit I don't think you read the comment right
I LOVE "Airbag". The part where Thom sings "In a fast German car, I'm amazed that I survived. An airbag saved my life." Gives me chills every time
Great episode! I was a recording engineer (still am) when I first heard OK Computer. I could usually listen to anything and figure out how it was recorded, but all bets were off from the start with Airbag. I was like, "WTF is this? Distorted drums? This must be a mistake...but clearly it's not.". It was like that album got dropped off on earth by aliens, I'd never heard anything like it.It's very rare to have something come along that doesn't any reference point.
This is why i think some people don't get Radiohead, they need a reference point, but exactly why i was intrigued and ultimately love with their music, which to me is more art than music. Timeless, yet of it's time, as good now (if not better), than it was at the time it was released. Something that will not always be appreciated in it's time, but will be loved and treasured long after 99.9% of today's music has been long forgotten.
Airbag has one of the coolest freakin bass lines I've ever heard! It's so sporadic and rhythmically interesting! Love your channel man
You probably know this, but it was supposed to be overdubbed but they liked the stop start nature so they left it!
I strongly agree! That bass sounds like so much fun!!
I find the base line in Burn the Witch very similar at points.
Jonny looks so cool when he plays airbag
@@williamdufort176 I was gonna say the same thing! It is so reminiscent of Airbag in that way.
Exit Music for a film is my favorite Radiohead song. I just love the dynamics and feeling they give it!
I often start singing it out of nowhere! So soothing
It was amazing to hear it in Westworld.
Absolutely fantastic song
Same
Great! Radiohead rules! You should do more analysis of their songs I am sure many of us would be interested 😀
Jens here? it means im on the right channel.
Haha! Thanks Gabriel!
hahhahah just thought the same!
Part 2!
Tof voor je hé Jens! Die erkenning die je zeker verdient! Groeten, Luc
goddamn, you made me want to hear every single Radiohead's song again, sir.
Same. I'm making a Spotify playlist as soon as I finish this comment.
I forgot where I read this, but I remember Thom said he made a bet or something with Jonny to see how many chords they could shove into a song. As a result, Just was born.
Not just it's paranoid android
@@sneedsfeed5752 nope its just
It's on the video they put out for The Bends. They discussed it there as a challenge to put as many chords in a song, just.
Paranoid android was put together from 4 different parts that they gave to the drummer and got him to arrange it
I believe the only chord not included is a B. I kind of wish they had thrown that in there behind the solo. It would have sounded fine.
They’re the best band ever for me. So innovative and ahead of the crowd.
Like the band or not, you have to respect them; talented, daring, principled and consistently ahead of their time. So nice to see you're a big fan too. I would love it if you could go over some Johnny Marr arpeggios soon!
@@edsnotgod They have some hooks. But aside from the question of whether they have any hooks, I take issue with the implication that music has to be "hooky" to have lasting value--even in pop music.
@@edsnotgod Yeah? So? Are you equating Lil' Wayne and Yoko Ono with Radiohead in terms of musical substance?
@@edsnotgod I think I'm done here. If I try to argue in support of Radiohead's musical significance relative to Lil' Wayne and Yoko Ono, it's likely to fall on (your) deaf ears, and frankly I feel like it's so self-evident that I shouldn't have to argue.
@@davidbaker231 ❤️❤️
Pablo honey wasnt really ahead of their time
Radiohead is my favorite band. Ever. I literally listen to OK Computer, no joke, like once a week. There are many instances in that album that bring me to tears. It’s such a fucking masterpiece!!
Let Down is my favorite song. It’s a masterpiece.
To simply not talk about “In Rainbows” is a slap in the face to Radiohead fans. The first chord of “House of Cards” may be the most heartfelt use of the Drop D tuning ever. And “Reckoner?!” And “Videotape?!” Good God, what an album...
Reckoner is one of the most beautiful and emotional songs I’ve ever heard
House of Cards is in F. The only song on the album in Drop D is Bodysnatchers
That opening to everything in its right place always gives me goosebumps.
I love 'Let Down' so beautiful.
Weird Fishes is my favourite Radiohead song. It's just eerily beautiful and sad all at once. Like the act of drowning was put into a song.
Their music moves you deep inside. We can tell. I feel this same communion.
This whole video is making me fall in love with Radiohead all over again.....gah.
Their chord progressions and melodies are so hauntingly gorgeous. More than most any other band they have this ability to express the most _subtle_ and nuanced and ineffable emotions into a musical language.
Radiohead is one of the most unique band I've ever heard in my entire life and they keep on going like the Energizer bunny rabbit. I am beginning to realize that to get the most out of your videos I have to watch them a few times to appreciate the musical insights! Thank you Rick!
I saw Radiohead live in 1997 too, what a time to see them!
Yes me too, in Wechter rock festival, and before them (if I do remember right) it was Sheryl Crow on stage, and the contrast was... Fu..ing HUGE !!! :)
@@yoannhappe9281 I was there. Took a festival coach from Newcastle upon Tyne. What a line-up!!!! And when Radiohead came on, the whole world appeared to have stopped, knowing they are witnessing greatness.
OK Computer is one of my all time favorite albums.
Me too ❤
If I had to choose only one song I could ever listen to again it'd be Paranoid Android
Same here
Radiohead is one of my all time favorite bands. Along with Tool, Floyd, Zeppelin, Queen, Porcupine Tree & Toad the Wet Sprocket. So glad to see other fellow musicians appreciating the same music for the same musical reasons!!!
I love that you mentioned porcupine tree another genius that is Steven Wilson.
Toad the Wet Sprocket omg!! Love love love them!!
queen and radiohead have been my 2 favorite artists for a long time. maybe it’ll change someday, but those will definitely stay in my top 5 for the rest of my life
I liked Radiohead when creep came out, it was pretty cool and kinda simple for them for the time, but I started to really love them the more they progressed. Their melodies and arrangements got more and more complex but so unbelievably amazing and beautiful. Now they’re one of my favourite bands of all time, and when it comes to the history of modern rock music, they’re definitely legends.
I just listened to “everything in its right place” about 5 million times because of you. Never heard it until last week. Omfg I cannot stop listening to that chord progression! I have had 2 friends that were Radiohead nuts, and I still didn’t listen to them, until you had the intro to that piece in your 20 greatest keyboard intros!
Insane, emotionally insane. My mind would cry every time I listen to all that intros you played. Please, keep analyzing their songs.
I don't play any instruments but I love watching you breakdown the songs. I'm learning a lot about music from you. Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin are my holy trinity. They are the cream of the crop.
Linda L exactly same, only discovered pink floyd a year ago and now can't even stop listening to them
You can always learn an instrument,guitar is easy.
It's funny because I was a huge Led Zeppelin AND Beatles fan from roughly age 13 to 18 (when most of my friends were fans of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Iron Maiden or even Sepultura), I became a Pink Floyd fan around 17 and then a Radiohead fan since the age of 18. But I've only realized a few months ago how much I still love Led Zep and "Led Zeppelin IV" is still one of my all time favorite albums (or maybe it's just that I'm going through a midlife crisis haha 😅)
@@brunobailly7013 sorry i didnt see this earlier. Thanks for your reply. The more you learn how to appreciate really great, complex, creative, innovative music the more your mind expands - wanting more, needing more, like food for your soul. Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Tool, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, early progressive Genesis are true outliers in the music world. They are on a much higher level.
@@jennifersun2638 i bought a good ukulele when they were in vigue. Quickly found my carpal tunnel i had surgery on is prohibitive of playing. Piano maybe? 🙂🎹. Thanks
Kid A changed music for me. Before then I was just obsessed with classic and Indy rock. Still don’t think another band has made an album to touch it tbh. Crazy to think now how badly it was received by critics here in the UK at the time.
Yeah their existing UK fans wanted another guitary album.
Among the best in US tho, funny why their own country critic it so much 😂
Decks Dark on moon shaped pool might be my all-time. Then again there have been probably 15 Radiohead songs that were my all-time favorite at one point or another. Brilliant.
Good ear! Don't know why it doesn't get more love along with Identikit.
I saw them in DC at the 930 Club on that same Ok Computer tour. The 930 is about the same size as the venue that you mentioned. It was an absolutely perfect Rock Show experience; not too big, not too small. Great acoustics. They played the CD from beginning to end. Possibly the best show I've ever seen. They sounded just like the record, the professionalism was bar none; the performances top-notch. Unforgettable. That's what they were.
Man, Radiohead has had such an impact on me musically and I am a jazz pianist. IN Rainbows though.. That album has so many gems. Wish you would have addressed it, but as it is this video is very cool! Thank you!
65 this week and have just discovered Radiohead - OMG - Paranoid Android - can’t find the words to describe how this reaches into my soul and moves me to tears
Pablo Honey came out in 1993.
Hey! Nice to see Mr. Beat commenting on Mr. Beato, two of my favorite channels! My favorite band as well.
Awkward
1992*
@@santiagopesci7561 1993
@@JFrohlichMusic 1776
When the ugly moments are made beautiful I’m reminded of Radiohead
Radiohead is by far, by far by far by far my favorite band. Even their less inspired songs are so interesting. And their highlights are true masterpieces.
Radiohead is not depressing as much as they is beautiful. This bands songwriting is beyond words on several songs, sometimes otherworldy and dream like.
I was attending the American Academy of Art when OK came out.
Me and my art kid friends played it non stop for two years.
How you articulate your awakening to Radiohead is spot on. (It's personal when that "light bulb" goes off and you realize how different/special this band is. Everyone has their own moment.)
That fast piano run in Daydreaming... Actually Jonny plays it with both hands. His right hand just keeps on playing the A-D-E pattern while his left hand adds the other notes in between (first C# and F#, then C and F, etc). That makes it unbelievably easier to play.
I've liked Radiohead for more than a year but just recently everything has really clicked and they are one of my favorite bands now. Most bands dont even come close to the talent they posess. They are just so good man.....
Radiohead. Best thing since The Beatles. More of their music please! Rick, you're the best.
Kid A is alien music. It hits me on a level I cannot describe.
The solo for Just is too sick
Hey Rick, you have REALLY been hitting your stride with how you compose your videos over the last year. Would you PLEASE revisit Radiohead? This is a good video, but I have NO doubt that today you could do SO much more to help explain why Radiohead is SUCH a great band. Thanks in advance, even if you never see this. I LOVE your channel.
Today we're going to be talking about Radiohead, and why they're so cool.
Best opening to a video ever!
Every Radiohead song you mentioned are my favorites
Listening to Radiohead changed my life.
Keyser Söze same
Same
same.
sAmE
Hey Rick, I saw Radiohead live on the OK Computer tour in '97. A musical highlight of my life.
Radiohead is our Beatles, IMO. Amazing breakdowns here. I love hearing someone who really knows music analyzing interesting music. Next, Rick, “Pyramid Song”. :-)
That's my favourite song by Radiohead
Aww it's sooo good
Radiohead are our Pink Floyd
Yes they are
Radiohead lay waste to the Beatles AND Pink Floyd
We are so lucky to have Radiohead out there writing music. The breakdown of "Daydreaming" reminded of how they're light years beyond most other bands in terms of the chord structures and progressions they're using. I would love to hear an analysis of "Pyramid Song."
Hi Rick, do some "In Rainbows" in a future video please!
My favourite Radiohead album.
My favorite album
Juan Andrés That would be all I need..
i think you'd like Vox's video about this song
Jigsaw falling into place
"Hail to the Thief" tends to get forgotten about, but it's one of my favorites of theirs. Arguably the best of the "Anti-Bush/Blair" albums that came out post-9/11.
Too right! I was just starting to become politically aware when that came out and it was instrumental!
It is so good. Few songs I've ever heard hit as hard as 2+2 = 5
I think a million people died. And it was all based on so called American intelligence. Then Afghanistan happened, I forgot about Syria where they carried a bombing mission of over 12 months with no progress.
But The Clash are the best political band. People forget about the call up and guns of Brixton.....
Both the Bends and OK Computer are desert island discs. So original and Johnny Greenwood is very underrated as a unique guitarist. Best music advice given by Thom . .paraphrasing of course but it was something along the line of "If you want to write original music, don't do covers"
Huge Radiohead fan here for years. Thanks for bringing to light the underrated ideas Radiohead put together in the early albums. When I started watching your videos, it felt very overwhelming hearing "that's an ____ played over ____"
But as time has passed I feel more and more aware of what you are talking about. Which is especially nice when talking Radiohead!
Cheers from Canada Rick!
The Bends, to me, is the perfect album, start to finish. It's my music highlight of the 90's.
Just is my favorite Radiohead song it’s amazing in every aspect!!
I know nothing about music theory, but I know what I like, and you described what I like in a most delightful way. I must reiterate the sentiment of other viewers who wish to see you give us something from In Rainbows.
Glad he mentioned Just. It’s my favorite song from the first 2 records and it’s rarely mentioned.
You might enjoy the recent video from James Hargreaves Guitar: SOLVED! The Secret Words In Radiohead's 'Just' Video (& what they mean).
everything in its right place (first track on Kid A) just feels so powerful. especially when you have headphones, the synths just feel overpowering. It has good sound design without losing harmonic complexity.
I'm just a humble hand percussionist, and have absolutely NO idea of what Rick is talking about when it comes to scales, notes, tempos, etc., but I STILL enjoy how he dissects and describes the songs he does!
When I played on Ok Computer I almost cryed after hearing Airbag. How amazing and moving their music is! Great coverage to Radiohead songs!!
Radiohead is art. The older I get the more Radiohead seeps into my DNA. They are unique and dare we say genius.
Radiohead and the Beatles are my two quintessential rock bands
Same here- those 2 bands and delta blues are all I need
Same including led zeppelin
Radiohead, Joy Division, Cocteau Twins. My holy trinity.
Radiohead and Pink Floyd for me.
You music taste are pretty great...
Actually RH band is the best band alive...
Not my favourite...but the most talented by sure
I was only like 11 at the time, so I don't know for sure, but from what I understand Kid A was pretty divisive at the time. It honestly makes me like the album's intro that much more, because given that context it's such a "F you, this is what we're doing and you're gonna love it." and I do indeed love it
Thank for this! As a musician myself, I know lots of other musicians, ALL of whom are huge Radiohead fans. Wonderful to see your passion for this music! That's the thing about Radiohead: You can't merely *like* them. :-)
I’ve seen Radiohead a number of times and they’ve blow me away each time. I’m going with my wife to see Thom in March and I can’t wait.
As a metal and jazz fan I’d have to say Radiohead is just one of those bands that simply will never be replaced.
I feel Radiohead and Failure are just 2 of the most unique bands in music today.
Great video! 👍🏻
Subterranean Homesick Alien was the first time I heard a song and audibly yelled “woah” after the first chord change. Really cool stuff
I also have been a fan since Pablo Honey. Best band in the world. I've seen them twice in concert and they were transcendent live. Just brilliant.
I didn't begin to appreciate Radiohead until I heard In Rainbows. I immediately sought out every album and live performance available. I know some people that don't get them and once I did they quickly became one of my most listened to bands. Everything In It's Right Place, Exit Music (For A Film), All I Need and Pyramid Song are pure mastery for starters. Ramin Djawadi uses them most in the Westworld soundtrack covers for good reason.
I spent nearly two decades living and working, more or less isolated culturally in China - so I totally missed the emergence of Radiohead in their time. But I belatedly discovered them recently, and have been RELISHING their catalog - album by album! Sublime pieces of music for the body, mind and emotions!
Man i really like your channel but this, this is amazing. And let down is one of the best radiohead songs, i had like 16,17 when i first knew them. Really changed my life. And i really like that you talk about this. thanks again rick you are changing people life's too. (sorry for the bad english)
Just hearing you play daydreaming makes me tear up. It’s such a beautiful piece of music.
Love Radiohead, the great thing about them is that 99% of bands get more and more commercial as they get popular. Radiohead are almost the exact opposite, they got less and less commercial and more arty as their popularilty grew. Amazing group.
Loved every minute of this. Haven't read all the comments, but I'm probably not the first to point out Rick's error at 1:42 -> the chorus changes to "Just" are *not* the same as the intro. The chorus = I, bV, IV (C, Gb, F). I mention it because that bV chord was the very first Radiohead moment that caught my ear!
My Radiohead timeline:
1998 - girlfriend bought me OKC because I loved paranoid Android. I hated it and it’s one of the only CDs I’ve ever taken back to the shop!
Some years later - I bought OKC and loved every second of it like a long lost brother
Even more years later - an old friend of mine asked me why I didn’t have The Bends. I said I didn’t know, bought it, and immediately loved every moment of it.
Conclusion - it took me waaay too long to get to appreciate Radiohead.
The opening to Kid A (Everything in its Right Place) given me chills EVERY time I hear it. If I'm on a late night flight, that's playing through my headphones as soon as I sit down. I absolutely love that album.
On Airbag, Thom in fact plays a guitar with the B string tuned up to A, meaning the two highest strings are ringing out open throughout most of the song.
This is verified by the fact that Thom is handed a different guitar every time he plays Airbag- the tuning is different to the standard tuning of his usual guitar.
Never knew this
tuned DOWN to a a
@saint cocaine bit harsh.
@Saint Cocaine A is also _higher_ than B.
Have an utterly swell and delightful day my good, friendly chap.
@Ming Li “ACKCHUALLY” 🤣🤣
So glad you took a look at their piano-based stuff. The wild thing about Everything In Its Right Place though is that part of the performance is Ed capturing Thom's performance in electronic loops and replaying them, live, differently, every time. That is a crucial part of the band's ethic, there is no backup tape, it has to be real.
"OK Computer" is the kind of record where you know where you were, the first time you heard it. As with Nirvanas "Nevermind"...
👍 👍
I can't find words to tell you how much I love your channel and the way you teach us the music you appreciate and why. You are priceless for me. You are precious for me and I thank you so much.
I have toured with Radiohead twice....they are great guys.
Hiya Rick . Thank you for this . I think you are so talented and a great teacher . I loved Kid A so much and the follow up, but I can’t listen to them anymore . It is so emotionally intense . I find it hard to listen to Radiohead for this reason , but oh my their music sounds so complex and difficult to play . They really must put everything into every gig . Thank you .
A moon shaped pearl
Great video, your channel is the only reason I go on RUclips regularly. I was working at Virgin Megastore when OK Computer came out. Was life changing. Radiohead were like gods back then.
Radiohead is what you get when you put together five musical geniuses, give them free reign with no boundaries, and team them up with one of the most underrated producers of all time, Nigel Godrich (another genius).
I have no clue what you’re talking about but I’m here for it. I wish I understood music. Love the breakdown. It’s clear to me (and many) that their music is special, but to be able to break it down like this is awesome… you way a way to explain why. But I feel it.
Climbing up the wall is underrated
Y E S
Definitely!
It is an awesome song!
Incredible technical and emotional analysis of Radiohead. Rick speaks the truth. Always.
And so f*cking fluent on his instruments. So far beyond "thinking" about the notes, chords and progressions. And into the feel.
RICK LIKES RADIOHEAD!!! ..That would be the GREATEST "Sounding Off" ever.
Exactly.. That and the fact any interview with Thom Yorke is Priceless.
Zach Derbas no way, jonny greenwood is where the magic lies
yes a sounding off with Greenwood would be a dream come true!
Joel Perez greenwood and don't forget thom! 👍😀🇬🇧
If only!!! Honestly, Jonny and Thom both play very important parts in the music and have their own individual strengths and weaknesses that seem to compliment each other. It seems like Thom writes some kind of skeleton of a song with a rough melody, and Jonny adds his wonderful arrangements :)
It's been cool witnessing Thom Yorke's progression piano over the years. Johnny too.