EMI, the former label of the all-conquering Radiohead are set to release a “best of” album – conveniently coinciding with their imminent North American tour. Talk about trying to squeeze blood out of a stone…
Shortly after Thom and co. announced the release of the ‘In Rainbows’ box set EMI did the exact same; only with the entire Radiohead back catalogue. And with their North American tour garnering its fair share of media attention, EMI look to cash in again with talks of a nostalgic best of.
Don’t get me wrong I’m all for the “best of” – they give new fans an instant, accessible reference point, while old fans receive an efficient anthology of an artists more culturally significant (read commercially successful) back catalogue. My first foray into ‘The Eagles’ was my parent’s best of collection, which was a veritable hit factory of hard living and dusty deserts, the perfect introduction for a ten year old kid. It’s just that with this band, this one fucking band it doesn’t seem to suit. Not only do they not endorse it themselves, but it goes against the whole ethos of Radiohead as a creative entity. Their studio albums were idea-rich, as evidenced by ‘OK Computer’s’ ubiquitous ‘concept album’ tag. The subject matter throughout OK Computer explored similar themes of social malaise and urban isolation (I know what you’re thinking. Wait, isn’t that what every album is about?) In short, Hell No! If ‘In Rainbows’ is anything to go by, Radiohead are to be praised for their diversity as much as their musicianship – look at the album title for God’s sake Radiohead for once in their illustrious careers are looking on the bright side…
Thematic differences aside, the most jarring aspect of putting together a Radiohead best-of would be the sonic changes. Each studio album was meticulously tracked, so that it was experienced from start to finish in a very particular order. Hell, these guys aren’t about the singles they’re about the listening experience of the album as a whole. Whenever I listen to a Radiohead album I start from track one and listen to the album as it was intended – to me its tantamount to starting a book from the middle, aspects of both meaning and mood are lost completely. Take the ten tracks on ‘Kid A’ for instance, they bleed together seamlessly, so seamlessly in fact that it would be a crime to hit shuffle when listening to it on my Ipod. As soon as the last flutters of ‘Idioteque’ are fading out, I’m already humming the staccato intro to ‘Morning Bell’ just because that’s what I’m used to. I can’t imagine going from the straight up guitar wails of a track off ‘The Bends’ into the electronic dub of a ‘Kid A’ track into the sunny acoustics of an ‘In Rainbows’ track. It just wouldn’t work. Besides, all the fan boys would have every track ever made anyway. Rant over.
Photo: Jim Dyson via Getty
