Kid A
Posted by: Allan Probin on 03 October 2000
Looks like I'm going to have to go first on this one then. Ambitious attempt by Radiohead to create music in a new form - and it works. Reminds me in some ways of Blur's "13", and probably the best album I've heard thats been released since. Has a cool, ambient feel that definitely works for me.
I know some of the songs on the album have been kicking around since "Creep" days, but this is Radiohead definitely progressing and experimenting into new territory without worrying about a particular trade-mark sound or 'will the fans like it ?'
Verdict - For me, I'd probably nominate it as best album released this year.
BTW, I bought Muse - "Showbiz" at the weekend, very reminiscent of Pablo Honey. Good album but not great, but I have the feeling that maybe the next one will be.
Allan
Posted on: 04 October 2000 by Rico
quote:
Verdict - For me, I'd probably nominate it as best album released this year.
Oooh careful Allan, Joel will be around shortly to deliver a kickin' if you sail any closer to the wind! "If anybody starts the "Music of the year" thread before December 1st I'll nut 'em. Understood?"
All I've heard from it thus far works for me - will pick it up this weekend. It must kick ass thru the CDSII, I've had to suffer the car stereo, or on occasion enjoy on the FM4.
Rico - musichead
Posted on: 04 October 2000 by Mike Hanson
I just picked this up, and all I can say is WOW!!! I'm only part way through my first listen, and I'm more hooked that I could possibly imagine. Intelligent, fun, weird, and addictive. Highly recommended! Catch you later!
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
Smilies do not a forum make.
Posted on: 05 October 2000 by Rico
Oh wow... driving to work this am, and as if X-FM had not been promoting this album enough, the latest ploy to get you to listen (not that it's needed) is to get the punters to try and decipher the 'lyric' at the start of
Everything in it's right place which sounds like loops and stuff to me. Any of you CDSII users have better insight into this cool 'mlerr mlerrr mlerrr' noise that my pioneer car rock box doesn't give? They're coupling this with an interwiew comment of Thom's saying that these are some of his most violent lyrics ever... the cynics amongst us might say that's a brilliant peice of promotion if ever there was one.
Did floyd mention the secret messages on The Wall in pre-release interviews?
Talk about doing a song to death! 
Rico - musichead
Posted on: 05 October 2000 by matthewr
Rick Wakeman was on some discussion programme on the radio last night and he talked about his admiration for Radiohead and how "Ok Computer" was a fantastic modern interpretation of prog rock. Another panelist suggested that things had gone "too far" with Kid A which sounded like Radiohead's "Tales of Topographic Oceans". Wakeman agreed with him and there followed much extending guffawing on the subject of said album. Wakeman joined in good naturedly pointing out that playing that album at a gig he got so bored half way through that he ordered a take away curry on stage.
Matthew
PS However awaful Yes may have been I can find nothing in thier output which is as unrelentingly dreadful and nauseating as the current UK #1 - the cover of "Against All Odds" by Westlife and Mariah Carey. Expentant parents may like to delay the birth until it drops from the top spot to avoid furture trauma when thier child subsequently tries the #1 on the day of your birth website.
Posted on: 05 October 2000 by Allan Probin
quote:
Any of you CDSII users have better insight into this cool 'mlerr mlerrr mlerrr' noise
From what I can tell, this is a vocal but without any distinguishing words. Perhaps it's looped backwards or something, but I think its purpose is just to add another texture to the sound. This vocal is on the right hand side, there is a corresponding vocal on the left hand side which is a looped 'Kid A Kid A Kid A'. Interestingly, the vocals are treated very differently from track to track in a way that 'blends-in' with the feel of the track as the album progresses.
Coincidently, on the forthcoming single from Blur, "Music is My Radar" , the vocals are just made-up word sounds - again using the voice essentially as part of the music rather than necessarily 'telling a story'. These word things are getting very old-hat nowadays.
Now Radiohead don't strike me as being your typical drug-fuelled outfit, but quite a bit of this album has a certain blissed-out feel, and I'm not talking about E. Hmmm, perhaps best not go there.
Allan.
Posted on: 06 October 2000 by Rico
quote:
From what I can tell, this is a vocal but without any distinguishing words. Perhaps it's looped backwards or something, but I think its purpose is just to add another texture to the sound.
Thanks Allan, yeah that's what I was thinking. I guess one day The Muppets will finally be acknowledged as being way ahead of their time with 'man-ah-man-ah', esp wrt to blending with the old with the 'scat' interlde... 
Rico - musichead
Posted on: 06 October 2000 by woodface
Bought it yesterday on 10" Vinyl and listened to it through in the evening - mmm not too sure. Although more experimental than 'ok computer' it is less in your face aggressive and more listenable. The production is far better than their other albumns (which have a tendency to shrillness through compression) but I am not sure whether it is a great albumn or a lazy one. It is very much a Radiohead record but with the vocals mixed down and the ambient details brought to the fore. This is definately a recording which needs playing on a quality system - on a poor set up most of the content would just float into the ether.
Posted on: 06 October 2000 by Allan Probin
quote:
This is definately a recording which needs playing on a quality system - on a poor set up most of the content would just float into the ether.
The recording has a sense of a huge, cavernous acoustic with 'sounds' intersperced around that space, adding to the chilled-out abience. Something that must be totally lost on the majority of people listening to the album.
Allan
Posted on: 08 October 2000 by Mike Hanson
quote:
Coincidently, on the forthcoming single from Blur, "Music is My Radar" , the vocals are just made-up word sounds - again using the voice essentially as part of the music rather than necessarily 'telling a story'. These word things are getting very old-hat nowadays.
Elizabeth Fraser from the Cocteau Twins was doing this for almost twenty years. Since I don't tend to notice the lyrical content to most stuff, my brain has always been treating the voice as a mere instrument (albeit a very amazing one). It's nice to see the rest of the world catching up. 
Coincidentally, Fraser has a starring role on Peter Gabriel's recent OVO. And she actually sings real "words". Catch you later!
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
Smilies do not a forum make.
[This message was edited by Mike Hanson on SUNDAY 08 October 2000 at 12:34.]
Posted on: 08 October 2000 by Nigel Cavendish
Thunderbird 2 pod 31
Open hatch and spew forth the music garbage of the world to rescue the terminally commercial.
By the way never rubbish the product of your own country, it brings in more money than you would ever credit - you are not the arbiter of national taste.
RadioHead? dire and dreary IMHO.
cheers
Nigel
Posted on: 09 October 2000 by Chrisp
Anyone tried taking the back off the Kid A jewel case to get at the 'literature' underneath? What can they be trying to say?
Chris
Posted on: 11 October 2000 by bob atherton
Bought Kid A yesterday. Played it 4 times already. I'm sure this will be a classic album. There are some tracks that I feel are better than OK Computer.
Bob
Posted on: 12 October 2000 by Igor Zamberlan
Chrisp:
quote:
Anyone tried taking the back off the Kid A jewel case to get at the 'literature' underneath?
I don't know, I have perused my 10 inch vinyl copy but found no correspondent (BTW, nice sound, though vinyl is a little noisy in some parts). But you might want to give a look to Radiohead's web site, perusing it I have found Thom's page (a page of links) which should make it clear that yes, there's a political agenda. Of course, some hints could be found on some of the previous tracks or the videos (eg, "Fitter, Happier" or the cartoon video).
Bob:
quote:
I'm sure this will be a classic album. There are some tracks that I feel are better than OK Computer.
Yes, completely agreed. Someone might find the album pretentious, but I think it's, overall, their best effort.
Regards
Igor (still one post to go to attain full membersihp...)
