Archive for radiohead

My Top 10 All-Time Favorite Concerts (so far)

Posted in Music, Travel with tags , , , , , , , , , on September 10, 2012 by David McInerny

No preamble necessary:

1. BOSTON, March 28, 1979, Notre Dame, IN – My second concert. Boston played their first two albums straight through – without a flaw.

2. PETER GABRIEL, November 20, 1982, Ann Arbor, MI – Peter sang his encore, “Biko,” on his back being passed hand over hand by the audience.

3. R.E.M., September 29, 1989, Notre Dame, IN – Michael Stipe was able to face the audience and sing, unlike when I saw them in 1982.

4. TODD RUNDGREN, April 16, 1992, Chicago, IL – Todd played with his new “band,” a Mac computer – pretty revolutionary for the time.

5. RADIOHEAD, August 1, 2001, Chicago, IL – The first of many shows for me, this one on the shore of Lake Michigan.

6. DAVID BOWIE, August 8, 2002, Chicago, IL – Bowie played most of Low on this tour, as well as the new and excellent Heathen album.

7. ROBERT PLANT, November 25, 2005, Munich, Germany – Told the kids they would grow up proud that they saw this show. They are.

8. MORRISSEY, May 23, 2007, Kansas City, MO – Front row thanks to my neighbor, Jenn. He’s one talented kook.

9. ROLLING STONES, August 26, 2007, London, England – Flew to see the show, then flew home. Their final concert? Hope not.

10. THE DEAD, May 10, 2009, San Jose, CA – Last show of a run I followed that summer. Three and a-half hours of ecstasy.

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Radiohead – OK Computer

Posted in Music with tags , on June 13, 2012 by David McInerny

Many bands are content to follow up a successful album with another that tries to sound just like it, and then tour the handful of hits for the next three decades. Some bands, a decade into their existence, will attempt to reinvent their sound to keep pace with changing musical trends. Most fail miserably at this, but a few have made the transition with spectacular results. A few examples of the latter would be Rush with their 1982 Signals release, David Bowie with 1983’s Let’s Dance, and Genesis with 1984’s Genesis, all of which abandoned the extended jam signature of the ‘70’s and incorporated the rhythm-driven synthesized pop of the ‘80’s. Neither band lost its identity however, proven by the ability to gain new fans without alienating (too many) of their old ones.

Few bands have pulled off what Radiohead did in 1997, though. After a very good freshman 1993 release, Pablo Honey, Radiohead built on the success of that album’s single, “Creep,” with an album that moved the band’s sound a large step forward with The Bends in 1995. With that album, Thom Yorke and crew featured a mature set of songs that coupled Yorke’s angst-ridden lyrics and vulnerable falsetto with layered, crunchy guitars and unforgettable riffs and hooks. The album established Radiohead as the hip new band of the ‘90’s. All that the band needed to do was tour and write The Bends II, and their star would glow forever brightly in the rock pantheon.

Instead, Yorke had something else in mind. On the heels of an album that defined the fresh sound of indie rock, Radiohead completely and irrevocably changed their sound with the release of OK Computer.  Synthesized rhythm, often syncopated, acoustic strolls through loveless landscapes, and lyrics undoubtedly conjured from Yorke’s memories of 3 a.m. night terrors, absolutely challenge the listener to stop what they are doing to keep up with the music. The album is – tense, yet still musical; in fact, it’s tense because of Thom Yorke’s ability to draw empathy from the listener as he suffers through myriad cosmic injustices for 54 minutes. The album bears no resemblance to its first release, and shares little more than anguish with its immediate predecessor in regard to style. Even so, it’s all Radiohead from the standpoint of great hooks that won’t leave your head, and a voice so plaintive that only Morrissey could possibly compete.

The band settled on and refined this sound with the subsequent releases of Kid A and Amnesiac. All together this trifecta reflects the genius that is Radiohead.

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