Album: The Bends
Artist: Radiohead
Born: Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Released: March 1995
Genre: Indie Rock
Radiohead were the defining band of my generation, with a creative arc that put dinosaurs like Oasis to shame and a sound that rapidly transcended Britpop. The band's beginnings were far from auspicious though, releasing an album (Pablo Honey, 1993) that was heavily indebted to grunge, Sonic Youth and the Pixies, but which had only a few memorable songs (Thinking About You being one). The group took their name from a Talking Heads song, revealing Thom Yorke's deep admiration for David Byrne. Radiohead were in danger of becoming a one-hit wonder following the success of Creep, which as a re-released single in 1993 became a Top 10 UK hit and also broke into the Top 40 in the US. Creep's success gave the band the freedom to experiment in the studio without pressure from label Parlophone, but also became a millstone around their neck during live performances, a love-hate scenario summed up by the title track of their 1994 EP, My Iron Lung. To spell out the metaphor, Creep sustained and constrained the band's existence. My Iron Lung did point to a way forward though, with Jonny Greenwood's loud, abrasive guitars coming to the fore along with Yorke's widening vocal range and the group's more complex, layered arrangements. Bringing producer John Leckie into the fold was also key to achieving the sonic richness of The Bends, and the album has similarly spacious atmospherics to previous Leckie masterworks like Wish You Were Here and The Stone Roses. Not everybody was convinced of its quality. Many were put off by Radiohead's perceived misanthropy, with The Bends perhaps lacking the optimism of Parklife or Definitely Maybe, for example, but for me personally this was the most important record of the 90s.
Thom Yorke's droopy eyelid, the album cover of a CPR mannequin, the group's love of recycling, vegetarianism and political activism; Radiohead were a unique proposition. Two songs from The Bends, Planet Telex and High & Dry, were released as a double A-side just prior to the album in February 1995, while Fake Plastic Trees was released just after (May 1995). One of the B-side remixes of Planet Telex, known as the Hexidecimal Mix, was an indicator of the group's more experimental approach on follow-up album, OK Computer, and was one of the most exciting things I heard aged 15. Title track The Bends is another of my favourites on the album, seemingly about the dizzying sensation that Yorke felt at sudden fame ("I wanna live, breathe / I wanna be part of the human race"). That moment when Yorke screams, "I wish that something would hap ... PEN!", backed by Greenwood's towering riff, was one of the most thrilling things to assail my teenage ears. Just and My Iron Lung have a similar electrifying rock sound that showcases Jonny Greenwood's talents. Fake Plastic Trees' melancholy lyrics touch on similar themes to those explored on the title track, as Yorke pines to escape his artificial existence ("She looks like the real thing / she tastes like the real thing / my fake plastic love"). Bulletproof ... I Wish I Was and Black Star are two other quieter, emotional refrains that blend well with the harder rocking songs. High & Dry is a far more straight-forward ballad, which Yorke wrote in the early Radiohead years but got included here under pressure from the label, who wanted a follow-up hit to Creep. I still love it for its simplicity. The Bends is far more than a collection of great singles shoved together, but has a wonderful pacing and is bookended by two of the group's best songs, finishing with the beautifully sad, Street Spirit [Fade Out]. This may not be Radiohead's most experimental album, but it's probably their best collection of songs.
Radiohead were the defining band of my generation, with a creative arc that put dinosaurs like Oasis to shame and a sound that rapidly transcended Britpop. The band's beginnings were far from auspicious though, releasing an album (Pablo Honey, 1993) that was heavily indebted to grunge, Sonic Youth and the Pixies, but which had only a few memorable songs (Thinking About You being one). The group took their name from a Talking Heads song, revealing Thom Yorke's deep admiration for David Byrne. Radiohead were in danger of becoming a one-hit wonder following the success of Creep, which as a re-released single in 1993 became a Top 10 UK hit and also broke into the Top 40 in the US. Creep's success gave the band the freedom to experiment in the studio without pressure from label Parlophone, but also became a millstone around their neck during live performances, a love-hate scenario summed up by the title track of their 1994 EP, My Iron Lung. To spell out the metaphor, Creep sustained and constrained the band's existence. My Iron Lung did point to a way forward though, with Jonny Greenwood's loud, abrasive guitars coming to the fore along with Yorke's widening vocal range and the group's more complex, layered arrangements. Bringing producer John Leckie into the fold was also key to achieving the sonic richness of The Bends, and the album has similarly spacious atmospherics to previous Leckie masterworks like Wish You Were Here and The Stone Roses. Not everybody was convinced of its quality. Many were put off by Radiohead's perceived misanthropy, with The Bends perhaps lacking the optimism of Parklife or Definitely Maybe, for example, but for me personally this was the most important record of the 90s.
Thom Yorke's droopy eyelid, the album cover of a CPR mannequin, the group's love of recycling, vegetarianism and political activism; Radiohead were a unique proposition. Two songs from The Bends, Planet Telex and High & Dry, were released as a double A-side just prior to the album in February 1995, while Fake Plastic Trees was released just after (May 1995). One of the B-side remixes of Planet Telex, known as the Hexidecimal Mix, was an indicator of the group's more experimental approach on follow-up album, OK Computer, and was one of the most exciting things I heard aged 15. Title track The Bends is another of my favourites on the album, seemingly about the dizzying sensation that Yorke felt at sudden fame ("I wanna live, breathe / I wanna be part of the human race"). That moment when Yorke screams, "I wish that something would hap ... PEN!", backed by Greenwood's towering riff, was one of the most thrilling things to assail my teenage ears. Just and My Iron Lung have a similar electrifying rock sound that showcases Jonny Greenwood's talents. Fake Plastic Trees' melancholy lyrics touch on similar themes to those explored on the title track, as Yorke pines to escape his artificial existence ("She looks like the real thing / she tastes like the real thing / my fake plastic love"). Bulletproof ... I Wish I Was and Black Star are two other quieter, emotional refrains that blend well with the harder rocking songs. High & Dry is a far more straight-forward ballad, which Yorke wrote in the early Radiohead years but got included here under pressure from the label, who wanted a follow-up hit to Creep. I still love it for its simplicity. The Bends is far more than a collection of great singles shoved together, but has a wonderful pacing and is bookended by two of the group's best songs, finishing with the beautifully sad, Street Spirit [Fade Out]. This may not be Radiohead's most experimental album, but it's probably their best collection of songs.
Comments