One hour, thirteen songs and one of the greatest bands of our times.
Mix these three and you have one of the finest moments in television history (The moon landing? What the hell is that!!!). From the first initial riff and vocals on The National Anthem, it was obvious to everyone watching that Radiohead were in tremendous form. The National Anthem stirred up the crowd and the band, with Thom Yorke belting out the vocals and some excellent guitar was thrown in to boot.
Then Thom Yorke advised us to sit back and relax, they would be here for the next "50 odd minutes". Oh how we wish it was more, but we may have died of excitement if it was any longer. Then came the pulsating drums from Kid A Morning Bell and they wheeled out Thom's keyboard. His vocals were spot on, and the song really energised the crowd, and there was rapturous applause when it was finished.
Then after two relatively upbeat songs, Radiohead decided to revert to the tried and tested, depressing but brillliant style used on the so-good-it hurts third album, OK Computer.
The track was Lucky, and that's how the audience felt after being graced by its presence. A slow song with a thunderous chorus, this song was always a favourite of mine on OK Computer, and hearing it live adds so much character.
Next, lest we forget Radiohead had an amazing brand spanking new album out at all they played the starting track from Amnesiac, Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box. With Thom whining about what a reasonable man he is and a lot of cool noises going off in the background, it was a nice normal first track to do from Amnesiac. I think if they'd played Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors half the crowd would have left!!
OK Computer was again the album the next track was taken from, this time No Surprises was the chosen song. This is an excellent song but I think it's one of the few tracks played on the show that doesn't get a lot better live. It just stays good! Great guitar and vocals add a lot to this song.
Dollars and Cents was the second tune to be chosen from the fifth album Amnesiac. This song is stunning, with serene vocals and an astonishing backing track. One of my friends suggested that the studio song was slightly overproduced, and after watching this superb performance I'd have to agree, the live performance is so simple, it's just like the old days!!!
Life In A Glasshouse became the second Amnesiac number in a row, and this could possibly be the highlight of the album. With Humphrey Lyttleton on Trumpet, and Thom Yorke slamming out vocals which descend into an unforgettable finish, this was an instant favourite of mine on Amnesiac. The arrival of Humphrey Lyttleton was greeted with a huge round of applause and so was his exit. Well deserved, I might add.
Exit Music (For A Film) is arguably the most depressing song Radiohead have ever recorded and God knows ther's some contenders! Yet, this this was the next chosen track. To call it a moving performance is a huge understatement. When this song was played not a word was uttered or noise made, and in my sitting room that's quite an acheivement! Beautiful guitar strumming and strong vocals make this a must-hear.
I Might Be Wrong was the fourth and last number from Amnesiac, and not a bad song to end on at all. A continous guitar riff and a bit of Thom's trademark vocals and we know we're well on our way to another Radiohead knock-out. Bliss.
What is there to say about Street Spirit (Fade Out) that hasn't already been said? The solitary survivor from the classic album that was The Bends, this hauniting melody with some ghostly singing makes for a tremendous track. A firm favourite with the crowd aswell.
Paranoid Android. Wow. For about a minute after this performance I was completely bowled over, as always when I hear this live. This song has had many comparisons with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody because of the songs different sections, but for me this stands alone as Radiohead's greatest song. Nuff said.
The end draws near, and as if the audience wasn't excited enough after Paranoid Android, Radiohead chose Idioteque as the second last offering. Chosen by many (myself included) as the best track from Kid A, this upbeat track had my sitting room dancing along. Not a pretty sight (if I was writing an op on the dancing, one star would seem extremely generous), but a bit of a laugh all the same. Brilliant.
To bring events to a close, they xhose the first song from Kid A, Everything In It's Right Place. Thom sang away happily, while weird noise erupted in the background and near the end they used some kind of voicebox to distort a pre-recorde line sung by Thom.
Then the madness was over, reality was restored and I was left with a huge grin and visons of Ed O' Brien and Jonny Greenwood's wailing guitars, quickfire drumming and of course the magic of Thom Yorke's vocal chords.
But now comes the problem. What do I do now the concert is finished? Return to my mundane life? No. God bless the person who invented the video recorder (cue much kissing of the all-hallowed tape). If you haven't got a copy, try and persuade the BBC to give you a copy or at least replay it because this is one gig you gotta see.
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sounds like another Radiohead extravaganza not to be missed! I'll watch out for any replays..cheers an enjoyable opinion expressing the highlight of the show! thank you.
Advantages: Leading artists, as well as the cpcoming shown, almost every genre is covered Disadvantages: Shown on late Friday nights when a lot of the audience will be out.
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