Radiohead Albums: Best To Worst
I’m finally done with my Radiohead listening project and can come up a list of their albums from “best to worst” — in my humble opinion, of course.
This actually answered a burning question I had which was how The Bends stacks up to Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail To The Thief. To my surprise, The Bends fared better than any of those three according to my totally nonobjective Intra-Album Ranking System.
I wish Kid A and Amnesiac had been released as one album, with weaker songs dropped.
1. OK Computer
4.16 stars
Webomatica: OK Computer
Best songs: Airbag, Paranoid Android, Exit Music (For A Film), Karma Police, No Surprises, Lucky
iTunes Store Link: OK Computer — Radiohead
2. The Bends
4.08 stars
Webomatica: The Bends
Best songs: High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, My Iron Lung
iTunes Store Link: The Bends — Radiohead
3. Kid A
3.8 stars
Webomatica: Kid A
Best songs: Everything In Its Right Place, Optimistic, In Limbo, Morning Bell
iTunes Store Link: Kid A — Radiohead
4. Hail To The Thief
3.64 stars
Webomatica: Hail To The Thief
Best songs: 2+2=5, Myxomatosis, Scatterbrain
iTunes Store Link: Hail to the Thief — Radiohead
5. Amnesiac
3.54 stars
Webomatica: Amnesiac
Best songs: Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box, Pyramid Song
iTunes Store Link: Amnesiac — Radiohead
6. Pablo Honey
2.91 stars
Webomatica: Pablo Honey
Best song: Creep
iTunes Store Link: Pablo Honey — Radiohead
I agree completely with that list. The Bends is a great album that is often overlooked since it’s pre-OK Computer days when all the hype really started.
Nice job.
Yeah I think the intellectual side of me always thought the post OK Computer stuff was better. I think the biggest issue I have is even after listening to Amnesiac, Kid A and Hail to the Thief over and over for the past few months, I still have a hard time remembering which song is on what album.
Anyhow, I think Radiohead is slated to release a new album this year. I’m excited to hear what they’ve been up to.
“The Bends” sounds so nineties! To me, it’s nothing breathtaking, just good little tracks.
I agree with the last reviewer on the possible song confusion between “AMNESIAC” and “HAIL TO THE THIEF” (which is an album that I like but that clearly lacks identity»>Where’s the epic?)
It’s tricky but I think over all there are more songs I really love on the Bends when compared to the albums post OK Computer. Yeah, it does sound pretty 90s. Maybe in 50 years the next generation will catch up with Radiohead
I must disagree with your assessment, here. OKC definitely deserves the top spot, there’s no doubt about it… and Pablo Honey should definitely settle in at the bottom… but as far as your other ranks go…
The Bends — sitting at your #2 spot!? I liked the album and all, but aside from “High and Dry” (which is an instant classic), “Fake Plastic Trees” (which is one of the most genius-written songs I’ve ever heard), and “Bullet Proof (I Wish I Was)”, there are no other heavy hitters on the album. Not to mention the fact that The Bends had that song “Bones”, which is easily my pick for worst studio album Radiohead song.
Kid A — I think this album often gets underrated because it was the follow up to OK Computer, but I simply think it’s phenomenal. Faced with topping the album of the decade, Radiohead went in a completely unheard of direction and pulled it off with flying colors. “Everything In Its Right Place” puts me in a euphoric trance every time I listen to it, and that whole bulk of the album from “The National Anthem” all the way to the last track “Motion Picture Soundtrack” I could put on repeat forever and be completely satisfied. The only song I’m not 100% head over heels about on that album is “Kid A” because it’s a bit too concept-y even for my taste.
Hail to the Thief — Can’t say I liked this album. Aside from Pablo Honey, this album was almost too experimental for me to enjoy. They tried to do a thousand different things on one album and for the first time ever, they failed. I think that’s what lead them to fall back to the OKC-esque sound when they made In Rainbows. There aren’t any real standout songs I can think of that I actually enjoy listening to on HTTT except for “2+2=5″ and “Myxomatosis”.
Amnesiac — *HUGE* mistake placing this one so low, I’m sorry. There are so many songs on this album that blow my mind every time I listen to it that I can’t seem to rationalize in my head how you put this so low. I loved this album. Songs like “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors” with the funk-inspired beats drive me up the wall, just wanting to break out of my skin, and I love that feeling. This is Radiohead experimenting at their best, unlike Hail to the Thief. “Like Spinning Plates” sounds like you’re hearing the universe and all of its sequences and wavelengths. Such a great album.
Anyway, I enjoyed the read. Sorry for such a long response. I love discussing Radiohead with people who can comprehend their music. I’d like to know what you thought of “In Rainbows”, however, because it took spot #2 on my RH albums list right below OKC.
I must disagree with your assessment, here. OKC definitely deserves the top spot, there’s no doubt about it… and Pablo Honey should definitely settle in at the bottom… but as far as your other ranks go…
The Bends — sitting at your #2 spot!? I liked the album and all, but aside from “High and Dry” (which is an instant classic), “Fake Plastic Trees” (which is one of the most genius-written songs I’ve ever heard), and “Bullet Proof (I Wish I Was)”, there are no other heavy hitters on the album. Not to mention the fact that The Bends had that song “Bones”, which is easily my pick for worst studio album Radiohead song.
Kid A — I think this album often gets underrated because it was the follow up to OK Computer, but I simply think it’s phenomenal. Faced with topping the album of the decade, Radiohead went in a completely unheard of direction and pulled it off with flying colors. “Everything In Its Right Place” puts me in a euphoric trance every time I listen to it, and that whole bulk of the album from “The National Anthem” all the way to the last track “Motion Picture Soundtrack” I could put on repeat forever and be completely satisfied. The only song I’m not 100% head over heels about on that album is “Kid A” because it’s a bit too concept-y even for my taste.
Hail to the Thief — Can’t say I liked this album. Aside from Pablo Honey, this album was almost too experimental for me to enjoy. They tried to do a thousand different things on one album and for the first time ever, they failed. I think that’s what lead them to fall back to the OKC-esque sound when they made In Rainbows. There aren’t any real standout songs I can think of that I actually enjoy listening to on HTTT except for “2+2=5″ and “Myxomatosis”.
Amnesiac — *HUGE* mistake placing this one so low, I’m sorry. There are so many songs on this album that blow my mind every time I listen to it that I can’t seem to rationalize in my head how you put this so low. I loved this album. Songs like “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors” with the funk-inspired beats drive me up the wall, just wanting to break out of my skin, and I love that feeling. This is Radiohead experimenting at their best, unlike Hail to the Thief. “Like Spinning Plates” sounds like you’re hearing the universe and all of its sequences and wavelengths. Such a great album.
Anyway, I enjoyed the read. Sorry for such a long response. I love discussing Radiohead with people who can comprehend their music. I’d like to know what you thought of “In Rainbows”, however, because it took spot #2 on my RH albums list right below OKC.
Hi twistedlogic — well I really love Just and My Iron Lung and would add those as great songs. I do agree Bones is very meh.
I think my main difficulty with both Kid A and Amnesiac is that despite listening to both albums repeatedly, I still have a hard time differentiating some songs from another and even which song is on which album. Maybe the music is going over my head to a large degree and it comes back to “hooks” which is something that I will admit to grabbing onto.
So I concluded that while Kid A and Amnesiac each have some key tracks that are better than anything on the Bends, when I added up my star rankings for each album they sank lower.
I have yet to really listen and consider each song on In Rainbows at fit it into this list but I think it would come close to #2 or #3.
Anyhow thanks for commenting, it’s good to get different, thoughtful opinions which is why I have open comments.
i agree that OK Computer is the best radiohead album.….but i really like just about all their stuff, so it is hard to pick one over the other.
I pretty much agree, however i think i would swap Amnesiac and Hail to the thief around as amnesiac is a much better album in my opinion.
My list is basically opposite:
1. Amnesiac
2. Kid A
3. Hail to the Thief
4. OK Computer
5. Bends
6. Pablo Honey
1. Hail to the Thief — took me a while to “get” but it is technically staggering, albeit really downbeat. I love all the little nuances in it.
2. OK Computer
3. Kid A
4. Amnesiac
5. Bends
6. In Rainbows — way overrated imo
7. Pablo Honey
In Rainbows anyone?
Here is my list
Stop trying to compare them, they are all amazing in different ways (except Pablo Honey, which is a fine album but definitely not their best).
1. Amnesiac
1. Kid A
1. Hail to the Thief
1. In Rainbows
1. OK Computer
1. Bends
2. Pablo Honey
1. OK Computer ( preferred masterpiece)
2. The Bends (masterpiece)
3. Pablo Honey ( woooh! )
4. Amnesiac ( great album )
5. Kid A, Hail To The Thief, In Rainbows, ( :/ not proud of these records )
Ok, not being well versed with these records, I absolutely LOVE Amnesiac! Knives Out is my favorite song on the record, but for me, the record as a whole, is perfect.
Hail is not a great record imo but I do not think In Rainbows is over-rated one bit! I think it is a VERY fine record and a “True” return to form for the band (again, imo).
The best album is the one you like the most, especially when it comes to Radiohead.
As a long time Radiohead fan this is my list:
1.) OK Computer
2.) Kid A
3.) The Bends
4.) Amnesiac
5.) In Rainbows
6.) Hail To The Thief
7.) Pablo Honey
You can truly switch The Bends and Kid A they’re both just as good as the other. The Bends is the best starting point for a newbie and amnesiac is completely underrated album and a little too much love for In Rainbows but I can understand that because it’s their most recent album.
To the person who made this list, even though it is a good list I completely disagree with how you went about making it. Radiohead changed how we will listen to music forever, you must listen to their whole albums. So, you cannot take an average of the stars you gave to each individual song. You must grade each album as a whole not in pieces.
as go forward albums gets more incredible! the best is the last and there’s no worst! my ranking is like:
1– in rainbows
2– hail to the thief
3– amnesiac
4– ok computer
5– kid A
6 — the bends
7– pablo honey
1. Pablo Honey
2. The Bends
3. Kid A
4. Amnesiac
5. Hail to the Thief
6. OK Computer
7. In Rainbows
Am I the only person who likes their debut? Maybe it’s all relative…
1) The Bends
2) OK Computer
3) Kid A
4) Hail To The Thief
5) In Rainbows
6) Amnesiac
7) Pablo Honey
anyway, I really think it’s hard to make this list, so this is what I feel at the moment
all my love to radiohead. they’ve changed my life.
<3
1) OK Computer — No Surprises, Paranoid Android, Airbag, Let down, The Tourist
2) The Bends — High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Planet Telex, (Nice Dream), My Iron Lung
3) In Rainbows — Reckoner, Nude, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, 15 step, House of Cards
4) Kid A — Everything in Its Right Place, In Limbo, The National Anthem
5) Amnesiac — Pyramid Song
6) Pablo Honey — Creep, Vegetable
7) Hail to the thief — 2+2 = 5
The Bends was the first Radiohead album I listened to and I can say that it changed my life at the time. My point is that I have heard all albums in date order from this one. My reviews:-
1) OK Computer — Astonishing in places. Three songs which are perfect — The Tourist, Sub. Homesick Alien and Let Down. Perfectly mixes in experimentation from a typical ‘5 piece band’ perspective, and has a wonderful balance except for Fitter Happier and the slow nature of the last 3 tracks (although which on their own are brilliant)
2) The Bends — Planet Telex, The Bends, Fake Plastic, Nice Dream, Just, My Iron Lung, Bullet Proof, Black Star, Street Spirit. As far as tracks go, this is an amazing album. Bones and Sulk are poor and although it is pretty straight forward, the melodies and musicianship are superb, and Yorkes voice is at its best.
3) In Rainbows — Probably Radioheads most well balanced album from start to finish as a whole piece and showing a new level of maturity and a comfort with songwriting again. The previous 3 albums were a struggle to create something new, different, and experimental; often losing emotive power. This is very emotive, both lyrically and musically. Think All I Need. Jigswa… and Weird Fishes are excellent.
4) Kid A — Everything In.…, How to Disappear.…, Optimistic, In Limbo are great tunes. Motion Picture Soundtrack is one of their most overrated closers. Morning Bell starts promising but doesn’t really go anywhere. Very dark but you can’t fault the effort to be influenced more by electronic music as they always loved it and their Rock Band status had grown tedious to them.
5) Amnesiac — Pyramid Song and Knives Out are genius songs and better than anything on Kid A in my opinion but there are too many fillers. Stoners would say songs like ‘Spinning Plates’ are other wordly but all in all they are minimal and cannot compare to the complexity and wonder of a ‘Paranoid Android’. I know albums are meant to stand in one sense as a work of art as a whole piece, But this is a little weird and influenced by Prolokiev, Aphex Twin and Experimental Jazz a little too much. Maybe one day I will learn to love it as a whole piece and understand the minimal and depressive beats.
5) Hail to the Thief — It is far to long and all over the place. Some good tracks, both guitar driven and electronic, and immaculately produced, but is rarely one that can stand a single listen which is the problem. I sense that this was the band in conflict about their direction and questioning their ability as musicians. In Rainbows was like ‘yes we’ve figured it out now’.
6) Pablo Honey — very mediocre indie/rock album. Highlights are Thinking About You, Lurgee and Vegetable.
As a band though, the departure in style and tempo in Radiohead albums makes their story all the more interesting and without such experimentation, we would never have had songs like Pyramid Song or Everything.… recorded as they were.
I think a lot of you folks are getting a bit heady — I suppose that’s apropos given a band like Radiohead. The “fact” remains (I realize this is all subjective) is that as far as records go — start to finish — there is NO DOUBT The Bends is their greatest achievement, by far. OK computer a not too distant 2nd. If I’m not mistaken, interviews suggest the band feels this way too. The musicianship and unparalleled production capability of a band like this makes it very easy for them to create endless ear candy alongside sub-par songwriting. The songwriting was quite simply the strongest on The Bends, considering it as a whole. The production is immaculate — a perfect balance between letting the songs breathe in an organic way and Radiohead’s larger than life pioneering production sensibility shining through a la the time travel of the use of Fender Rhodes from the 70’s into the space echoed vibratoed rhythm track that EVERYONE has ripped off ever since, but I digress…
pablo honey is the worst radiohead album by far listening to most of that album makes me puke. Besides that all the other albums imo are amazing. “I Might be Wrong” is my favorite song by far. Ive listened to it a million times.
1. In Rainbows
2. Kid A
3. OK Computer
4. The Bends
5. The King of Limbs
6, Amnesiac
Just got into Radiohead at age 51! Everyone should own a copy of the first four on this list. Also love Arcade Fire. The top two bands in the world right now.
I think there is a split in the fanbase between people who liked Amnesiac and people who did not like it. It has a much darker and chaotic sound than most of their other albums. It is very similar to Kid A, having obvious flashback moments like Morning Bell.
1. Amniesiac
2. Kid A
3. OK Computer
4. In Rainbows
5. Hail to the Thief
6. The Bends
7. The King of Limbs
8. Pablo Honey
Why does everyone hate Pablo Honey? Anyways, it’s pointless to put them in any order, they are all great. Except for King of Limbs.
1. The Bends. Bones — every day do something that scares you. What have you done today?
3 In Rainbows.
8. OK Computer — Sheep.
2. Reaction — Because its a reaction to a reaction to The Bends.
1. OK Computer
2. Kid A
3. The Bends
4. In Rainbows
5. Amnesiac/ Hail to the Thief
6. The King of Limbs
7. Pablo Honey
It’s as simple as that! Every album down to 5 is at least 9/10 though.
I wish people would just accept certain Radiohead songs for what they are. Some of the tracks (post “OK Computer” ones) are intended to act as experiments to give each album a unique sense of intoxicating wierdness that reflects the ideas and the themes on what the album is supposed to be about. So much intelligence and creativity has been imbued from “OK Computer” and its successors. For this reason, Radiohead have accomplished much more than ‘albums with tracks on it’; essentially, they have crafted beautiful works of art. Their albums are supposed to leave you feeling intoxicated. For that reason, “Amnesiac” is a beaut.
And what’s with this nonsense criticism about “The Bends” sounding too 90s? It does, but that’s one of the reasons why it’s such a nostalgic, charming, intoxicating ride. The last third of the album still gives me goose pimples, even though I’ve been listening to it for the majority of my life. It was their breakthrough album, a stone cold classic… AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE 90s WAS SO GREAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!
1. OK Computer
2. The Bends
3. KID A / Amnesiac
4. Hail to the Thief
5. The King of Limbs
6. Pablo Honey
7. In Rainbows