Let's talk Radiohead b-sides!

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I seem to have developed a taste for listening to Radiohead of late that I didn't expect at all. I used to love them a great deal years ago but I really never felt the need to pull them out at all until now. Anyway, what are your favourite b-sides? "Talk Show Host" is absolutely one of my fave songs of theirs ever, especially in a live setting. "Cuttooth", "Worrywart" are other b-sides that kill me, and "Bishop's Robes" sounded quite nice to me just now, though I never took notice of it before.

I may say more when I've had the chance to go through more of my CD singles, here.

― Pump up the pumpkin, pump up the pumpkin dance dance (Bimble...), Sunday, 12 November 2006 16:33 (nineteen years ago)

"Paperbag Writer" is a minimal, four tet sounding thing, iirc, that you could actually dance to, and "Fog" is a couple of spooked voices sailing over rattling toms, a tamborine, and a waterbong. Both are great. "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy" also good.

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Sunday, 12 November 2006 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

I reckon they'd be worth a Join The Dots-style box set some time. I like "Cut-tooth" quite a lot as well, and I rank "How I Made My Millions" very highly, even if lyrically it's the prime example of Thom Yorke moaning unintelligibly, along with "Where Bluebirds Fly".

― LC (Damian), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:02 (nineteen years ago)

Their mini-album 'Airbag/How Am I Driving' is their greatest, most consistently brilliant, cohesive work IMO. Pearly - Meeting In The Aisle - A Reminder is a sequence they'd never get close to emulating, and the other four tracks are pretty sensational as well.

― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)

Oh Fuck yeah...Palo Alto, the last song on that ep, is kick-ass. Giant guitar-crunching choruses, a la "Creep."

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:17 (nineteen years ago)

They originally planned to stick 'Palo Alto' on OKC, but they figured that as it was a closing track, it was either that or The Tourist, and the latter fitted the mood of the album better. No loss, because the songs that precede Palo Alto on A/HAID are actually better than those on the 'greatest album of eva'. No shit.

And yeah, the layers of tape loops and crazy-ass rhythmical noises on that song are just fantastic. With an IMMENSE closing solo. Fuck yes. 'A Reminder' is still the best song, though, 3:51 of purely psychedelic mind-massaging...

― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:24 (nineteen years ago)

I'm actually quite partial to Polyethylene; but yes, the entire Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP is flawless

My Iron Lung EP is also quite highly regarded, and rightfully so. As for individual b-sides, "Bishop's Robes", "Talk Show Host", "Nude"/"Big Ideas" (which has been around since at least 2002), and "How Can You Be Sure" all seem to be fan favorites

― less-than three's Christiane F. (drowned in milk), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

My Iron Lung is also ace, it has The Trickster, Lewis (Mistreated) AND Punch-Drunk Love-Sick Singalong! :-)

― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:49 (nineteen years ago)

Fog! Possibly the most beautiful song Yorke ever wrote!

― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Sunday, 12 November 2006 18:25 (nineteen years ago)

Airbag/How am I Driving EP is awesome, as everyone else has said. I've never liked Palo Alto as much as others seem to, though. But yeah, A Reminder, Pearly, Meeting in the Aisle, Polyethylene...all great songs. They were really on a fucking roll for a while there.

Permament Daylight is a pretty nice Bends-era B-side.

Fog is a wonderful song, one of my favorite Radiohead songs period.

Not Radiohead, I guess, but the Jetstream B-side off of The Eraser is better then 3/4 of the actual album, I'd say.

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Sunday, 12 November 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

the Airbag EP would be perfect without "A Reminder" - as it stands, it comes close

― Stephen Bush (Stephen B.), Sunday, 12 November 2006 19:52 (nineteen years ago)

"killer cars" is pure saccharine.

― kyle gorman (killabee), Sunday, 12 November 2006 20:41 (nineteen years ago)

i seem to like the ones with 'million' in the title best. 'how i made my millions' and 'million dollar question' are probably my two favourite radiohead b-sides..

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Sunday, 12 November 2006 22:25 (nineteen years ago)

I love it when people say things like "They were really on a fucking roll for awhile there." Did you know on some sites you're not allowed to use curse words? I was censored, that's all I'll say.

Anyway I currently have that Airbag EP on, thanks to the lot of you. Song playing now is "Polyethylene" (god that's a hard word to spell).

― Pump up the pumpkin, pump up the pumpkin dance dance (Bimble...), Monday, 13 November 2006 00:27 (nineteen years ago)

I also have My Iron Lung EP but there are some b-sides mentioned here that I don't have and will cry in my beer about not having.

― Pump up the pumpkin, pump up the pumpkin dance dance (Bimble...), Monday, 13 November 2006 00:29 (nineteen years ago)

Holy shit you guys were right! Palo Alto rules!

― Pump up the pumpkin, pump up the pumpkin dance dance (Bimble...), Monday, 13 November 2006 00:34 (nineteen years ago)

Playing Kid A now - can't express how weird it is to hear the title track again - I don't remember it, really - blasting me into the past...

― Kid B (Bimble...), Monday, 13 November 2006 00:43 (nineteen years ago)

'gagging order' makes me long for simpler times and 'i am citizen insane' makes me dream of slamming my head against a brick wall until 2008

― travis randy (travis randy), Monday, 13 November 2006 01:11 (nineteen years ago)

Gagging Order and I Am Citizen Insane are two of the worst tracks ever recorded by any band.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Monday, 13 November 2006 01:15 (nineteen years ago)

These are all wonderful suggestions, and I love you all, but I'm currently playing a stellar live version of the song "The Bends". That's why I'm drunk as hell and that's why I love you.

― Kid B (Bimble...), Monday, 13 November 2006 01:57 (nineteen years ago)

Thank you! Just listening to Fog. God damn, it is beautiful.

― JoseMaria (JoseMaria), Monday, 13 November 2006 10:29 (nineteen years ago)

the trickster sounds exactly like kevin carter by manics.

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Monday, 13 November 2006 11:18 (nineteen years ago)

"How I Made My Millions" seconded. Another one from the same era but absent from the Airbag ep is the Fila Brazilia mix of Climbing up the Walls - sinister and sleekly machined, well in the spirit of their sound at the time.

― ledge (ledge), Monday, 13 November 2006 12:22 (nineteen years ago)

Any love for "kinetic"?

― zach mercer (suizen), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 10:17 (nineteen years ago)

or "Follow Me Around"?

― Roz (Roz), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 10:23 (nineteen years ago)

PEARLY

― tk (tk), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 23:25 (nineteen years ago)

my 10, in order-
talk show host
nobody does it better
how i made my millions
how can you be sure
india rubber
faithless the wonder boy
follow me around
lull
palo alto
lozenge of love

Also big love for "El President," "This Mess We're In" and "Rabbit In Your Headlights," even though none of those are by Radiohead.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Thursday, 16 November 2006 19:41 (nineteen years ago)

Someone pls to send me all this b-sides.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 16 November 2006 19:45 (nineteen years ago)

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