Best Opening Song on a Radiohead Album

MUCH harder than the closers. MUCH. I'm torn between about 6.

15 step, def

"Airbag"

Yeah I know EIIRP is going to win, but seriously, "PLANET TELEX", PEOPLE!!!!

Realistically this is between Airbag, Telex and 2. You, Place and Step are fucking awesome too though. And Sardines isn't too far away. Have always maintained that Telex is the shining star in The Bends' firmament, and completely transcends that album's status as Radiohead's low-point.

In what universe is The Bends the low point? In my happy world it's their best.

The one where they got good and stayed good at OKC but failed to build on their debut album

...actually I'm being a little contrary here, but TB has High And Dry on it and is therefore a worse album than Pablo Honey which has How Do You but nobody remembers that one

u fulla shit dog

In what universe is The Bends the low point? In my happy world it's their best.

― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, August 26, 2009 10:27 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

^^^ALL OF THIS!

For me this is "2 + 2 = 5" without a doubt. A solid, energetic opening track that perfectly sets the tone for Radiohead's best album.

The Bends just comes off a bit more calculatedly petulant, where PH had just been immature and thrown-together. Grace was to flower where it had previously flickered. Yeah I'm full of shit at 3.30 am.

ilxor talkin' my kinda game tbh, altho can't promise i'll vote for it

HTTT is my least favorite of theirs, and seems the most guilty of Radiohead just doing Radiohead karaoke to me. Not sure I can even remember without prompting how a single track on that album actually goes.

I will always maintain that Hail to the Thief is secretly Radiohead's best work. The Bends may have been their best improvement on previous quality of work... OK Computer may be an excellent relic of its time, a statement album of sorts... Kid A may be more cohesive... Amnesiac more boundary pushing... but truly, Hail to the Thief was the record that put all their best traits in a blender and just knocked it out of the park. Probably my favorite "rock" album of the decade.

HTTT is my least favorite of theirs, and seems the most guilty of Radiohead just doing Radiohead karaoke to me. Not sure I can even remember without prompting how a single track on that album actually goes.

― Johnny Fever

^^^ALL OF THIS!

wtf anti-mes on internet

ARE YOU HUNG-R-R-R-R--Y-Y- (CLAP)

I will always maintain that Hail to the Thief is secretly Radiohead's best work.

I feel like they kept this a secret really well...like, even with the music

lol best comment of what will probably be a 700 post thread.

I'm starting to think "High And Dry" is their most underrated song.. I guess people really hate it if it's causing people to consider The Bends anything but brilliant..

Yeah anyway.. I never realized how great their Track 1's are until now.. this is some of their best stuff.

"Everything In Its Right Place," not coincidentally the only Radiohead song I full on love.

Planet Telex.

As much as I love Radiohead, reading this list made me realize that, with one exception, their opening tracks do not rank among their best tunes.

Exception: "Everything In Its Right Place."

"airbag" easy

Never understood the hate for High and Dry. I find the the verses beautiful...

I picked ETIIRP.

DA ERASAH

"Airbag". "OK Computer" will win most of these for me, save for maybe the odd "The Bends" track.

''2 + 2 = 5" for me.

My fav LP is "Kid A" by some margin, but I gave it to "Packt" because, hey, it's just better htan "Everything"

It's between Everything and 2+2.

everything from "airbag" on are some of my favorite radiohead tunes ever.

I really wish I liked In Rainbows as an album. A lot of the songs are great but they do not cohere for me at all; in fact, they actively work against each other to the point where I never, ever want to listen to the album and only remember that it contains songs I like a lot when they pop up on a Genius playlist totally out of context.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

i like Kid A and all but seriously what's the BFD about that song?

it's a balearic workout trapped in the body of cerebral art-pop, hence ILM-tastic...I actually forgot to vote in this, would have probably gone for 2+2=5

or Airbag!

Ha! I'm the only one who voted for The Eraser. I don't know if I actually prefer it to all the other choices, but it is a vv good opener.

I love the entire Eraser record, but the piano chords that go throughout the opening title track sound so badly recorded, which makes sense considering I read somewhere Thom recorded Jonny playing them with a dictaphone.

and he should have used his finger like everyone else!

How did Airbag not win this?

Because it's not the best song here?

I see the new "deluxe" box versions are in.

The "Kid A" one is quite light (The CD2 is fine, the DVD only has 3 tracks), but the Amnesiac one is quite nice (textured box, lots on the DVD, etc)