2+2=5 is part of a famous passage in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. The party is so powerful and has such absolute control over truth that they can make you believe a lie.
@@lonelyweeb6772 In 1984, people absolutely believe 2+2=5. There are of course those who just pretend to believe in order to survive, but it's made clear in the novel that controlling language controls thought. People can be made to believe anything, no matter how absurd (just look at the real world for proof of this - there's thousands of cults and extremist groups that believe otherwise unbelievable things because they're indoctrinated into believing them). In 1984, doubting the party is illegal. You have to accept the word of Big Brother as absolute fact, so children aren't being raised to develop critical thinking skills. Those who do question are exterminated, so you're left with a society where the majority of people don't know any better than to believe 2+2=5.
I am pretty sure the song is about climate change. The biggest give away is the line “January has April’s showers.” And at the start staying where 2 and 2 always makes a 5 refers to staying ignorant in a little bubble to ignore the truth/issue. My interpretation at least.
Myxomatosis is probably my favourite song on the album, i really vibe its feeling of barely contained rage and scorn. Myxomatosis is actually a lethal disease that affects rabbits, and was purposely introduced by humans to australia to try to control their numbers. Adds to the horror in the song, as thom looks out at his audience dancing and singing but instead sees them as twitching and salivating like they're dying of the horrible disease
Yes it's a disease made by man and causes the rabbits to go blind, amongst other horrors. I read about it first in "Watership Down", many many years ago
HTTT isn't as consistent or as concise as other Radiohead albums, but something about the raw, chaotic feel of this one makes it one of my favorites from them. It also just has some of their best songs imo. Also, the way you described Sail to the Moon as being a hybrid between light and dark is exactly how I would describe In Rainbows.
Fun fact, the Gloaming is probably Thom's favourite song on the record. He fought tooth and nail to keep it on the album and later on he released an alternate tracklist to HTTT that chopped off 4 songs but retained the Gloaming. It's also something like in the top 10 most played Radiohead songs live. It's funny because lots of Radiohead fans find the Gloaming to be kind of baffling, but Thom seems to really love it. It's one of the closest tracks to his IDM influences, and sounds like it would fit well on his first solo record the Eraser that released only a few years after HTTT, so that's probably why lol
The Gloaming is definitely one of the tracks to keep on this album, It could be shorter and end when the vocals end. It has layers of conflicting rhythms, and odd fuzziness. The lyrics are such an interesting and mystical chant And the 2nd vocal part in the 2nd verse really wraps this one up nicely.
The end of Sail to the Moon where Thom trails off singing "moon" is blended with that vibrato synth sound is one of the best moments of any RH song imo
Probably my favorite along with In Rainbows, There There is peak Radiohead for me. It feels like a more grown-up, more tightly edited Paranoid Android in a way.
Before I lost my heart to In Rainbows this was the top of the list for me. I feel like it gets overlooked a bit but there is so much beauty in this album. It’s really fun to see you lose yourself to these songs.
#5 on my Radiohead album list... has some of my very favourite songs on it but still comes in at #5. Imagine being that great that an album as good as this is only (IMO) your 5th best..... what a truly amazing band they are.
As far as I remember, Thom and Stanley Donwood (who does all the album artwork since the Bends) were driving around LA or somewhere in America and just wrote down a list of words they saw on advert signs or storefronts. So you're kind of right in the scatterbrain analysis
Honestly, In Rainbows is not really a continuation of this sound at all. Radiohead albums thus far have come in threes. Pablo Honey is them discovering their original sound, The Bends is them refining it and making it their own, and OK Computer is them perfecting it. Then Kid A and Amnesiac, which were born mostly from the same sessions, is them throwing it out and looking for something new, and Hail to the Thief is where they bring it back full circle. In Rainbows represents the start of a new phase for the band and I’m excited for you to hear it, as personally I think their third phase is their best.
Loooooove that you mention this idea of threes. I hadn’t thought about their albums like that && AMSP is the end to In Rainbows exploration?? Aahhhh. Fkn Christ.
One of my favorite's from them, probably 4th tho. I wonder how fans feel about this statement: "OK Computer" is to "The Bends", as "In Rainbows" is to "Hail to the Thief" Wolf at the Door is a perfect track in my opinion Myxomatosis, Sail to the Moon, We Suck young Blood, and I Will are some other favorites of mine. (people dislike We suck young blood for some reason, but it is such a perfect display of Thom's vocals, idk what they dislike about it. It's not literally about vampires lol 2+2=5 is really well made and interesting, and at first was my favorite from this album, but it gets old after about 1000 listens.
Just loving to watch your walk through the Radiohead albums and recalling my first listens. From Kid A onwards I realised it took me at least 15 listens for each album to really grab me by the balls - you cannot grasp the depth of levels and nuance in each track. They just pushed boundaries (and still do) beyond anything I have heard before. Ring me when you are doing In Rainbows - I MUST watch that live 😂
Yes! Myxomatosis is cracking, and probably my favourite song on this album. You're gonna love In Rainbows. And after that album you need to do a reaction to the Live From the Basement session which is stunning.
Dude!!! In Rainbows is a fuckin MASTERPIECE. I love all of their albums but In Rainbows is just above Ok Computer for me. I've been a Radiohead fan since 1997.
Ahh! My absolute favorite Radiohead album!!! Don't get me wrong, I like ALL their albums, but this one just hits different for me. The only other album that I really fuck with as hard as this is "A Moon Shaped Pool!" A lot of my favorite songs are from "Hail to the Thief" though! I don't think there's a single song off this album that I don't absolutely love - probably why it's my favorite! If I had to pick a few God tier songs, for me, it's "Sit Down, Stand Up," "Sail to the Moon," "A Wolf at the Door," and "Myxomatosis." ♥ Once again, amazing to see you experience something I love for the first time. You're going to LOVE "In Rainbows" if you enjoyed "Hail to the Thief!" Can't wait to see it!
Actually my favourite album from them. Has a lot of important things to say and I love the vibe. And when I think of my favourite Radiohead songs, a lot of them come from Hail to the Thief. 2+2=5, Sail to the Moon, Where I End and You Begin, Myxomatosis, A Wolf at the Door are all top tier songs to me.
I Will was written in the late 1990s and a version was recorded in the Kid A sessions which they didn't like and they reversed it and turned it into Like Spinning Plates.
This album is so cool coming from Kid A and Amnesiac. We get more organic elements while bringing together the previous electronic elements in a more mature and balanced way. In my opinion, the best representation of what "Radiohead" sounds like.
Dead ass, this almost is borderline perfect for me. And There, There is 100% my favourite Radiohead song. That shit speaks to me in a way no other song does, and it hits immensely hard
Which I could back in time and erase my memory of Radiohead so I could experience it all for first time again. These reactions are great as it’s like doing this through your eyes
I think the consensus is that HTTT is by far their baggiest album, and I'd tend to agree, but I'm just grateful that those songs have been put out there in some form. It's also (as a consequence, I guess) the hardest to pin down a unifying concept, but I think of it as the band looking out into a messy, corrupt, chaotic world, very much the opposite of the introspection on the previous two albums. I guess the length of the album, the cover and the disparate styles of the songs kind of all contribute to that sense of 'mess', which I assume isn't intentional, but that's the vibe for me. Other random thoughts/high points for me, in case anyone cares: 2+2=5 is 'through-composed', meaning it's comprised of several sections, none of which repeat. I find this super cool, because it's such a rare thing, but it's a perfect way to structure a song like this. It's also a great example of how to write in an odd time signature (7/4) without feeling too jarring. This was the album they were touring during their 2003 Glastonbury headline slot, which some consider to be their crowning live achievement (although there are of course many contenders). I was lucky enough to be there when I was 13 (sorry to brag). They open with There There followed by 2+2=5 and there's this electric energy they have, more so than any of their other Glastonbury performances I think, right from when Thom shouts into the mic as soon as he gets onstage. Oh man it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. My favourite moments include: the drops in 2+2=5 and Sit Down, Stand Up (of course!), the way Thom's voice literally fractures while he's singing the word 'fraaaacturing' in We Suck Young Blood, basically everything you said about Myxomatosis, and the big build between verses in Wolf At The Door, culminating in that incredible drum fill (underneath 'X-ray eyes I strip you naked'). This comment is too long now, but I did also want to say thanks for this series - I've seen a lot of Radiohead reactions and this is by far my favourite. I know exactly that feeling of joy and disbelief at how good the band is, that all you can do is laugh. Anyone who ever writes off Radiohead as depressing just needs to watch one of these reactions to see how much they can bring about a feeling of whatever the opposite of depression is. Please don't wait too long before the In Rainbows vid - it's a really special one. Peace.
Great to have you back with the next one! A lot of us eagerly awaiting, a testament to you my friend. It is clear you've gathered RH songs not only grow after a few listens but for me, sometimes years later they have hit. '2+2=5', 'Where I end and You Begin', and especially for me as it is not just my favorite Radiohead song but maybe favorite song ever, being "There, There" stand out as ones which may grab you more sooner than later. You nailed it, they came to like a harmony of the prior albums, and YES, yes sir, oh boy, do they ever create something special with the next one. It is a master work. So many sounds and ground to cover make Hail to the Thief (HTTF to over the top fans like me) a great album to always come back to and like after several years discover how much I love a song I totally dismissed like "We Suck Young Blood" - it took me a long time - but now I enjoy it greatly. That is true for Amnesiac as well though yes, a couple on there still remain head scratchers. However, they are committed to make a new sound with every album and haters call that pretentious as if they do it for the accolades of being superior or something - they could care less and definitely do NOt consider themselves anything special. They just found a magic fit and wear it. The ingredients are obvious now: such as Jonny - having a lead guitarist who is an Academy Award nominated orchestral movie music composer (ever seen "There Will Be Blood" it is a great way to gain more insight as well as maybe the best movie of the century so far), a complete songwriting legend and performer in Thom; and at the end of the day they are all just low key polite non fame seeking British dudes with kids and care so so much about their art. This album came out during the abysmal Iraq War (I'm from the US so, ummm, sorry on behalf of my country for that still catastrophic nightmare which affects things to this day even the geo-political elements which have led to the Ukraine disaster occurring) so it is a heavily political album, the most so out of the band's catalogue. Another fantastic time enjoying your honest and fun and open minded and open hearted journey. I like most other big RH fans love ton of other genres and bands tooo, but once you are caught, they become THE ONE and it is truly hard to ever shake after that. I expect if it isn't cemented yet for you, "In Rainbows" will take care of that. Cheers!
It was the first album I heard from them and especially live at Glastonbury 2003 it blew my mind and I didn't stop from there. 🔥🔥 It is one of the best things that happened to me in my life to have known your music
Again; not a synth. It's an early 1900s instrument that preceded the theremin, called the Ohndes Martinote played by one guy, while being harmonized with/interlaced with by an ebow on a heavily sustained custom guitar. While there is of course synth work on the album, it's usually not when you'd think it is.
This album is full of some of my favorite Radiohead moments. They really go all out with the buildup and release structure here, and that bass drop on Where I End and You Begin is magic
FINALLY!! Pumped to watch this. Do yourself a favor and don't wait another month for In Rainbows, most fans ae between that and OkC for their favorites. In Rainbows is mine personally. First album after their original studio deal, released it on the internet for whatever you felt like paying for it. And could be purchased for $0.00 if you wanted to disrespect our boys like that
I really can't wait for you to react to In Rainbows. I believe it's their most "easy-to-digest" album, but undoubtedly amazing and definetly shows their uniqueness. It's probably my favorite (it always depends on the mood). You'll get a an amazing smooth, "jazzy" mix of some key elements from previous albums. Electronics/synthetic sound, "playing" depth, strings, even some rock and, as always, amazing lyrics on an ever-pleasing music journey! Trust me, you'll be as pleased as you were on OK Computer, but on a completely different realm and it will be over in a sec!
Straight up my favourite Radiohead album. The live performances of these songs are just so so great. I also think it was a return to actual songwriting which was sadly missing from the couple of albums before (even though I love those too).
I once randomly bought The Bends, played it once and put in a drawer and many many years later I heard Street Spirit again and out came that album from the drawer, and realised how great it actuallly was this time and as around covid time, I hooked up with them showing live gigs and their videos and wow, I was hooked. Now as a Radiohead fan, each album is unique and has it’s own quality, each is a masterpiece in it’s own right. I find it hard for anyone not to appreciate the musical talent here !
Just loving your reaction man.. This is the one I'm least familiar with, but I do love this album also I can't wait for you to get to "In Rainbows"!! Also, "A Moon Shaped Pool"
Great album. I've always considered it as a mash up of their previous 4 albums: the indy rock Radiohead vs the electronic Radiohead. The Bends and Ok Computer vs Kid A and Amnesiac. Hence 2 + 2 = 5. It was their last album under EMI record label, afterwards they self-released In Rainbows. Hail to the Thief, to me, is a reference to EMI. Radiohead always stated the self-released album wasn't about making money, but making music. All of this of course is just my humble opinion and interpretation of this album. I'm looking forward to see your video reaction to In Rainbows. You'll love it for sure. Master piece.
Awesome review as always man.... don't make us wait too long for the next ones 🙏 I'm a HUGE fan of this one so here goes some info i found about it: About the overall concept of the album, i feel like it can be discribed as... political? since it talks about some aspects of society, the way people interact with each other and their environment and government, i mean, it's the case with songs like Go to Sleep and 2+2=5. A Wolf at the Door sounds like a mental breakdown and it's about the economy and predator corporations we have to deal with everyday like pay bills and obey to them (Sit Down Stand Up), also Punch up at Wedding is a critique of invasive journalists. Of course Thom makes everything kinda subtle so it's hard to know the real message behind some of the songs in it, some are personal, like I Sail to the Moon, it was composed by Thom to his little son. Speaking of the album cover, It was created by Stanley Donwood, the creative process happened when he was walking down the city streets and writing down the words he saw in different places, stores etc. It gives a very urban vibe to the album imo, just like OK computer. Stanley is the artist behind all of their album covers since The Bends, and i'm an asbolute fan of his art, suits the band so well 😊
It's a very full album, lots of big hits and some misses for me too. So stoked for you to review In Rainbows, spot on with it being a more refined sound, like Ok Computer was to the Bends. - It's just above OK Computer for me with consistent 'Jump out of your seat moments' nearly every track - My favourite album by any band. Thanks for the great content
Already can't wait to see you react to In Rainbows. HTTT is a great album, but I In Rainbows is got to be my favorite Radiohead album, and fav album of all time.
I'm a fan of this album and its fusion of the guitar work with the electronic elements, but I remember seeing Thom Yorke's preferred alternate track listing for it... I tried it out and enjoyed a lot more than the official release. If you're curious, it was: There There The Gloaming Sail to the Moon Sit Down. Stand Up Go To Sleep Where I End and You Begin Scatterbrain 2+2=5 Myxomatosis A Wolf at the Door There's also a full band version of I Will that I really enjoy that I put in my personal listing as the penultimate track, and this version of the album is top tier Radiohead in my book... just my opinion though :) Cool to see you continuing your Radiohead journey!
I love that whenever you clapped in we suck young blood we couldn't hear it. that's a good sign of a quality background cancelling microphone, cause those looked like hefty claps
Insta like (waiting for Computer World by Kraftwerk) Fun fact about I Will: Band try to record this song a long time ago but they was not satisfied with results, so at the one point they played a instrumental track in reverse, add some additional sounds and recorded new lyrics over. That's how Like Spinning Plates from Amnesiac was created.
Hail to the Thief is a political reference, in this case George Bush, like 2+2=5 refers to Orwell's 1984, remember 2003 was during the Iraq war that had started that year, which is very much an influence on the album.
On this record is their most complex song,..SAIL TO THE MOON,.the signatures are changing so often,.no other song has so complicated changes after and after,..
2+2=5 comes from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment originally. The definition of freedom is the freedom to say 2+2=5, even if it's wrong. Orwell picked up on it afterwards and took it to another place.
Reinforcing the theme of a lie right in everyone’s face on 2+2=5, they released a DVD alongside HTTT called “The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time.” That’s presumably their nickname for TV, since the package was a bit of a trippy, morbid satire of TV.
Hey there!! Radiohead has been my favorite band since I first went through their entire discography 20 years ago at age 15, during a road trip on a family vacation. It was Spring 2002, so their latest release was I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings, and the hours long album listening session blew me away. Some songs that I didn't like at first listen have been among my favorites for years. This is when I learned that Radiohead live in concert is a different animal. I would absolutely love it if you reacted to Radiohead Live at Glastonbury 2003, in particular. It's a well shot, well edited festival concert that perfectly captures the state of the band at the point you are right now in their discography. If you want to finish the discography before moving on to any live material, I respect that. Either way, I would absolutely love to see your reaction to seeing/hearing them live in concert. Another amazing live performance of theirs is In Rainbows: From The Basement from 2008, wish is worth checking out after hearing In Rainbows. I just finishing binging all your Radiohead reactions, hearing your musical thoughts about the band reminds me of why I love this band so dearly :) I've been filming the concerts myself since 2008, the latest being a month ago under the moniker The Smile, and have posted videos of most 8 of the 13 times I've seen them (please don't react to those, today's image stabilization would have come in handy back then 😂) I saw them 6 times in 2012, I was forming a serious live Radiohead addiction! I'm rambling, have a lovely day! -Ryan
Man I checked out your channel, love what you do! would 100% want to react to some live recordings after I get through their discography. Glad you could find the channel and have been able to check out my Radiohead vids, has been such a fun ride and im exited to keep it going!
@cavemanjack From each era, I'd recommend: Live at the Astoria 1994 Glastonbury 1997 Live on Later with Jools Holland 2001 Glastonbury 2003 In Rainbows From the Basement 2008 Live in Saitama 2008 Reading Festival 2009 The King of Limbs From the Basement 2011 ...and for my biased opinion, I really like the Seattle 2017 performance. I hope this list helps!
The reason I Will sounds raw and puts the vocals first is it's message. Thom wrote this about the bombing in Iraq that killed women and children by the US Military.
Hail to the thief is my second favorite radiohead album behind ok computer, and that's only because I have a very special emotional connection to the song no surprises and also because the B sides for ok computer were great. If it wasnt for those factors, httt would be my favorite
Mate have you got any intention of reacting to Thom's solo work? I reckon you'd really enjoy it from your Radiohead reactions; the Atoms for Peace album too. All absolute bangers
This album loses me a bit in the second half but the first half is the best radiohead has ever sounded. Right along with you on this journey...just got into radiohead last month or so and I'm obsessed. 😁
Hail To The Thief was the last album they released under their label contract before going independent. To me it feels like an almost collapse of self image following Kid A and Amnesiac which both reflected the coming to an end of the world/alienation/political spaghetti. It's as if turning around, looking at the trail you've made, then looking at everything beside it and seeing that it's all just going nowhere. I think that's shown very intricately through the jarring switch in style between every song, and the second to the last track being a retrospection on the rapid tunnel vision of changing directions in life. The album cover shows it as well, and was made by the same artist that has made all of their album covers post-Pablo Honey. He took the words off of signs and advertisements he would see driving through Hollywood, as well as certain words from Thom's lyrics. I personally feel that the inconsistency of this album is what brings it together and makes cohesive, as the whole perspective and standpoint of it seems to be exactly about that mindset.
At the time I thought the album a little bloated with its 14 tunes but re-listening to it recently from fresh, damn they crammed so much variety and creativity into it. I really miss this band... please tour and release a new album or two again (said aloud to no one in particular hi Thom).
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2+2=5 is part of a famous passage in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. The party is so powerful and has such absolute control over truth that they can make you believe a lie.
not just a lie but a refutation of such a basic, self-evident fact of nature
i disagree it is not implied that people actually believe it it's more of a test to see how hard people will conform
@@lonelyweeb6772 In 1984, people absolutely believe 2+2=5. There are of course those who just pretend to believe in order to survive, but it's made clear in the novel that controlling language controls thought. People can be made to believe anything, no matter how absurd (just look at the real world for proof of this - there's thousands of cults and extremist groups that believe otherwise unbelievable things because they're indoctrinated into believing them). In 1984, doubting the party is illegal. You have to accept the word of Big Brother as absolute fact, so children aren't being raised to develop critical thinking skills. Those who do question are exterminated, so you're left with a society where the majority of people don't know any better than to believe 2+2=5.
Crazy. I just bought that book.
I am pretty sure the song is about climate change. The biggest give away is the line “January has April’s showers.” And at the start staying where 2 and 2 always makes a 5 refers to staying ignorant in a little bubble to ignore the truth/issue. My interpretation at least.
Myxomatosis is probably my favourite song on the album, i really vibe its feeling of barely contained rage and scorn. Myxomatosis is actually a lethal disease that affects rabbits, and was purposely introduced by humans to australia to try to control their numbers. Adds to the horror in the song, as thom looks out at his audience dancing and singing but instead sees them as twitching and salivating like they're dying of the horrible disease
Yes it's a disease made by man and causes the rabbits to go blind, amongst other horrors.
I read about it first in "Watership Down", many many years ago
The ''Yes, Radiohead!'' feeling is very indicative of how i felt when i first listened to this album!
That’s me every time I listen to Radiohead.
HTTT isn't as consistent or as concise as other Radiohead albums, but something about the raw, chaotic feel of this one makes it one of my favorites from them. It also just has some of their best songs imo. Also, the way you described Sail to the Moon as being a hybrid between light and dark is exactly how I would describe In Rainbows.
In Rainbows is gonna blow your doors off. Its just banger after banger.
Fun fact, the Gloaming is probably Thom's favourite song on the record. He fought tooth and nail to keep it on the album and later on he released an alternate tracklist to HTTT that chopped off 4 songs but retained the Gloaming. It's also something like in the top 10 most played Radiohead songs live. It's funny because lots of Radiohead fans find the Gloaming to be kind of baffling, but Thom seems to really love it. It's one of the closest tracks to his IDM influences, and sounds like it would fit well on his first solo record the Eraser that released only a few years after HTTT, so that's probably why lol
It shocked me to see them play it live but that audio on huge speakers live does something to your body. idk how to explain it
i can imagine its good to sing live
The Gloaming is definitely one of the tracks to keep on this album,
It could be shorter and end when the vocals end.
It has layers of conflicting rhythms, and odd fuzziness.
The lyrics are such an interesting and mystical chant
And the 2nd vocal part in the 2nd verse really wraps this one up nicely.
I absolutely love that track live. Amazing performance
The Gloaming is amazing…it’s so overhated.
When "myxomatosis" grabbed you man, wow what a moment, love it love it love it
Great song man!
The end of Sail to the Moon where Thom trails off singing "moon" is blended with that vibrato synth sound is one of the best moments of any RH song imo
One word...sublime
Name one note out of place on Sail to the Moon. I’ll wait.
If you love their piano pieces, you’re gonna love In Rainbows and Moon Shaped Pool. Both absolute masterpieces!
Agreed. He's going to have a new fav band by MSP. We will welcome him into the fold.
I just can’t get in to Moon Shaped Pool. I’ve tried so many times
@@antony9384no you haven't 🙄
Why?@@antony9384
Loving this series mate, can't wait for you to hit 'In Rainbows' keep up the good work.
In Rainbows, and A Moon Shaped Pool!
Can't wait to see you react to In Rainbows. Its my favourite album by anyone, ever.
Probably my favorite along with In Rainbows, There There is peak Radiohead for me. It feels like a more grown-up, more tightly edited Paranoid Android in a way.
That's a cool way to describe it, now i get why these two are my favorite songs by them along with jigsaw falling into place
man, so hyped for the in rainbows reaction
Before I lost my heart to In Rainbows this was the top of the list for me. I feel like it gets overlooked a bit but there is so much beauty in this album. It’s really fun to see you lose yourself to these songs.
Myxamatosis was succhhhh a tune
#5 on my Radiohead album list... has some of my very favourite songs on it but still comes in at #5.
Imagine being that great that an album as good as this is only (IMO) your 5th best..... what a truly amazing band they are.
“It never felt completely safe” something so profound about that statement.
As far as I remember, Thom and Stanley Donwood (who does all the album artwork since the Bends) were driving around LA or somewhere in America and just wrote down a list of words they saw on advert signs or storefronts. So you're kind of right in the scatterbrain analysis
Honestly, In Rainbows is not really a continuation of this sound at all. Radiohead albums thus far have come in threes. Pablo Honey is them discovering their original sound, The Bends is them refining it and making it their own, and OK Computer is them perfecting it. Then Kid A and Amnesiac, which were born mostly from the same sessions, is them throwing it out and looking for something new, and Hail to the Thief is where they bring it back full circle. In Rainbows represents the start of a new phase for the band and I’m excited for you to hear it, as personally I think their third phase is their best.
Loooooove that you mention this idea of threes. I hadn’t thought about their albums like that && AMSP is the end to In Rainbows exploration?? Aahhhh. Fkn Christ.
One of my favorite's from them, probably 4th tho.
I wonder how fans feel about this statement:
"OK Computer" is to "The Bends", as "In Rainbows" is to "Hail to the Thief"
Wolf at the Door is a perfect track in my opinion
Myxomatosis, Sail to the Moon, We Suck young Blood, and I Will are some other favorites of mine. (people dislike We suck young blood for some reason, but it is such a perfect display of Thom's vocals, idk what they dislike about it. It's not literally about vampires lol
2+2=5 is really well made and interesting, and at first was my favorite from this album, but it gets old after about 1000 listens.
Wolf at the door,....the end is sooo calmy,...goregous
Just loving to watch your walk through the Radiohead albums and recalling my first listens. From Kid A onwards I realised it took me at least 15 listens for each album to really grab me by the balls - you cannot grasp the depth of levels and nuance in each track. They just pushed boundaries (and still do) beyond anything I have heard before. Ring me when you are doing In Rainbows - I MUST watch that live 😂
Really glad you have enjoyed the vids Paul!
Yes something for everyone on this one. I personally think There There is one of their best ever songs. I forgot how good Sail to the Moon was!
Simply the greatest band in existence for the last 20 25 years
Love your reactions. Great insights into the songwriting and what each album kind of means within the greater context of the bands history.
Your videos don't get enough attention. They are really quite good.
Thank you Chris!
Aw man, just wait till 'In Rainbows'. Truly a work of beauty.
To "get accustomed to quality" should be a motto for life! All hail to Radiohead.
Yes! Myxomatosis is cracking, and probably my favourite song on this album.
You're gonna love In Rainbows.
And after that album you need to do a reaction to the Live From the Basement session which is stunning.
I cannot wait to see you hear In Rainbows. Please don't let it go 2 months until the next reaction!
will try my best haha
That did not age that well 😆
Dude!!! In Rainbows is a fuckin MASTERPIECE. I love all of their albums but In Rainbows is just above Ok Computer for me. I've been a Radiohead fan since 1997.
Can’t wait for your reaction to their last album A moon shaped pool
Ahh! My absolute favorite Radiohead album!!! Don't get me wrong, I like ALL their albums, but this one just hits different for me. The only other album that I really fuck with as hard as this is "A Moon Shaped Pool!" A lot of my favorite songs are from "Hail to the Thief" though! I don't think there's a single song off this album that I don't absolutely love - probably why it's my favorite! If I had to pick a few God tier songs, for me, it's "Sit Down, Stand Up," "Sail to the Moon," "A Wolf at the Door," and "Myxomatosis." ♥
Once again, amazing to see you experience something I love for the first time. You're going to LOVE "In Rainbows" if you enjoyed "Hail to the Thief!" Can't wait to see it!
Thanks Loki! Im very exited for in Rainbows, feels as though we have been building to this one for a while now
Great record, in rainbows is levels above though, you’ll have a wild time reacting to that one
Actually my favourite album from them. Has a lot of important things to say and I love the vibe. And when I think of my favourite Radiohead songs, a lot of them come from Hail to the Thief. 2+2=5, Sail to the Moon, Where I End and You Begin, Myxomatosis, A Wolf at the Door are all top tier songs to me.
Don’t forget In Rainbows has a disc 2… probably best treated as an extra album in your context.
It’s like Amnesiac is to Kid A.
in rainbows out soon?
The next record is damn near perfect the combo between organic and elctro is spot on.
watching this makes me wish I could listen to this album for the first time again - httt is probably my favorite Radiohead album, besides In Rainbows
Glad you enjoyed the vid!
I Will was written in the late 1990s and a version was recorded in the Kid A sessions which they didn't like and they reversed it and turned it into Like Spinning Plates.
This album is so cool coming from Kid A and Amnesiac. We get more organic elements while bringing together the previous electronic elements in a more mature and balanced way. In my opinion, the best representation of what "Radiohead" sounds like.
I love your reviews dude! 100% keep it up
Dead ass, this almost is borderline perfect for me. And There, There is 100% my favourite Radiohead song. That shit speaks to me in a way no other song does, and it hits immensely hard
Which I could back in time and erase my memory of Radiohead so I could experience it all for first time again. These reactions are great as it’s like doing this through your eyes
I think the consensus is that HTTT is by far their baggiest album, and I'd tend to agree, but I'm just grateful that those songs have been put out there in some form. It's also (as a consequence, I guess) the hardest to pin down a unifying concept, but I think of it as the band looking out into a messy, corrupt, chaotic world, very much the opposite of the introspection on the previous two albums. I guess the length of the album, the cover and the disparate styles of the songs kind of all contribute to that sense of 'mess', which I assume isn't intentional, but that's the vibe for me.
Other random thoughts/high points for me, in case anyone cares:
2+2=5 is 'through-composed', meaning it's comprised of several sections, none of which repeat. I find this super cool, because it's such a rare thing, but it's a perfect way to structure a song like this. It's also a great example of how to write in an odd time signature (7/4) without feeling too jarring.
This was the album they were touring during their 2003 Glastonbury headline slot, which some consider to be their crowning live achievement (although there are of course many contenders). I was lucky enough to be there when I was 13 (sorry to brag). They open with There There followed by 2+2=5 and there's this electric energy they have, more so than any of their other Glastonbury performances I think, right from when Thom shouts into the mic as soon as he gets onstage. Oh man it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
My favourite moments include: the drops in 2+2=5 and Sit Down, Stand Up (of course!), the way Thom's voice literally fractures while he's singing the word 'fraaaacturing' in We Suck Young Blood, basically everything you said about Myxomatosis, and the big build between verses in Wolf At The Door, culminating in that incredible drum fill (underneath 'X-ray eyes I strip you naked').
This comment is too long now, but I did also want to say thanks for this series - I've seen a lot of Radiohead reactions and this is by far my favourite. I know exactly that feeling of joy and disbelief at how good the band is, that all you can do is laugh. Anyone who ever writes off Radiohead as depressing just needs to watch one of these reactions to see how much they can bring about a feeling of whatever the opposite of depression is. Please don't wait too long before the In Rainbows vid - it's a really special one. Peace.
Thank you so much for the detailed comment and your very kind words, Really glad you have ben able to enjoy this series!
Great to have you back with the next one! A lot of us eagerly awaiting, a testament to you my friend. It is clear you've gathered RH songs not only grow after a few listens but for me, sometimes years later they have hit. '2+2=5', 'Where I end and You Begin', and especially for me as it is not just my favorite Radiohead song but maybe favorite song ever, being "There, There" stand out as ones which may grab you more sooner than later. You nailed it, they came to like a harmony of the prior albums, and YES, yes sir, oh boy, do they ever create something special with the next one. It is a master work. So many sounds and ground to cover make Hail to the Thief (HTTF to over the top fans like me) a great album to always come back to and like after several years discover how much I love a song I totally dismissed like "We Suck Young Blood" - it took me a long time - but now I enjoy it greatly. That is true for Amnesiac as well though yes, a couple on there still remain head scratchers. However, they are committed to make a new sound with every album and haters call that pretentious as if they do it for the accolades of being superior or something - they could care less and definitely do NOt consider themselves anything special. They just found a magic fit and wear it. The ingredients are obvious now: such as Jonny - having a lead guitarist who is an Academy Award nominated orchestral movie music composer (ever seen "There Will Be Blood" it is a great way to gain more insight as well as maybe the best movie of the century so far), a complete songwriting legend and performer in Thom; and at the end of the day they are all just low key polite non fame seeking British dudes with kids and care so so much about their art. This album came out during the abysmal Iraq War (I'm from the US so, ummm, sorry on behalf of my country for that still catastrophic nightmare which affects things to this day even the geo-political elements which have led to the Ukraine disaster occurring) so it is a heavily political album, the most so out of the band's catalogue. Another fantastic time enjoying your honest and fun and open minded and open hearted journey. I like most other big RH fans love ton of other genres and bands tooo, but once you are caught, they become THE ONE and it is truly hard to ever shake after that. I expect if it isn't cemented yet for you, "In Rainbows" will take care of that. Cheers!
Has been such a great ride man, thank you for checking out another vid. Im so damm exited for in Rainbows!
It was the first album I heard from them and especially live at Glastonbury 2003 it blew my mind and I didn't stop from there. 🔥🔥 It is one of the best things that happened to me in my life to have known your music
This is surprisingly my favorite Radiohead album, though I'd say it's just below OKC, Kid A, and In Rainbows in terms of greatness.
Again; not a synth. It's an early 1900s instrument that preceded the theremin, called the Ohndes Martinote played by one guy, while being harmonized with/interlaced with by an ebow on a heavily sustained custom guitar. While there is of course synth work on the album, it's usually not when you'd think it is.
Thanks rob! Should have remembered that one, such a unique sound!
@@cavemanjack it’s the same instrument they used in how to disappear completely;)
In Rainbows is my favorite album from Radiohead. Hail to the Thief is amazing. Glad you got to this one. Can't wait for the next one. Enjoy
This album is full of some of my favorite Radiohead moments. They really go all out with the buildup and release structure here, and that bass drop on Where I End and You Begin is magic
Man I love the bass on Where I End And You Begin and Punch Up. Fun fact! Scatterbrain is Radiohead's least listened to track bar none (last I checked)
FINALLY!! Pumped to watch this. Do yourself a favor and don't wait another month for In Rainbows, most fans ae between that and OkC for their favorites. In Rainbows is mine personally.
First album after their original studio deal, released it on the internet for whatever you felt like paying for it. And could be purchased for $0.00 if you wanted to disrespect our boys like that
yes!! we can't wait another whole month for it, c'mon jack 🤩
hahaha I will try my best, really glad you enjoyed the video!
I really can't wait for you to react to In Rainbows. I believe it's their most "easy-to-digest" album, but undoubtedly amazing and definetly shows their uniqueness. It's probably my favorite (it always depends on the mood). You'll get a an amazing smooth, "jazzy" mix of some key elements from previous albums. Electronics/synthetic sound, "playing" depth, strings, even some rock and, as always, amazing lyrics on an ever-pleasing music journey! Trust me, you'll be as pleased as you were on OK Computer, but on a completely different realm and it will be over in a sec!
Your prediction for the In Rainbows sound is pretty much correct :)
Straight up my favourite Radiohead album. The live performances of these songs are just so so great.
I also think it was a return to actual songwriting which was sadly missing from the couple of albums before (even though I love those too).
I once randomly bought The Bends, played it once and put in a drawer and many many years later I heard Street Spirit again and out came that album from the drawer, and realised how great it actuallly was this time and as around covid time, I hooked up with them showing live gigs and their videos and wow, I was hooked.
Now as a Radiohead fan, each album is unique and has it’s own quality, each is a masterpiece in it’s own right.
I find it hard for anyone not to appreciate the musical talent here !
You wont believe how much better In rainbows is (not saying HTT is a bad album by any means)
Just loving your reaction man.. This is the one I'm least familiar with, but I do love this album also
I can't wait for you to get to "In Rainbows"!! Also, "A Moon Shaped Pool"
In rainbows next man!
Great album. I've always considered it as a mash up of their previous 4 albums: the indy rock Radiohead vs the electronic Radiohead. The Bends and Ok Computer vs Kid A and Amnesiac. Hence 2 + 2 = 5. It was their last album under EMI record label, afterwards they self-released In Rainbows. Hail to the Thief, to me, is a reference to EMI. Radiohead always stated the self-released album wasn't about making money, but making music. All of this of course is just my humble opinion and interpretation of this album. I'm looking forward to see your video reaction to In Rainbows. You'll love it for sure. Master piece.
Awesome review as always man.... don't make us wait too long for the next ones 🙏
I'm a HUGE fan of this one so here goes some info i found about it:
About the overall concept of the album, i feel like it can be discribed as... political? since it talks about some aspects of society, the way people interact with each other and their environment and government, i mean, it's the case with songs like Go to Sleep and 2+2=5. A Wolf at the Door sounds like a mental breakdown and it's about the economy and predator corporations we have to deal with everyday like pay bills and obey to them (Sit Down Stand Up), also Punch up at Wedding is a critique of invasive journalists. Of course Thom makes everything kinda subtle so it's hard to know the real message behind some of the songs in it, some are personal, like I Sail to the Moon, it was composed by Thom to his little son.
Speaking of the album cover, It was created by Stanley Donwood, the creative process happened when he was walking down the city streets and writing down the words he saw in different places, stores etc. It gives a very urban vibe to the album imo, just like OK computer. Stanley is the artist behind all of their album covers since The Bends, and i'm an asbolute fan of his art, suits the band so well 😊
Very exited to share In rainbows Mileny!
"Wasn't a huge fan of (Go to Sleep)." That's where you're wrong. You are, you are a huge fan of the song.
i’ve finally moved on and now i come to watch you react!
It's a very full album, lots of big hits and some misses for me too.
So stoked for you to review In Rainbows, spot on with it being a more refined sound, like Ok Computer was to the Bends. - It's just above OK Computer for me with consistent 'Jump out of your seat moments' nearly every track - My favourite album by any band.
Thanks for the great content
Very exited!
Already can't wait to see you react to In Rainbows. HTTT is a great album, but I In Rainbows is got to be my favorite Radiohead album, and fav album of all time.
There, There has to be my favourite song of all time. The climax gives me chills to the core every times. It’s just so f*cking good.
My favourite radiohead album by far
I'm a fan of this album and its fusion of the guitar work with the electronic elements, but I remember seeing Thom Yorke's preferred alternate track listing for it... I tried it out and enjoyed a lot more than the official release. If you're curious, it was:
There There
The Gloaming
Sail to the Moon
Sit Down. Stand Up
Go To Sleep
Where I End and You Begin
Scatterbrain
2+2=5
Myxomatosis
A Wolf at the Door
There's also a full band version of I Will that I really enjoy that I put in my personal listing as the penultimate track, and this version of the album is top tier Radiohead in my book... just my opinion though :) Cool to see you continuing your Radiohead journey!
Thanks Syfan, keen to keep the ride going!
Man this album is good. I don't know how it's my 7th favorite from the band. Seems wrong lol. I am so glad you liked this on first listen
HTTT is gone that you will love mire and more the more you listen to it. Love seeing your reaction to one of my favorites❤
I love that whenever you clapped in we suck young blood we couldn't hear it. that's a good sign of a quality background cancelling microphone, cause those looked like hefty claps
Insta like (waiting for Computer World by Kraftwerk)
Fun fact about I Will: Band try to record this song a long time ago but they was not satisfied with results, so at the one point they played a instrumental track in reverse, add some additional sounds and recorded new lyrics over. That's how Like Spinning Plates from Amnesiac was created.
Just to say, really loving your Radiohead reviews.
Thank you so much!
I have to say one of my favourite albums. Definitely
I can not listen to I Will without that horrible scene fro Trainspotting playing in my head starts off so dreamy then the horror.
Hail to the Thief is a political reference, in this case George Bush, like 2+2=5 refers to Orwell's 1984, remember 2003 was during the Iraq war that had started that year, which is very much an influence on the album.
Loving your content mate. In rainbows.......😉
On this record is their most complex song,..SAIL TO THE MOON,.the signatures are changing so often,.no other song has so complicated changes after and after,..
The live version (at the basement) of the Gloaming is way better than the album version, with an awesome added bassline and drums. Check it out.
2+2=5 comes from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment originally. The definition of freedom is the freedom to say 2+2=5, even if it's wrong. Orwell picked up on it afterwards and took it to another place.
I think I wasn't supposed to see this lmfao
hahaha oh well got to see the vid before everyone else haha
Reinforcing the theme of a lie right in everyone’s face on 2+2=5, they released a DVD alongside HTTT called “The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time.” That’s presumably their nickname for TV, since the package was a bit of a trippy, morbid satire of TV.
Awesome reaction, can't wait for In Rainbows!
Same!
Forgot to mention, you must watch the bands you tube video to Jigsaw falling into place - gives you a great sense of the band members and their energy
Hey there!! Radiohead has been my favorite band since I first went through their entire discography 20 years ago at age 15, during a road trip on a family vacation. It was Spring 2002, so their latest release was I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings, and the hours long album listening session blew me away. Some songs that I didn't like at first listen have been among my favorites for years.
This is when I learned that Radiohead live in concert is a different animal. I would absolutely love it if you reacted to Radiohead Live at Glastonbury 2003, in particular. It's a well shot, well edited festival concert that perfectly captures the state of the band at the point you are right now in their discography. If you want to finish the discography before moving on to any live material, I respect that. Either way, I would absolutely love to see your reaction to seeing/hearing them live in concert. Another amazing live performance of theirs is In Rainbows: From The Basement from 2008, wish is worth checking out after hearing In Rainbows.
I just finishing binging all your Radiohead reactions, hearing your musical thoughts about the band reminds me of why I love this band so dearly :)
I've been filming the concerts myself since 2008, the latest being a month ago under the moniker The Smile, and have posted videos of most 8 of the 13 times I've seen them (please don't react to those, today's image stabilization would have come in handy back then 😂)
I saw them 6 times in 2012, I was forming a serious live Radiohead addiction!
I'm rambling, have a lovely day!
-Ryan
Man I checked out your channel, love what you do! would 100% want to react to some live recordings after I get through their discography. Glad you could find the channel and have been able to check out my Radiohead vids, has been such a fun ride and im exited to keep it going!
@cavemanjack From each era, I'd recommend:
Live at the Astoria 1994 Glastonbury 1997
Live on Later with Jools Holland 2001
Glastonbury 2003
In Rainbows From the Basement 2008
Live in Saitama 2008
Reading Festival 2009
The King of Limbs From the Basement 2011
...and for my biased opinion, I really like the Seattle 2017 performance.
I hope this list helps!
7:54 thinking to myself YES HES GONNA LOVE THERE THERE
it's fun to follow your journey, enjoy the band my internet friend
thank you Sean
Moon Shaped Pool is gonna mess you up!
Radiohead = 🐐
Thom loves electronic music, it's way more prevalent as they evolve :)
The reason I Will sounds raw and puts the vocals first is it's message. Thom wrote this about the bombing in Iraq that killed women and children by the US Military.
Wow, that's heavy, such a powerful song
@@cavemanjack The "white elephants" were the bunker buster missles that busted through the ground killing them all.
Hail to the thief is my second favorite radiohead album behind ok computer, and that's only because I have a very special emotional connection to the song no surprises and also because the B sides for ok computer were great. If it wasnt for those factors, httt would be my favorite
I will is so unsettling I love it
The Gloaming live is excellent
Mate have you got any intention of reacting to Thom's solo work? I reckon you'd really enjoy it from your Radiohead reactions; the Atoms for Peace album too. All absolute bangers
Would be keen to check it out for sure man
This album loses me a bit in the second half but the first half is the best radiohead has ever sounded. Right along with you on this journey...just got into radiohead last month or so and I'm obsessed. 😁
Hell yeah! Glad you can join me for the ride !!
I appreciate Myxomatosis enthusiasts 😌
What a track !
Hail To The Thief was the last album they released under their label contract before going independent. To me it feels like an almost collapse of self image following Kid A and Amnesiac which both reflected the coming to an end of the world/alienation/political spaghetti. It's as if turning around, looking at the trail you've made, then looking at everything beside it and seeing that it's all just going nowhere. I think that's shown very intricately through the jarring switch in style between every song, and the second to the last track being a retrospection on the rapid tunnel vision of changing directions in life. The album cover shows it as well, and was made by the same artist that has made all of their album covers post-Pablo Honey. He took the words off of signs and advertisements he would see driving through Hollywood, as well as certain words from Thom's lyrics. I personally feel that the inconsistency of this album is what brings it together and makes cohesive, as the whole perspective and standpoint of it seems to be exactly about that mindset.
This is a good album with good songs...
In rainbows will make you cream yourself, for lack of better expression
At the time I thought the album a little bloated with its 14 tunes but re-listening to it recently from fresh, damn they crammed so much variety and creativity into it. I really miss this band... please tour and release a new album or two again (said aloud to no one in particular hi Thom).
Can't wait for you to hear In Rainbows. Any chance of doing Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation?
Can't say I have heard of Sonic Youth, very exited for In Rainbows
@@cavemanjack oh… Sonic Youth is a fkn gem.
This whole album was extremely socially relevant when it came out, and it has only become more relevant. 2+2=5 is just amazing.