Customer Reviews
The Bends is the Best Place to Start
There are many very informative reviews for Radiohead's "The Bends", but I decided to go ahead and put in my two cents worth. I am not a long-time fan. I just recently bought a few of their albums. After listening to them, I came to the conclusion (as have others) that this would be the best place for someone new to the band's music to start out with. The reasons are simple. The Bends is one of the bands best albums, and it is indeed the most approachable. One of the things I dis-liked the most with "OK Computer" and "Kid A" was the vocals. The Bends definately have the most comprehensible lyrics of the three. So, Like I said, this is my recommendation of the place to start getting into Radiohead. If you like this one, then you can explore further, but be cautious.
Radiohead-The Bends *****
Bridging the gap between what was and what was to come, The Bends, released in 1995 was essentialy a transistional album for Radiohead. Released after the bands debut Pablo Honey, and the My Iron Lung (EP), The Bends sepperated a great rock band in the style of Oasis, with a Beatles twist from a U2 meets modern day Coldplay but better alternative band. After The Bends Radiohead would go on to release more alternative albums such as Ok Computer, Hail To The Theif, and as off late 2007 In Rainbows among others.
The guitars are still in full swing here and are still a mjor driving force of the band, Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien just have added more effects pedels and depth to their playing and style where as before it was just straight up rock with mostly use of power-chords only. Thom Yorke has grown and devoloped quite nicely as a performer and became quite the endearing song writer as of The Bends.
