Radiohead's First Three Albums Reissued and Expanded
In a Pitchfork interivew that ran last March, I asked Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood if he was frustrated by his old label, EMI/Capitol, going ahead and releasing last year's The Best Of even though the band wasn't crazy about the idea. The conversation went like this:
CG: It was upsetting because I remember when R.E.M. put out Out of Time and, around the same time, IRS re-released Murmur and the Chronic Town EP and Fables and stuff. It was just really nice for them to put out the back catalogue, because I think a lot of people got into R.E.M. around then. I would love for us to have people check out what we've done before in a cool way if they haven't already got it. But we're not traveling on that road at the moment. If you start taking stock, it's like the pathologist's knock on the door.
Pitchfork: So we won't see a double-disc version of the The Bends filled with alternate takes anytime soon?
CG: No, because the other versions weren't any good!
But even though Radiohead are still thriving, the same can't be said for EMI/Capitol. So the withering label is traveling down the nostalgia trail by repackaging the band's first three albums-- Pablo Honey, The Bends and OK Computer-- in expanded, double and triple disc formats for a March 24 release. Greenwood was right about the lack of alternate takes, though-- there's no previously unreleased material involved in any of these reissues.
Whether these retreads are "done in a cool way" is up for debate. They certainly don't lack raw content. Each album will now get its own Collectors Edition (2XCD sets featuring the original album and a comprehensive bonus disc full of B-sides and live performances) and Special Collectors Edition (basically the Collectors Edition plus an added DVD with music videos and live footage, snazzy packaging and, um, postcards). Almost everything Radiohead put to tape professionally between 1992 and 1997 is represented here. New fans won't have to scrounge around for elusive B-sides and show footage on YouTube, which is a good thing.
But still, it's hard to look at these reissues as anything other than a cash-grab for EMI/Capitol-- an old media company that got dumped by their most forward-thinking band. Logistically, the expanded versions are convenient; they make sense for a lot of people. But since Radiohead are still far from "knocking on the pathologist's door," these padded releases seem a bit incongruous and premature, too.
And don't forget about all those vinyl single reissues coming out April 21. What's that scraping sound? Oh, it's the bottom of the barrel.
Tracklists:
Pablo Honey (Special Collectors Edition)
CD1:
01 You 02 Creep 03 How Do You? 04 Stop Whispering 05 Thinking About You 06 Anyone Can Play Guitar 07 Ripcord 08 Vegetable 09 Prove Yourself 10 I Can't 11 Lurgee 12 Blow Out
CD2:
Drill EP:
01 Prove Yourself (Demo) 02 Stupid Car (Demo) 03 You (Demo) 04 Thinking About You (Demo)
"Creep" B-sides:
05 Inside My Head 06 Million Dollar Question 07 Yes I Am 08 Blow Out (Remix) 09 Inside My Head (Live) 10 Creep (Acoustic) 11 Vegetable (Live) 12 Killer Cars (Live)
"Anyone Can Play Guitar" B-sides:
13 Faithless, The Wonderboy 14 Coke Babies
"Pop Is Dead" single:
15 Pop Is Dead 16 Banana Co. (Acoustic) 17 Ripchord (Live)
"Stop Whispering" B-side:
18 Stop Whispering (U.S. version)
BBC Radio One session [06/22/92]:
19 Prove Yourself 20 Creep 21 I Can't 22 Nothing Touches Me
DVD:
Music Videos:
01 Creep 02 Anyone Can Play Guitar 03 Pop Is Dead 04 Stop Whispering
"Top of the Pops" [09/16/93]:
05 Creep
The Astoria, London – Live [05/27/94]:
06 You 07 Ripcord 08 Creep 09 Prove Yourself 10 Vegetable 11 Stop Whispering 12 Anyone Can Play Guitar 13 Pop Is Dead 14 Blow Out
The Bends (Special Collectors Edition)
CD1:
01 Planet Telex 02 The Bends 03 High and Dry 04 Fake Plastic Trees 05 Bones 06 (Nice Dream) 07 Just 08 My Iron Lung 09 Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was 10 Black Star 11 Sulk 12 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
CD2:
"My Iron Lung" B-sides:
01 The Trickster 02 Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong 03 Lozenge of Love 04 Lewis (Mistreated) 05 Permanent Daylight 06 You Never Wash Up After Yourself
15 Just 16 Maquiladora 17 Street Spirit (Fade Out) 18 Bones
DVD:
Music Videos:
01 High and Dry (UK Version) 02 High and Dry (US Version) 03 Fake Plastic Trees 04 Just 05 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
The Astoria, London – Live [5/27/94]:
06 Bones 07 Black Star 08 The Bends 09 My Iron Lung 10 Maquiladora 11 Fake Plastic Trees 12 Just 13 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
2 Meter Session, Holland [02/27/95]:
14 My Iron Lung 15 High and Dry 16 Fake Plastic Trees 17 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
"Later With Jools Holland" [05/27/95]:
18 The Bends 19 High and Dry
"Top of the Pops":
20 High and Dry (03/09/95) 21 Fake Plastic Trees (06/01/95) 22 Street Spirit (Fade Out) (02/01/96)
OK Computer (Special Collectors Edition)
CD1:
01 Airbag 02 Paranoid Android 03 Subterranean Homesick Alien 04 Exit Music (For a Film) 05 Let Down 06 Karma Police 07 Fitter Happier 08 Electioneering 09 Climbing Up the Walls 10 No Surprises 11 Lucky 12 The Tourist
Post subject: Re: EMI continue to squeeze the Radiohead catalogue 'til it pops
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:46 pm
AnalLog
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:40 am Posts: 25451 Location: 111 Archer Ave.
I'm with the guy that said that this will be pretty cool. I'll probably pick up the Pablo Honey reissue when it comes out, since I don't have any B-sides from that era. The Bends reissue has a few things that interest me too, but I already have My Iron Lung E.P. so it's not a high priority. Ok Computer doesn't seem to have anything I don't have, save live tracks and remixes. I don't really get into those though.
Post subject: Re: EMI continue to squeeze the Radiohead catalogue 'til it pops
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 8:57 pm
Father Bitch
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:20 am Posts: 5198 Location: Connecticut Gender: Male
Isn't March 24 the same date as the Pearl Jam box set release?
WTF. I'm supposed to be saving for my wedding/honeymoon in 5 months, not to mention buying a house. No way I can justify buying these now. I dunno that I would've anyway, I think I have a lot of this stuff. I can't believe they'd re-release all this stuff and not include anything that hasn't been heard before. Who cares if the unreleased B-sides suck, at least it's something different. The worst OK Computer b-side has to still be awesome.
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