Radiohead - Pablo Honey / The Bends / OK Computer - Collector's Editions Review

Posted by Marshall Slayton on 03.28.2009

Radiohead + Bonus Material = Wicked Awesomeness.

Pablo Honey - Collector’s Edition



Disc One
1. You
2. Creep
3. How Do You?
4. Stop Whispering
5. Thinking About You
6. Anyone Can Play Guitar
7. Ripcord
8. Vegetable
9. Prove Yourself
10. I Can't
11. Lurgee
12. Blow Out

Disc Two
1. Prove Yourself (Demo)
2. Stupid Car (Demo)
3. You (Demo)
4. Thinking About You (Demo)
5. Inside My Head
6. Million Dollar Question
7. Yes I Am
8. Blow Out (Remix)
9. Inside My Head (Live)
10. Creep (Acoustic)
11. Vegetable (Live)
12. Killer Cars (Live)
13. Faithless, The Wonderboy
14. Coke Babies
15. Pop Is Dead
16. Banana Co. (Acoustic)
17. Ripchord (Live)
18. Stop Whispering (US Version)
19. Prove Yourself [BBC Radio One Session (06/22/92)]
20. Creep [BBC Radio One Session (06/22/92)]
21. I Can't [BBC Radio One Session (06/22/92)]
22. Nothing Touches Me [BBC Radio One Session (06/22/92)]

The Bends – Collector’s Edition



Disc One
1. Planet Telex
2. The Bends
3. High And Dry
4. Fake Plastic Trees
5. Bones
6. (Nice Dream)
7. Just
8. My Iron Lung
9. Bullet Proof I Wish I Was
10. Black Star
11. Sulk
12. Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Disc Two
1. The Trickster
2. Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong
3. Lozenge Of Love
4. Lewis (Mistreated)
5. Permanent Daylight
6. You Never Wash Up After Yourself
7. Maquiladora
8. Killer Cars
9. India Rubber
10. How Can You Be Sure?
11. Talk Show Host
12. Bishop's Robes
13. Banana Co.
14. Molasses
15. Just [BBC Radio One Session (04/14/94)]
16. Maquiladora [BBC Radio One Session (04/14/94)]
17. Street Spirit (Fade Out) [BBC Radio One Session (04/14/94)]
18. Bones [BBC Radio One Session (04/14/94)]

OK Computer – Collector’s Edition



Disc One
1. Airbag
2. Paranoid Android
3. Subterranean Homesick Alien
4. Exit Music (For A Film)
5. Let Down
6. Karma Police
7. Fitter Happier
8. Electioneering
9. Climbing Up The Walls
10. No Surprises
11. Lucky
12. The Tourist

Disc Two
1. Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)
2. Pearly*
3. A Reminder
4. Melatonin
5. Meeting In The Aisle
6. Lull
7. Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Mix)
8. Climbing Up The Walls (Fila Brazillia Mix)
9. Palo Alto
10. How I Made My Millions
11. Airbag (Live In Berlin)
12. Lucky (Live In Florence)
13. No Surprises [BBC Radio One Evening Session (05/28/97)]
14. Climbing Up The Walls [BBC Radio One Evening Session (05/28/97)]
15. Exit Music (For A Film) [BBC Radio One Evening Session (05/28/97)]

Last year, when Capitol Records released a Radiohead “Best Of” collection, many fans were outraged. They saw it as a quick and obvious cash-in from the label; revenge on the band for not renewing their contracts and going independent. It was released without the band’s permission and offered no new material, no incentive for fans to buy it.

Capitol Records still wants to milk Radiohead’s old material for everything that it’s worth, so here comes a new genius plan: why not re-release the first three Radiohead albums as limited collector’s editions?

Brilliant! Capitol Records has entered the realm of double-dipping.

But I must give credit: these are pretty intense, thorough double-dips. Unlike those horrendous re-releases from the Roadrunner Records label, where they reissue a Nickelback album (ugh!) not more than a year old, add a bonus disc of four live songs, and charge twice as much – these Radiohead bonus discs are actually longer than the albums themselves.

Score one for the fans.

What I enjoy most on these bonus discs are the “different takes” of songs we already know. For example, the acoustic version of “Fake Plastic Trees” on The Bends is a beautiful look at their mega-hit: its stripped-down production values leave the song raw and emotionally naked. It’s taking something you’re already familiar with, and looking at it under a new light.

Same thing goes for the collected demos on Pablo Honey. The non-polished versions of “Prove Yourself,” “You,” and “Thinking About You” sound like Radiohead rockin’ out in a basement somewhere over five cups of coffee. It’s very compelling to hear the originals, to see the building blocks in action. These Radiohead rarities allow us to see the masterminds at work for the first time.

My favorite album in the bunch is OK Computer, which I found to be an instant masterpiece upon its release. If The Bends was Radiohead’s Revolver, then OK Computer may as well be their Abbey Road. The bonus material does not disappoint, either. Rare songs such as “Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2),” “Pearly*,” and “How I Made My Millions” are compelling continuations of the album, and you realize what kind of genius mindset the band was in during the late nineties. The rare songs on The Bends are brilliant, too; “The Trickster,” “Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong,” and “Maquiladro” may be the best Radiohead songs you’ve never heard before. Lastly, with Pablo Honey, rare material such as “Pop Is Dead” and “Inside My Head” are upbeat little ditties which fit in well with their debut.

All of the live recordings are another bonus, as Radiohead proves somewhat elusive in releasing live material. Fans are probably familiar with I Might Be Wrong, a live album featuring seven songs mostly from Kid A. For those wanting to hear more, here’s your chance. You get tons of material from all three albums, from “Creep” to “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” to “Airbag,” and so much more. The guys in Radiohead are very passionate live artists, and their confidence comes beaming through with these recordings. The BBC Radio Sessions have pristine audio quality, and feature great sets across all three discs. If live material is what you seek, these special editions are a gold mine.

But are all the bonus features golden? Of course not.

The acoustic version of “Creep” lacks the punch of the original, since the acoustic/electric duality is absent that makes the song so memorable. (And they replace that song’s F-bomb with the lyric “You’re so very special…” Boo! Hiss!)

“You Never Wash Up After Yourself” from The Bends and “Melatonin” from OK Computer are brief, quiet ballads that seem like unfinished ideas of longer songs. And there are two consecutive “Climbing Up The Walls” remixes on OK Computer, which seem more like major detours than rarities. However, when it comes to unreleased material, I’ll certainly take quantity over quality from a great band.

I’ll finish this review up with the million-dollar question: are these double-dips worth your hard earned cash?

The answer depends on you. If you are a diehard Radiohead fanatic, then you’ve already purchased the uber-expensive $40 Collector’s Sets with DVDs. If you’re a middle-of-the-road fan, you can trade in your old copy and swap it for a new one with very little loss. If you’re new to Radiohead, stick to buying the originals.

Buying these albums are exactly like buying DVDs: do you want the single-disc version with the movie only, a 2-disc version with bonus features, or the Blu-Ray version with bonus digital copy?

Holy mother of fuck, we have a lot of options to buy stuff nowadays. But hey, I won’t complain. At least Capitol Records is finally giving Radiohead fans something worth buying.

The 411: These albums are masterpieces of nineties rock. (But you didn't need me to tell you that, you already knew it.) The single discs are absolutely worth buying on their own, but all of this rare collected material in addition makes the experience even more complete. Pick any one of these up, and I guarantee you'll find something to love about it.

Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]