Okay, now get this. Thom Yorke – of Radiohead fame – visited me in a dream last night, and…

Oops! Sorry Drew, for even _thinking_ about using one of your ideas. Only Eddie Vedder does that sort of stuff, right?

Anyway folks, I’m jazzed. I’m excited. I’m trembling in anticipation.. and I would hope that you are too. Yes, that’s right, after looking back in disdain at my reviews on the best band in the world – that would be Radiohead – I have come to the extraordinary conclusion that they need a little – or perhaps a massive amount – of re-writing. So, as my train of thought ran through its motions, I eventually conjured up the idea of writing them chronologically, as a set of highly self-indulgently-titled, attention-grabbing masterpieces in order to provide a fitting tribute to my favourite band. Well, I can’t claim that they will be masterpieces – but I certainly hope they will be amongst the best things _I_ have written. Shouldn’t be too tough… Also, I thought I’d stick the EPs in there this time, just for kicks. Hope y’all enjoy! And to those who aren’t Radiohead fans – I _will_ convert you.

**************************

Our journey starts in 1993. Britain – music-wise – was in a fairly sorry state. Sure, Suede, Blur and The Manic Street Preachers were kicking around somewhere, but all had yet to release their “career-defining” albums. Oasis were yet to even _enter_ the scene with their absorbing, spunky debut Definitely Maybe. Let’s face it; the country needed a great album. And with Pablo Honey, Radiohead… didn’t provide us with that.

What’s that, you say? The Oxford quintet actually recorded a bad album? The answer would be: no. They didn’t. But, they _did_ record a less than excellent album. You could say average. I mean, c’mon folks, it’s totally obvious that even the band didn’t think this one was all that good. Otherwise, would they have gone to the trouble of releasing an EP (My Iron Lung) just a year later, which showcased a whole different – and better – side to them? It’s clear that they wanted to salvage a little credibility before the average-ness of Pablo Honey was fully realised by the nation, and convince the music-consuming public that they weren’t the unnecessarily-distorted and rather bland group they appeared to be.

At the time, the band were unknown of course, and on hearing this debut, you’d be convinced that they belonged on the scrap-heap – along with all the rest of the mediocre acts to have graced British rock over the years. I mean, come on, the band actually had a triple guitar attack back then! Incidentally, they did use this method a few times on sophomore effort The Bends (1995), but in a much more subtle and intelligent style. On Pablo Honey, Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien’s guitars mesh together and create a cacophony of ear-shattering distortion and even feedback at points. This leads to many of the tracks on here being drowned in a sea of noise, wherein it is difficult to pick out anything else aside from the guitars. Even Yorke’s legendary vocal strains struggle to overpower the turmoil created. While this isn’t the case on a few tracks, the large majority are in this vain, and so Pablo Honey ultimately comes off as bland, generic and simplistic. Words that no-one would dare use to describe the band nowadays.

It _is_ hard to imagine, when listening to this album, that this is the same band who now dabble frequently in electronica and general weirdness, sometimes running the risk of alienating most of their fan-base. But that’s what makes Pablo Honey the only average thing Radiohead has put out there. The fact that the band takes no risks here – opting for a “safe” distorted-rock approach – ultimately leads to their downfall. Drummer Phil Selway would have enjoyed this one, I’m sure. After all, nowadays he doesn’t play as prominent a part in the band’s work (the drums are often background thuds or syncopated, processed rhythms), while on here he gets to smash those drums as hard as he likes. But is that the point? While I stated that he _enjoyed_ this one most, I’m sure he is much more _satisfied_ with his contributions to later work. Why are we talking about Selway here? I have no idea – but since this album contains his most obvious impact on the band’s sound, I thought I’d highlight the poor guy. Especially since during the Kid A review, I probably won’t get to talk about him at all.

Wandering back to the point, while Pablo Honey is indeed a fairly good effort – nothing by this band could ever be considered less than that – it fails to affect and move the listener quite like the plethora of material now recorded by Radiohead. To put it another way – I get _bored_ by this album. There are some who would consider this to be the most interesting thing the band has done, and write off most of the rest of their work as bland and depressing. Not so. Just because it’s energetic and “bouncy” does _not_ mean it is interesting. Nothing demonstrates this better than Pablo Honey. Everything that “the Oxford mafia” has composed after this has a bit of character – a personality if you will. No matter how eclectic, droning or downright _insane_ some of the later work appears on the surface, there is something there to be grasped at, something to relate to. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, in Pablo Honey, the band has created a genuinely “cute” bunch of songs, but – with the occasional exception – they appear to be trying too hard to fit in with the perceived norm. Something that nowadays, they just don’t give a damn about. That’s what’s the matter here, and while it may be charming in it’s own funny little way – and a part of Radiohead’s catalogue whether they like it or not – it is certainly not immersing, intriguing or in the least bit brilliant.

Track Listing
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

First off, this album contains one of the most overrated songs in the band’s catalogue. I’m referring – of course – to Creep, that anthem to self-loathing that everyone is always praising to high heaven. While it’s true that we witness a little bit of Radiohead-ness in the song – in the form of lyrics such as ”I’m a weirdo,” and “I don’t belong here” – it is still a fairly average slice of distorted rock trash. Johnny Greenwood’s gently picked guitar part is nice enough, and caresses the ears in the beautifully flowing verses – as does his brother’s playfully thudding bass. But when it comes to the choruses, and we hear the cha-chunk of guitars come steam-rollering in, I just lose all interest. Yorke’s glorious vocals are drowned in an ocean of fuzz, and the guitars obscure just about everything else from audible range. Sure, they played with the same mega-distorted guitar action in My Iron Lung - one of my favourite songs by the band – but then it actually _worked_, as those parts of the song were supposed to be absolutely manic and unintelligible. Here, though, you don’t get that feeling. And the only saving grace is Yorke’s angelic falsetto, which rises above the mess to wail with extreme pain at one solitary point. I think I’ve made my case, and while I can understand why some may enjoy this one, it just doesn’t do anything for this fan.

Moving on to scratchier and fuzzier things (it really gets fuzzier?), there is a large chunk of this album that is almost unrecognisable as the Radiohead we know now. While some would argue that this is a good thing, they are – of course – idiots. Take for example, How Do You?, a speedy little ball of filth that rolls along like a real punk song. An incredibly feedback-induced solo ends this fun little romp, but it’s nothing more than that – a little romp, and one that comes and goes without inducing a reaction in the listener. Also noteworthy as “different” to what is expected from the band is excellent opener You. It turns out to be a fairly simplistic rocker relying on sweet, dreamy guitar melodies, transitioning into big beefy guitar-driven choruses with more obligatory cha-chunkings. Probably the best song, and for something unrepresentative of the group as a whole, that’s pretty good. Anyone Can Play Guitar is just… well, fun. Sounding almost “pop” with a little extra feedback and distortion mixed in there, this one is actually among the stronger tracks as well. Lines like ”I wanna be, wanna be, wanna be Jim Morrison” give a humorous edge to things, which is always good. The uplifting chorus features very solid, pounding drum rhythms coupled with rapidly riffing guitar, and more fantasia like ”I wanna be in a band when I get to heaven”. But all in all, it’s a very chirpy song, and about as upbeat as Radiohead have ever been, I think.

As I have mentioned the stuff that _doesn’t_ sound like them, I now must look at the stuff that _does_ resemble them – of course! Penultimate track Lurgee appeals to me for one reason or another. I can’t pinpoint it. As a song it comes off as desolate, isolated and depressing. But, like I affirmed earlier, these are all things that can be overlooked. What _I_ like to focus on is Yorke’s gorgeous, needy vocals and the fact that he ”got better” and also that he ”got strong”. These two things are basically what the song revolves around. Oh, and also the confirmation that he has ”something [he doesn’t] know”. It does run on a bit towards the end, but the cloudy, spiralling guitar melodies float in and out of each other so delicately that I can’t help but be entranced by it all. Thinking About You is an amusing little acoustic ditty that grows in confidence and strength as it progresses. The guitars stay punchy, and there are a couple of references to masturbation (”But I’m playing with myself”) thrown in there – don’t blame me. One of the band’s most common traits, that would come later on The Bends, were slow-building songs that eventually grew into something huge and almost scary. An example of this from here – however weak – can be found in Stop Whispering, which begins very innocently. Washes of electric guitar are held back until the end of the song when they are revealed in full squealing glory, along with Yorke’s extended vocal strains – another frequent occurrence in later albums. It degenerates into an annoying blasted rock-out, and what little appeal the track once had is all but lost at that point.

There are a couple of other songs that I want to mention, merely for their innate coolness. Ripcord – however generic a riff-rocker it is – has always made me smile a little. The guitars are just filthy, drenched in raw distortion, and “rip” away during the appropriately titled track. Moving from quiet to loud frequently and smoothly, with added drum bursts; this one is certainly one of the more enjoyable moments. Also particularly nice is closer Blow Out, which has grown on me significantly. The riff is elegant – almost posh, and the track has a snooty, upper-class feel to it. Gleaming guitar textures work their way in and out, as the drums patter away softly. It ends up rocking away pointlessly at the end, which almost manages to spoil things, but this one is too cute to pass up.

Just incase you’re wondering after this review – Pablo Honey is _not_ Radiohead’s best album. Far from it. Some would actually claim that – I believe – and they are surely misguided. Sure, it has a funny little charm to it, and it _is_ still Radiohead, but ultimately, there’s not enough here to hold your attention for any significant amount of time. Towards the middle particularly, the album descends into a rut of generic riff-rock, and fails to work it’s way out of that until far too late on. I won’t say I don’t like it just a bit – I do – but there’s a difference between liking an album and being affected by an album. Radiohead’s work after this does that to me. Sure, they went electronic and weird and everyone seemed to be turned off by that, but it all means something to me. This does not. This is just an album. An average album by a fantastic band full of filler and uninspired distorted riffage. Thanks goodness they came to their senses. Get this only if you _don’t_ like Radiohead, or if you are an obsessive fan (like me), because you will surely get a few good listens out of it. It is probably best to note also that Pablo Honey will appeal a lot more to the masses than anything else by the band will. Screw the masses, I say. This may be decent – but it fails to hold a candle to the later, more meaningful material.

Excellent: NONE
Good: You, Creep, Thinking About You, Anyone Can Play Guitar, Ripcord, Vegetable, Lurgee, Blow Out
Average: How Do You?, Stop Whispering, Prove Yourself, I Can’t
Weak: NONE

Final Rating: 12/20


Next up: My Iron Lung EP


More on the best band in the world
My Iron Lung EP
The Bends
OK Computer
Airbag EP
Kid A
Amnesiac
Hail To The Thief
Com Lag



Recommended: Yes