'OK Computer & The Bends greatest albums ever'

Radiohead have topped a poll by the readers of Q Magazine to find the greatest album ever - narrowly beating themselves to the No1 spot.
The band's 1997 record OK Computer won the vote, with 1995's The Bends grabbing second position. Their more experimental follow-up Kid A also made the Top 10, The Sun reports.

Almost one third of Q's 100 Greatest Albums Ever were recorded in the 1990s, making it the best ever decade for music. There was some success for older bands - The Beatles came fourth with Revolver - but landmark records like The Clash's London Calling and Beach Boys' Pet Sounds had to make do with the outer reaches of the Top 20.

Mothers Against Radiohead

How was everyone's Christmas? Ready for the new year? Have you told your mother you have been listening to Radiohead? I haven't slept that well to be honest. What if my mother finds out I'm listening to a plastic commercialized pop product?

I suppose I should keep her away from the internet and from this page especially, where Mothers Against Noise unite.

Noise? Yes, Noise is music that uses unpleasant or painful or extremely loud or discordant sound. Noise is also a very dangerous musical trend that is hell bent on destroying civilized culture, this anti-cultural movement is quickly sweeping the globe, and is very dangerous to our youth. Plainly put: Noise music causes ear and brain damage!!

But what about Radiohead? Well, according to the Mothers Of Noise:

They use alot electronic noise and noise imagery within compositions and it may on the surface seem harmless but once our kids get hooked on dissonance they will only go further down the road for a bigger kick. If your child only has pop records and a Radiohead record, it might not be too late to save them.... please remove Radiohead CDs from their music collection.

[thanks perets2001 for the link]

'On A Friday' demo tracks surface online

Two demos from Radiohead have surfaced online, when the band was still called 'On A Friday'. The first demo is from 1988 with three tracks: Happy Song, To Be A Brilliant Light and Sinking Ship.

The second demo is from two years later. Recorded in the summer of 1990, when the band changed their name from 'On A Friday' to 'Shindig'... and shortly after back to 'On A Friday'. The demo contains 15 tracks. The titles are very familiar, as they were registered at Warner/Chappell two years ago.

Climbing Up A Bloody Great Hill, Somebody, Mr B, What's That You See?, Everyone Needs Someone To Hate, Upside Down, The Greatest Shindig Of The World, Give It Up, How Can You Be Sure?, Life With The Big F, Keep Strong, Rattlesnake, Burning Bush, Tell Me Bitch, New Generation.

For directions to these tracks, you might want to check the message board. [thanks Mieke!]

Ed: Radiohead tour in May, New album producer

Radiohead have revealed they plan to tour this spring, plus have given an insight into their forthcoming album.

The band, who have been working in the studio on new material during large parts of this year, say they will play some small scale UK dates in 2006 to unveil new songs to fans.

"We are going to tour next year, definitely," Ed O'Brien told Zane Lowe on his Radio 1 show last night (December 21). "Hopefully we're going to have a couple of tracks to download by about April or May. But we're going to go out in May, we're going to do some theatres because part of what we're doing is play new material. It's a good way to get your shit together."

O'Brien explained the band will do UK and European dates in May before heading to America in the summer. He said the band hoped they would have around ten new songs in their set by then.

Discussing the album itself, the guitarist said there was no confirmed release date yet, but said Radiohead planned more recording sessions in February.

"We've been talking to (producer) Mark 'Spike' Stent, who's worked with Madonna and Bjork and hopefully in February we'll reconvene with him," said O'Brien. "We've got some great songs but we won't release something we're not happy with. The thing with Radiohead is that each record has a different sound, it's really hard finding something that's different and sits well with us."

With the band planning to work with Stent, O'Brien confirmed their long-term producer Nigel Godrich would not be involved in the new record.

"It's not an end of an era, (but) part of what your realise as a band is that all those records you made with Nigel, apart from 'Hail To The Thief' we were a little bit in the comfort zone," he explained. "That's why you make records like 'Kid A' after 'OK Computer', that's why you make 'OK Computer' after 'The Bends', you've got to do stuff that you're scared of doing. With Nigel, we've been working together for 10 years, and we all love one another too much."

Jonny and Phil nominated for Academy Award

Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway are in the running for the Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its list of the 42 songs being considered for best original song. The track 'Do the Hippogriff', recorded with Jarvis Cocker for the Harry Potter Goblet of Fire soundtrack is part of the long list of 42 songs in the 'Best Original Song' category, which will be whittled down to five final choices to be announced January 31st.

Jamie Bell writing Radiohead rock opera

Actor Jamie Bell was interviewed by UK newspaper The Times yesterday saying: "I’m writing this musical piece set to Radiohead. It's like a Radiohead rock opera. Have you ever heard any of Radiohead's music done by an orchestra? It's pretty amazing." [thanks George]

Ed O'Brien on Zane Low show next week

Ed O'Brien will be coming into the BBC studio on Wednesday 21st December! Ed is going to give Zane Low the inside goss on the next globe straddling million selling album from the band. Radiohead have been busy in the studio for the past few months putting together new tracks. If you've got a question for Ed, post them on the BBC website. [thanks Mandy]

Radiohead decline score for 'A Scanner Darkly'

As reported earlier, Radiohead were asked to do the score of the animated Phillip K. Dick film 'A Scanner Darkly'. However, an official source says Radiohead were indeed approached to record the music for Richard Linklater's film, but the band are not doing it, because Radiohead are recording their new album.

Radiohead in Coachella documentary

The Coachella festival will be the subject of the two-hour retrospective documentary "Coachella," which will premiere Jan. 19 at Los Angeles' Orpheum Theatre and roll out Jan. 24 to additional U.S. theaters. The documentary will include footage of Radiohead's performance at the festival in 2004.

"Coachella" rounds up some of the most iconic performances from throughout the fest's history, stretching back to Morrissey at the inaugural 1999 show up through a 2005 clip of the Arcade Fire. The film was directed by Drew Thomas and produced by event promoter Goldenvoice.

'Radiohead approached for Scanner Darkly score'

According to MoviesOnline.ca, Radiohead have been approached for doing the score for the Scanner Darkly film:

The movie is doing very well in test screenings, but the #1 complaint audiences have is with the score. So I can only tell you this anonymously, but the producers have approached RADIOHEAD about doing a new score for the film and it looks like everything is going to go through.

So in addition to an awesome animated Phillip K. Dick film, we will have a brand new Radiohead score to look forward to. as far as I know, this is the first time Radiohead has ever done a score for the film. While this is still a "rumor" at this time, I would give it a 99% accuracy rating at this point.

Coldplay still Radiohead light

Here's a little bit from this months Q magazine. An interview with Coldplay's Chris Martin & Ricky Gervais:

How will Coldplay develop? You've mentioned you'd like to work with Timbaland.
RG: What, the boots people?
CM: Yeah, the people who make boots.
RG: Bruce Foxton's got a brand new pair of Timberlands.
CM: Yeah, I thought what we need to do next is a CD that comes in a pair of durable walking boots, so you can listen to it when you're hiking.
RG: You're going for the working class vote now aren't you? [Thinks] Who are your fans?
CM: Ah, man, it's tricky. I don't think we'd be anywhere is Radiohead didn't exist. I think we're like why Diet Coke was big. Because some people couldn't handle Coke. That's how i see Coldplay.
RG: That's very humbling.

[thanks Mandy]