[Passions Take Many Forms] 2 new (to me) Radiohead albums

I bought two new (to me) Radiohead albums today. The first, I Might Be Wrong, is a collection of 8 songs (The National Anthem, I Might Be Wrong, Morning Bell, Like Spinning Plates, Idioteque, Everything in Its Right Place, Dollars and Cents, and True Love Waits) recorded live in concert. Although this live album was released in 2001, I had purposely avoided buying it because I do not care for live recordings. It's very annoying for me to hear the crowd yelling in the background (or foreground, on some live albums). Also, the songs often aren't very different from the studio versions, and they're never as well-polished. Plus, I generally don't go to concerts (although Radiohead is on the short list of artists I would go see), so why would I want to "recreate the experience"? That said, I had heard a few live Radiohead recordings not on this album, and I was VERY impressed.

So I decided to buy it today, and for the most part, I'm satisfied. Like all live recordings, the crowd noise bothers me. Also, a couple of the tracks do sound too much like the studio versions to really merit mention. But there are three tracks that make this album worth it. First, they do a great job with "Like Spinning Plates", transforming it into a beautiful piano song, highlighted by the fluid driving of the transcribed backwardness of the original. This isn't one of my favorite songs on Amnesiac, but I love this live version. Second, "Everything in Its Right Place", one of my favorites, has some great free-flow jamming with an electronica twist, which is what makes Kid A such a unique album. (This is largely manifested by the random mixing of Thom Yorke singing the title line.) Third, "True Love Waits" is a beautiful song of Yorke singing with acoustic guitar accompaniment that I originally heard as a piano piece on Christopher O'Riley's (first) Radiohead tribute album. I don't think it's on any of Radiohead's studio albums, which makes this song so unique on this album. The melodies and harmonies are as beautiful as I've heard in almost any song. All-in-all, I'm glad I bought it, but it does have some of the flaws that all live recordings have.

The second album I bought today is the new Christopher O'Riley album, Hold Me to This, which is a re-imagining of 14 Radiohead songs on classical piano. I have his first album of this kind (True Love Waits), which is great. This new album can really be considered an extension of the first. O'Riley has continued the same theme, technique, and even the style of cover art. But that's all fine with me because I love the first album. In fact, I might actually like this album better because it has two of my favorite Radiohead songs, "2+2=5" and the magnum opus, "Paranoid Android". O'Riley does a fabulous job with both songs. "2+2=5" maintains the basis of the original, but it has a very different feel; in a way, it feels more upbeat and optimistic than the controlling, omniscient feel of the original. I can't say that I prefer one version over the other, which is a real complement to O'Riley. They are really two different sides of the same coin: opposite, yet complementary. "Paranoid Android", however, maintains the theme and feel of the original. The wonderful main line in 7/8 time, in addition to the melodic middle section, are beautifully rendered on the audible canvas with the piano-paintbrush. The other songs are great, but I was very impressed with some of the Radiohead B-sides that he includes on the album. Specifically, I love his renditions of "Polyethylene Part II", "Cuttooth", and "Talk Show Host", which was Radiohead's contribution to the soundtrack of the Baz Luhrmann film, Romeo and Juliet.

Overall, these are two great albums that I would recommend for any Radiohead fan. Of course, I may be the last true fan to get I Might Be Wrong, but it was worth the wait. As I continuously itch for any new (to me) music, I was glad to get them both. Now, I'm considering whether or not I should get some of the singles that contain the original B-sides that O'Riley does. I've never heard the original songs, but any new (to me) Radiohead music is a welcomed to my ears.