Radiohead: The Rip (Portishead Cover)

Portishead Original:
"The Rip"
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]
[Band Wiki]

Radiohead: Super Collider (New Song, Live in Dublin)

Listen/Download:
"Super Collider"
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]
[Band Wiki]

Download Special: Radiohead Live in Berlin, 7.4.2000

As a special treat for Dead Flowers visitors, I've put up one of Radiohead's very best live shows. Recorded in Berlin on July 4, 2000, this bootleg quickly attained legendary status because it was mixed by none other than Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.

Like many people who got into Radiohead because of OK Computer, I was initially puzzled by Kid A. Hearing this show was the first time the material really 'clicked' for me. Turns out that when they're injected with a bit of live energy, the Kid A tracks reveal themselves as some of the best Radiohead have ever composed.

Look out for a couple other surprises--The Bends era b-side "Bishop's Robes", for example, as well as a little snippet of "Big Ideas", which wouldn't properly be released until 2007's "In Rainbows". Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Setlist:

01. Optimistic
02. Morning Bell
03. Karma Police
04. The National Anthem
05. In Limbo
06. No Surprises
07. My Iron Lung
08. Dollars and Cents
09. Bishop's Robes
10. Talk Show Host
11. Kid A
12. You And Whose Army
13. Airbag
14. Lucky
15. How To Disappear Completely
16. Paranoid Android
17. Everything In Its Right Place
18. Pyramid Song
19. Exit Music
20. Knives Out
21. Big Ideas
22. Nice Dream

[Download the Whole Set in a .rar File]

***Update 6.1.07*** A helpful commenter let me know that track 18, "Pyramid Song", was missing. Here it is: "Pyramid Song"

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]

Martyrs to the Cause

Here's an interesting, if somewhat callous, piece from The Guardian about the legacy of those who died too soon:

Thom Yorke doesn't like me very much. Big deal, I hear you say, there must be a lot of people that don't like you. And there are. But Thom Yorke doesn't just dislike me. He wants to kill me. Or at least he wanted to. He once spent a sizeable chunk of an Uncut cover story saying as much. And a few years back I had a very unpleasant encounter with the great (small but great; well, great-ish) man in the lobby of the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles, during which he made known his feelings towards me in front of the rest of Radiohead, who seemed to find the whole scene as embarrassing as I did. The reason for his latent homicidal tendencies? When I was at Melody Maker, we put Yorke's face on the front of the paper, to go with an in-depth interview, next to the immortally provocative question, printed in big, bold type: "Is This the Next Rock Martyr in the Making?"

This rock martyr farrago was in 1995, around the time of The Bends. More pertinently, it was just after the death of Kurt Cobain and disappearance of Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers. There was a lot of talk about rock star depression and self-harming fans in the air. And we at the paper, perhaps like many of the readers, were wondering, I guess, whether Yorke would be the next to go - to buckle under the weight of expectation, to recoil from the pressure of being everybody's favourite tortured rock artist. To commit suicide. We thought it was a fair question. Yorke didn't: he thought it was irresponsible; that we were somehow suggesting that the logical extension of, and final solution to, his downcast worldview was to take his own life; that we were taking a sort of perverse delight in it all, almost encouraging him to absent himself forever because we thought it would be cool. Because, in rock'n'roll, there is nothing cooler than a premature death, especially when it's at the hands of the person dying.

We were only saying what people have been saying for years: that dying young, even if it's not the result of living fast, can be a good thing, if you want to preserve the integrity of your art. Come on, we've just experienced two years of Joy Division mania during which Ian Curtis has been canonised as the patron saint of despair. Can we finally accept, now that he's dead and so worthy of consideration not condemnation, that Tony Wilson knew what he was talking about when he concluded that Curtis' suicide was the best career move he could have made? Not that it was the best thing for his wife and daughter, or for his friends. Instead, Curtis' decision to hang himself at the age of 23 was the ultimate confirmation of his commitment to his lyrics and music. Would Joy Division have been taken less seriously today had Curtis lived? Would there have been films and books about them?

[Read the whole article]

Listen to "Transmission" by Joy Division:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Wiki]

Thom Yorke: Reckoner (Acoustic on Jonathan Ross)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]

Radiohead on Jools Holland

Bodysnatchers:

[Download the MP3 Here]

House of Cards:

[Download the MP3 Here]

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi:

[Download the MP3 Here]

15 Step:

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
[Thanks Leaf]
[Thanks Radiohead Live 2008]

Radiohead: 93 Feet East Gig

Setlist:
'15 Step'
'Bodysnatchers'
'Nude'
'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi'
'All I Need'
'Faust Arp'
'Reckoner'
'House Of Cards'
'Jigsaw Falling Into Place'
'Videotape'
'Up On The Ladder'
'You And Whose Army?'
'The National Anthem'
'My Iron Lung'
'The Bends'

[Download the Show Here]
[Pictures of the show from NME]

Listen to "Up on the Ladder" (93 Feet East Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
(Thanks Skinned Alive)

'Jigsaw' Video:

[More Video]

Radiohead in Mojo (Pt II)

Click the image to enlarge:

Page 7:

Page 8:

Page 9:

Page 10:

Page 11:


[Part I]

Listen to "15 Step" (Scotch Mist Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "Videotape" (Scotch Mist Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
(Thanks 2+2=22)

Radiohead in Mojo (Pt I)

Click the image to enlarge:

Front Cover:

Page 1:

Page 2:

Page 3:

Page 4:

Page 5:

Page 6:


Listen to "All I Need" (Scotch Mist Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "House of Cards" (Scotch Mist Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
(Thanks 2+2=22)

Radiohead: Scotch Mist Webcast + Music(Happy New Year)

"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" (Scotch Mist Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Bodysnatchers" (Scotch Mist Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Jigsaw Falling into Place" (Scotch Mist Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]

Happy New Year from Dead Flowers!

Reviewing the Reviews

If there's one thing that's consistently frustrating about music writers, it's their lack of willingness to go back and reevaluate their opinions once the initial excitement (or disappointment) of an album has worn off. In order to further the cause of journalistic humility, here's my take today on reviews I wrote this year.

(Click on the album title for the original review)

The Good The Bad and The Queen

Original Rating: n/a

What I said then: As hard as it is for this Radiohead fan to admit, while everyone was looking elsewhere, Damon Albarn established himself as Britrock's most consistent and innovative artist. His motives may have been questioned since he told us that there's no other way, but the results speak for themselves: the Blur behemoth, obviously, but also Gorillaz--a hugely popular group that manage to remain indie in the best sense of the word. Albarn's voice and melodies now have an instant familiarity that make his albums the aural equivalent of comfort food. In other words, he's become the Sting that doesn't suck.

What I say now: Well, this is obviously pre-"In Rainbows", so make that second most consistent and innovative artist. This album was quite good, but after playing it to death for the first couple weeks after its release, I haven't had the desire to return to it. Not sure why that is, really. Should've gotten an 8.

Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

Original Rating: n/a

What I said then: I wanted to like this record more than I actually did. "Neon Bible" gave me few reasons to return after my initial couple of listens. Arcade Fire's flaws are born of the best intentions, so it feels unfair to completely write them off. But after slaving away in that office downtown, you might not want to spend your hard-earned money on such a joyless and ultimately forgettable collection of songs.

What I say now: I don't even want to like this record anymore. That might have something to do with it being a steaming pile of dog shit. I took a lot of flak for this review, but I think I got it right. Should've gotten a 3.

The Veils: Nux Vomica

Original Rating: 7 out of 10

What I said then: Elsewhere, Andrews puts his distinctive warble to good use. While it's very likely a love/hate proposition for many listeners, this reviewer finds that he's usually careful not to overdo it. Yes, he often errs on the side of melodrama, but somehow it fits these songs. There is still a noticeable Buckley influence here, but one that's more "Sketches" than "Grace". Tracks like "Jesus for the Jugular" and the title track have a dark, bluesy feel reminiscent of Buckley's "The Sky Is A Landfill" or "Nightmares By The Sea" before them.

What I say now: This was a really solid album: complicated, compelling, and satisfying. If anything, I was too hard on it. Should've gotten an 8.

Interpol: Our Love to Admire

Original Rating: 6 out of 10

What I said then: The intricate "Mammoth" is like a finely crafted piece of origami, impressive in its complexity, yet ultimately hollow. "Rest my Chemistry" and "The Scale" are uneventful retreads of songs done better on "Turn on the Bright Lights". "Wrecking Ball" tries to incorporate compelling elements like a brass section, minimalist drums, and multi-tracked vocals, but the end result is a musical mess. This sort of failed experiment is why God created b-sides; for Interpol, a band never known for its prolificacy, it has become a crucial album cut.

What I say now: This album was truly terrible--a 6 was being incredibly charitable. Maybe I was hoodwinked by admittedly great first single "The Heinrich Maneuver". Everything else was shit. Should've gotten a 3.

Foreign Born: On the Wing Now

Original Rating: 7 out of 10

What I said then: Foreign Born are like a musical Rorschach test. U2 fans hear Bono in Matt Popieluch's soaring vocals and the Edge in Lewis Pesacov's effects-laden guitar. Joy Division devotees hear Ariel Rechtshaid's driving bass and immediately think of Peter Hook. For this reviewer, Foreign Born conjure up the nervous energy of the West-Coast groups heard on the Nuggets compilation: Maybe it's Popieluch's manic acoustic guitar throughout the album, or the propulsive drums of Garret Ray on tracks like "It Wasn't Said to Ask" and "Into Your Dream". However you peg them, it's clear that Foreign Born are mining a rich musical tradition: The chorus guitar on "In the Shape" is pure "Dirty"-era Sonic Youth; on the aforementioned "Into Your Dream", Popieluch evokes the spirit Lou Reed in his prime.

What I say now: That 7 was sort of an 'A for effort'. Foreign Born certainly have a lot of potential, but there were simply too many forgettable moments (or not enough memorable ones) on this record. Should've gotten a 6.

Babyshambles: Shotters Nation

Original Rating: 9 out of 10

What I said then: There are so many striking moments of spontaneity on the record that it's hard to mention them all here: the way the verse in "Deft Left Hand" is transformed into something quite special, taking the rest of the song along with it; the way the sparkling middle eight in "French Dog Blues" resolves into a Who-inspired breakdown; or the way "Crumb Begging Badhead" references obscure inter-war-period Polish writer Bruno Schulz before exploding into a 60s-organ-based freakout. This is why people originally gravitated towards Doherty, these little moments that make the listener chuckle at his nerve and marvel at his talent.

There's nothing more boring than a band that tries to make a "perfect" album, and you could never accuse Babyshambles of doing such a thing. This album has its flaws, whether it's the clumsy drumming on "Unstookietitled", the predicatable, Oasis-lite opening riff of the aforementioned "Deft Left Hand", or the relatively weak choruses on several of the tracks. But these are minor complaints.

What I say now: While this was definitely one of the most enjoyable records released all year, I may have gotten a little overzealous here. In retrospect, those choruses weren't just relatively weak, they were downright anemic. Should've gotten a 7.

Radiohead: "In Rainbows"

Original Rating: 10 out of 10

What I said then: One of the most interesting developments on "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" was the way in which the band learned to be so economical in their use of instruments: every piece of the arrangement played a distinct role. One example of this is "Like Spinning Plates", the sparse cymbal hits of which stand as one of Phil Selway's most evocative performances. The band got away from this on "HTTT" (see: laserbeams) and the record suffered as a result. "In Rainbows" benefits from an overall more minimalist approach: it's difficult to imagine Chris Martin having the courage to write something so deceptively simple as "Jigsaw Falling into Place" or "House of Cards".

What I say now: Sure it hasn't been very long since it was released, but my appreciation for this record continues to grow. There are no weak tracks here, and the likes of "Bodysnatchers" and "Reckoner" rank up there with the best songs the band has produced. Should've gotten an...11!


Think I got something wrong? Discuss it in comments...

Listen to "History Song" by TGTBATQ:

[Download the MP3 Here]

I've Got the Poison

Here are some nice Radiohead links to get you through the week (links in bold):

New York Times Interview:
Signing a new major-label contract “would have killed us straight off,” (Thom) added. “Money makes you numb, as M.I.A. wrote. I mean, it’s tempting to have someone say to you, ‘You will never have to worry about money ever again,’ but no matter how much money someone gives you — what, you’re not going to spend it? You’re not going to find stupid ways to get rid of it? Of course you are. It’s like building roads and expecting there to be less traffic.”

Observer Music Monthly Interview:
Dan Lewis, 32, a teacher in Philadelphia, asks: 'Margaret Florence [aka Stevie Smith] one wrote, "why does my Muse only speak when she is unhappy? She does not, I only listen when I am unhappy." Can you relate to this?'

Thom: 'That's good. That's true. But unhappy would be the wrong way of putting it. You're in a certain state of mind. Unhappy is not... the entire manifestation of that state of mind. It's also hyperactive, out-of-control, off-your-face. All these things. But not necessarily just unhappy or melancholic, which I read the other day, which is a much better word.'

Incredible Fan-made 2008 Calendar

Listen to "True Love Waits" ('95 Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]

Quick Impressions of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (CD2) and Sigur Ros's "Hvarf/Heim"

Here are short reviews of the latest music by the only two bands I've ever given a "10" to (Sigur Ros for "()" and Radiohead for "In Rainbows"):


Radiohead: "In Rainbows" (CD2)
You can officially add song selection to Radiohead's various strengths. None of the tracks on this bonus disc would have made "In Rainbows" better than it is; several of them might have made it worse. "Down is the New Up" is the most polished of the songs here, but it meanders needlessly and ultimately fails to satisfy. The string part, reminiscent of "DJ Shadow's Theme", is quite nice however.

The relic from the "OK Computer" era, "Last Flowers to the Hospital", seems tired and uninspired. Listening to the track, one can, for the first time perhaps, fully appreciate why the band made "Kid A". This type of thing might have sounded great in 1997. A decade later, the charm has worn off.

"Bangers and Mash" is the best thing here, its gritty guitar and propulsive drums adding another dimension to the "In Rainbows" sessions. Final track "4 Minute Warning" has been stripped of the Coldplayisms it had live, which many will find reassuring, but it's hard not to feel that the song is more of an afterthought than a triumphant closing number.

This disc is surely a nice treat after the spectacular "In Rainbows"--just don't go spending extra money for it.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Listen to "DJ Shadow's Theme":

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "Down is the New Up":

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Read my review of "In Rainbows"]

Sigur Ros: Hvarf Heim
This "odds and sods" collection, meant to accompany the by-all-accounts brilliant "Heima" documentary, is the first non-essential release by the Icelandic band. Opener "Salka" was left off "( )" at the last minute, and it's a shame, because it could have held its own on that record. Single "Hljómalind", while showing promise, is weighed down by its conventional structure and tacked-on final chorus. The acoustic half of the album will surely be treasured by Sigur Ros obsessives, but the track selection seems a bit off for a band ready to take its rightful place in the limelight.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Listen to "Salka":

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]

Radiohead: "In Rainbows" Lyrics

Some kind soul on the Green Plastic forum was kind enough to post the lyrics book from "In Rainbows". Here's the first half of the album (Update 11/24/07: all of the lyrics are now up)--it's good to finally know what Thom is singing about. I had a lot of stuff wrong, but the lyrics just go to confirm my theory--"Bodysnatchers" is about Coldplay:

you killed the sound
removed backbone
a pale imitation
with the edges sawn off

i have no idea what you are talking about
your mouth moves only with someone's hand up your ass

Right?

Click to Enlarge:

Front and Back Covers

Pages 1 & 2: Inside Front Cover and 15 Step lyrics

Pages 3 & 4: Bodysnatchers and Nude lyrics

Pages 5 & 6: Weird Fishes / Arpeggi and All I Need lyrics

Pages 7 & 8: Artwork spread

Pages 9 & 10: Faust ARP and Reckoner Lyrics

Pages 11 & 12: House of Cards and Jigsaw Falling into Place Lyrics

Pages 13 & 14: Videotape Lyrics and Dedication, thanks, credits, etc


[Green Plastic]
[Mortigi Tempo Thread about the Artwork/Lyrics]
[Artwork Source]
[Read my "In Rainbows" Review]

Listen to "Bodysnatchers" (Thom and Jonny Acoustic at Koko):

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "Reckoner" (Webcast Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website/Order/Download "In Rainbows"]
[Band Wiki]

Thom and Ed on BBC Radio 1

Listen to the interview:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Download or Order the Discbox for "In Rainbows"]
(Thanks again to 'A' on the AtEase Forum)

Thom and Ed on BBC 6

Listen to the interview:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Download or Order the Discbox for "In Rainbows"]
(Thanks to 'A' on the AtEase Forum)

Overweight Debutante Labels Radiohead "Arrogant"

Everybody's favorite pudgy posho, Lily Allen, had this to say about Radiohead:

Lily Allen has branded Radiohead “arrogant” for giving fans the chance to download their new album, ‘In Rainbows’, for free.

The singer reportedly said that she thinks it is unfair for the millionaires to devalue recorded music and survive on touring money when new artists can’t.

“It’s arrogant for them to give their music away for free - they’ve got millions of pounds. It sends a weird message to younger bands who haven’t done as well,” WENN reports Lily as saying. “You don’t choose how to pay for eggs. Why should it be different for music?”

[Read the whole post from AtEase]

If You Want Me To, I Won't

Ol' Thom has turned down a collaboration with McCartney. Do you think he would've said no to Lennon? AtEase reports:

Paul McCartney was turned down by Thom Yorke when he asked for a collaboration with Radiohead.

According to The Sun former Beatle Paul McCartney approached Thom Yorke with a view to collaborating, but his request was turned down. Paul McCartney, who recorded with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich on his album ‘Chaos and Creation in the backyard’, explained Thom Yorke wasn’t comfortable playing anybody’s music apart from his own.

[Read the Whole Post]
(Thanks Phil)

Listen to "Bodysnatchers" from the Webcast:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website/Buy "In Rainbows"]

Video:

Radiohead: Headmaster Ritual (Smiths Cover)

Webcast Video:


Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
(Thanks Pearly *)

Radiohead: Ceremony (New Order Cover)

Webcast Video:


Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
(Thanks planets)

Thoughts onRadiohead: In Rainbows

Talent is a fickle, unpredictable, even reckless phenomenon. It defies expectations and is notoriously unreliable. It's no wonder, then, that the MBAs and liquor executives running the music industry want nothing to do with it. Their existing business model, one of extending what are basically bad bank loans to trust fund kids schooled in formulaic songwriting and anemic production, has had an unwittingly bad effect on their bottom line and an even worse effect on the state of popular music.

Enter Oxford's Radiohead, a band let loose in the halls of the music industry like a greased pig in a frat house. Ever since resisting coronation as the "New U2" in the wake of OK Computer, Radiohead have been causing industry hacks stress and worry: one anecdote goes that upon hearing "Kid A", Capitol immediately canceled the Christmas bonuses of their employees. It's only fitting that Thom Yorke and co. would be the ones to put the knife in the back of an industry only (15) steps away from being completely morally, creatively, and financially bankrupt: The band's novel strategy of treating album distribution like a roadside fruit stand has turned popular music on its head.

All of which would be meaningless, of course, if the album weren't brilliant. Not to worry: it is. Sonically speaking, the band has moved into uncharted territory. While last album "Hail to the Thief" undeniably had its moments, it was hard not to see it as Radiohead losing a step. Trapped between the big guitar drama of "OK Computer" and the electronic excursions of "Kid A", it was unfocused and over-long. The wide shots of a band known for its cinematic sound started to feel cliche and predictable.

Thank God, then, for the tight shots and close-ups of "In Rainbows". Whereas once Thom used to sound like he was singing to you from the other side of an indoor pool, now it's as if he's seated right across the table from you. The drums sound like drum machines; the guitars are immediate and decidedly indulgence-free. Radiohead have gone and made an album that's more futuristic R&B than Sturm und Drang, more Timbaland than Buckley.

"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi", the album's central track, floats along on a bed of hypnotic guitars and crisp drums. Eschewing the sparkling guitar outro of recent live versions, the band take a sharp detour, stripping the song down to drums, some disorienting sound effects, and an incredibly ominous bassline by Colin Greenwood that disturbs and enthralls at the same time.

Similarly surprising is "Reckoner", which surely bears no resemblance to the other Radiohead song of that name and lifts the drum beat from DJ Shadow/Unkle's "Unreal" to form a blissed-out ballad replete with soulful guitar. And you know you're in for a treat when "15 Step"'s burst of handclaps and children's voices starts the record, like "Backdrifts" with a sense of humor, or when "All I Need" more closely resembles the remix of Method Man/Mary J Blige's "You're All I Need to Get By" than The Beatles' "All You Need is Love".

One of the most interesting developments on "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" was the way in which the band learned to be so economical in their use of instruments: every piece of the arrangement played a distinct role. One example of this is "Like Spinning Plates", the sparse cymbal hits of which stand as one of Phil Selway's most evocative performances. The band got away from this on "HTTT" (see: laserbeams) and the record suffered as a result. "In Rainbows" benefits from an overall more minimalist approach: it's difficult to imagine Chris Martin having the courage to write something so deceptively simple as "Jigsaw Falling into Place" or "House of Cards".

The fallout from this record should be as interesting as the record itself. Has it truly revolutionized the recording industry, or just created a new promotional tool? Will said industry learn from this experiment, or attempt to kill the messenger? (witness the recent swiftboating of the band by MTV for giving away MP3s of a higher bitrate than almost all of the music found on iTunes). No matter what the result, with a record like this to show for their efforts, Radiohead, a fickle, unpredictable, even reckless group, have almost singlehandedly made popular music interesting again. "It's the 21st Century," Thom sings on "Bodysnatchers". And now that century has its first great album.

Verdict: 10 out of 10

Listen to "Bodysnatchers":

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Buy the Record/Band Website]

Early Verdict: They Still Got It

Listen to "Bodysnatchers":

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "Jigsaw Falling Into Place":

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Band Website/Order the Record]
[Band Wiki]

Discuss your impressions in comments...

***UPDATE #1***: As much as I love the NME, their early review of the record is cringe worthy:

'Bodysnatchers'
"...the song features a driving rhythm and gnarly blues guitar."

'Nude'
"It's a slow, ethereal song underpinned by Phil Selway's trademark patter and tish drumming..."

'All I Need'
"...it's a semi-love song."

'House Of Cards'
"The guitar picking is almost jolly."

'Jigsaw Falling Into Place'"A Spanish-style guitar intro gives way to a driving acoustic guitar loop and ratatat drums..."

'Videotape'
"Juddery drums and swirly effects kick in later in the song..."

[Read the whole preview]

Musicsnatchers?

Since it's futile to resist the Radiohead juggernaut this week, from this post on it'll be all Radiohead, all the time. Look for a review of the record once I've had time to digest it. Here's an article from The Guardian:

Within two hours of the announcement, three of my friends have left me messages - real voicemails, not even texts. Within a few hours, it's being reported on news sites and the news. The following day I hear two people on the tube talking about it. One looks like a student, the other a banker and they're calculating how many people will pay too little and how many will pay too much, and whether Radiohead are on to a huge profit thing.

The following day I read about the site crashing under the e-stampede. On the same day a friend tells me about a friend of his who went to the site and clicked through the ordering process and then got annoyed when he couldn't pay by paypal - so in a grump, he paid 1p. Which got me so annoyed that I went on the same site and paid a tenner.

Discussion, judgment, conjecture and passion that will no doubt sell downloads by the bucket-load - this is what all marketeers would special offer their soul to have. The twist is that Radiohead aren't marketeers. Although Maslow's Needs, Brand Onion and TGI Run all sound like brilliant Radiohead song titles, I seriously doubt the band has ever heard of the first, looked at the second or come close to commissioning the third. No, Radiohead just do what they do and it works. Maybe brands could do it too if they followed some basic Radiohead rules of unmarketing:

1. Make it great.

It's time to 'fess up here. Prince doesn't work for me because I just don't feel the funk and, in my humble emo opinion, Radiohead are just about the best band on this little planet. Although caricatured as depressive shoe-gazers on downers, they are in fact musical, melodic and experimental with an immaculate grip on ear-bleed rock, twitchy dance and delicate ballad all at once. If something's truly great - a shoe, a phone, a band - then marketing it, or unmarketing it, becomes a whole lot easier.

2. Believe in it.

Passion creates passion, belief creates belief and Radiohead absolutely believe in what they're doing. You can hear it in Thom Yorke's voice. You can see it in the way he loses himself on stage, dancing like a muscle hard-wired to the music. He believes that in this world of social, political and technological uncertainty there is some salvation in song - or something like that. Steve Ballmer believes in Microsoft so much that he jumps around whooping and sweating at conferences. Ingvar Kamprad believes in affordable design to such an extent that he still walks around Ikea stores checking that all the price tags are clearly displayed. Bands or brands that lose perspective create fans that lose it too.

3. Don't explain it.

If you asked a hundred Radiohead fans to explain the appeal of Radiohead, they would all explain it differently. Some might warble on about the band's preoccupations like I did just now; some might stick to the music; some might single out their integrity; or their lack of a record label; some might focus on their unpolished looks. A clever planner I used to work with would talk about brands as having DNA, different strands of which appeal to different people. I think this is right and if so, the reduction of a band/brand into a simple articulate proposition - which marketing is addicted to - isn't helpful. Say less to mean more. As guitarist Jonny Greenwood says on the Radiohead site. "Hello everyone. Well the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days. We've called it In Rainbows. Love from us all. Jonny." Enough said.

4. One good eye.

I'm sure you know that Thom Yorke has a paralysed eye. It's a physical oddity but more than that, it's a perfect analogy. Where many brands (and a lot of bands) look to their product and to their audience, look to create and look to please, Radiohead don't look to please. They simply make music they want to make; try ideas like the pay-as-much-as-you-like download because they want to try them. It's a kind of an artistic approach that repects fans rather than seeks to ingratiate them. And of course, it's an approach their fans love.

[Read the whole article]

Listen to "Videotape" (Live):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]