Customer Reviews

Go to Sleep 2

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Despite Radiohead being unwilling to make life easier for their fans by releasing a 5 song single EP with 4 B Sides instead of 2 x 3 Song Singles with 2 B sides each... this is an amazing single.

When you listen to Go To Sleep, Gagging Order and I am a Wicked Child back to back to back, you begin to hear the guitar based rock and roll albumn we were promised. If you're curious about what that apparently imaginary albumn might have sounded like, start here.

Gagging order is an incredibly beautiful song. It's the sort of "Secret Radiohead" only those who have all their singles know about. Think of Lozenge of Love or How I made My Millions. It's that good.

It's sort of a Big Star type make you cry softy... and I love it.

I am a wicked child is also excellent... though much more of a sing along type track. This is more along the lines of a Molasses or Bishop's Robes type... lyrical and melodic slow dance.

While both of these are excellent and easily albumn worthy for most bands, those fans of Radiohead singles will not be surprised.

The band seems to have a secret side which they reserve just for songs like these and which they leave aside of B Sides.

Those of us who bought the pyramid song and knives out singles (or any of their singles from previous albumns for that matter) will no doubt pick this up anyway, so I don't need to try to sell you on it.

For those of you who don't have all or any of these, I highly suggest you look into them. If you love Radiohead, but are basing your love for them on the albumns alone, you're missing out on a while different dimension to the band... and contrary to what you might think, these B-Sides are typically less experimental and more poppy than the albumn tracks. (I said Typically... there's no accounting for the experimental ambient brilliance of paperbag writer and where bluebirds fly )

Anyway, long story short. If you like radiohead, first make sure you have enough to eat, then pay your student loan, but after that, don't hesitate to buy this single.

First of all, contrary to popular belief, this is not an import-only release. This CD is currently available on Capitol records here in the states ... As for the music, this CD contains two of my favorite B-Sides the band has made so far. They're easily as good as Banana Co, Bishop's Robes, Fog, and Palo Alto. The only 2 they don't touch are Talk Show Host and Cuttooth. In layman's terms, they're freaking great.
Gagging Order: The guitar playing is magnificent, while Thom's voice sings in the "Pyramid Song" etherial tone. It's a terrific song that reminds me of Neil Young at his "Harvest"-era best.
I Am A Wicked Child: The rocker. This is the song that would've made the album a return to rock. The lyrics are some of my favorite. About the devil's son begging for pennance. It's matured a bit since it debuted in Webcast #2 two years ago, and is all the better for it. I love the Dylan-esque harmonica, too. Magnificent.
As for "Go To Sleep", you should know by now that this is one of the best songs the 'Head has ever made...

I'm going to assume that if you're looking up this item that you are a Radiohead fan. So I'm also going to assume that you are familiar with the sonic changes in the band over the past ten years, the foray into electronica and such. You may also have noticed an occasional dip into blues, funk, and folk, in such songs as A Punchup at a Wedding, I Might Be Wrong, and this single, Go to Sleep. The b-sides on this album continue in this trend.

Keep in mind that these are b-sides, and the recording quality is such. It's fuzzy, improperly mixed, and imbalanced ever so slightly in the left and right ears. But the music is beautiful. "Gagging Order" is Thom solo on an acoustic guitar, and the song has the slow somber feel of Radiohead's best ballads, with a slight folky touch. There's something particularly haunting about this track as Thom moans, "Move along / there's nothing left to see / just a body / nothing left to see," to a rolling, dirty guitar strum. Simply mystical.

"I am a Wicked Child" is pure blues, with harmonica (!) and all. It sounds like the band woke up one morning and just started grooving on their instruments, and this song came out of it. It has the feel of an old Beatles cover of some bluesy song, and it's a good listen. I just wish I knew for sure who was on that harmonica.

To all fans of the band, don't hesitate to pick this up.

Radiohead recently released a new compilation of sorts with some of the Hail to the Thief era b-sides. It's called 2plus2is5 and it has all the songs off of both Go to Sleep 1 & 2 and There There. So really there's not much reason to buy all three of those for 15 each and spend 45 when you can just spend 15 once and get some remixes and live tracks.

Songs - 4/5 (you can tell why they were cut from the album. While nice, they have little flow to something else)

Album purchase 1/5 (But like I said there's good reason not to buy this, you can now get it for an affordable price.)

The b-sides on this single contrast those off the first single, "There There," in that they are both stripped down, acoustic, and raw. Honestly they don't sound like anything I've ever heard from Radiohead before. The second song, "I Am A Wicked Child," sound like Thom was listening to Neil Young and CCR for a fortnight and then cranked it out. Don't get me wrong, the song is cool...it just throws you off for a bit. Harmonicas aren't things you expect to hear from these guys. They pull it off admirably, though.

"Gagging Order," on the other hand, is a more folksy acoustical number as it features Thom and a guitar only. Very nice and soothing.

Let's face it, Radiohead can do no wrong...

If you order this don't expect the import - what you will get is the domestic version of "Go to Sleep" that usually sells for $5.

Radiohead has always split their b-sides by traditional and experimental. These songs are more traditional. Gagging Order is a pretty solo acoustic song about someone falling apart, but of course a pretty acoustic song wouldn't have fit on the album. I Am a Wicked Child sounds either like Radiohead trying to do down and dirty blues, or doing a parody of down and dirty blues. Either way, it's very listenable. True, these now appear on the Com Lag EP, but the songs are good anyway.

Great.. Could be better, but Radiohead is always good. Try the Knives out single with Fog and Kinetic. It is my favorite of their singles.

You need to buy this single, solely for the song "I am a Wicked Child". It is perhaps the most original Radiohead song ever. It's the farthest outside of Radiohead's typical style. Aside from this, it's probably in the top five of their greatest songs ever. You have to hear this song. It's like Radiohead meets Muddy Waters meets the Rolling Stones. Buy it now, you will sincerely not regret it. I have no flipping idea why "I am a Wicked Child" was not on Hail to the Thief, except maybe that it is stylistically too different from the rest of the album. If it had been on there, it would have been the best song on it. It is thoroughly surprising, especially considering it's a B-side. "Gagging Order" is also pretty good, a solo acoustic number that is actually pretty traditional.

Does anyone else think Radiohead needs to release an album entirely of B-sides?

"Go to Slpeep" is obviously a pretty cool song and it makes a great single (can't wait to see a video). "Gagging Order" is a great tune, it has a sweet acoustic guitar with Thom crooning beautifly over it. This single would be great if it weren't for the last song, "I Am a Wicked Child", which is trash and a complete waist of your time and thier effort.