Customer Reviews

OK Computer

5 star:		(1,810)
4 star:		(82)
3 star:		(51)
2 star:		(56)
1 star:		(98)

 

 

Previously, while browsing through the reviews, I noticed a common theme in the suprising amount of negative responses this album has gotten. The reviewers who wrote them seemed for some reason angry at the fact that so many people enjoy this album. I was appalled by the number of people who seemed to have no respect for other people's opinions. The thought that all the people are "just faking" liking the album to seem cool and hip is just absurd. They seem to be infuriated that many people seem to genuinly like something that they do not, and failing to realize that opinions are subjective, are drawn to the rash conclusion that everyone else is wrong, stupid, or "faking it". These people need to realize that it is ok not to like an album that many other people like. Please don't critisize others for their opinions, even if they differ from your own, for it is the exact nature of our free will that allows us to have differing thoughts and feelings when interpreting art, or anything for that matter. Without this gift, we would be nothing but mindless robots, without the freedom of choice or individual thought.

That being said, OK Computer is one of my favorite albums. Each track on the album has the ability of conjering up different emotions, and by the end, the emotional wirlwind leaves me dizzy. The album's central theme of encountering genuin beauty in our world of technology, yet being unable to shake a certain feeling of unease, comes across perfectly. It's funny that the people who are angered by this album may be the people it was really geared towards. It attempts to send the message that you don't have to be compliant all the time: treasure your individuality, don't let anyone take it away from you. At least that's what I got from this album, which brings the point across beautifully with it's layered sounds and melodic, peircing, and haunting vocals. I'm genuinly moved by this album everytime I listen to it. For those that think I'm saying this just to be hip, and cannnot and do not want anyone to have opinions different than their own, I'm with Tom Yorke in saying "We hope that you Choke."

I agree with another reviewer that this CD deserves an average rating of 5 stars and not 4.5. This album is a masterpiece and will go down in history as one of the greats of the 90's. What's interesting about Radiohead is that they weren't as commercialy succesful as other bands from the 90's yet they remain one of the most powerful and original bands out there. Most people don't realize that after their monstrous hit "Creep" Radiohead produced their best music.

This indeed is an album and not just a collection of songs. From the first track "Airbag" all the way to the sixth track "Karma Police" the album flows seamlessly with emotional continuity and thought. Thom Yorke's lyrics are haunting and deeply symbolic. From rich layerd guitar sounds, out of this world keyboard riffs and of course Thom's unforgettable vocals the sound of this album is unforgettable. I must have listened to this CD hundeds of times and it never gets old because there is always something new for me to discover. What's great about OK Computer is that it combines the experimentation of Kid A and Amnesiac and the brilliant guitar work of The Bends. Ok Computer won't disappoint and belongs in your music library.

If it is possible for (less than) an hour's worth of music to encapsulate all that is misguided, shallow and spiritually vacant about the foundations that modern Western society is built on, it is Radiohead's masterpiece, OK Computer. Intense, uncomfortable, dark and moving, OK Computer is the culmination of an incredible progression from the relative mediocrity of Pablo Honey, through the flawed brilliance of The Bends to an astounding third album which they may not be able to surpass. Apparently Thom Yorke almost went mad trying to decide the track order, but from the opening bars of Airbag, with it's uncomfortable, frankly bizarre, guitar line, to the microwave oven's ring that marks the end of The Tourist, the whole is incontestably a journey of the brain, the heart and the senses that seems to make perfect sense. The manic, Bohemian Rhapsodiesque apocalyptic soundtrack that is Paranoid Android still renders me speechless today. The pure beauty of the final chorus of Let Down, the frazzled mute trumpet solo on Climbing up the Walls, the fact that Johnny Greenwood seems to have reinvented the guitar and above all Thom Yorke's unutterably beautiful voice throughout, leaves you questioning quite where five middle class blokes from Oxford discovered the ability to move you so much. Before OK Computer, yuppies networking were an irritating banality. After OK Computer they are pure evil. My eyes have been opened...

Can it really be 7 years and three albums since I began college and adopted "Creep" as my personal anthem of alienation? Forget Thom Yorke; that song was about ME, damnit-LOL! I heard it and projected my own angst and depression onto the lyrics.

However, I have to admit that, following the success of "Creep", I didn't pay much attention to Radiohead. "The Bends" came and went, and the only song I liked from that record was "High and Dry".

Then came 1997 and "Ok Computer". Rave reviews and the standout singles "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" piqued my curiosity, which finally got the better of me when I finally went out and bought the album. Upon first listen, I was far from impressed. Aside from the aforementioned singles, I liked "Subterranean Homesick Alien" on the level that one likes any old radio single (i.e., it was catchy, and caused me to hit repeat on my CD player several times). But the rest of the album seemed, somehow, unreachable.

Fast forward a few months later, when I popped OKC into my CD player again, and listened to it from start to finish for the first time since I bought it. Where before, I found the jolting guitar at the start of "Airbag" disconcerting, I now took comfort in it. Suddenly, I was able to see the epic beauty of "Paranoid Android". "Subterranean Homesick Alien" became more than just another radio song; I finally heard and understood the simultaneous tranquility and desperation in its lyrics (Yorke makes alien abduction sound like quite the sublime experience). "Exit (Music For A Film)" and "Let Down" proved exquisite in both their pain and their majesty. And, on "Lucky" and "The Tourist" I found songs in which I could literally lose myself. Most importantly, I found a moment in each song that touched my soul (when Thom Yorke sings "it's going to be a glorious day" for the second time on "Lucky"; or when the chanting begins on "Paranoid Android"; or Yorke's sweet scream of "you'll know where you are" near the end of "Let Down"). Now, I understood what all that raving was about at the end of 1997, when critics tripped over themselves to praise this album as one of the decade's best. It would be another four or five listens before I could fully process the thematic content of the lyrics on the album. Once I did, the power of the album truly struck me. On OKC, Radiohead vocalize the anxieties we all share about living in this microwaved age, but are too scared or deadened to verbalize ourselves. Are we sacrificing our humanity at the altar of technological advancement? Radiohead seem to reach a pretty bleak conclusion on OKC, but, in the end, the album moved me so much that I bought "The Bends", an equally stunning gem. As with OKC, it took me a few listens to get into "The Bends", but the thing I've come to love about Radiohead's music is its very inaccessibility. It is NOT easy. It is (to employ an overused critical term) DIFFICULT.

But I'm finally starting to understand that Radiohead are worth it. Worth the hype. Worth the pretension (real or perceived). Worth a permanent place in any album collection. Worth more than just one listen. Worth the work it takes to fully comprehend their albums. Most of all, Radiohead are worth the hope that rock music can do more than entertain, and even move. Radiohead are proof that rock music can still challenge our comfortable existence (see "Fitter Happier"), question our most deeply held beliefs, and leave us thinking long after the last note has played.

I affectionately call "OK Computer" my learning album. I had to learn to love it, and I would not have had it any other way.

Please excuse me while I bash a previous reviewer. to "The Cranky Reviewer": I feel the need to clarify a few things for you. Radiohead is the greatest musical occurence in contemporary music. They are not here to please your simple ears and mind. They know how to write, and they know how to play, and do both exeptionally well. If you had the mental capacity to listen to and understand the music in an intelligent way, you would find that it is the most brilliantly crafted, carefully and emotionally constructed music available. THIS IS NOT DANCE MUSIC, NOR IS IT MEANT TO BE. IF YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO DANCE MUSIC, BUY A F***ING DANCE CD. Thanks for your time and generous ignorance. I have been thoroughly amused by your petty and insignificant presence here - Allan
p.s. good luck with your duran duran

Can it really be 7 years and three albums since I began college and adopted "Creep" as my personal anthem of alienation? Forget Thom Yorke; that song was about ME, damnit-LOL! I heard it and projected my own angst and depression onto the lyrics.

However, I have to admit that, following the success of "Creep", I didn't pay much attention to Radiohead. "The Bends" came and went, and the only song I liked from that record was "High and Dry".

Then came 1997 and "Ok Computer". Rave reviews and the standout singles "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" piqued my curiosity, which finally got the better of me when I finally went out and bought the album. Upon first listen, I was far from impressed. Aside from the aforementioned singles, I liked "Subterranean Homesick Alien" on the level that one likes any old radio single (i.e., it was catchy, and caused me to hit repeat on my CD player several times). But the rest of the album seemed, somehow, unreachable.

Fast forward a few months later, when I popped OKC into my CD player again, and listened to it from start to finish for the first time since I bought it. Where before, I found the jolting guitar at the start of "Airbag" disconcerting, I now took comfort in it. Suddenly, I was able to see the epic beauty of "Paranoid Android". "Subterranean Homesick Alien" became more than just another radio song; I finally heard and understood the simultaneous tranquility and desperation in its lyrics (Yorke makes alien abduction sound like quite the sublime experience). "Exit (Music For A Film)" and "Let Down" proved exquisite in both their pain and their majesty. And, on "Lucky" and "The Tourist" I found songs in which I could literally lose myself. Most importantly, I found a moment in each song that touched my soul (when Thom Yorke sings "it's going to be a glorious day" for the second time on "Lucky"; or when the chanting begins on "Paranoid Android"; or Yorke's sweet scream of "you'll know where you are" near the end of "Let Down"). Now, I understood what all that raving was about at the end of 1997, when critics tripped over themselves to praise this album as one of the decade's best. It would be another four or five listens before I could fully process the thematic content of the lyrics on the album. Once I did, the power of the album truly struck me. On OKC, Radiohead vocalize the anxieties we all share about living in this microwaved age, but are too scared or deadened to verbalize ourselves. Are we sacrificing our humanity at the altar of technological advancement? Radiohead seem to reach a pretty bleak conclusion on OKC, but, in the end, the album moved me so much that I bought "The Bends", an equally stunning gem. As with OKC, it took me a few listens to get into "The Bends", but the thing I've come to love about Radiohead's music is its very inaccessibility. It is NOT easy. It is (to employ an overused critical term) DIFFICULT.

But I'm finally starting to understand that Radiohead are worth it. Worth the hype. Worth the pretension (real or perceived). Worth a permanent place in any album collection. Worth more than just one listen. Worth the work it takes to fully comprehend their albums. Most of all, Radiohead are worth the hope that rock music can do more than entertain, and even move. Radiohead are proof that rock music can still challenge our comfortable existence (see "Fitter Happier"), question our most deeply held beliefs, and leave us thinking long after the last note has played.

I affectionately call "OK Computer" my learning album. I had to learn to love it, and I would not have had it any other way.

I remember occasionally glancing at this very page years ago in wonder - OK Computer by Radiohead, the critically acclaimed record of 1997. Though I read tens, perhaps hundreds of reviews, something held me back from ordering the CD. I'm not sure what that was, maybe the many mixed reviews of how the disc was "hard to get into" or simply "boring", but finally, this year, I had the nerve to make the purchase. Upon listening to the CD, I was already disagreeing with many reviews here: The album was amazing. And though it remains one of the most grippingly unique, intelligent, epic yet eccentric records ever made, it only took one listen for me to adore nearly every track on the album.

Here are separate reviews for each song, track by track:

#1: Airbag: An epic opener. Telling the story of a car crash survivor, this song tempts to portray the feeling of a second chance; a near fatality. Starting with a stellar opening riff, leading to an incredibly catchy chorus, and ending with a climatic edning instrumental, this song is a part of the album. 9/10

#2: Paranoid Android: Although it's the album's first single, Paranoid Android is not the most conventional song on the album, rather it is one of the finest, most complex tracks on OK Computer. At more than six minutes, one would expect such a long song to drag on, but this is not the case: The song varies tempoes and styles, contains many riveting instrumentals and guitar soloes, and continues to showcase Thom Yorke's incredible vocal range and songwriting skills. 10/10

#3: Subterranean Homesick Alien: The title "Subterranean Homesick Alien" may seem to herald to an edgy alternative song, but in reality, SHA is actually a very laid-back brit-rock, almost jazzy song. The verses consist of soft, dreamy electric guitar while Yorke sings careful, thoughtful lyrics. The chorus is the most brit-rock part of this whole album, with many harmonizing sections of keyboard, guitar, and vocals coming together to create a soothing melody. Though it's very unlike anything else on the album, Subterranean Homesick Alien is probably the best slow song on OK Computer. 9/10

#4: Exit Music(For a Film): As the title suggests, this song was written for a full-length feature film, namely the new remake of Romeo and Juliet. Written for after the film's tragic downfall, the beginning of the song is home to mesmerizing vocals by Thom over soft guitar, crowd sampling and background vocals. As the song progresses, we are ezposed to fuzzy keyboards and harder drums,eventually leading up to the song's almost overly climatic ending. The ending line "We hope that you choke, that you choke" is almost over-dramatic. Nevertheless, this is a great song. 9/10

#5: Let Down: Let Down is considered by many fans to be the best song on OK Computer. IN this song, Thom conveys feelings of desperation, comparing it to being "Crushed like a bug in the ground", begging, "don't get sentimental", as "It always ends up drivel". The chorus features incredibly beautiful harmonies of vocals, guitars and keyboards, accompanied by perfectly placed drumming. This song is possibly OK Computer's best track; a must-hear. 10/10

#6: Karma Police: The second single off OK Computer, Karma Police is probably one of the most mainstream-sounding songs off the album, sounding like typical U2 piano-based rock. But Radiohead takes it to another level: With the unforgettable pre-chorus whisper of "This is what you get when you mess with us", Karma Police becomes a definite winner. THe song ends with Yorke crooning, "for a minute there, I lost myself" over almost-perfect background vocal harmonies. 9/10

#7: Fitter Happier: This song is quite an oddity. Merely just a computerized voice muttering ideals and realities of American Culture, this song is an easy skip on first sight. But upon further listens, the neautralized voice seems more emotional than a real one. Accompanied by background piano and voice sampling, this song, to many, divides the album into halves. This song is strange, and therefore I wield it no rating.

#8: Electioneering: This track is a hit-or-miss. It is named both the only rock and true political song on OKC. Relying on a triplet beat and on blues-esque riffs, this song is truly much different than any other song on the record, but not neccessarily in the best way. Though some fans regard this as a nearly "perfect" song, many feel this as the album's true weak spot. I tend to go with the second opinion. Though it goes with all the rules of the other songs on the album, it doesn't work this time for me. 5/10

#9: Climbing up the Walls: CutW has been named one of Radiohead's only true scary songs, and for good reason. The song features many carefully prepared samples and keyboards, and uses a distorted version of Thom's voice to execute a beautiful achievement. The origin of this song is equally enthralling. With lyrics such as "Do not cry out or hit the alarm, you know we're friends till we die" and "So lock the kids up safe tonight, shut the eyes in the cupboard", this song is theorized to be about everyday fears coming true, as well as panic buttons and lethally insane intruders. This song's instrumental is the best on the album, with a haunting violin section combined with trashing keyboards and epic lead guitar. The song ends with a haunting scream by Yorke himself, followed only by cryptic noises and beeps. This song is, in my opinion, both the hardest song to get into and the best on the album. 10/10

#10: No Surprises: To begin, this song is perfectly placed right after Climbing up the Walls, because of the large contrast: while CupW is a morbid, scary song, No Surprises is a seemingly happy and melodic feel-good song. It was also the third single off the album. Though it only contains soft drumming and guitar with other backup instruments, this isn't a tedious song to listen to. The lyrics provide a story of a man who feels trapped by life, or as some believe, takes his own life. Nevertheless, it's entertaining to listen to. 9/10

#11: Lucky: I have to admit that this is only song I'm bored with on the entire album. Some compare this song to Airbag, but I believe it to be more like Subterranean Homesick Alien: Lucky contains soft guitar and thoughtful lyrics in the verses with a louder, more epic chorus. I don't know why, but to me, this song is just too typical. 7/10

#12: The Tourist: Though I can't say I hoped the album would end in an anticlimatic way, I definitely can say this was the best way to do so. Written in 3/4, this song is kind of similar to SHA also, but with more emotion. It also fits the mood, more so than Lucky. Yorke's lyrics may not act accordingly, but they are executed superbly. A great ending track. 9/10

Overall, because most tracks I felt were 9/10 and above, OK Computer gets a 5/5 from me. This is one of the best CD purchases I have made in well over a year, and I hope this review helped make your decision. And anyway, if you're still reading this, go ahead and purchase this album. Just do it! I know I should've ages ago; if you're thinking this hard about it, just do so.

After 1995's critically and commercially successfully 'The Bends', Radiohead have made a vivid and diverse masterpiece that will be regarded as a timeless classic in years to come when other so-called classics will be forgotten (step forward The Verve's 'Urban Hymns'). Every track on the album is brilliant in its own right, but where the album really succeeds is as an album as a whole where each track effortlessly merges in each. 'OK Computer' is a dense and weighty piece of work going into different directions from its predecessor. 'Airbag' starts with distorted guitars that misguides the listener who thinks the record will contain a selection of accessible rock songs. 'OK Computer' is more thoughtful and fragile especially during the wonderfully bleak 'Exit Music (For A Film)' and 'The Tourist'. The most epic track is 'Paranoid Android' with its three part structure not unlike that of Queen's 'Bohenium Rhapsody' showing how prog-rock is really done. The album reaches its peak on songs like 'Climbing Up The Walls' and 'Lucky', and at it's most radio-friendly on 'No Surprises' with a delicate chiming sound and weary vocals. The lyrics deal with Thom Yorke's obsessions with death, fears and aliens. For example, in 'Subterranean Homesick Alien', seagull guitars and a trilling piano draw attention away from it's weird lyrics about "aliens peer down on human folly shooting home movies". With 'OK Computer', Radiohead remain one step ahead of their peers with a complex and dynamic masterpiece.

In short, buy this record if you are looking for something a bit different and are tired of the endless recycled pop music clogging up the music charts.

I'm 19. Male. Jaded. I've heard it all (most of it) before, and have come to love such high-concept masterpieces as Dark Side of the Moon, mind-opening acts like The Doors, as well as the classics of contemporary music, namely PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love, Nirvana's Nevermind, and... say... Bjork's Debut.

But I have never heard anything as atmospheric, sophisticated, and musically rewarding as Radiohead's undeniable masterpiece, OK COMPUTER. Every song on it is perfect. Thom Yorke and the boys create dimensions and soundscapes that haven't been touched before, and they do it on every track. From the unusual time signature of the opening track Airbag, to the lush harmonies of the sweeping epic Paranoid Android, to the band's haunting ode to the boomerang of disappointment, Karma Police, to the stark sonic landscapes of The Tourist, the album simply blooms. Radiohead has made more than a contribution to music; they have laid down the law of where music has been, where it is, and where it will go. There are sounds on this record that will be embedded into your memory on the very first listen, and some songs that will elude you until you are ready to receive them, and trust me, you will. If you listen carefully.

Do not presume to judge this record on its critical raves alone, or by your own comparative analysis. They did not make an easy, or easily definable, record. Instead, they chose the more difficult, and infinitely more rewarding road of making a moody, dark, sad concept album.

And the concept should at least be clear: Radiohead seek to dislodge all your utopian ideas of freedom and control in a world of fast-paced, internet-obsessed culture. Obviously, there is little joy here, but OK Computer does not pretend to be anything it is not. An aural 1984, OK Computer celebrates nothing, but for all its Orwellian anxiety, it still comes off as a beautiful, and eloquent, journey. Please do not let yourself be too close-minded, or scared, to take it.

Please feel free to respond. As Ok Computer demonstrates so beautifully, this world is nothing without a little scrutiny.

My only hope is that someone out there who hasn't had the pleasure of hearing this CD buys one because of my words. Not to sound gushing, this is probably the best album of the 1990's (with only Nirvana's Nevermind as an equal). Some people have gone as far to say this is on par with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I would go one further and say this is a better album. From the first notes of "Airbag" to the last bell chiming at the end of "The Tourist" this is 53:29 minutes of aural opium. I can't imagine what Radiohead will put out to top this. With each repeat listening (and trust me I've listened to this a thousand times - at home, in the car, thru headphones) you can pick out a new song that sticks in your head like crazy glue. This CD, to me is like a painting or a good book - depending on where you are at in life or what your current mood is you will experience this album in a different way, hear things you haven't heard before, feel things you haven't felt before.