Customer Reviews

Radiohead Box Set

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Just because you like Radiohead doesn't mean you are forced to buy this. In my case, this is was a perfect gift. The only Radiohead I owned was "In Rainbows" and a rip of a library copy of "OK Computer." My brother, a fanatical fan, wanted to correct that on my birthday, so he bought me this box. I'm delighted. It's not a best-of. It has the original artwork (in better packaging). It sounds great. No alternate takes or demos or B sides to clutter up the album sequencing. I have the albums now that my brother listened to as he grew to love this band. That's all I need for now.

Moreover, why be mad at EMI? What would have been infuriating is if they put, say, five unreleased tracks on this set. So you, all of you fans who already have these disks, would have had to ponder whether you now need to get these new disks just to get those tracks. That's a cheap marketing trick that even Steely Dan couldn't resist (putting an alternative demo take of "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" on their "Citizen Steely Dan" box set. What SD fan would need that box set, except for that one stinkin' song? And what casual fan would care that it was included?)

This is a great gift for a serious fan to give a casual fan. Or if you just got into the band via the "In Rainbows" hype and want to catch up. But if you already have all their CDs, stop being so obsessive-compulsive. You don't have to buy this. And the fact that you don't have to buy it shouldn't make you angry at its existence.

As for the music itself-- I'll get back to you. Today, I listened to "Hail to the Thief" for the first time. I liked it okay. It's uneven but the good stuff is very, very good. I'm looking forward to hearing "The Bends" next.

All of you radiohead fans make it like the band/EMI is making it mandatory to purchase every product released by the band/emi. You as the consumer have the right to purchase or not purchase anything in existence that's for sale...lately it's become obvious what might not be purchased such as unauthorized recordings. True there's nothing different about these releases than it's preceeding releases. True it's probably not remastered and there isn't a single bonus track. Nor is there a lyric booklet or anything to the effect. All you get are 8 digipaks which are alot more attractive looking than the predecessors but not necessarily worth going out to purchase for a second time. However, I never previously purchased a radiohead cd but knew of the band very well for years just never got around to buying any of their cds. I do know they're one of the very few modern day bands who make the best 100 albums list of all time with 2 of their releases which is a pretty good accomplishment considering this is 2007 and all the legends who have come before radiohead which is just a tribute to their importance in a world that's not becoming so band friendly anymore these days. But I see alot of people are giving it 1 star because it's not new material or bonus tracks when there's no claim by the band or EMI that there was, i could see if they said there was bonus tracks and you take it home and there isn't but it was never said to be...and remember you don't have to buy every product, you don't have to buy those singles either with an album track and 3-4 really bad songs either...i give it 5 stars because the music is all 1st rate and the package is incredibly attractive.

Okay, I've read several of the reviews that have bashed this boxed set and my question is... What do you want? Are you bashing it b/c of the music or b/c the man released it w/o permission from Radiohead? My guess is the second of the two.

Bottom line...If you love Radiohead, but don't own any of their records (like me) by it ASAP. A perfect way to get this incredible music all in one package.

Radiohead still gets paid for the sales on this and even though I don't really agree with the way it was released I bought it. I am thrilled that I did and you will be too!

While it is true that the band was not interested in releasing a box set of the work (especially during their own release of their 'new' album: IN RAINBOWS) this set represents a stunning career in studio releases from beginning to the base of the rainbow (just not inside of it).... as well as some choice live recorded material.

Yes, for fans it seems that buying this box is treason against the band, and a crime, etc... However, for someone interested in a obtaining all of the bands major releases in one purchase should not let the opportunity pass.

The only difficulty I see with a new fan & this discbox is because it contains ALL of the bands major releases from 1993 - 2003. Only a decade... but a volatile one for a band who began with "Creep" and hopped, skipped, and teleported to "Paranoid Android" in 1997 and then disintegrated to "treefingers," "in limbo," and "pulk/pull revolving doors" before emerging at the other end with "There There" in 2003.

The non-linearity of this band would certainly confuse and could just as easily put a new fan off of certain albums hearing them in such close proximity to one another. For those of us who followed the band from the beginning and spent the decade.5 listening along have certainly developed with the band in terms of understanding the music as a progression of/in form. This, of course, has currently culminated in "IN RAINBOWS".

As a closing note/thought: Be sure to locate some B-Sides (from singles) throughout the years if the box set inspires you to do so (which it will if you give it enough listens).

Good luck & generally ignore the hate from some of the fans.

ummmm.....Radiohead didn't approve of this release. ummmmmm....so what. They should have. I love the group. I love their music.........ALL of it. They are probably the greatest band going today. Although I would choose a different one if it were categorized by best music.......ala David Sylvian.......but, as a group that has gone thru all the changes of the years and still porduced the best music on the planet..........Radiohead is it!

This box set is excellent.........regardless of who or who did not approve of it.

Think Ill go wander NYC with my Treo blasting some of this set right now

...but as you allready know, excellent material.

It's all in the details, of the packaging that is. What all Radiohead fans and admirers know is that the band deserves a stellar box set retrospective in the vein of The Velvet Underground's "Peel Slowly and See" or Joy Division's "Heart and Soul." Instead Capitiol/EMI/Parlophone have just slapped together the 6 core studio albums of Radiohead's ouvre and thrown in the "I Might Be Wrong Live" EP as an added treat (?), incentive (?), ploy (?).

So... what you get here is basically a discount on just simply purchasing the 7 cds separately from say, oh I dunno, www.Amazon.com !!! Now if you are going to put together a box set containing the majority (if not sum whole) of a group's output, it's not a terrible idea to leave the original albums and thier packaging intact, as was done here. But the pernicious (in other words [...] up) lack of any rarities/b-sides/etc. is just unacceptable. To include the live EP is a bit strange since it was never considered by the band to be a proper album, live or otherwise. So if the inclusion of live material is the idea here, why not PREVIOUSLY UN-RELEASED live material? Or, if inclusion of EP's was the game plan, where's "My Iron Lung, Itch, Com Lag, and Airbag/How Am I Driving?" ?

At any rate, no rant is worthwhile without a solution. So, I propose that into into this bundling of cds be put an 8th cd containing the following b-sides from throughout Radiohead's career, in this order:

---I'm Okay, How Are You? (the B-sides)----

Palo Alto
Bishop's Robes
Coke Babies
Bannana Co.
Talk Show Host
Lull
Killer Cars (electric version)
Molasses
Gagging Order
Maquiladora
Cuttooth
Pearly
Fog
Paperbag Writer
I am A Wicked Child

-HOPE YOU'RE LISTENING EMI !!!!

You can buy them all separately or save some cash and buy them in this boxed set. Either way the music is the same and it still rocks. Boo hoo to those who think otherwise.
Go Radiohead!!!

Rubbish- don't waste your money. Nothing extra & older albums aren't even remastered. Nice try, EMI...maybe you should concentrate on developing your remaining artists, before any more jump ship.

I just picked up this box set at an HMV in Canada for $40! It was not on sale. That was the regular, retail price. I have no idea why it was so cheap, but clearly that's a heck of a deal, because the best price on this site is $64, and Amazon itself has it listed at $80. Buying the discs individually would have cost me anywhere from $75 to $120, including shipping and taxes.

I know Radiohead didn't approve this box themselves, and that sucks.

But if I was going to buy the albums individually, the money would still be going to EMI.

Sorry, I wasn't going to pass up getting the entire body of work (minus Rainbows) of such a great band for only $40.

At least I didn't illegally download all of them!

Understandably, a lot of radiohead fans would be disappointed with this boxset because it contains all of the EMI albums the band has ever done (except in rainbows, as its their first album that is not on EMI) but to be honest, what did people expect? I personally thought that a radiohead boxset would be worth the deal in the past since there are quite a few albums to buy in one go. Do I believe that EMI have stooped to a new low because they re-released everything in a boxset? I don't think its my place to have an opinon.

This boxset, as I'm sure all the other reviews indicate, is a compilation of all their previous work, which subsequently happens to be off one record label.

These are
1) Pablo Honey
2) The Bends
3) OK Computer
4) Kid A
5) Amnesiac
6) I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings (a live album)
7) Hail To The Thief

Pro's: All of the albums (official studio ones, no EP's or singles with b sides) are now available in one boxset, which is a good price and a perfect gift to someone who (like my brother) is a class act at losing CD's all the time, and a fan of radiohead.

This is also a good present to give someone if they are interested in the Radiohead sound but never got around to getting all their albums as per say. I gave a friend the boxset as a birthday present and he says that he could appreciate the band a lot more seeing it grow from its seemingly innocent roots (trying to break out of the sub genre of grunge with "Pablo Honey" ) to its new sound (in their experimental Amnesiac and Hail to the thief).

Con's: Naturally, I felt as if it was a bit of a rip off since there was no My Iron Lung EP , or any of the b sides that came with the singles. Even if this boxset is a prerequisite to another boxset with just the singles and their b sides, I felt they could have had that in the first place, instead of just the original albums.

In the end: 5 stars for content, 3 stars for the idea and 1 star for EMI not including the b sides and/or singles= 4 stars (dont ask i didnt do an average). However, if you are new to the band, just buy this boxset and you will not be disappointed. Each and every album is a classic.