Confused? Read the f.a.q.
NOTE: If you are offended by my ratings below, you are better
off looking at the alternate b-sides
guide.
*****5 STAR SONGS (EXCELLENT-ESSENTIAL)
Song: Banana Co
Available on: Street Spirit CD1
Other versions: Banana
Co (acoustic) (available on Itch EP
and various early singles)
Sounds... Poppy short Beatle-esque song...cool harmonies, and a very
memorable Jonny solo. Catchy, delicious... impossible not to like. mmm.
Song: Big Boots
Available on: Unreleased
(look for bootlegged concerts) lost?
Sounds... Brilliant guitarwork from Jonny, echoing his solo in Banana Co.
Very catchy, once you hear it, you'll want to kill radiohead for leaving it unreleased...
almost. Also known as 'manowar'.
Song: Lift
Available on: Unreleased
(look for bootlegged concerts) ill?
Sounds... Hopeful. When radiohead kept going on about how their 3rd LP was
going to be very 'up', this was the song that appeared to sum up the whole vibe thom was
apparently trying to achieve. was once rumoured to be the first single off 3rd LP, now
it's reduced to unreleased status. No word on whether it will ever be released.
Song: Killer Cars
Available on: High & Dry
CD2, Fake Plastic Trees US, The Bends-Japan release
Other versions: Killer Cars
(mogadon version) (Just CD1); Killer Cars (acoustic) (Itch
EP, Stop Whispering)
Sounds... Rocking. This song was once considered as a single and for
inclusion on The Bends, but the band couldn't quite record it the way they wanted to. The
mogadon version is not a remix, in fact it is a slow re-recording of the song, many people
actually prefer the mogadon version to the original...
Song: Nude
Available on: Unreleased (look for bootlegged concerts) confused?
Sounds... lustful. This is a
great radiohead song, and destined to become a classic. Written around the OKC
sessions, this song features jonny on Hammond organ, and thom sounding even more
particularly pained that usual. Slow moving at first, but by the time it's reached
the swooping chorus, you're ready to fall down in amazement. the best unreleased
radiohead song heard so far.
Song: Palo Alto
Available on: No Surprises CD1, Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP
Sounds... like 90s prog rock experimentation. Imagine mixing the beats of
Airbag with the weird noises of Climbing Up The Walls. Add grating guitars and OKC-themed
lyrics, and you have Palo Alto. You'll either love it or hate it. Actually sounds
like it has roots in early On A Friday song 'Philipa Chicken' (see 2stars). This
either shows how much radiohead have (or haven't) progressed as a band since they
started. Um. Anyway, i love it to bits. Very cool.
Song: Polyethyline
(parts 1 & 2)
Available on: Paranoid
Android CD1, Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP
Sounds... scared...paranoid. part 1 is a beautiful short 'thom alone with
guitar' bit, part 2 is standard Radiohead rock out.
Song: Punchdrunk
Lovesick Singalong
Available on: My Iron Lung
EP live version?
Sounds... sad... very unstable. awashed with gloomy sounding guitars... thom
emoting notably more than usual...
Song: Talk Show Host
Available on: Street Spirit
CD1
Other versions: R&J remix (Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack); Black Dog mix (Foundations compilation)
Sounds... hypnotic... electronica with guitars... this was the OKC
prototype. guitars all doing independant things, weird noises, Airbag-esque drumming.
scary, beautiful, wonderful.
Song: Rabbit In Your Headlights
Available on: UNKLE 'Psyence Fiction',
UNKLE 'Rabbit In Your Headlights' single.
Sounds... bare,
exposed. A phenomenal collaboration between Thom Yorke and DJ Shadow which, in my
opinion, surpasses quite a bit of Radiohead material as well. Thom gives a very
bleak vocal take over a complementary piano loop, while DJ Shadow throws on some amazing
trademark cut up beats. The rest of Psyence Fiction is equally as exciting (except
for Richard Ashcroft).
Song: The Trickster
Available on: My Iron Lung
EP
Sounds... amazing... quite undescribable. My favourite RH b-side by far...
holds its own against classic radiohead songs like Creep, Just, and Karma Police.
Essential in any RH fan's collection.
Song: You Never Wash
Up After Yourself
Available on: My Iron Lung
EP
Sounds... fragile. a very short 'Thom alone with guitar' song, with very
honest/open lyrics.
****4 STAR SONGS (VERY GOOD)
Song: 4HB*, Baby's On Fire, Bitter-Sweet*, Ladytron*, Sebastian.
Available on: Velvet Goldmine OST.
Sounds: Glam (obviously). Not a
Radiohead project entirely, but a 'supergroup' under the moniker of 'The Venus In Furs'
which includes thom and jonny. The striking thing about these songs is that when you
hear thom sing, fantastically, he does not sound like the *thom* we know at all.
Really! The first time i was listening to the the soundtrack, thom vocal
stuck to the Roxy Music sound so faithfully that his voice passed through my ears without
me noticing the first time round. Thom shows an unseen side to his vocals which he
hasn't shown before: crooner and raunchy, which can be proudly added to whinger,
lethargic, depressed and deadpan. This will probably be a disappointment to casual
radiohead fans (although, i'll stress again, this is NOT a radiohead project), but it's
still great nevertheless. The highlight is Bitter-Sweet, when it suddenly goes very
weird half way through and thom starts ranting. What is he saying? I have no
idea. *Vocal by Thom.
Others by John Rhys Meyers.
Song: A Reminder
Available on: Paranoid Android CD2, Karma Police International, No
Surprises/Running From Demons- Japan EP, Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP
Sounds: Lethargic. A fantastic song that grows on you after repeated
listens, it is only spoilt by a slightly yukky sample from an airport/train station at the
beginning and having an intro that is way too long. Radiohead could've shaved 15
seconds off the song, and it would've been much better. Once considered by Radiohead
to be one of the highlights of the OKC sessions, until, conceivably, radiohead recorded
better songs.
Song: Give It Up
Available on: On A Friday demo tape
Sounds...funky. yes, funky!
This is, undoubtedly, the best song recorded during Radiohead's life as On A
Friday, and sounds completely unlike anything Radiohead have ever done. The only
problem is this song is extremely hard to track down, (not yet mp3-ed on the net), and
therefore hard to listen to.
Song: How Can You Be Sure?
Available on: Fake Plastic Trees CD1, High & Dry US, 'Nowhere'
Soundtrack, The Bends-Japan release
Sounds... typical Bends-era Radiohead. acoustic song. fortunately, it works
very well. from the same session that spawned fake plastic trees, this b-side has backing
vocals credited to someone called 'Dianne Swann', which could be a real person, but some
believe that there's no such person, and Dianne Swann is an injoke (re: Smiths 'Queen is
Dead album) for Dying Swan, and that the backing vocals are done by Ed. Or
something.
Song: How I Made My Millions
Available on: No Surprises CD1
Sounds... like a stoned, incoherent Fake Plastic Trees. a song knocked out by
thom at his house on his piano. recorded onto his minidisc player. audible in the
background is the sound of thom's girlfriend, rachel, washing dishes. a little joke on the
part of thom, referring to the fact that he can sing anything and he still sounds like an
emotional wreck. obviously made up on the spot... but doesn't suffer from it.
Song: Faithless The Wonderboy
Available on: Anyone Can Play Guitar, Itch EP
Sounds... like Vegetable, except 10 times better. Should've been on Pablo
Honey, but reduced to lowly b-sides status of hard to find early single. Thank god for the
Itch EP, which is somewhat easier to find.
Song: Million Dollar Question
Available on: Creep (first release), Pablo Honey-Japan
Sounds... clichèd indie rock. you'll swear you've heard the chord
formation somewhere before. Has a gorgeous middle-8, and so damn catchy. mmm.
Song: Motion Picture Soundtrack
Available on: Unreleased (look for bootlegged concerts) sad?
Sounds... weepy. Has been floating around since Bends-tour era, thom has
been playing this sad, beautiful song at soundchecks, radio sessions, and at the
occasional gig (if you're lucky). has a good chance of being released on a future
album/ep/single.
Song: Pearly*
Available on: Paranoid Android CD1, Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP.
Other versions: alternate mix on No Surprises/Running From Demons Japan EP
Sounds... like a amalgamation of the Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers theme
tune (remember that?) and House of the Rising Sun. Surprisingly it works rather well, this
is personal favourite of mine. apart from having an ending instead of fading out,
the alternate mix isn't much different from the original at all.
Song: Stupid Car
Available on: Drill EP
Other versions: Tinnitus mix (Volume 7; The Best
of Volume 2: Sharks Patrol These Waters compilation)
Sounds... desparate. A very early, hard to find, b-side... thom alone with
guitar. badly produced, (goes from 'barely audible' to 'ear-piercing' loudness), but still
touching. the tinnitus mix doesn't seem to any different, apart from an added backing tape
of wind noise which plays throughout the song.
Song: True Love
Waits
Available on: Unreleased (look for bootlegged concerts) depressed?
Sounds: lovesick. a beautiful song this, perhaps it suffers from being a
bit too long. which is why it probably wasn't released: not finished yet.
***3 STAR SONGS (GOOD-AVERAGE)
Song: Bishops Robes
Available on: Street Spirit CD1, No Surprises/Running From Demons-Japan EP live version?
Sounds... bleak. An almost lifeless song, with eery synths and echo-y
pounding drums. Likeable, but not much shelf life.
Song: How
To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found
Available on: Unreleased
(look for bootlegged concerts) happy?
Sounds... sluggish. For the first three minutes or so, the song sounds quite
nice, comparable to Subterranean Homesick Alien. Unfortunately, like the title, this
song is way way too long. It clocks in around 7 minutes long, (longer than Paranoid
Android), but doesn't sound as epic as PA. There rare occation any radiohead song
actually sounds like a throwaway b-side.
Song: India Rubber
Available on: Fake Plastic Trees CD1
Sounds... like another attempt at maquiladora. it actually fairs quite well, (i
think it's better than maquiladora). features sample of manical laughing at the end.
Song: Inside My Head
Available on: Creep (first release), Pablo Honey-Japan
Other versions: Inside My Head (live) (Creep (second release))
Sounds... punk... a la
How Do You? Live version marginally better than the original.
Song: I Promise
Available on: Unreleased (look for bootlegged concerts) ok?
Sounds... wrong. Thom commented that this song was about being faithful in a
relationship. Apparently, its supposed to sound optimistic.
Song: Lewis (mistreated)
Available on: My Iron Lung EP
Sounds... Catchy punk rock. Very likeable... suffers from the same thing that
Bishops Robes does, it becomes dull after a while.
Song: Lozenge Of Love
Available on: My Iron Lung EP
Sounds... disjointed. the guitar lines seem to spew all over the place, and it's
really only thom's vocal that keeps it all together. it works, it's cool.
Song: Lull
Available on: Karma Police CD1
Sounds... throwaway. featuring let down-styled guitars and no surprises xylophone,
this short song actually does sound rather underproduced. that doesn't stop it from being
good, it is quite likable. or perhaps its just me.
Song: Maquiladora
Available on: High & Dry CD1, High & Dry US
Sounds... clichèd rock song... you've heard the riff before. some nice guitar work
from jonny... main problem with the song is that it sounds a bit overdone... or perhaps
its just me.
Song: Meeting In The Aisle
Available on: Karma Police CD1, No Surprises/Running From Demons Japan EP,
Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP
Sounds... like it wasn't written by radiohead. a cool instrumental, dance/techno
sort of number, it's hard to really say how much radiohead had to do with this song. if
this was some band like massive attack, it would rate 4 stars. but this is
radiohead. that doesn't make sense but oh well.
Song: Molasses
Available on: Street Spirit CD2
Sounds... folky. Strange harmonies, and seemingly throwaway lyrics. Quite likeable.
Synth at the end is not appreciated.
Song: Nothing Touches Me
Available on: On A Friday Manic Hedgehog demo tape
Sounds... funky. nothing really special, it features some hilarious lyrics and
cool pumping seventies-esque organ. Don't expect Fake Plastic Trees, but do
expect a young garage band having a lot of fun.
Song: Permanent Daylight
Available on: My Iron Lung EP
Sounds... indulgent. But cool indulgent... semi-instrumental with incoherent lyrics
and strange time-signature. fun.
Song: Yes I Am
Available on: Creep (second release)
Sounds... like... um... red hot chilli peppers? or is it just me? no... it's just
me. anyway nice one this. it rawks.
**2 STARS (POOR)
Song: Pop Is Dead
Available on: Pop Is Dead, Stop Whispering, Pablo Honey-Japan
live version?
Sounds... terrible. Tries to be sarcastic, and falls flat on its face. Lacks
a chorus. Even Radiohead openly admit this is crap.
Song: Phillipa
Chicken
Available on: On A Friday Manic Hedgehog demo tape
Sounds... unimaginative. this song just shows that radiohead once did
start out as a crappy indie band. Lyrics are pretty terrible, tune is laughable...
in fact the whole thing is actually a hilarious listen. which is why it rates at 2
stars instead of one really.
Song: What Is That
You Say?
Available on: On A Friday demo tape
Sounds... more rubbish by some crappy indie band. The middle-8 is
similar, but inferior, to what would appear later on Million Dollar Question. Hard
to find, but no loss.
*1 STAR (URGH)
Song: Coke Babies
Available on: Creep (first release)
Sounds... unmemorable. like Million Dollar Question, except slower, and with
a crapper tune. avoid.
Song: Melatonin
Available on: Paranoid Android CD2, Karma Police International, No
Surprises/Running From Demons- Japan EP, Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP
Sounds... ...oh dear. almost at the peak of their career, radiohead had to go
and release their worst b-side yet (and hopefully forever...) starting off with some dodgy
sounding synths, it doesn't sound very promising. thom starts singing this horrible tune,
and just when you thought it couldn't get worse, phil comes in and wrecks the whole thing
with some really dodgy programmed percussion. thank god it's short. radiohead probably
couldn't've bared to make it any longer.