In French they call is Les Bends
This album was genuinely one of my favourite ever as a teenager. Because I was very sensitive and kind of autistic, The Bends was one of those albums that they always say on rock documentaries felt like waking up or a window opening and the sun coming in or something.
I did really like Nirvana and that was kind of true as well, like everyone young where I was from was into Guns n Roses and AC/DC, and my dad was really into Eric Clapton and that stuff, so when there was a punk band on telly that were actually good it was something, but it didn’t blow my mind, I liked it, I was only about 12 though so I didn’t know how to be that sad yet lol.
I didn’t get The Bends when it came out, I got it in one of those ‘5 albums for 20 quid and tape them and send them back’ except I didn’t, I think my mum ended up giving them 200 quid lol. It was 1994 though so it was new
But anyway, Jesus I would hate to read me. When I heard this album it was new and I was aware of it and that Radiohead were a pop band, but I didn’t really have much context and I really tripped out to it just being on my own. I learned a couple of songs from it on guitar and they are really nice, like they made up their own chords which as someone who never got past beginner at guitar was awesome. Like if you had gone through your learn guitar book and knew the major and minor chords you could play most pop songs, not Radiohead.
Quite funny since as I write this at the end of August 2024 people are making a fuss over Oasis doing a tour, no disrespect to Oasis, but they are shit lol. I quite like the brothers, they are both funny guys and it’s amazing how much like normal people they are considering that they never had jobs. There was a thing on YouTube where Noel Gallagher watched all of the Oasis videos and said they were all shite
Fucking hell Nick lol. Anyway let’s put on Radiohead.
Planet Telex
Ok this is as I remember the weak song on the album. I don’t know why they always used to put the weak song at the front. It’s ok, I probably will just end up raving about this album so I’m going to try to be critical. The amount of nice little guitar riffs in the background though.
It’s ok. There is a lack of energy to it, it’s actually pretty boring. It would be good on a soundtrack but not one to listen to. See I’m a big fan of The Strokes and how they do it, they just put all of the good songs at the beginning of the album, and then by the time you get to the second string songs you just leave it on and listen to it anyway.
The Bends
Yeah baby, stadium rock. It’s that quiet loud thing. Yeah this is just going to be me being gay about Radiohead. Like it just makes you think of them young taking it really seriously and looking like students doing rock as a kind of science, like they are all weird and they were really serious looking
The planet is a gunboat in a sea of fear
I make music and it is weird because there are special effects to just make everything sound huge, but you have to deploy it tactically. I’m sure the people who actually listen to my music know I don’t do that well
I don’t think that many bands have done a rock album like this
High and Dry
This is one I still play to cheer up. I am enjoying myself but I am also cringing about writing this like some 15 year old American.
Here is a fact about the video. In the video halfway through it starts raining, like it’s just them playing the song and it starts raining. But something went wrong and the water was really cold so they had to stand outside and pretend to play the song for a whole afternoon in really cold rain and they all got really ill.
I mean just for the sake of being negative, the guitar solo is kind of shit and they still have that sheen.
The Trickster
This is on the Japanese version but not the European version apparently. I am a bit more objective about this cos it is not connected to my youth.
It’s nice, it sounds like a song from a film. Yes with no sentimentality I can actually see a bit more truth, like the music and everything is objectively good, but it does get a bit boring just doing rock songs with guitars, it can be quite limiting.
This used to be a serious argument even when I was young, like it’s cheating to use synths and effects because it has to be the ascribed instruments to be rock.
Bones
This is one of the other songs nobody remembers, like the sexy old guy who was in love with Khaleesi in Game of Throne, I still love you Ser John!
It is kind of boring, I reckon a lot of the songs on Pablo Honey would work with the producer from The Bends. This is the bit in the album where you have invited a girl over to listen and you are snogging and trying to touch her boobs lol
Nice Dream
Yeah nice dream touching those fresh little boobs
I laughed anyway
I think people seem to say this is the worst song on the album, it’s like Thinking About You from the first album, it’s a nice little ditty based on Bob Dylan. Like to be honest I find the endless guitar wanking annoying so just to have a boring song is nice.
Although yes, this is just mum music.
That has always been funny with Thom Yorke, like he does seem like this kind of twisted evil genius, but because he’s posh and intelligent, mums just love him. Like he would come to your house and murder your rabbits, and your mum would be like ‘What did we do to upset him?’
Just
Yeah. Ok so there is the format, like the two guitarists are really good and you can make everything sound huge, it’s fucking great though lol. It’s like Foo Fighters who I don’t really like, but you know, they are just really good at that. It would not have been terrible if any of these rock bands had done the same as Foo Fighters or Chilli Peppers and just made the same album again and again and again, it still works
About this song, I tried to learn it on guitar and it was just way way too difficult even the rhythm guitar, I remember that at college a lot of my friends were metal guys who were really into guitar and they said that about radiohead. Like they thought Indie was rubbish but Radiohead they liked because they were like scientists
My Iron Lung
I like this song, it’s just a song. To be honest I am running out of things to say. I’m going to have a break. I’ll finish it because I am going to get through this stupid project and do it all properly, but I don’t listen to albums anymore and normally you just listen to them doing something else.
This is the song I am currently addicted to
Although it may seem like I’m obsessed with my teens I am not, I’m actually obsessed with my early thirties before my wife got bored of me
Ok had a break, swore at some people online. 20 minutes left. La lutte continuez
My Iron Lung was written about Creep and the fact that they could just play Creep and versions of Creep so being Radiohead got really boring at that time.
WuTang Rapper Method Man had the nickname Iron Lung because he apparently smoked weed constantly and never nobody could get him stoned. I mean you look at the guy, he looks like a boxer or a basketball player, to just put all of that energy into getting stoned.
Fake Plastic Trees
Brilliant song. It’s not just about being in love with someone it’s about why you think that being with them will make you happy. Like you do it when you fall in love, you invent this whole world that makes no sense with them at the centre.
I mean he could only do this at this time, but young Thom Yorke singing about being lonely on all levels at about 25 is so unique.
Fun fact. When Radiohead play in China everyone brings a fake plastic tree to the concert. And scream FUCK TAIWAN! at Thom Yorke. His right eye looks Chinese because his mum was Chinese
Sorry
Black Star
This is one of those ones people who can play guitar love. It’s like a Blues song, it’s very relaxed. Radiohead being like me very ADHD often do better when they try to make chilled out music because it’s not really that chill, but it’s like ‘argggh you doin me head in’ when they try to be normal.
This song smells of weed lol
This might actually be the same song as ‘nice dream’ only arranged differently.
Bullet Proof
This is actually beautiful production as well. The special effects are good. It’s mad how this stuff is all just standard now but at the time it felt futuristic, like if you listen to this song on headphones it sounds like he’s in a cave. I mean all of the songs are well done, even people who don’t like Radiohead know that the music is good.
Ok here’s another fun thing. There was a band called Sparklehorse who were very much like ‘lets try and sound like Radiohead’ and Thom Yorke said ‘they would be great to drive through dust to’
Sulk
I always thought this is a song about getting a blowjob. I can see why albums went out of fashion, like this song is fine, but it’s only there because you expect a certain amount of songs on an album, it’s not really much about it.
I met one of the other teachers today and she’s half Algerian and half Chinese. Yes I fell in love and no i will never call her
Street Spirit
Yes great, very clever
So this lass, she told me that I have to be more active in learning Chinese. She used to live in Hangzhou where I used to live. She looks Chinese but she also has those really strong legs Mediterannean women have. I said we should meet up cos I don’t know people here and she was a bit like ‘probably not’
I’m 45 next year, I used to just get attention how I looked. I know I was good looking but not beautiful, this new reality where i’m this old guy who is just not interesting to look at, i haven’t adapted to it.
Ok that was The Bends. What will they follow it up with I wonder?
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