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Radiohead - OK Computer CD (album) cover

OK COMPUTER

Radiohead

 

Crossover Prog

4.07 | 1105 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Igha
3 stars Well, having read some of the reviews about this album I tought I'll share my view here. This is a very interesting and complete page which I am going to continue visiting as each day that passes I keep falling more and more in love with progressive music. And excuse my poor english please, Im from Argentina.

First of all, I have to say that I don't believe that Radiohead is a Prog Rock band, No way. The most close to progressive song they had ever made is "Paranoid Android", the second track of this album, and itīs a very powerful and creatvie three-part suite. But that's all. Speaking in general terms, there are no progressive elements in this band music: there are no tempo changes or uncommon time signatures, no large epics, no virtuosism in the prog-style, no solos and instrumental passages are scarce. So, why people classify this band as progressive, is something I just don't understand. The songs structure is closer to britpop or alternative rock than to those of progressive. Perhaps the linking point between Prog and Radiohead is the atmosphere, the uncommon instruments and the variety of textures. But those aren't characteristics present only in prog rock, so I don't believe they are enough. So, I'll put it a three stars mark, as it's good, but non essential to any "prog music" collection. After all, this is a prog site...

As a band's fan I have to say that this album is their best work. But I also have to agree that it's being overrated at some extent. Something I can say without a doubt is that it's one of the best albums of the nineties and Radiohead is a band that keeps evolving . I think that there is a blind and irrational fanatism behind some of the reviews, as they don't have good arguments to criticize the musical output. Don't forget that the decade in which the bands develop is decisive. If you don't believe this, compare the "change" that suffered a lot of the greatest progressive bands when the eighties began, how their music changed. Actually I disagree with the way a lot of bands changed their music and made them more "accesible" (to some extent this is understandable), but if this change is positive or not, isnt the point of this discussion. Something I considerd pretty naive is this kind of criticism "making money by inducing negative and desperate feelings, thus feeding the dark and unconsciously wanted state of the mind of socially weak people" So, we must only listen to happy and optimistic music? Music is art and expression, it doesnīt need to transmit any specific "feeling" and something you may consider "sad or boring" can be different to other. That's a matter of taste, whilst music's quality is a matter of a more objective analysis

If you expect to hear a prog album, and that's the only genre you can hear, stay away from this album. Otherwise, you should give it a try.

Igha | 3/5 |

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