Radiohead, “OK Computer” (Album)

If you were LUCKY enough (in 1997) to be THE TOURIST who was CLIMBING UP THE WALLS to avoid the KARMA POLICE while locals were ELECTIONEERING (perhaps feeling FITTER, HAPPIER, even if a little LET DOWN) then this EXIT MUSIC will pose NO SURPRISES: sort of like an AIRBAG which saves a SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK ALIEN from a PARANOID ANDROID.

So, on the surface, there you have it, sans melody, harmony and rhythm.

But take our word for it… the time spent digging into OK COMPUTER will be rewarded with mental and emotional gold. At least that is what some 8 million indie rock fans have testified in the years since the ground-breaking CD’s release.

This 5-member group from Oxford, England, hit pay dirt with their first U.S. single, “Creep” from the more traditional alternative rock CD, “Pablo Honey” in the early ’90’s. But they immediately upped the ante with a mix of inventive sounds and instrumental techniques on their second U.S. release, “The Bends”.

“OK Computer”, however, was the recording which broke the rock world wide open, suddenly making darkly introspective music laced with intellectual and political commentary hip once again. Think, late Beatles, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis. This was no dance club music, and the accompanying videos were equally offbeat, even surreal.

Now, after two subsequent CD releases which are themselves uniquely artistic (“Kid A” and “Amnesiac”), Radiohead is arguably the most vital and important force in modern music.

So, while new fans will be tempted to go back to square one and check out the entire catalog, it is advisable to take a few months to digest the intricasies and complexities of each of the latest three CDs, beginning with “OK Computer”. Or as lead singer Thom Yorke put it in “The Tourist”: “Hey man, slow down. Slow down! Idiot, slow down! Slow down!”