Following the release of Radiohead’s first three albums in expanded collector’s editions earlier this year, EMI completes the set by giving Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief the same treatment. As before, the two-CD Collector’s Editions feature an extra disc of rarities and the Special Collector’s Edition augment the CDs with a DVD of video material.

After taking time off at the completion of the OK Computer tour and a reassessment by the band of the direction they wanted to venture, the band spent over a year in the studio and their first release from those sessions was Kid A in October 2000. They limited the use of guitars and expanded the musical arrangements with more keyboards and electronic instruments like the ondes Martenot, a device similar to a theremin.

The opening track "Everything in Its Right Place" was chosen because singer Thom Yorke thought it best represented the album. He repeats the lyric “yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon,” which no doubt was the way many fans’ faces looked who didn’t care for this new direction. It’s their loss.

The album’s title track is a very intriguing collection of percussive, electronic sounds, revealing a strong ambient influence. The lyrics sung are manipulated and made barely decipherable, yet fit the piece. An odd near vocal of someone possibly crying fades away as the song ends.

“The National Anthem" is a transitional piece. Nearly a B-Side for OK Computer, the guitars have returned, front and center, rocking away. Yet, this is more of a jazz piece with the fantastic, cacophonous bits by the horn section and a groovy bass line.

“How To Disappear Completely” has a ballad feel to it with its acoustic guitar and string section backing. The lyrics tell an interesting story of removal and withdrawal as Yorke repeats over and over “This isn't happening/ I'm not here.”

"Treefingers" is a soundscape, intriguing and contemplative. The uniqueness of the sounds make it hard to believe it was created by Yorke cutting and pasting pieces of Ed O’Brien’s guitar in a sampler.

Back to more of a rocker as Phil Selway’s drums make their first dramatic appearance on "Optimistic" alongside the repeated mantra “If you try the best you can/ The best you can is good enough.” There’s a brief keyboard segue and then “In Limbo” comes bustling in hard as if shoving its way through the crowd. The narrator here is a pessimist in contrast, repeating, “You're living in a fantasy world.”

Article Author: El Bicho

This writer is a member of The Masked Movie Snobs, a collective that fights a never-ending battle against bad entertainment. Follow at twitter.com/ElBicho_MMS

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