Radiohead Entertainment Art "Pablo Honey - Special Collectors Edition" “The Bends - Special Collectors Edition” “OK Computer - Special Collectors Edition” (Parlophone/EMI) Released March 24, 2009

Pablo Honey was Radiohead’s debut in 1993 and is named after of all things - a Jerky Boys prank skit. You can even hear a snippet of this in their song "How Do You?". The album’s first single “Creep” was a hit with the slacker generation and helped to introduce the world to what would be the next biggest band in the world. On Disc One we have the original 12 tracks re-mastered. Disc Two we have 22 tracks of rarities, demos and live recordings. All of these songs that didn’t make it on the album like “Inside My Head” and “Pop is Dead” could have easily been included on Pablo Honey. This is a great disc that gives us a best of the original B-sides from their singles from that period. They include the Drill EP, the Creep CD Single, Anyone Can Play Guitar single, Pop Is Dead single, Stop Whispering single and the BBC Radio One sessions. On the DVD we have their first four music videos- “Creep”, “Anyone Can Play Guitar,” “Pop Is Dead” and “Stop Whispering.” Next up is a live performance of “Creep” from the Top of the Pops in 09/16/93. If that’s not enough there’s even a nine song performance at The Astoria in London on 05/27/94.

Radiohead’s follow up was 1995’s The Bends. Engineered by Nigel Godrich (who has since gone on to produced every Radiohead album since), Radiohead delivered a more mature album with five charting singles and their first Top Five UK hit with "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". Disc One includes the original 12 album tracks re-mastered. Disc Two we have 21 tracks of rarities, acoustic and live cuts. These tracks were originally available on the My Iron Lung single, High and Dry/Planet Telex single, Fake Plastic Trees single, Strett Spirit (Fade Out) single and a BBC Radio One Session from 09/14/94. On the DVD we have the biggest and best offering of all of the collection. There are four music videos including two different versions of “High and Dry”, “Fake Plastic Trees”, “Just” and Street Spirit (Fade Out)”. There is a 8 song concert live at The Astoria in London on 05/27/94, a 3 song session from Holland on 02/17/95, a 2 song set on Later…With Jools Holland on 05/27/95 and finally a 3 song set on Top of the Pops from various shows.

Ok Computer is the album that took that band to the next step and made them stadium rock super stars. On their third release from the fall of 1997, Ok Computer although still very guitar driven, one can hear the musical ground work of what would later dominate their future more experimental releases. When released the album received positive reviews many calling it a landmark album. Rolling Stone called it a “stunning art-rock tour de force” and was listed in the best album of the year by many critics. The album reached number one on the UK Album Charts and debut at number 21 on the American Billboard 200. On Disc One we have the complete 12 tracks re-mastered. On Disc Two we have 15 tracks of rarities, remixes and live tracks. These tracks come from the Paranoid Android single, Karma Police single, No Surprises single and the BBC Radio One Evening Session. Some of these rare tracks appeared in the tour documentary Meeting People is Easy. There are two different remix versions of “Climbing Up The Walls”, a live version of “Airbag” from Berlin, a live version of “Lucky: from Florence and 3 live tracks from the BBC Radio One Evening Session from 05/28/97. On the DVD we have music videos of “Paranoid Android”, “Karma Police” and “No Surprises”. There’s also a 3 song performance on Later…With Jools Holland on 05/21/97.

So maybe EMI is milking the Radiohead vault to find ways to garner a few more dollars from a band that left their label after their contract expired. Still, these Special Collector Edition’s are very well made and it’s nice to finally have all these B-Sides in one place along with some nice live performances and music videos. These collections are for every Radiohead fan that needs to have it all and for the music fan that never bothered to buy the album the first time around.

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