| Radiohead - Pablo Honey
(1993)
|
| Album |
| Artist/Composer |
Radiohead |
| Length |
42:04 |
| Format |
CD |
| Genre |
Brit Pop; General Alternative |
| Label |
EMI Records Ltd. |
| Index |
76 |
| In Collection |
Yes |
|
| Track List |
|
| 01 |
You
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD).
Other Versions: Drill version - available on: Drill EP. Live at The Metro - available on: Creep (UK 12"), Itch EP. Demo - available on: On A Friday Demo.
A love song of an obsessive nature that first appeared on the Manic Hedgehog demo. This version was included on the Drill EP. For Pablo Honey, the song was re-recorded and some of the lyrics changed. Performed live, the song is an excellent showcase for Thom's incredible vocal abilities; he holds one note throughout the guitar solo. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
03:28 |
| 02 |
Creep
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD), Creep (UK CD1), Creep (UK CD2), Creep (UK 7"), Creep (Japan CD), Creep (France CD), Creep (Belgium CD), Creep (Germany CD), Anyone Can Play Guitar (Australian), Creep (US cassette)
Other Versions: acoustic - available on: Creep (UK 12"), My Iron Lung (Australia CD), My Iron Lung ep (Holland CD), Stop Whispering (Australia), Stop Whispering (US CD1), Itch EP. Live at Melkweg - available on: Pablo Honey (Japan CD), Creep (Germany CD), High and Dry (Holland CD), Pop Is Dead (UK). Radio edit - available on: Pablo Honey (US CD).
As unthinkable as it may seem now, when it was first released in September 1992 'Creep' didn't even make the Top 75. "Whether or not it's a hit now doesn't matter," said a defiant Thom Yorke. "Eventually, we know people will say that 'Creep' is a classic."
The song that finally climbed into the British Top Ten in late 1993 was written in the midst of genuine lovelorn trauma. "When I wrote it," said Thom, "I was in the middle of a really, really serious obsession. It lasted about eight months. And it was unsuccessful, which made it even worse. She knows who she is."
It was duly taken to the band, but no-one seemed that bothered. "When it was recorded," says drummer Phil Selway, "we didn't even know it was being taped - we were just warming up for another track by it. The reason it sounds so powerful is because it's completely unselfconscious."
What arguably took 'Creep' into an unforeseen dimension were the moments when Jonny Greenwood made that alarming crunching guitar noise. Tellingly, it was an utter accident. "That's the sound of Jonny trying to fuck the song up," laughs Ed O'Brien. "He really didn't like it the first time we played it, so he tried spoiling it. And it made the song."
One year after this glorious sequence of accidents, 'Creep' was a global hit, and Radiohead were chained to something approaching a generational anthem. Their frustrations emerged in 'My Iron Lung': the song about a song that encapsulated Radiohead's post-'Creep' mindset. "We scratch our eternal itch," sang Thom, "our 20th Century bitch / But we are grateful for our iron lung..." [Select Magazine]
|
03:55 |
| 03 |
How Do You?
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD)
Other Versions: None.
An in-yer-face song from the debut album, "How Do You?" was part of the band's live set during 1993. The number seems to be directed at an enemy, though the band hasn't offered a specific explanation. Listen closely to the guitar solo and you'll hear a sample from the Jerky Boys' "Pablo Honey", which would have been taken from bootleg tapes. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
02:12 |
| 04 |
Stop Whispering
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD), Stop Whispering (US CD2)
Other Versions: Chris Sheldon mix - available on: Stop Whispering (US CD1). Live at Melkweg - available on: High and Dry (Holland CD). US Version - available on: Itch EP, Stop Whispering (Australia).
Written as a tribute to the Pixies, an important influence on Radiohead at this time, "Stop Whispering" clinched the band's relationship with the management team of Hufford and Edge. Chris Sheldon remixed it for a United States release; that version features strings and has a slower tempo. The best version of this song, however, is the live one. Thom adds a few lyrics to the ending. A live version can be found on the High and Dry Live Package, which contains a closing "fuck you". [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
05:25 |
| 05 |
Thinking About You
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD)
Other Versions: Drill version - available on: Drill EP, Itch EP, Anyone Can Play Guitar (Australian Souvenir).
Initially part of the Manic Hedgehog demo, this song exposes Thom's ability to offer very different but realistic perspectives on issues. In its original form, the tune was very heavily guitar-oriented with a much faster tempo than the acoustic version found on Pablo Honey. This version also appears on Drill EP and Itch. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
02:41 |
| 06 |
Anyone Can Play Guitar
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD), Anyone Can Play Guitar (UK), Anyone Can Play Guitar (Australian Souvenir), This Is Fort Apache.
Other Versions: 2 meter session - available on: Street Spirit [fade out] (2 Meter Session Holland CD). Live at The Forum - available on: Just (UK CD2), Live Au Forum (France).
Jonny played guitar with a paintbrush on the Pablo Honey cut. The live version, a b-side to Just CD2, is far superior than the album track. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
This song reached #32 in the charts, yet was denied any radio play by Radio One in England because "we were singing about playing guitars and stuff".
|
03:37 |
| 07 |
Ripcord
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD).
Other Versions: Live - available on: Pablo Honey (Japan CD), Pop Is Dead (UK).
This lyrically intelligent look at the music world is about "signing [to a label], having lots of money and absolutely no idea what the fuck to do with your life" -- so said Thom at the band's 1993 Gothenburg, Sweden show. Thom's skill with metaphors is evident as he explores the control a record company wields over its artists. The song was a live favorite throughout the early part of the band's career, but was dropped from their set list around mid-1995. A live version of the song, a b-side to the "Pop Is Dead" single, was recorded at a Town and Country Club gig in February 1993, when the band supported Belly. It contains these lyrics, added after the second chorus: "They can kiss my ass!" [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
03:09 |
| 08 |
Vegetable
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD).
Other Versions: Live at the Metro - available on: Creep (UK 12"), Itch EP.
This song has never been explained by the band, but likely deals with personal problems Thom had with friends when Radiohead was signed. It ponders the reactions of his pals to his newfound success. "Vegetable" was a live favorite, though it exited set lists around the summer of 1995. The live version that originally came with the "Creep" re-release is also available on the Japanese CD Itch. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
03:12 |
| 09 |
Prove Yourself
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD), Creep (France CD), Stop Whispering (US CD2).
Other Versions: Drill version - available on: Drill EP.
The first official single by the band, released only in the UK, this song looks very seriously at suicide. Unfortunately, like most songs that become popular, the meaning tends to get lost in the live performance: band members were shocked to witness hundreds of kids singing "I'm better off dead" night after night. The version found on the Drill EP is a demo; a much better, clearer recording was used on Pablo Honey. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
02:25 |
| 10 |
I Can't
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD).
Other Versions: Demo - available on: On A Friday demo.
Altered slightly from the demo-tape version for inclusion on Pablo Honey, this is a simple tune about lacking confidence. The band has rarely played it live. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
04:13 |
| 11 |
Lurgee
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD), Creep (UK CD1), Stop Whispering (US CD2).
Other Versions: none.
In this song about lost love, Thom sings that he is much better off without the other person in his life. "Lurgee", unlike most other songs from this period, found its way into the band's live set in 1998. One of two songs recorded with Chris Hufford at Courtyard Studios, it was selected for inclusion on Pablo Honey. The same version was used as a b-side for "Creep". [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
03:07 |
| 12 |
Blow Out
Available on: Pablo Honey (US CD), Pablo Honey (UK CD), Pablo Honey (Japan CD).
Other Versions: Phil Vinnall mix - available on: Creep (UK CD2), Creep (Japan CD).
Jonny's favorite Pablo Honey track and the band's closing song of choice for many of the early shows, "Blow Out" is one of Thom's more personal songs about low self-esteem. On the reissue of the Creep EP, a remix of this track appears as a b-side. The remix opens with Thom singing over a simple guitar line. This version has a much faster, feedback induced ending than the album version. [Radiohead: From a Great Height]
|
04:40 |
|
|
| Details |
| Spars |
DDD |
| Rare |
No |
| Sound |
Stereo |
|
| Notes |
Thom E. Yorke sang and played guitar / Jon Greenwood played lead guitar, piano and organ / Ed O'Brien played guitar and sang / Colin Greenwood played bass / Phil Selway played drums.
All songs by Radiohead. (Words by Thom).
Produced & engineered by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie, except 10, 11 Produced and Engineered by Chris Hufford.
Recorded at Chipping Norton Studio, Oxon except 10, 11 Recorded at Courtyard Studio, Oxon.
Mixed by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie at Fort Apache, Roxbury, Mass.
Mastered by Chris Blair at Abbey Road.
Published by Warnner Chappell Music Ltd.
Paintings (C) Lisa Bunny Jones. Design by Icon. Photography by Tom Sheehan
Management - Chris Hufford and Bryce Edge. Road Crew - Jim Warren, Tim Greaves and Nigel Powell. Agent - Charlie Myatt at ABS. A&R Co-ordinator - Keith Wozencroft.
We would like to thank the people that have helped us, especially Mandy Humpleman and all at Parlophone, Jeremy Plumb, Clive Black, Philip Hall and Caffy, Jon Statham, O.J. Kilkenny's, Sas and Anthony, Mac, Nick, Ronan and Nobby.
(P) 1993 except 1, 2, 5, 9, 11 (P) 1992 EMI Records Ltd.
(C) 1993 EMI Records Ltd. |
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