Amnesiac [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
More song-driven and acoustic than Kid A, Radiohead's Amnesiac isn't quite "Kid B," but it is unquestionably cut from the same far-out cloth, as the band revels in fascinating quirks and abject nihilism. It's also the first time in Radiohead's career that a new record hasn't meant a complete shift in artistic priorities. Surely, however, regardless of which was released first, they both deserve recognition; after all, Amnesiac, like Kid A, is an amazing piece of work.

Only lightly augmented with electronics, songs like "You and Whose Army?" and "I Might Be Wrong" almost sound like they came from a typical five-piece rock band. You may even believe the band still employs a guitarist after hearing Jonny Greenwood's wistful surf-guitar lead on "Knives Out" or his subtle but noticeable contributions to the anticapitalist rant "Dollars and Cents." But inevitably, the band continually shifts gears, moving into Boards of Canada territory on "Like Spinning Plates" and delivering dark, bass-laden oddities like "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors," a fuzzed-out piece of avant-garde techno that could just as easily be on an Autechre or Aphex Twin record. The song's half-sung, half-spoken vocal was laid down by either a heavily distorted Thom Yorke or, just perhaps, a loquacious microwave oven. Either way, the music always has momentum, regardless of whether propelled by man or appliance. Radiohead as a band understand how to make rock interesting again, and in the end, that's all they set out to do when they recorded Amnesiac, as well as Kid A. It's more than can be said for the bad frat-punk, teen-pop and soulless techno that currently rules the charts, and for that alone, Radiohead's astonishing exploration of 21st-century anguish deserves credit. --Matthew Cooke --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Amnesiac
Average customer rating:

Wonderful

Wait....

My favorite Radiohead album

Like spinning plates

Radiohead's Best Album?

Amnesiac
Radiohead
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Kid A

Hail To The Thief

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ASIN: B00005B4GU
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

Packt like sardines in a crushd tin box
Pyramid song
Pulk/pull revolving doors
You and whose army?
I might be wrong
Knives out
Amnesiac/Morning bell
Dollars & cents
Hunting bears
Like spinning plates
Life in a glass house

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

More song-driven and acoustic than Kid A, Radiohead's Amnesiac isn't quite "Kid B," but it is unquestionably cut from the same far-out cloth, as the band revels in fascinating quirks and abject nihilism. It's also the first time in Radiohead's career that a new record hasn't meant a complete shift in artistic priorities. Surely, however, regardless of which was released first, they both deserve recognition; after all, Amnesiac, like Kid A, is an amazing piece of work.

Amazon.com

Radiohead Photos

More from Radiohead

OK Computer
The Bends
Kid A

Pablo Honey
Hail To The Thief
The Astoria London Live

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful.......2007-04-03

One of Radiohead's best, the title "Amnesiac" reveals the kind of music on the CD. It's ethereal and dreamy, focused more on the flow of the thoughts on the mind. The techniques used are also fabulous, and it's filled with bits of electronic music; a song is even recorded backwards, see "Like Spinning Plates").
I recommend it, absolutely!

Wait...........2007-03-19

..and LISTEN to it. Don't just play it and wander off to do other things, LISTEN to this record. Let the sounds travel through your ears, through your body, through your brain. Absorb the music. Otherwise, you will drop this like a bad habit (unless of course, your into the various styles they represent on this album, which I am!).

When I have a hard time getting into an album, I put some decent headphones on and immerse myself into the world that the band is trying to convey. Radiohead has always been a great band, they have just evolved into something better. Layers upon layers of music exist here, in the world of Radiohead, and you have to have patience and an appreciation for life to enjoy it. ADD generation, look somewhere else, cause this aint for you. There are no two minute head banging pop sing-a-long song tracks here that satisfy the material world here. Sure, you can sing a long to almost all of the songs here, but they are not necessarily radio friendly, nor are they easily accesible. None of Radiohead's albums are really easily accesible. The Bends, Pablo Honey and Ok Computer seem accesible because they are wrapped up in a radio friendly traditional packaging (Ok COmputer less so). But still, Radiohead has always been about mystery and deep emotions and meanings that don't shine out on the surface, but rather are buried deep below in the soil, the dirt the anguish and pain of humanity in our technology age. There is no such thing as a layman's Radiohead song, they are DEEP. I don't believe that Radiohead are the best band on the planet, I'm not that brainwashed. However, they are amazing, and Thom Yorke's lyrical style is poetic, even if our Starbucks and Old Navy generation has no idea what he is saying.

To me, it seems that Radiohead craft their music with the idea that whoever listens to it must have a working intuition and a working understanding of the underlying in life. That which is not spoken speaks the loudest, that which is most ugly is actually one of the most beautiful.

Every track shines with blistering emotion and more layers than an onion. Effects and electronic influence are rampant, however they do well to create a lush atmosphere.
When paired with "Kid A", the picture becomes complete, since both albums were cut from the same session.
A view into the post apocalyptic end that humanity brings upon itself in its un-relenting and subtle way. I highly recommend this, and "Kid A". Just don't be fooled by all those so called Radiohead "fans", who are more or less fanatics that love the bandwagon and love to praise other humans like they are gods or something. Very wierd! Those are the kind of fans who cannot embrace anything new from their "gods". They like the same over and over again. That is why you will find reviews that compare this album to their previous releases. That is why you will find reviews that totally trash this album because it is too avant-garde or whatever. Truth is that people are not prepared for music that stretches outside of the radio norm/MTV generation style pop music that pleases all and lulls you to sleep, depriving you of originality and creativity.
We live in a generation that enjoys the novelty of past hits re-hashed and glazed over to sound fresh and new. Some of us can see right through that garbage and require something with more substance, more depth. And that is what this comes down to, Radiohead bring depth, regarless of whether you think it melodic or not. Regardless of whether you understand it or not, they bring depth and soul to an otherwise dead and souless music world. It is very incomprehensible, and very mysterious, but that is the way they like it. You can either like it or not, I have a feeling they could care less. For every so called Radiohead fan that hates their music as they evolve, others who can heed the call will listen to them. After all, real recognize real.

My favorite Radiohead album.......2007-03-12

Amnesiac,(IMO) is Radiohead's best. I know most people wouldn't agree. The band is really interesting to me. With each album they just seemed to get better and better & changing their style throughout. Although my favorite type of music in High School was punk, a couple years later after graduation I stumbled along this band from a friend. Radiohead opened up a whole new world of music to me, honestly. And although they are no longer my favorite band, I still love this 2001 release Amnesiac. To me, Amnesiac is Radiohead's best effort in the direction the band is taking now. I prefer the vocals on this, compared to Kid A, this has a lot more vocal range, with an edgy unsettling attitude. A wonderfully dark album w/ majestic engaging music throughout. This in my opinion is a very under-rated release compared to earlier studio efforts, such as The Bends(1995) or OK Computer(1997)-seems to be most peoples favorite. "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" feels like rough texture to the ears. "You & Whose Army"-piano beauty. "Hunting Bears" is a haunting type of instrumental. "Knives Out" is my personal favorite with layered, booming, sounds with cryptic intense words. "I Might Be Wrong"- the most danceable,with words "lets go down a waterfall," beauty blended w/ spooky.This version of "Morning Bell" to me isn't as good as the Kid A version. "Pyramid Song" sounds like a piano floating in a whirlwind rainstorm - very lush. The closing track "Life In A Glasshouse" has a bluesy-jazz feel to it. It can really take the listener on an adventure. This is a lot better than Thom Yorke's "The Eraser" (2006) first solo work, w/ computer made sounds. Amnesiac although a little sad, is really an eerie,chiming grandfather clock-like clicks,(?)dark and moody album that stays with you. And a real change in music for me, when I first heard it.

Like spinning plates.......2007-02-23

The world was speechless after Radiohead burst into the new millennium with KID A, their fourth album, which bore little resemblance to any of the group's earlier work. Still, Radiohead was set to become the biggest band in the world; however, when they released AMNESIAC the following year, critics and audiences labelled it "more of the same" and began championing a new band for the title of "biggest band in the world": Coldplay. AMNESIAC is, admittedly, taken from the same sessions which produced KID A, so it could be called "leftovers", and it does at times feel like that. For the most part, however, it's a strong and underrated album.

PABLO HONEY had "Creep", THE BENDS had "Fake Plastic Trees", and OK COMPUTER had "Paranoid Android", but KID A had no moment of signature brilliance. AMNESIAC's moment is "Pyramid Song", written about one of Thom Yorke's dreams. It has other great moments, like the simplistic yet surprisingly cool opener "Packd Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Can", the barren "Knives Out", and the band's brilliant foray into jazz, "Life in a Glass House" (recently featured in Alfonso Cuaron's CHILDREN OF MEN). Unfortunately, most of the other songs sound like mere experiments, pointless exercises in ambience and techno oddity. As a whole, AMNESIAC sounds a lot more distant and surreal than KID A, and a lot less brilliant as well.

AMNESIAC isn't rubbish, but it does feel like KID A's leftovers (the track "Morning Bell/Amnesiac" is simply an alternate version of the song "Morning Bell" from KID A). Through the majority of the album it seems as though Yorke and the gang were simply drifting off into dreamy ambience, or just experimenting. There are some excellent songs, and it's still a good recording, but it's also Radiohead's weakest album. Although they would still retain a strong fan base for years to come, this was where Radiohead threw away their opportunity to become Earth's biggest band and instead just went their own way - but as the subsequent album proved, there's nothing wrong with that.

Radiohead's Best Album?.......2007-02-22

I don't understand the bad rap for this album. Amnesiac is an amazing achievement. While I don't recommend this album to newcomers, I do think that every real fan should have this one in their collection.

The harsh ratings are what kept me from listening to Amnesiac for so long. I decided to buy it recently and now I can say without a doubt that this is my favorite Radiohead album. Everything is just done right and there really is little-to-no filler.

Do yourself a favor and give this one a chance. Different does not always mean bad.

Enigmatic: The String Quartet Tribute To Radiohead

Average customer rating:

Simple
Beautiful!
delicious

Enigmatic: The String Quartet Tribute To Radiohead

Manufacturer: Vitamin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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String Quartet Tribute to Coldplay

ASIN: B00009UW0Z
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Tracks:

Motion Picture Soundtrack
You And Whose Army?
My Iron Lung
Nice Dream
Permanent Daylight
The National Anthem
Idioteque
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Just
Morning Bell/Amnesiac
Palo Alto
There There

Product Description

1. Motion Picture Soundtrack
2. You And Whose Army?
3. My Iron Lung
4. (Nice Dream)
5. Permanent Daylight
6. The National Anthem
7. Idioteque
8. Street Spirit (Fade Out)
9. Just
10. Morning BellgiAmnesiac
11. Palo Alto
12. There There

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Simple.......2004-09-16

Totally uninspired. They put Radiohead to a string quartet but there's no personality to it, they've just drained Yorke's voice away and replaced it with a replica on strings. If only they had brought their own vision to the work instead of trying to reproduce it on different instruments. To coin a phrase: there ain't nothin like the real thing.

Beautiful!.......2004-01-04

It is what it says.
Radiohead symphony style. I love it, if you like radiohead and you enjoy string quartets you will love this!
It has my 2 favorite radiohead songs which was a big help.
Its nice to sit back and relax to. What more can you say except its all played beautifully and a must have for all big radiohead fans.

delicious.......2003-07-05

a young korean boy ran past my stoop yesterday morning, he was full of the wee and vinegar that makes children climb trees and wrestle coons by the lake. He tripped on my pottet begonias and went headfirst into a row of daylillies waiting to be put into the ground. He was out cold for 3 days, and i listened to this cd, which he had in his german fanny pack. I can't decide if the vomit made me listen, or listening made me vomit. Either way it was delicious, i'll have seconds....mmmmm maybe thirds. oh dear im naughty, somebody punish me.

Average customer rating:

beautiful masterpiece
beautiful masterpiece
just...brilliant.
Some of Radiohead's Greatest Work to Date
Solid Radiohead With a Few Weak Moments

Amnesiac (Limited Edition)
Radiohead
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Electronic Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Itch

ASIN: B00005BJC7
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

Packt like sardines in a crushd tin box
Pyramid song
Pulk/pull revolving doors
You and whose army?
I might be wrong
Knives out
Amnesiac/Morning bell
Dollars & cents
Hunting bears
Like spinning plates
Life in a glass house

Amazon.com

Album Description

Limited Edition includes: *Clothbound Book With Embossed Logo *Exclusive 32 Page Booklet

Customer Reviews:

beautiful masterpiece.......2003-06-13

The next person who compares this album to the bends or ok computer, should be stripped of all clothes and locked in a room blaring a playlist that consists of this

justin timberlake-justified
backstreet boys
N'sync
Britteny Spears
and to top it off.........Creed-Human Clay

After 24 hours without food or clothes and this playlist, MAYBE they will feel the emotion that this album bathes listeners in.

If you dont like this 'type' of music, that doesn't mean it's 'bad' music. step outside of yourself and realize the beauty in this movement. Open your mind and feel the raw emotion.

If you don't enjoy this....that is fine. But you don't see me tearing down tyrese or 50 cent, just because i dont 'understand' that music. Enjoy your teenie bopper music. At age 34, when you look on your wall, and see a poster of Justin Timberlake, think about the deep lyrics and rejoice!!!!!!!!!!! Because its a beautiful day in MTV land.

beautiful masterpiece.......2003-06-13

The next person who compares this album to the bends or ok computer, should be stripped of all clothes and locked in a room blaring a playlist that consists of this

justin timberlake-justified
backstreet boys
N'sync
Britteny Spears
and to top it off.........Creed-Human Clay

After 24 hours without food or clothes and this playlist, MAYBE they will feel the emotion that this album bathes listeners in.

If you dont like this 'type' of music, that doesn't mean it's 'bad' music. step outside of yourself and realize the beauty in this movement. Open your mind and feel the raw emotion.

just...brilliant........2002-04-29

Amnesiac, yes like Kid A, but thats only because these songs were going to be on Kid A, so that means this album is basically B-Sides, but i swear to god, i love this album. I like all the radiohead albums i have [the bends, ok computer, i might be wrong live recordings, and i have heard a lot from kid a i need to get it, i only know 2 songs from pablo honey) and i must say this is one of my favorites. every song on this is great. its one of those albums you listen to over and over again. i do.

packd like sardines in a crusht tin box- a catchy one, electronic drums, but a good start to this album.

pyramid song- what can i say? i love this song, it's the albums 'fake plastic trees' or 'paranoid android' it starts off nice and quiet and it builds up near the end, its also a hit single.

pulk/pull revolving doors- this song isn't bad, i like it, its not my favorite, its got a nice pounding beat to it with loops and thom's voice is electronically enhanced, very creative, and very odd.

you and whose army?- one of my favorite songs on the album, i wish this song was longer than 3:09. it is sort of like 'the pyramid song' starting off quiet then it builds up at the end with a beautiful spine tingling piano at the end.

i might be wrong- great song, thom's voice blends right in with this song the way he howls and all, and the way it stops and turns into a softer song toward the end is creative.

knives out- kind of a classy rock song. it reminds me of a surf song from the late 60s early 70s, phil's drumming is excellent and jonny's guitar playing is also to. thom's slow singing is great in this song.

morning bell/amnesiac- this song is sort of spooky, it isn't as close as the kid a morning bell version but i can recongize it. the lyrics are the same except at the end thom doesn't say those haunting hard to hear lyrics. it kind of sounds like a vampire theme song. the only thing i don't like about it is the positive sounding ending, it throws off the concept of the song. its good though.

dollars and cents- by god, yet another brilliant track. thom is wanting us to recongize the greedy people in this world, he couldn't explain it more with the threatening lyric "we're gonna crack your little souls" this song relys heavily on the bass, but i love this song, you probably would to most likely.

hunting bears- what a treat! a short barely 2 min long instrumental track. i love the guitar in this, its a very mysterious song.

like spinning plates- how many times will i say this? ANOTHER brilliant track. this song amazes you with its technology of reversing and loops, there is also a piano version of this song on 'i might be wrong-live recordings'

life in a glass house- once again, ANOTHER BRILLIANT TRACK. radiohead explore's its musical taste by creating a sort of early new orleans jazz genre for this song. no guitars or anything, just trumpets, trombone's piano's, jazzy like drums and thom's singing. i love this track. a great ending song for a great album.

Some of Radiohead's Greatest Work to Date.......2002-01-05

What can I say good about Radiohead that hasn't already been said? Not too much. It seems everyone loves these guys. Or at least I havent met anyone who dislikes them. It would be difficult to formulate an argument for the latter. I don't know of any other band making music right now that has released four successive albums of material that is about as close to flawless as music gets. Radiohead is on the forefront of the musical landscape as we know it. Maybe not of all music, but certainly Alternative Rock at the very least.

The rules of your typical 5-piece band do not apply here. Computers and a piano have just as much influence on Radiohead's music as the guitar, bass, and drum. In fact, two songs off Amnesiac feature a complete orchestra. Styles range from the thumping beats and processed lyrics of "Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors" to the beautiful simplicity of Thom Yorke and his piano on "You And Whose Army?". Oh yeah, and those two songs are back-to-back on the album. This fact and other similar occurences over the course of the album have caused a bit of a debate. Some claim Amnesiac sounds more like a piecemeal collection of songs rather than a cohesive track listing. I would tend to agree with this, especially when you compare it against its earlier released twin brother, Kid A, which is possibly the most masterfully arranged album I've ever listened to.

I feel a number of the B-sides from Amnesiac's singles would have filled in quite nicely in place of some tracks I feel didn't deserve to make the cut. If you haven't had the privilege of hearing the Amnesiac B-sides, I reccomend you buy the singles or download them from your favorite music-sharing client. Some of the weaker Amnesiac tracks as I see it are "Morning Bell/Amnesiac", "Hunting Bears", and "Pull\Pulk Revolving Doors".

However, there are so many moments of brilliance that far surpass any disappointing track. "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box" is certainly one of the more upbeat releases from Radiohead's later work. It gives you the indication immediately that Amnesiac isn't the same spacey, distant album that Kid A was. It's more accessible and more personal. "Packt..." moves right on to "Pyramid Song". What an amazing song. At one point Thom's voice and the orchestra playing in the background come to a chilling crescendo that still blows me away after having owned Amnesiac for several months. Other standouts include "Dollars & Cents", "Like Spinning Plates", "You And Whose Army?", and "I Might Be Wrong".

The fact that 3 out of 11 songs seem subpar to me and the peculiar track listing are the two simple reasons for me giving Amnesiac 4 stars rather than 5.

With such a refreshing variation of sounds and instrumentation, Radiohead almost always manages to get it right. The fact that after 1997's world-acclaimed OK Computer Radiohead produced enough good material for a 5-star album (Kid A) and a 4-star album (Amnesiac) just attests to their brilliance. Furthermore, Radiohead's ability to generate such avant garde music and still enjoy mainstream success confirms their place as a pioneer of modern music.

Solid Radiohead With a Few Weak Moments.......2001-09-11

IMHO this sounds like Kid A outtakes. Don't get me wrong, there is some great material here but it doesn't have the cohesiveness of Kid A. Some of the songs are as good as, if not better than, the Kid A stuff. Could do without Hunting Bears though, Neil Young did it better on the Dead Man soundtrack...sorry Johnny. Not a big fan of Knives Out either (yawn)...the rest of the world seems to love it though so trust them, it must just be a personal thing.