Kid A

by Radiohead

Overview

In the wake of OK Computer, it became taken for granted among serious rock fans of all ages that Radiohead not only saved rock from itself, but paved the way toward the future. High praise, but given the static nature of rock in the last half of the '90s, it was easy to see why fans and critics eagerly harnessed their hopes to the one great rock band that wanted to push the limits of its creativity, without grandstanding or pandering. Daunting expectations for anyone, even for a band eager to meet them, so it's little wonder that Kid A was so difficult to complete. Radiohead's creative breakthrough arrived when the band embraced electronica -- which was nearly a cliche by the end of the '90s, when everyone from U2 to Rickie Lee Jones dabbled in trip-hop or techno. The difference is that the wholehearted conversion on Kid A fits, since OK Computer had already flirted with electronica and its chilly feel. Plus, instead of simply adding club beats or sonic collage techniques, Radiohead strove for the unsettling "intelligent techno" sound of Autechre and Aphex Twin, with skittering beats and stylishly dark sonic surfaces. To their immense credit, Radiohead don't sound like carpetbaggers, because they share the same post-post-modern vantage point as their inspirations. As perhaps befitting an album that's coolly, self-consciously alienating, Kid A takes time to unfold; multiple plays are necessary just to discern the music's form, to get a handle on quiet, drifting, minimally arranged songs with no hooks. This emphasis on texture, this reliance on elliptical songs, means that Kid A is easily the most successful electronica album from a rock band: it doesn't even sound like the work of a rock band, even if it does sound like Radiohead. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/20/2016
Label:	Xl
UPC:	0634904078225

Tracks

1. Everything in Its Right Place
2. Kid A
3. The National Anthem
4. How to Disappear Completely
5. Treefingers
6. Optimistic
7. In Limbo
8. Idioteque
9. Morning Bell
10. Motion Picture Soundtrack
11. Untitled

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Radiohead   Primary Artist
Steve Hamilton   Sax (Alto),Sax (Alto),Alto
Stan Harrison   Baritone,Sax (Baritone)
Henry Binns   Sampling
Michael Kearsey   Trombone (Bass)
Andy Hamilton   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Tenor)
Andy Bush   Trumpet
Hook Horns   Horn
Liam Kerkman   Trombone
Martin Hathaway   Alto,Sax (Alto)
Orchestra of St. John's   Featured Artist
Mark Lockheart   Sax (Tenor)
John Lubbock   Conductor

Technical Credits

Colin Greenwood   Composer
Ed O'Brien   Composer
Jim Warren   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Radiohead   Composer,Recording Director
Phil Selway   Composer
Miti Adhikari   Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Thom Yorke   Composer
Chris Blair   Mastering
Graeme Stewart   Engineer
Jonny Greenwood   Score,Composer
Nigel Godrich   Mixing,Engineer,Live Recording,Recording Director
Gerard Navarro   Engineer,Assistant
Sam Cunningham   Producer
Jean Luc Lemerre   Engineer,Live Recording