Under The Needle

Radiohead - OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997-2017

2017-06-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Radiohead - OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997-2017

Last Friday (June 23rd) saw the release of a 20th anniversary re-issue of Radiohead's iconic 1997 album OK Computer which coincided nicely with their headline set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Re-issues and re-releases are a rarity where Radiohead is concerned, a band that has a reputation for constantly looking forward instead of just reminiscing on past glories. So whats's in this new re-issue? Apart from the original album, the two disc set includes three previously unreleased tracks and eight b-sides from the OK Computer era.

The Original Album

There's not a lot more that can be said about the original album that hasn't already been written.

The same superlatives are thrown around a lot these days, but when you describe this album as an absolute classic and even a work of art, it is entirely warranted. People talk an awful lot about the flow of an album, and that's definitely another thing that works in OKC's favour: each track flows into the next incredibly well. I first heard OK Computer just over two years ago when I started digging for different music. Being honest, I was not immediately a fan. But as I started listening to some of the tracks on their own I began to appreciate its importance more and more. The remastered version of the original album brings a new clarity to the tracks, The re-issue also comes at a time when the album is still as relevant, if not more relevant than June 16th 1997 when it was first released. The themes of consumerism, people's disillusionment with society as well as people's over-dependence on technology. These are all areas which have taken over our society today. It's fascinating to hear how well Radiohead predicted the future they expected and how it matches up with the present we live in.

Favourite Tracks:

Paranoid Android
Let Down (the song that originally caught my attention)
Karma Police
Exit Music (For a Film)
No Surprises
Lucky

Who are Radiohead?

Originally known as 'On a Friday', the band was formed while the members were attending school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Trying to put a genre label on Radiohead is no easy task. Initially starting out as a rock/alternative rock, OK Computer was split between alt. rock and experimental and their post-OKC work became mainly electronic. The current members of the band are: Thom York, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway and brothers Colin and Jonny Greenwood. Early influences included Queen and Pink Floyd, The Smiths and Sonic Youth. They also took influence from jazz as well as bands of the 1960's such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Their first single 'Creep' began to gain airtime on radio stations around the world in 1993 following the release of their debut album Pablo Honey. The band began to receive even more acclaim following the release of their second album The Bends in March 1995. May 2016 saw the release of their ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool.

Glastonbury

Radiohead have a reputation for playing a lot of their more obscure material when playing live. Thanks to the BBC, anyone could watch this epic two hour set from one of the most fascinating bands to witness live (despite coverage being deferred by about 30 minutes). Despite playing some instrumentals which would be unknown to many, they did not disappoint and played most of their biggest hits. They even played 'Creep' which is the only song many people know them for (they previously went seven years from 2009 to 2016 without playing the track. If you have two hours to spare, it's a great introduction to the band and there are a number of ways to watch it online with a quick Google.

The New Tracks

Apart from the remaster, the main attraction here is the three previously unreleased tracks: 'I Promise', 'Man of War' and 'Lift'. 'I Promise' is an acoustic number which would probably have felt out of place on the original album. 'Man of War' sounds more similar to the Radiohead of OKC. At the time many expected 'Lift' to be included in the album itself. It's easily the best track of the three unreleased tracks and had been performed live by the band on a number of occasions during the OK Computer era. As for the collected b-sides. They're definitely worth having, and it's also great to be able to have them all in one collection.

If you've never listened to the original album, definitely check it out - you won't regret it.

Listen to OK Computer on Spotify

What's up Next?

2017-05-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

So, what's up next?

Thanks for the support so far, apologies for not posting for the last week or so. I'll be using this post to give you a taste of what's coming up next for the blog. Here are a few ideas I've been thinking about:

Soundtrack Saturday

For this it's fairly straightforward. I'll pick out a soundtrack from a movie, which shouldn't be hard because I only have about 3 on vinyl. I'll give a rundown of the album, but this time I'll also write about the movie itself. As I said, I only have 3 so far, so once I've run out of the ones I actually own I'll pick other which o think are also good. This kicks off next Saturday and I'll give a little more info later on in the week.

"Sgt. Pepper's" @ 50

The Beatles' legendary album turns 50 on June 1st. To mark this I'll be doing something to similar to what I did the Hendrix anniversary (actually pretty much the exact same.) I'll do a written piece again for the blog itself and then on Friday June 3rd I'll have my copy playing on vinyl on our Facebook page. Before I write anything I'll admit that it's not my favourite Beatles album, but at the same time, it's one of the most influential and iconic albums of all time and you will all have seen the cover itself, or else at least a parody of it. I'll reveal more closer to the day itself.

Featured Artist

This is another fairly straightforward one to explain. Every week or so I'll pick an artist or a band at 'random' and do a piece about them. This will probably become a lot clearer once I actually start writing. There'll be a bit of a bias towards my own favourites for the first few weeks or so but after that I'll start branching it out once I get more used to it.

New Music

One of my main aims when starting up this blog was to start writing about new music. There's something worthwhile coming out practically every week, so once the Leaving Cert is finished and I have a lot more time to write and think about what I'm listening to I'll start concentrating a lot more on this aspect of the blog.

Follow Us

If you're reading this it's more than likely that you like the Facebook page. If not you can find it at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/undertheneedleblog/

You can also find Under the Needle on Instagram: @undertheneedleblog

Snapchat Coming Soon!

"Are You Experienced?" hits 50

2017-05-12T08:25:00.003-07:00

May 12 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the release Of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album ‘Are You Experienced’. The “Experience” was composed of Hendrix, accompanied by Englishmen Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass. The album was an immediate hit in the UK where it reached number 2 on the chart. The US version which was released in August with a different track listing would go on to reach number 5 on the Billboard 200. The album was also ranked 15th on Rolling Stone magazines 500 Greatest Albums list.

Onto the album itself…

To put it simply, in little over forty minutes Hendrix redefined the psychedelic and hard rock genres. It might seem like an exaggeration when I say that this album changed the world, but without a doubt it did. What ultimately defines this album though is Hendrix’s guitar playing. This album is one of the key reasons that he is regarded by many as the greatest guitar player of all time, for those who do not share this opinion, you have to admit that he was definitely groundbreaking and well ahead of his time.

In 1963 Hendrix relocated to Clarksville, Tennessee having grown up in Seattle. It was here that he began to develop his distinctive sound while playing in the city’s rhythm and blues scene. Hendrix had been playing with a number of different bands in the early/mid-1960’s. He played in the Isley Brothers back up band, the I.B. Specials and later with Little Richard’s touring band. He was spotted in New York by the girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and brought to London in September 1966. The ‘Experience’s was formed and their first single ‘Hey Joe’ was released in October. This was followed by ‘Purple Haze’ in March ‘67 and ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ in May. These singles should be recognisable to you almost immediately.

Hendrix explored a number of different themes on the album. For example, sci-fi on “Third Stone from the Sun”, he said it was ‘about a visiting space alien who, upon evaluation of the human species, decides that people are not fit to rule Earth, destroys their civilisation, and places the planet in the care of chickens”. Hendrix, who had Native American heritage dedicated the song “I Don't Live Today” to the American Indians.

Track Listing:

Side One

1 - Foxy Lady (3:22)

2 - Manic Depression (3:46)

3 - Red House (3:44)

4 - Can You See Me (2:35)

5 - Love or Confusion (3:17)

6 - I Don't Live Today (3:58)

Side Two

7 - May This Be Love (3:14)

8 - Fire (2:47)

9 - Third Stone from the Sun (6:50)

10 - Remember (2:53)

11 - Are You Experienced? (4:17)

Favourite Tracks (in album order)

Each song is fantastic, but there are a few I enjoy more than the rest.

3 - Red House: a 12-bar blues classic.

5 - Love or Confusion

7 - May This Be Love

8 - Fire

9 - Third Stone from the Sun

10 - Remember: easily my favourite track on the record

11 - Are You Experienced?

What came next?

The Experience played at the now legendary Monterey Pop Festival in California in June of 1967. They were only kept off top spot by ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ which came out on June 1st. The next album, ‘Axis: Bold as Love’ came in November as they were contractually obliged to release two albums in 1967

Welcome to Under the Needle

2017-05-09T12:54:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Under the Needle!

I'll start by thanking you for visiting my blog. ("Thank you for visiting my blog").

I'll try and keep my first post fairly short...

Why did I start this blog?

Well starting a blog dedicated to music is something I've wanted to do now for a while. I'll soon find out how right or wrong I am about this but it always seemed so easy to write about something you love and enjoy. I also decided to start a blog because I realised that maybe my opinion as an 18 year old who listens to mostly older music, and who isn't a music journalist being paid by a record label to put in a good word for an artists album might actually matter. I'm also someone who until a couple of years ago was blind to the fact that good music is still being created, whether it's new artists or old favourites who continue to release music. So naturally enough, my ears were stuck in the past listening to the 'classics' (they'll feature a lot on this blog too).

What to expect?

I listen to a bit of literally everything so you can expect to see anything on this page. Some of it may not be familiar to you, but you'll never know you don't like it until you've actually tried it. Expect the unexpected!

What happens next?

So for the first month or so until the Leaving Cert is finished I won't be posting an awful lot. Once the summer comes around you can expect reviews of new releases and what I think of them myself. I'll also be posting a lot more in general. Also, I'm always open to hearing new sounds so please don't be afraid to share music with me either.

Official Launch

This Friday (May 12th) marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's debut album 'Are You Experienced?'. To celebrate this I'll be doing a Facebook live event where I'll play the full album on vinyl over on our page (which you can find on the tab at the top of this page). It's arguably one of the greatest albums of all time and is one of my own personal favourites. So feel free to tune in, it should be a cracker.

That's all for this post,

AB.