Pablo Honey - Dark Publications

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•	The Bends
•	OK Computer
•	Kid A
•	Amnesiac
•	Hail to the Thief

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Before Radiohead became the biggest critics' darling since Pavement or Dr. Dre, they were just another pre-Oasis British band with some loose indie ties, trying to gain some cred. Loopy enough to name this moody, often battering debut album for a Jerky Boys routine, they were also a lot more interesting when they hadn't yet learned the word "soundscape." "Creep," the miserably majestic single they now claim nearly ruined them, may not even be the best thing here; try "Anyone Can Play Guitar," an epitaph for River Phoenix before the fact. --Rickey Wright

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Hail To The Thief	The Bends	Kid A
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Album Description
1997 Japanese reissue of their 1993 debut smash with five bonus tracks: 'Pop Is Dead', 'Inside My Head', 'Million Dollar Question', 'Sleep' (Live) and 'Ripchord' (Live). 17 tracks total, also featuring the hits 'Creep' and 'Stop Whispering'. An EMI release.

Album Details
Japanese Re-release featuring Five Bonus Tracks: Pop is Dead, Inside My Head, Million Dollar Question, Sleep (Live), and Ripchord (Live).

Customer Reviews: Read 216 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Solid first effort remains a curio in the Radiohead oeuvre February 3, 2005
89 out of 103 found this review helpful

The alternating bars of 12/8 and 11/8 that drive "Pablo Honey's" opening track, "You," should have given some indication to the masses that Radiohead would not be forever content to dwell in indie rock's lo-fi world. Though a solid debut effort, "Pablo Honey" gives little indication that Radiohead would go on to influence an entire generation of bands (Coldplay, Travis, Doves, Keane, et al).

"Pablo Honey" is most famous for the hit single "Creep," a simple post-grunge pop song completely atypical of the Oxford quintet's style. In fact, the song was never originally intended for the album. As the story goes, Thom Yorke had written it years before and was strumming it in the studio, when a passing record exec heard it and insisted on including it on the record. The rest is history, as they say. Though "Creep" ranks among Radiohead's least distinctive songs, it did put them on the music world's map, for which we should be eternally thankful.

Beyond "Creep," only a few songs stand out: "You" with its driving odd meters; the heartfelt ballad "Thinking About You;" the energetic "Ripcord;" and the dynamic "Stop Whispering," which starts as a catchy pop tune but builds to a ferocious crescendo that foreshadows Radiohead's evolution towards more complex arrangements. "Pablo Honey's" performances and production values are solid but lackluster, and may disappoint those expecting the studio wizardry and technical virtuosity Radiohead would go on to achieve on "The Bends," "OK Computer," and "Kid A."

All in all, "Pablo Honey" is a decent record, far overrated by the indie mavens who disowned Radiohead after they went "art rock," and unlikely to satisfy those more familiar with their later, more progressive work. It's a worthwhile debut, but remains a curio in Radiohead's increasingly impressive and accomplished oeuvre.

5 out of 5 stars

Believe me, this is the album of my life! May 2, 2000
60 out of 61 found this review helpful

I was really, really sad with some reviews here. So I decided to "stop whispering" and to start shouting... This is an album that takes a long time to grow on you, but when it does...Let me explain: In the beginning of 1994, I found this album in a local store. Since then, I was very curious to hear new bands (I didn't even knew who Radiohead was). At the moment I heard it, I decided to buy it. I wasn't wrong at all. It quickly became my favorite album, I used to hear it all the time in my school days...Some time later, "Creep" became famous and I thought "Oh, now the world will discover this fantastic band!" But I was wrong... All the songs here are extraordinary, though my favorite ones are "Lurgee", "Vegetable", "Ripcord", "I can't" and, of course, "Thinking about you". I started to play them all the time with my own band and "Anyone can play guitar" remains as the ideal song to remind us of that distant age of innocence. Today we're all lawyers, doctors and this kind of stuff, but "The Pablo Honey Appreciation Society" (that was the name of the band!) still takes us on a trip to the past. The melancholic lyrics, the angst in Thom's voice, the rage full of emotion that only Jon can take from his guitar, it's all here. Then came "The bends" and "OK Computer" (their masterpiece). For my disappointment, when "The bends" was released nobody gave it the attention it deserved (this mistake only was corrected after Ok Computer's huge success). I agree that OK Computer is an historic album, and I understand that people who became Radiohead's fans after it aren't very fond of "Pablo Honey", but it's not fault of the album itself. After so many years, whenever I listen to it (and it happens at least twice a week) I became more sure of its perfection...Although I love every single song of the greatest band in the world, this album is still my favorite...I have a sugestion: Buy this album as if it was made by another artist. I hope that it causes you the same emotions it causes me whenever I hear it! This is definetely the album of my life!

P.S. "Creep" is not the best song here!

5 out of 5 stars They won't be a nothin', anymore March 13, 2003
32 out of 38 found this review helpful

Where it all began, the Oxford boys' debut album shows surprising maturity for a first attempt, although it does pale in comparison to what followed. I'm always interested to see how bands develop style and maturity, so of vourse this album appealed to be from the outset.

BUT! The songs are very well developed. In fact, if Radiohead had been content to remain stuck in this groove, they could STILL have gone on delighting millions. EVERYBODY knows 'Creep' of course, but some of the other songs have even more bite, such as "Stop Whispering" and "Blow Out". I was forunate to see Radiohead just after "The Bends" was released, and they included most of this album in the set - it completely blew my mind, and this was well before "Paranoid Android".

Evident on this album, is Radiohead's collective youth - here we have a bunch of guys just out of college with lots of energy, and guitars to make noise with. Not that this album is merely a bunch of noise, it's carefully arranged and expertly plotted noise (on SOME songs) with more scaled-down acoustic songs interspering. Like all Radiohead albums, this is a CD I can only listen to in entirety - I hate leaving bits out, because it's all part of a bigger picture.

If you only liked "The Bends", then you'll DEFINITELY like this one. If you only liked "OK Computer", you'll PROBABLY like this one, and if you only liked "Kid A" you might want to give this a quick listen before parting with your cash! If you like more than one Radiohead album, GET THIS NOW!!

5 out of 5 stars An extraordinary production and an even more amazing debut: own it March 24, 2006
23 out of 25 found this review helpful

Back in 1993, it wasn't easy to hear much around besides grunge. Yet, Radiohead's "Creep" managed to make it in between Nirvana's, Pearl Jam's and Green Day's hits to catch the ear of many who -like me- continue to be devoted fans of their work to this day.

From the opening guitar line of "You" it is hard not to get caught by the magic of their musical phrasing. This is all pre-Oasis, pre-Travis. This is indie prog rock in the making, with these guys fabricating a new electric sound in songs like "How Do You?" and balancing it off in others like "Thinking About You" where the acoustic guitar can be just as powerful. Then, combining the two in "Ripcord" and making you feel like rock music first started to be played like this.

"Pablo Honey" is not Radiohead's best work (that honor would probably belong to "OK Computer"). Yet it's an extraordinary production and an even more amazing debut. Many bands since and before them would want to have their best album ever be half as solid as Radiohead's first one.

Own it.

UPDATE (06/03/08): Thanks for the clarification about "pre-James". Indeed James were making music before Radiohead.

5 out of 5 stars An amazing debut full of emotion and honesty. August 25, 2000
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

It's amazing to think how much Radiohead have progressed from "Pablo Honey" to "OK Computer." I can't see how people can slam this album. Just goes to show the true nature of all snobby ... intellectual music fans who praised "OK Computer." I think you could describe "Pablo Honey" as bittersweet. It's depressing but hopeful at the same time.

It starts out with the killer musically and lyrically opening track "You" followed up the famous "Creep" which was reuined by too much radio play and the world marking Radiohead as a one-hit wonder. I see how Radiohead could regret writing it but it's still an amazing song and speaks with real honesty. "How Do You?" is a fast paced post-punk rock song about a betrayal. The next two songs are my favorite on the album. "Stop Whispering" has a great catchy guitar riff with light drumming in the background that starts out slowly and rises along with Thom Yorke's vocals. It may not be fancy or really creative but it does something to me inside. "Thinking About You" is a beautiful light acoustic song. The lyrics are about questioning a relationship and weather to pursuit it or not. "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is one of Radiohead's most uplifting tunes. It has an under surface message that really you can do anything in life. It also brings up a funny image of Thom Yorke as Jim Morrison. "Ripcord" has an average silent than loud rock sound. "Vegetable" has a beautiful guitar chord going through while Thom Yorke silently sings. "Prove Yourself" has a great message and really spoke to me when I first heard it. "I Can't" is much like the other songs on the album. "Lurgee" and "Blow Out" put a nice touch to the ending of the album. My only thing I have to say is..what the heck is an edited version of Creep doing at the end as a hidden track? Oh well

I hate to sound cheesy but this is an album that has helped me through the hard times and it is as grand and sincere as "The Bends" and "OK Computer."

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