"My Baby's Got The Bends, Oh No", Radiohead Beats the Sophomore Slump
Written: Apr 12 '03
Product Rating:
Pros: A Brilliant Pop-Rock Masterpiece from Radiohead.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: Radiohead's 1995 Masterpiece "The Bends" is a brilliant blend of art-rock and anthemic pop that would influence many in the years to come.
With the success of their 1993 debut “Pablo Honey”, Radiohead’s sudden success was somewhat a mixed blessing for the Oxford quintet. On the upside, the band attained a following in America thanks to their single “Creep” that was also a hit in their native Britain. The downside was the fact that “Creep” got overplayed on American radio and none of their singles fared well as “Creep” did in the U.S. while in the U.K., some music fans didn’t want to take the band very seriously. Easily after “Creep” died down, many people assumed that Radiohead, like other one-hit wonder bands, would fall face-flat on the earth with their second album and by 1994, no one wants to think that Radiohead would outdo themselves. To the members, singer/guitarist Thom Yorke, guitarist Jonny and brother and bassist Colin Greenwood, guitarist Ed O’ Brien, and drummer Phil Selway, they decided to prove all those doubters wrong with their upcoming release.
Knowing that they didn’t reach their potential on the first album, the band immediately retooled their sound and released an EP full of new songs they called “My Iron Lung”. The “My Iron Lung” EP immediately proved to be stronger to some music critics who realized that they did had the potential to be great but the Brit-Pop era was starting to sweep by as bands like Blur and Oasis were ruling the U.K. The EP did help Radiohead win more fans as they began to work on their sophomore effort that would not only prove all the doubters wrong but would end up becoming one of the greatest albums in British rock history called “The Bends”.
Helping Radiohead to work on their sophomore effort was producer John Leckie, who had his biggest claim to fame for producing the landmark self-titled debut by the Stone Roses in 1989, and an unknown engineer, who would end up as to many Radiohead fans as “the sixth member”, named Nigel Godrich. With their help, Radiohead managed to rework their sound by adding art-rock textures and catchier pop melodies into the mix as they were finally improving on the sound they were looking for. Taking the triple-guitar assault of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Ed O’ Brien, the trio’s guitar sound was more anthemic and dramatic as it ever had been supported by the melodic and thunderous rhythm section of Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway. Months of hard work and crafting twelve amazing songs paid off on what many consider to be one of the greatest albums in Brit-rock, “The Bends”.
“The Bends” in comparison to the debut “Pablo Honey”, is a much stronger, more focused album as Yorke’s lyrics and wailing vocals carry more emotions and ranges that wasn’t reached in “Pablo Honey” while the musicianship is tighter and powerful with its array of light-hearted ballads, catchy rockers, anthemic art-rock songs, and melodic textures that continues to amaze rock fans. With elements of lush, sublime string arrangements, hallmark production, and momentum bombast, Radiohead is taken to a new level of greatness after the shaky start of “Pablo Honey”. On their 1995 masterpiece, “The Bends”, Radiohead’s path to greatness finally begins as they reinvent rock for the masses.
The album opens with bombast, art-rock of “Planet Telex” as it begins with windy, atmospheric sounds that is followed by reverb keyboard tracks and bass-pounding drums from Phil Selway. Then comes Colin Greenwood’s throbbing, low-sound bass lines as Thom Yorke begins to sings, “You can force it but it will not come/You can taste it but it will not form/You can crush it but it’s always here/You can crush it, but it’s always near/Chasing your home, saying” as Yorke and Ed O’ Brien play the guitars on the first verse as the song starts to go into the crashing chorus with Jonny Greenwood’s dramatic guitar crash as Yorke sings, “Everything is broken/Everyone is broken”. When the second verse begins, Jonny Greenwood belts out this menacing guitar solo as he destroys the Radiohead of “Pablo Honey” and a new version of the band has arrived in this anthemic, art-rock opener.
Next is the more simple but upbeat title track to “The Bends” as the triple-guitar assault of Yorke, O’ Brien, and Jonny Greenwood comes into place with the thunderous rhythm section of Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway follows with Yorke’s wailing vocals as he begins to sing the song as he plays a soft, washy rhythm guitar track that is later followed by Jonny’s wailing guitar solo as Yorke sings, “I need to wash myself again to hide all the dirt and pain/I’d be scared that there’s nothing underneath/And who are my real friends? Have they all got the bends? Am I really sinking this low” as it leads to the sweeping first part of the chorus where Yorke sings, “My baby’s got the bends/We don’t have any real friends” as it leads to the second part with Selway’s high-rhythm drum fills as Yorke sings, “I’m just lying in a bar with my drip feed on talking to my girlfriend waiting for something to happen/And I wish it was the sixties/I wish I could happy/I wish, I wish, that something would happen”. Yorke continues to sing his strange lyrics as the band jams a long a bit throughout the song, particularly after the chorus where Jonny Greenwood belts out squealing riffs with O’ Brien’s and Yorke’s choppy riffs and Selway and Colin Greenwood’s pulsating rhythms.
Next is the single for “High & Dry” as it opens with bass-pounding beats from Selway and chiming, washy acoustic guitars from Thom Yorke as he sings the song’s sweet but cryptic lyrics of “Two jumps in a week/I bet you think that’s pretty clever don’t you boy/Flying on your motorcycle/Watching all the ground beneath you drop/You’d kill yourself for recognition/Kill yourself to never ever stop/You broke another mirror, you’re turning into something you are not” as it leads to lovely chorus of “Don’t leave me high/Don’t leave me dry/(repeat entire chorus)” with its washy electric guitars from O’ Brien and Jonny Greenwood with brother Colin on a smooth, throbbing bass track. Yorke sings the second verse as he leads to the chorus again followed by an evocative guitar solo from Jonny Greenwood as Yorke sings the final line in the song “It’s the best thing that you ever had” repeatedly until it goes into the lovely chorus that is filled with absolute perfect pop craftsmanship in it melodies and hooks.
The first big single from “The Bends” is the anthemic “Fake Plastic Trees”. Led by its soft, delicate acoustic guitar track, Yorke sings lyrics of despair and loneliness describe in its coldest tone as he sings, “Her green plastic watering can/For her fake Chinese rubber plant/In the fake plastic earth/That she bought from a rubber man/In a town full of rubber plans/To get rid of itself/It wears her out” as Yorke sings the last line of the first verse repeatedly accompanied by Jonny Greenwood’s spacey keyboard track as it is followed by a slow but smooth rhythm from Selway and Colin Greenwood as O’ Brien plays a droning, spacey guitar background with a lush, string orchestra as Yorke sings the second verse as he reaches the last line of that verse of “It wears him out” repeatedly. The song then goes into a more grandiose, dramatic tone as he sings, “She looks like the real thing/She tastes like the real thing/My fake plastic love/But I can’t help the feeling/But I could blow the ceiling/If I just turn and run/And it wears me out” as the strings get louder along with Jonny Greenwood’s evocative guitar as Yorke sings the last line repeatedly until he closes the song with “If I could, who you wanted/(repeat line)/All the time, all the time” as the spacey keyboards, hallmark production, Yorke’s high-pitched vocals, and lush arrangements close the song.
Next is the rocking “Bones” with its complex guitar intro that leads into a throbbing rhythm led by Colin Greenwood’s melodic bass lines and Jonny’s guitar reverb. Yorke then begins to sing, “I don’t want a be crippled cracked/Shoulders wrists, knees and back/Ground to dust and ash/Crawling on all fours” as the song then goes into a menacing tone with the chorus of “When you’ve got to feel it in your bones” as Jonny and Ed O’ Brien’s guitars crash to the song as Yorke sings more lyrics of physical pain as it is followed by the crashing chorus with Selway’s powerful fills and the crashing guitars of O’ Brien and Jonny Greenwood with brother Colin belting out those sumptuous bass lines. “Nice Dream” appears with Yorke’s acoustic guitar and O’ Brien’s melodic guitar chime as it is followed by a smooth, sweeping rhythm and lush, string arrangements by Yorke and Jonny Greenwood that is accompanied by layers of melodic guitar textures as Yorke sings dreamy lyrics that is said best in the second verse of “I call up my friend, the good angel/But she’s out with her ansaphone/She says she would love to come help but the sea would electrocute us all/Nice dream” as Yorke sings those two words repeatedly that is followed by him and O’ Brien singing, “I you think that you’re strong enough/If you think you belong enough” that is followed by Jonny Greenwood’s wailing guitar solo and atmospheric production textures from John Leckie and engineer Nigel Godrich.
Next is another single for the song “Just (You Do It To Yourself)” as it opens with a brief, acoustic guitar track from Yorke that then leads into a mean, rocking track with wailing guitar layers, droning bass lines, and visceral drum fills as Yorke sings, “Can’t get the stink off, he’s been hanging round for days/Comes like a comet, suckered you but not your friends/One day he’ll get to you, teach you how to be a holy cow” that leads to the rocking chorus of “You do it to yourself/You do and that’s what really hurts/Is you do it to yourself, just you/You and no-one else, you do it to yourself” as Yorke sings lyrics of self-blame with its layers of melodic guitar licks, wailing solos, and grunge riffs as Radiohead gets a little menacing this time around. “My Iron Lung” opens up with chiming, melodic guitar riffs from O’ Brien as it is followed by a bass-driven, mid-tempo rhythm as Yorke sings lyrics filled with cynicism and power as he is supported by Colin Greenwood’s throbbing bass lines and Phil Selway’s slow drums as Yorke sings the verse of “We’re too young to fall asleep/Too cynical to speak/We are losing it, can’t you tell? We scratch our eternal itch/Our 20th century b*tch and we are grateful for our iron lung” as it briefly leads to a melodic tone until it goes to a menacing, rocking part with Yorke singing unintelligible lyrics as he, Jonny Greenwood, and O’ Brien belt out menacing guitar riffs as it quiets down for the third verse and then goes back to rocking as Radiohead proves they can rock with the best.
“Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was” appears with its distorted, atmospheric production as Yorke plays a washy acoustic guitar track with its warbling, keyboard background as he sings the song with Selway’s soft drums and droning bass lines from Colin Greenwood as the song marks Radiohead at their earliest attempts to be experimental in this fine song with its layers of melodic guitar textures and swooning synthesizers as Yorke sings, “So pay me money and take a shot/Lead-fill the hole in me/I could burst a million bubbles/All surrogate & bullet proof” as Jonny Greenwood brings in soft, shoegazing like guitar tracks. “Black Star” comes in as the song’s mix starts to appear with its layers of melodic and warbling guitar riffs, and throbbing rhythms as Yorke sings the song with its strange lyrics that is followed by the chorus of “Blame it on the black star/Blame it on the falling sky/Blame it on the satellite that beams me home” that is followed with suburban-like lyrics as Yorke, O’ Brien, and Jonny Greenwood play their guitar riffs whether its washy riffs or melodic licks as Yorke sings the final verse of “I get on the train and I just stand about now that I don’t think of you/I keep falling over I keep passing out/When I see a face like you/What am I coming to? I’m gonna melt down” as it leads to the chorus.
“Sulk” arrives with its warbling, pulsating guitar riffs as it is followed by O’ Brien’s melodic guitar chimes and Selway’s mid-tempo beats as Yorke sings the song with sulky lyrics filled with loathing as it leads to the sweeping chorus of “Sometimes you sulk/Sometimes you burn/God rest your soul/When the loving comes/And we’ve already gone/Just like your dad/You’ll never change” as it goes into the realm of melodic pop as it reaches the second verse and chorus as Jonny Greenwood belts out a menacing guitar solo as Yorke wails on the song’s chorus as it ends.
The album closer is the eerie and melodic “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” as it is led by Ed O’ Brien’s melodic guitar track and Thom Yorke’s haunting vocals as he sings cryptic lyrics that just gets eerie with each note and verse. Phil Selway then taps his drums as Yorke sings the second verse of the song with Jonny Greenwood’s keyboards and lush string orchestra in the background as the song then goes into a full, dense sound with its string orchestra, soft drum fills, and Colin Greenwood’s bass lines as Yorke sings, “Cracked eggs, dead birds/Scream as they fight for life/I can feel death can see it’s beady eyes/All these things into fruition/All these things we’ll one day swallow whole” as it leads to the chorus of “And fade out, again and fade out again” as Jonny Greenwood’s melodic guitar track comes in with its layer of guitars, percussions, and string orchestra as Yorke sings the final line of the song repeatedly, “Immerse your soul in love” as the album closes.
As “The Bends” was released in the spring of 1995, the album immediately received reviews from many music critics in the U.S. and U.K. (except for an infamous poor review from Spin magazine which many fans have not forgiven) as they were surprised on how much Radiohead grew after their debut. Despite the critical acclaim, “The Bends” was a slow sell as it had a hard time reaching fans during the age of Brit-pop and American grunge. The band toured relentlessly opening for R.E.M. and playing shows all over the world as well as making eye-popping music videos that helped push sales for the band as “The Bends” went gold in the U.S. in 1996 while winning the hearts of millions of fans all over the world. Radiohead, however, happy with the success of “The Bends” knew they were just getting started by this point and they probably wouldn’t even know how seminal “The Bends” would become for rock as bands like Travis, Muse, and Coldplay channeled “The Bends” anthemic pop sound and a few years ago, a British music publication named “The Bends” the second greatest album of all-time behind none other than The Beatles 1966 masterpiece “Revolver”.
While some fans would prefer their 1997 masterpiece “OK Computer”, “The Bends” is still a brilliant masterpiece from the Oxford quintet. Easily, “The Bends” is the band’s most accessible effort and it’s an album more inclined to traditional rock-pop fans. With their upcoming album “Hail to the Thief” ready for a June release in 2003, it’s obvious that album will not measure up to the greatness “OK Computer” or “The Bends” have attained. “The Bends” is easily a great introduction to Radiohead as well as “OK Computer”. While “OK Computer” made the band rock icons, it was “The Bends” that took them on the path to greatness.
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