RELEASED SONGS
1995
Thom : "The downside to The Bends was that everything i wrote had significance to it"
High And Dry
Planet Telex
Maquiladora
Killer Cars
The Bends
Fake Plastic Trees
Bones
(Nice Dream)
Just
Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was
Black Star
Sulk
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
India Rubber
How Can You Be Sure?
Lucky
A song that came out of Thom's Headless days (his Exeter Band),this track was kicking around for a long time.Radiohead recorded a demo in 1993,but everyone agreed at the time that it didn't sound like a typical radiohead song. The tape was rediscovered during the Bends sessions,and Leckie pushed to have the song on the album. He succeeded. The 1993 demo version was used for the album, produced by the band and Jim Warren."High And Dry," wich has been introduced as being about, or dedicated, to Evel Knievel, is about people who will do anything,including risking their lives, to achieve fame.
"Planet Xerox" was this song's original title, but because Xerox was a copyrighted name, Radiohead changed it to "Planet Telex". The only song written in the studio during the Bends sessions, it was recorded one night when the band returned to the studio after drinking a lot of wine. Thom did the vocals lying down, completely drunk. This is the most frequently remixed song in Radiohead's roster ; different versions appear on singles, promotional releases, and compilations. The album version is guitar-oriented, and so is the live version on Just CD2.
The Hexadecimal Mix by Steve Osborne has an extended opening, but overall the song drags on too long and doesn't provide the buildup necessary to make it a dance-floor hit. The Hexadecimal Dib by Osborne is, unsurprisingly, much like the mix, though slightly more experimental with keyboards and less guitar-oriented. This version is superior to the Hexadecimal Mix. The LFO JD Mix by LFO is centered on a metallic drumline and the only vocals are the occasinally repeated words "You can force it." The track doesn't really go anywhere and becomes annoying, proving that remixes can somethimes be a sad waste of B-side space. The Karma Sunra Mix by UNKLE is the best remix of this song. In this very experimental version, wich integrates varying sounds and musical styles, you can hear Thom breathing for a minute before he sings. All vocals are used, and the samples at the end enhance the track. The Depthcharge Mix, with an airy opening and a lack of precision between the beat and vocals, is an unusual but intriguing version. It is very long and moves in different directions to maintain interest. The Trashed Mix by Alien Beatfreak has a thick drumline throughout and periodic guitar riff. It is devoid of vocals, and without the guitar it would be impossible to tell that this was "Planet Telex." Still, it's a great track. Your best bet, however, is to see the band live, as they will never reproduce such a phenomenon on CD.
An amazing rock song that stand up to the band's edgier material from their early years, this gem is for all th Pablo Honey lovers who may have had a hard time getting their head around The Bends when it was first released. With brash guitar lines, a wonderful solo, and classic lyrics this is yet another entry on the list of great songs relegated to B-side status.
Thom's second song on a driving theme, this one deals with the fear that every time we venture out in our cars we may be killed.Originally intended fore release as one of the singles from The Bends during the initial recording session, the song actually debuted in the band's live set in 1993. "Killer Cars" has appeared in three frorm. The first was the live acoustic version from the 1993 Chicago Metro show, wich appears on the "Creep" reissu 12'' and the Japanese CD Itch. This very passionate performance renders the tragic lyrics all the more moving. The second version appears as a B-side to the High And Dry/Planet Telex CD2, a straightforward guitar-oriented interpretation with mesmerizing percussion and a blistering guitar closeout. Last is the Mogadon Version, wich is much mellower than the first studio release of the song. A newscast has also been blended into the mix. This version contains a similar ending to the previous one.
This track was initially introduced as being about "knowing who your real friends are and when they're going to come to your gigs." Thom soon simplified this to "knowing who your friends really are." The song reflects Radiohead's sense of humor ; it contains many ridiculous lines about the CIA and the Marines.
Of the opening, Thom says, "The sound at the beginning comes from this caterwauling mayhem outside this hotel in the States. There was this guy training these eight-year-old kids, who were parading up and down with all these different instruments. The guy had this little micrphone on his sweater and was going : 'Yeah, keep it up, keep it up.' So i ran out and taped it."
So many interviewers asked about the line "I wish it was the sixties" that Thom starting to regret having written it : "I really do wish i never wrote that fucking song, it's become the bane of my life. Hundreds of journalists, asking, every single fucking interviews : 'Do you wish it was the sixties?' No! I don't wish it was the fucking sixties, Levi's Jeans wish it was the sixties, i certainly fucking don't."
The demo version, available only on the Long Live Tibet compilation, has loud guitars at the opening, lo-fi production, a slower tempo, and lifeless vocals with voices singing slightly different lyrics. This version is interesting simply because it is unusual, but it will just make you love the album version even more.
A song written for the world of mass marketing and mass consumption. Many version of "Fake Plastic Trees" are available, including the single from The Bends and an acoustic version on the CD single part 2, wich also appears on the Clueless soundtrack. Live versions can be heard on Het Beste Uit 10 Jaar 2 Meter Sessies, the Tibetan Freedom Concert triple-cd set, and the MTV 120 Minutes Live CD. This song was the band's proudest moment, and it remains a live favorite for very obvious reasons. No matter what version of "Fake Plastic Trees" you manage to get, you won't be disappointed.
Yet another song (like "My Iron Lung") that reflects Thom's obsession with poor healt, this is perhaps a product of the physical tribulations of touring. The song looks at Thom's fear of growing old and becoming physically incapacited.
This song revels in a happy-life fantasy, but concludes that it can be nothing more than a "nice dream." Heard at the end of the track are slections from an Arctic-sounds tape of John Leckie's.The demo version,available on the compilation Volume 13, is mainly an acoustic number featuring organ and strings. This version also conatains the original lyrics of the song. The second verse chronicles a sweet fascination : "I'm the sweet man / Made of chocolate / Your licorice eyes will enrapt me..." While the album version is lyrically superior, this one is still worth a listen.
Here Thom tell the story of how he once had a narcissistic friend he was complelled to elude. Musically, "Just" is considered the most complex track on The Bends album, and it proves beyond a doubt that Jonny's guitar playing is original and superb. A live version of this track is available on the double-CD compilation Evening Session : Priority Tunes ; while it capture the intensity of the song live, the original remains the best.
One of the songs that prompted reviewers to believe that Thom had some serious personal problems, "Bullet Proof" actually has a more universal meaning, wich invites the listener's personal interpretations. This is truly one of the best songs in the band's roster, and one of Thom's own favorites. The instrumentation was created by Jonny and Ed ; they recorded their guitar noises without listening to other layers of the cut. These guitar-sounds track were then put together and mixed with the rest of the song. An acoustic version, also released on the second part of "Fake Plastic Trees," is every bit as delicate and gorgeous as the Bends version. The song was debuted in France in 1993 with different lyrics.
For Thom, this song is special. Altough he has never offered an explanation of it, throughout 1995-96, when the band played it live, he did introduce it in various ways -- declaring, for instance, that song is about sex. The lyrics probe the destruction of a relationship and touch on sex with a third party.
One of Thom's earliest creations, this song was inspired by a ruthless and unexplained killing spree conducted by a long gunman in Hungerford, England, in 1987. Although its original concluding lyrics were "Just shoot you gun," these were changed when the song was recorded in late 1994. This was because the death of Kurt Cobain was still weighing heavily on people's mind while the Hungeford killing were not ; Thom chose to change the lyrics so that no one would think the song was about the late Nirvana leader. "Sulk" is rarely heard live : the band played it in concert a few times in 1994, even less often in 1995, and never again after that.
This song was written in 1993, around the same time as "My Iron Lung." If "Creep" is Radiohead's American hit, this is the British equivalent. Laced with Ed's absolutely perfect arpeggios, the track has a mesmerizing quality that links it to the work of Stereolab. With lyrics about feeling like a veru small person in an intimidating world, this fan favorite is memorable an timeless. We can only hope that Radiohead will retain it in the live set. A few other versions of this song have been released (two stripped-down acoustic ones and another from the band's Evening Session from September 1994.) Like "Fake Plastic Trees", this exeptional song is perfect in all of its released versions.
This very experimental B-side is based largely on Phil's heavy drumming. The lyrics wander all over the place, but there are still some memorable lines. The song closes with laughter, blending after a moment with the sounds of people talking and generally making noise (a party atmosphere).
When this track was first heard on radio, in 1993, Thom noted that the title was only tentatively "How Can You Be Sure?" and that he hoped to chage it. This never happened, though on the first Japanese issue of The Bends, wich includes two bonus tracks, the song was called "When I'm Like This." This acoustic number, with backing vocals by Dianne Swann, is similar to "Fake Plastic Trees" in the way it builds as it progresses. The song is yet another look at relationship problems. The version on the Nowhere soundtrack is identical to the fake Plastic Trees B-side version.
From Ed's sweet, tingling, opening riff, the rest of "Lucky" was generated. "I remember fiddling around in the sound check," he says. "We were in Japan --and putting together a different pedal order and actually hitting the strings above the nut on the headstock. The pedals that i did it with, and the delay that was going on. it was one of those moment -- 'Yeah, this is pretty cool'". From here, "Lucky" was made into what the band considers a "happy" song, or at least as happy a song as they are capable of creating. A band favorite for some time after it entered the live set, the number ranks among the best Radiohead have ever recorded. An identical version, which can be found both the Help! compilations and the Help! EP, also appears on Ok Computer. This wasn't the plan : the band did try to remix the track for the third album but found they couldn't improve it. Two live versions have been released -- a B-side to "No Surprises" recorded in Florence, and a superior live take from the band's special performance for Launch magazine. The latter was recorded in an empty Washington, DC, hall during Radiohead's 1997 tour, probably whil the sound check was in progress ; the acoustics are perfect.