An accident that’s been waiting to happen as 2003: the sound of Radiohead onstage, five madmen attacking the Hail to the Thief songbook. The British rock kingpins’ new Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003-2009) is basically a track-for-track remake of their politically charged 2003 prog-punk gem, except with live versions, culled from different tours across six years. Since Radiohead rampaged through the 2000s as the planet’s most ferocious live band, a fire-breathing five-headed rock behemoth, its no surprise the performances are across-the-board great, taken from Dublin, Amsterdam, London, and Buenos Aires.
Hail to the Thief is an outlier in the Radiohead story – it’s the album you can always mention in a bar to get an argument started. Nobody realy disagrees about the merits of Kid A or The bends but you can argue all night about Hail to the Thief, which is part of the fun. For some of us “There There” will always be the definitive Radiohead classic, the song you’d play for a visiting Martian who asked what this band was all about. There’s nothing like the electric jolt of excitement that whipped through the crowd every night at the sight of the roadies wheeling out those “there There” drums for Jonny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien to bang.
According to Thom Yorke, the inspiration for the new live package was Hamlet Hail to the Thief, a London theater production blending the Shakespeare play with the Radiohead album, fusing four centuries of murderous political dystopia. “I asked to hear some archive live recordings of the songs,” Yorke said. “I was shocked by the kind of energy behind the way we played.I barely recognized us, and it helped me find a way forward. We decided to get these live recordings mixed and released (it would have been insane to keep them for ourselves).It has all been a very cathartic process. We very much hope you enjoy them.”
It’s welcome news to see Thom Yorke suddenly remembering that there once was a band called Radiohead, and that they were actually very good at playing music. But he’s right: it would have been insane not to let the world hear this. It makes you hope there’s much more to come, as we have to presume Mr.Yorke did not immerse himself in six years’ worth of such glorious live work “Eureka! We should release exactly 47 minutes of this.”
Radiohead Releases Extensive Archive of Live Recordings, Hinting at More to Come
Table of Contents
Radiohead has surprised fans with the release of Radiohead Live Recordings 2000-2016, a sprawling collection of over 48 hours of live performances, available on Bandcamp. This marks a significant move for the notoriously selective band, known for tightly controlling their archival material. The release follows the 2017 archival project OKNOTOK 1997 2017, which unearthed previously unreleased tracks from the OK Computer era, and coincides with Thom yorke’s debut museum exhibit, This Is What You Get, currently showing in oxford, England. This release fuels speculation that Radiohead may be opening up their extensive live vaults, offering fans a deeper dive into their performance history.
A Shift in Archival Strategy
For years,Radiohead maintained a relatively closed approach to their archive of live recordings. While high-quality bootlegs circulated amongst fans, official releases were rare. The release of OKNOTOK signaled a potential shift, and Radiohead Live Recordings 2000-2016 confirms this trend.
The collection encompasses performances from 2000 to 2016, covering the kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows, The King of Limbs, and A Moon Shaped Pool eras. The recordings are available in a variety of formats, including FLAC, MP3, and TXT (for tracklists), allowing fans to choose their preferred listening experience. Pricing varies depending on the format, with options for individual shows or the complete archive.
Yorke’s Personal Connection to the project
Thom Yorke described revisiting these recordings as “very cathartic,” according to Rolling Stone. This personal connection suggests a deliberate decision to share these performances with fans, perhaps indicating a broader strategy of unlocking the band’s archival treasures. Yorke’s simultaneous debut as a visual artist with This Is What You Get further highlights a period of creative exploration and openness.
What’s Included in the Radiohead Live Recordings 2000-2016 Collection?
The collection is vast, offering a extensive look at Radiohead’s live evolution over a 16-year period. Here’s a breakdown of what fans can expect:
Extensive Coverage: Over 48 hours of live material.
multiple Eras: Recordings from tours supporting Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows, The King of Limbs, and A Moon shaped Pool.
Variety of Formats: Available in FLAC, MP3, and TXT formats.
Individual Show & Complete Archive Options: Fans can purchase individual concerts or the entire collection.
global Performances: Recordings from shows across the globe, showcasing the band’s international reach.
Looking Ahead: More From the Vault?
The release of Radiohead Live Recordings 2000-2016 has sparked excitement among fans about the possibility of further archival releases. If revisiting these performances was indeed “very cathartic” for Yorke, as he stated, it’s reasonable to anticipate that the band will continue to explore and share more of their extensive live recordings. The success of this release could pave the way for future collections covering other periods of their career, offering a more complete and immersive experience for Radiohead enthusiasts.
Key Takeaways:
Radiohead has released a massive archive of live recordings spanning 2000-2016 on Bandcamp.
This release represents a shift in the band’s historically guarded approach to archival material.
Thom Yorke described revisiting the recordings as “very cathartic,” suggesting a personal investment in the project.
The collection is available in multiple formats and offers fans the option to purchase individual shows or the complete archive.
This release fuels speculation about further archival releases from Radiohead in the future.