Radiohead OK Computer Named "Greatest Album Ever"

[liberalpragmatist]

http://www.gigwise.com/news.asp?contentid=5454

Radiohead’s seminal ‘OK Computer’ has been named the best album of all time in a Channel Four poll.

<snip>

(Dave) Matthews... claims he is “infuriated” by Radiohead’s apparent seamless ability to create brilliant records.

He said: “Every time I buy a Radiohead album, I have a moment where I say to myself, maybe this is the one that will suck. But it never does… I wonder if it's even possible for them to be bad on record.

He added: “My reaction to Radiohead isn't as simple as jealousy. Jealousy just burns; Radiohead infuriate me. But if it were only that, I wouldn't go back and listen to those records again and again.

“Listening to Radiohead makes me fell like I'm a Salieri to their Mozart. ( Thom)Yorke's lyrics make me want to give up. I could never in my wildest dreams find something as beautiful as they find for a single song - let alone album after album.”

<snip>

The Channel Four top twenty is as follows:

1. RADIOHEAD - OK Computer
2. U2 - The Joshua Tree
3. NIRVANA - Nevermind
4. MICHAEL JACKSON - Thriller
5. PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon
6. OASIS - Definitely Maybe
7. THE BEATLES - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
8. MADONNA - Like a Prayer
9. GUNS N' ROSES - Appetite For Destruction
10. THE BEATLES - Revolver
11. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
12. THE BEATLES - The White Album
13. QUEEN - A Night at the Opera
14. COLDPLAY - Parachutes
15. OASIS - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
16. ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill
17. LED ZEPPELIN - Led Zeppelin IV
18. THE VERVE - Urban Hymns
19. JIMI HENDRIX - Are you Experienced
20. THE SMITHS - The Queen Is Dead

Note: A UK poll

ON EDIT: Here's the full list -

http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/albums/results.html

1. RADIOHEAD - OK Computer
2. U2 - The Joshua Tree
3. NIRVANA - Nevermind
4. MICHAEL JACKSON - Thriller
5. PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon
6. OASIS - Definitely Maybe
7. THE BEATLES - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
8. MADONNA - Like a Prayer
9. GUNS N' ROSES - Appetite For Destruction
10. THE BEATLES - Revolver
11. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
12. THE BEATLES - The White Album
13. QUEEN - A Night at the Opera
14. COLDPLAY - Parachutes
15. OASIS - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
16. ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill
17. LED ZEPPELIN - Led Zeppelin IV
18. THE VERVE - Urban Hymns
19. JIMI HENDRIX - Are you Experienced
20. THE SMITHS - The Queen Is Dead
21. JOHN LENNON - Imagine
22. RADIOHEAD - The Bends
23. BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS - Exodus
24. THE STONE ROSES - The Stone Roses
25. SIMON AND GARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water
26. BJORK - Debut
27. THE DOORS - The Doors
28. ABBA - Arrival
29. MICHAEL JACKSON - Off the Wall
30. DURAN DURAN - Rio
31. SEX PISTOLS - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols
32. DAVID BOWIE - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
33. THE BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds
34. JOY DIVISION - Closer
35. THE ROLLING STONES - Let It Bleed
36. BLUR - Parklife
37. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Born to Run
38. BILLIE HOLIDAY - Lady Sings the Blues
39. THE WHITE STRIPES - Elephant
40. BLACK SABBATH - Paranoid
41. THE SPECIALS - Specials
42. THE ROLLING STONES - Exile on Main Street
43. FRANK SINATRA - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
44. THE CLASH - London Calling
45. THE PRODIGY - The Fat of the Land
46. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - The Velvet Underground and Nico
47. DIRE STRAITS - Brothers in Arms
48. PIXIES - Doolittle
49. ARETHA FRANKLIN - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
50. THE LIBERTINES - The Libertines
51. HAPPY MONDAYS - Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches
52. PATTI SMITH - Horses
53. THE WHO - Tommy
54. LOU REED - Transformer
55. BOB DYLAN - Blood on the Tracks
56. PRINCE - Sign 'o' the Times
57. DIDO - No Angel
58. AIR - Moon Safari
59. ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
60. THE JAM - All Mod Cons
61. JEFF BUCKLEY - Grace
62. FLEETWOOD MAC - Rumours
63. MOBY - Play
64. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
65. THE POLICE - Synchronicity
66. JONI MITCHELL - Blue
67. CURTIS MAYFIELD - Superfly
68. ELVIS PRESLEY - The Sun Sessions
69. OUTKAST - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
70. PULP - Different Class
71. KRAFTWERK - Trans-Europe Express
72. MASSIVE ATTACK - Blue Lines
73. BECK - Odelay
74. STEVIE WONDER - Songs in the Key of Life
75. KATE BUSH - Hounds of Love
76. TALKING HEADS - Fear of Music
77. EMINEM - The Marshall Mathers LP
78. MARVIN GAYE - What's Going On
79. GEORGE MICHAEL - Faith
80. SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - The Original Movie Soundtrack
81. PRIMAL SCREAM - Screamadelica
82. JOHN COLTRANE - A Love Supreme
83. LOVE - Forever Changes
84. PAUL SIMON - Graceland
85. NICK DRAKE - Five Leaves Left
86. MEAT LOAF - Bat Out of Hell
87. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD - Dusty in Memphis
88. DE LA SOUL - 3 Feet High and Rising
89. THE STROKES - Is this It
90. MADNESS - One Step Beyond...
91. ROBBIE WILLIAMS - I've Been Expecting You
92. NEIL YOUNG - After the Gold Rush
93. PUBLIC ENEMY - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
94. BLONDIE - Parallel Lines
95. THE EAGLES - Hotel California
96. JAMES BROWN - Sex Machine
97. THE STREETS - A Grand Don't Come for Free
98. DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
99. ROD STEWART - Every Picture Tells a Story
100. The HUMAN LEAGUE - Dare!

[mark414]

1. no public enemy?

psh, worthless poll

[Fenris]

2. We shall never tire of list-making.

[Guaranteed]

3. HAHAHAHAHA YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eat it, all you Radiohead haters!!

MASTERPIECE!!

[Guaranteed]

5. Nominated! nt

[liberalpragmatist]

7. I like Radiohead

I love The Bends and OK Computer. Their later stuff didn't interest me as much. But I thought I'd post it b/c it was an interesting choice and b/c I found Dave Matthews comments really funny. And I thought I'd see what the DU Lounge feelings were towards Radiohead.

[redqueen]

37. This list has Duran Duran above Beck.

I think that pretty much certifies it's shit.

I'm sure there are other examples of its shittiness, but that's the first one that jumped out at me.

Not that I hate Radiohead. I have nearly every CD they've put out.

[tigereye]

42. yeah and Oasis - 2 albums

in front of Lennon's Imagine, Hendrix, the Smiths. C'mon now, that's absurd.

[jpgray]

39. Bah

Late period Radiohead is just Talk Talk ca. 1988 with a yarbleless teenaged Damo Suzuki imitator singing.

:P

[coloradodem2005]

4. I have...

1, 2, 3, 4 (When I was a kid still on cassette), 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 17.

[tridim]

6. Beck's 'Mutations' is better

But I do love 'OK Computer'.

[Fenris]

8. That record never gets any respect.

Better than Odelay.

[sleipnir]

9. So True.

But what is Oasis doing on the list at all? Let alone #6. This poll is immediately suspect, if Oasis is even on the top 25.

Otherwise it's nailed a lot of great albums.


Radiohead is the best.

[liberalpragmatist]

11. Definitely Maybe is a great album

And (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is good too.

That said, neither is better than either Sgt. Pepper or The White Album. And for Revolver and Abbey Road not to be on the list is quite suspect.

But remember it's a British poll and Oasis is still considered a top-tier band in England.

[Guaranteed]

10. Listen to it with headphones.

Unbelievable what you'll hear.

It's composed. They're composers.

[liberalpragmatist]

12. kicking this

:kick:

[DS1]

24. That's the only way I've listened to it. On repeat. Over and over again

:-)

[RetroLounge]

13. Bwwwwaaahahahahhahahhaa

6. OASIS - Definitely Maybe
7. THE BEATLES - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

RL

[taught_me_patience]

14. Dylan at #55 means the list is bogus already

Oasis at #6 and #15 is also suspect.

taught.

[Guaranteed]

16. Yeah, Zep IV is also shallow as hell.

That's on the lower end of their work.

However, I think they nailed #1, if nothing else (White Album would be #2, for me).

[taught_me_patience]

20. Zep IV is weak... I agree

I don't have any other problems with the top ten, though. Sgt Pepper could have been a bit higher.


taught.

[Guaranteed]

22. Both Exile on Main Street and Graceland should have

been in the top 20. Exile is 42(!!!!!) unbelievable.

And PET SOUNDS...HELLO???? That's in the top five.

[Beaverhausen]

18. No shit. Especially with Madonna at #8 and Oasis all over it

who the fuck voted in this poll?

[Guaranteed]

23. A bunch of Brits.

This definitely has a British skew to it.

[liberalpragmatist]

34. I'd hardly say Oasis is "all over it"

They've got 2 spots. And frankly I've never quite understood the Oasis-hatred in the DU Lounge (although it may be partly due to the annoying nature of some Oasis fans on the board). No other traditional pop-rock group gets this much bashing. I don't see people bashing Jet or Green Day. People call them "unoriginal" but so much rock music is derivative if you're going to judge rock music purely on originality. Both Definitley Maybe and What's the Story(...) are great albums - Definitely Maybe especially, which is more punk + glam than anything else. I'd certainly include them in a top 100 list, although admittedly they are a little too high. I'd put Definitely Maybe in the top 1/2 somewhere and What's the Story in the bottom 1/2 of the list. And yeah, neither is better than The White Album.

Yes, it's an interesting list, and I personally wouldn't rank OK Computer as #1, but I think it's better than regurgitating the same top ten every time, which is what most lists are. As much as I love most of these records, it has become pretty cliched to have a top ten consisting of Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, The White Album, Exile on Main Street, Pet Sounds, Highway 61 Revisited, Nevermind, London Calling, Led Zeppelin IV, and Dark Side of the Moon

[tigereye]

43. but seriously

you think Oasis is better than Dylan, REM, Beatles, The Rolling Stones. The Clash, Bob Marley? Need I go on? That makes no sense to me.

[liberalpragmatist]

54. No

I wouldn't include both Oasis albums in a top 100. I'd include Definitely Maybe somewhere in there b/c it's one of the best albums of the '90s, but yeah I think most of the "classic" stuff is more significant.

But it doesn't surprise me that a British list would have them near the top. Significance is totally relative. In the US Oasis was just one among many '90s alternative rock bands, nothing more. In the UK, Oasis defined the '90s. At least in England, they were the most popular band since the Beatles. In that context, it makes perfect sense for their album to be ranked high. I mean, I LOVE Revolver and The White Album - but would Revolver be ranked so high if it didn't sell so well? These are all interpreted through cultural lenses. In a culture in which Oasis was a '90s institution, it's not at all surprising and shouldn't be so offensive.

I disagree with a lot of the rankings here, but it's fun. I like reading music lists and one thing I like about British lists is that they're always a bit more controversial. US lists are always the same regurgitation of the same top ten. And as great as the albums that comprise that same top ten are, it's nice to see some variety. Other British polls have placed The Stone Roses' debut as #1 and The Smiths' "The Queen is Dead" as number one. Polls on greatest band of all time have had The Smiths and Queen topping the chart. I disagree with a lot of that, but it's more fun to read than the Rolling Stone lists, which are always exactly the same and never extend past 1972.

[warrens]

15. average age of voter must be 14

What a ridiculous list. All lists are stupid, but this uncovers new territory.

[Robeson]

19. "average age of voter must be 14"...

...That was my first thought.

[Guaranteed]

21. So, you're, what, a Glenn Miller fan?

Maybe Lawrence Welk?

[Robeson]

25. No. Just, in my opinion, some of those albums don't belong....

...where they are ranked, or should even be in a top 100 list. In addition, the poll seems to be heavily weighted to the rock/pop genre. We are all entilted to our own opinions. Are we not?

[donheld]

31. NO you are not entitled to your own opinion

:sarcasm: :evilgrin: :sarcasm:

[Robeson]

32. Yeah, I had gathered that already....

....:eyes:

[Guaranteed]

36. You have every right to your opinion, but you don't have to insult

people in order to get it across.

[warrens]

26. No. I am 50 and a rock fan

This list is like saying that Hansen is a major rock star. It's a silly, silly list, and the idea that OK Computer is the best record ever made beggars belief. At least with Never Mind the Bollocks or Dark Side of the Moon or London Calling or Revolver or Exiles or Raw Power, you could have a meaningful argument. These voters were obviously too young to know anything before Radiohead.

[liberalpragmatist]

33. Why?

I'm a big fan of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Kinks, and The Stones, but I don't really understand classic rock fans insisting that their great records were better.

The Beatles are my favorite group and in terms of influence and impact easily the greatest group of all time. But I would never argue that their stuff is THE best. I think a lot of music can fit into the top tier and what comes out as "best" depends on one's own personal preferences. The Beatles' music would certainly rank within that top tier, but I think a lot of other music, including OK Computer, would also fit into that.

These lists are meaningless, but they're fun. And personally, having read a lot of these lists, I've found British ones to be a lot more interesting, b/c American lists always regurgitate the same top ten. British ones love to court controversy and pick albums and groups that others wouldn't. For instance, a list sometime back named The Smiths the greatest group of all time over the Beatles. That's an interesting pick to me.

What I don't understand is some classic music fans insisting that the records of the 60s and 70s were infinitely better than everything that came after. I love most 60s rock, but I think there were plenty of great albums made since then. I don't see what is so absurd about putting OK Computer in the top 10, since one could strongly make a case that it's the best album of the '90s.

[Zero Division]

17. I love Ok Computer...but that's a bit much

And many of the albums on that list, even in the top 10, are shit (in the case of those who created this list, most likely pronounced "shite"). And I'm not even close to being the snobbiest of music snobs (the fact that I actually admit to loving a Radiohead album ought to be proof enough of that).

I really don't think it makes a lot of sense to rank music this way, either. I doubt most music lovers could truly say their most beloved albums could be ranked against each other.

And it pisses me off to see "The Queen is Dead" ranked behind so much overrated pap.

[last_texas_dem]

27. I'm gonna be polite and say

that taste is taste.

All I know is that IMHO I like Pablo Honey about ten times as much as I like OK Computer and neither of them come anywhere near being the greatest album ever.

But like I said, that's just my opinion.

[XNASA]

28. I worship that album but, I also hate 7 of the top 10 picks.

And NO XTC ??????????????

[HughBeaumont]

29. ???????????????

1. RADIOHEAD - OK Computer
6. OASIS - Definitely Maybe
8. MADONNA - Like a Prayer
15. OASIS - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
16. ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill

Aaaaaaand, I stopped reading.

[donheld]

30. Fabulous CD's

8. MADONNA - Like a Prayer

16. ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill

[kariatari]

35. Yes!! My two fave albums at #1 & #2!!

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

38. I like the fact that Oasis are better than the Beatles

The British have spoken on their own bands.

[redqueen]

40. Ummmmmm... OK

I'm impressed this is on here: 61. JEFF BUCKLEY - Grace


But this
69. OUTKAST - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Before these?
78. MARVIN GAYE - What's Going On
82. JOHN COLTRANE - A Love Supreme

Honestly.

[Zuni]

41. Coldplay? Alanis Morrisette? Oasis? in the top 20

what a crock of shit. Fucking Coldplay beat Jimi Hendrix.

What the Fuck? :wtf:
The people who came up with this BS need to get their priorities straight.

[taught_me_patience]

44. Where the heck is American Beauty?

This list is showing some major British bias.


taught.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

45. This list is poop!.....................

The Beatles below Oasis, the Verve ahead of Hendrix? Beck at #73? I smells me a fix. At least they placed Blur high enough.

[Jesus Saves]

46. The poll is pure junk - pure garbage

Any poll that puts radiohead and G n R above Bob Dylan you know is worthless trash.

[progressoid]

47. DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS??

They're on my bottom 100

[dean_dem]

48. You got it all wrong, Dave.

"Listening to Radiohead makes me fell like I'm a Salieri to their Mozart. "

Nah, you're more like a Tiny Tim to their Mozart. You're right, you should give up.

Sorry, that was just too easy.

[blindpig]

49. that list is so wrong in so many ways

that I suspect that w made it up in some sort of fever dream.

[slutticus]

50. Wow...A #1 choice a actually agree with!

:D

[Violet_Crumble]

51. OK Computer's okay...

...but The Bends is so much better...

Violet...

[4_Legs_Good]

55. Kid A kick's OKs ASSSSSS

It's not even a competition. Kid A is one of the greatest albums ever. OK Computer is, well, ok.

david

[Telly Savalas]

52. Any poll that has Guns'N'Roses 70 places ahead of John Coltrane...

is so fucking ridiculous it might as well have the Partridge Family at #1.

[mitchum]

53. Uh...don't these results skew a bit to the tea-swilling side of things?

Isn't that "Cool Britannia" bullshit so 90s?
"We're number 1! We're number 1!" Yeah, whatever, Nigel...

[driver8]

56. My copy of "OK Computer" makes a great drink coaster...

I'm sorry but I just don't get these guys. I have tried and tried, but their music does nothing for me.

As far as OK Computer being "The Greatest Album Ever"...that is the funniest thing I have ever heard. To each his/her own, I guess.