THE ASTORIA LONDON LIVE

I´m not a vegetable, i will not control myself!!

Do you remember that early days, when they had just released Pablo Honey, when Creep was a hit around the world and some poeple thought about Radiohead as if they were a one-hit wonder band, when people didn´t imagine that band would later release some monsters like OK Computer or Kid A, when Thom had blond hair, Colin long hair and Phil even had hair. So yes, this DVD features a concert of the very early Radiohead.

This was the latest Radiohead purchase i made and i am very pleased with it since i really love this band and enjoy all it´s eras, no matter how they music was, obviously i prefer some album than other, but after all i like them all and have had a great time watching this DVD.

This concert features a mix of their first two albums, "Pablo Honey" being the only one released at that time, and their magnific "The Bends" which was soon to be released, so as you can imagine the music here is more guitar oriented, Jonny Greenwood is a show he has a unique style and its amazing to see him playing, also here we will find probably their less complex songs their most alternative compositions, talking about prog rock, here we will find almost anything, just "My Iron Long" with it´s sudden changes might be considered as a prog song. Also we will find a couple of B-Sides such as "Maquilladora" which is a song i really like and the classic "Pop is Dead", Radiohead die- hard fans should know them both very well.

Here we can enjoy 67 minutes of early Radiohead, 17 songs and my particular favorite moments are the performances of "The Bends", "Maquilladora", "Vegetable", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Street Spirit" and "Blow Out", most of these songs are short with 3 to 4 minute-lenght average, i personally enjoy this concert a lot, but that is mainly because i love the band, a 3 star grade would be fair in any rock site because the DVD is good but non - essential, but in a prog rock site i believe i should grade it with 2 stars, only for fans of the band, or fans of early Radiohead.

Anyway, enjoy it!

In this DVD one can appreciate the great step beyond that Radiohead took after "Pablo Honey". The songs that would appear in the superb "The Bends" show the great elements that make Radiohead one of the best bands in the last 15 years: intricate guitar arpeggios mixed with powerful guitar riffs, a solid rhythm section and brilliant vocal melodies (augmented with very good backing vocals). "Black Star", "The Bends", "My Iron Lung", "Street Spirit" or "Fake Plastic Trees" (covered later by Marillion) are excellent tracks that grow in each listening. And some vocal melodies may resemble to the ones of the great Adrian Belew (those high notes...). There are other great tracks here such as "Bones", "Ripcord", the classic "Creep", "Stop Whispering" or "Anyone Can Play Guitar", and other tracks from "Pablo Honey" or rare B-sides. The band sounds really powerful, the mix is excellent, and the lights really appropriate. The only "but" is that it's really short! And no bonus at all and no interviews! When will be available a full double DVD, also with tracks from the incredible "OK Computer"? Anyway, this is a very recommendable DVD. (***1/2)

Remember when they rocked?

1994. Great times for alt-rock fans. Radiohead. The beloved Pixies were gone but the Breeders were still there. Nirvana's last stand. The Pumpkins. I confess that by the time Radiohead had emerged as the critical darlings of highbrow and created their double shot of weirdness I had little left for them. Then Hail to the Thief? Long gone from my collection. But it sure felt good to crank this old friend up again and watch them wail when they still rocked, Thom still smiled, and good dirty rock and roll was in abundance. Bones, The Bends, My Iron Lung. The set list is great for we early fans with material from the first two albums. The show is great with a rowdy-as-hell audience projecting energy like crazy. The sound and picture quality are quite good though a few notches below today's standards of course. I like the aura in the hall, it's a rather dark show with good lighting that puts everything in a foggy glow at times suiting the music well. Not much to say, this one is all about reveling in the loud, raunchy, piercing guitar and passionate wail that used to make cranking The Bends so much fun. Soon after this, "that album" would skyrocket them to another level that most people would see as superior. While I respect their later work I don't have the time of day for it anymore. This is my Radiohead. Recommended for fans of...rock and roll. 3 ½.