In a Pitchfork interivew that ran last March, I asked Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood if he was frustrated by his old label, EMI/Capitol, going ahead and releasing last year's The Best Of even though the band wasn't crazy about the idea. The conversation went like this:

CG: It was upsetting because I remember when R.E.M. put out Out of Time and, around the same time, IRS re-released Murmur and the Chronic Town EP and Fables and stuff. It was just really nice for them to put out the back catalogue, because I think a lot of people got into R.E.M. around then. I would love for us to have people check out what we've done before in a cool way if they haven't already got it. But we're not traveling on that road at the moment. If you start taking stock, it's like the pathologist's knock on the door.

Pitchfork: So we won't see a double-disc version of the The Bends filled with alternate takes anytime soon?

CG: No, because the other versions weren't any good!

But even though Radiohead are still thriving, the same can't be said for EMI/Capitol. So the withering label is traveling down the nostalgia trail by repackaging the band's first three albums-- Pablo Honey, The Bends and OK Computer-- in expanded, double and triple disc formats for a March 24 release. Greenwood was right about the lack of alternate takes, though-- there's no previously unreleased material involved in any of these reissues.

Whether these retreads are "done in a cool way" is up for debate. They certainly don't lack raw content. Each album will now get its own Collectors Edition (2XCD sets featuring the original album and a comprehensive bonus disc full of B-sides and live performances) and Special Collectors Edition (basically the Collectors Edition plus an added DVD with music videos and live footage, snazzy packaging and, um, postcards). Almost everything Radiohead put to tape professionally between 1992 and 1997 is represented here. New fans won't have to scrounge around for elusive B-sides and show footage on YouTube, which is a good thing.

But still, it's hard to look at these reissues as anything other than a cash-grab for EMI/Capitol-- an old media company that got dumped by their most forward-thinking band. Logistically, the expanded versions are convenient; they make sense for a lot of people. But since Radiohead are still far from "knocking on the pathologist's door," these padded releases seem a bit incongruous and premature, too.

And don't forget about all those vinyl single reissues coming out April 21. What's that scraping sound? Oh, it's the bottom of the barrel.

Tracklists:

Pablo Honey (Special Collectors Edition)

CD1:

01 You
02 Creep
03 How Do You?
04 Stop Whispering
05 Thinking About You
06 Anyone Can Play Guitar
07 Ripcord
08 Vegetable
09 Prove Yourself
10 I Can't
11 Lurgee
12 Blow Out

CD2:

Drill EP:

01 Prove Yourself (Demo)
02 Stupid Car (Demo)
03 You (Demo)
04 Thinking About You (Demo)

"Creep" B-sides:

05 Inside My Head
06 Million Dollar Question
07 Yes I Am
08 Blow Out (Remix)
09 Inside My Head (Live)
10 Creep (Acoustic)
11 Vegetable (Live)
12 Killer Cars (Live)

"Anyone Can Play Guitar" B-sides:

13 Faithless, The Wonderboy
14 Coke Babies

"Pop Is Dead" single:

15 Pop Is Dead
16 Banana Co. (Acoustic)
17 Ripchord (Live)

"Stop Whispering" B-side:

18 Stop Whispering (U.S. version)

BBC Radio One session :

19 Prove Yourself
20 Creep
21 I Can't
22 Nothing Touches Me

DVD:

Music Videos:

01 Creep
02 Anyone Can Play Guitar
03 Pop Is Dead
04 Stop Whispering

"Top of the Pops" :

05 Creep

The Astoria, London – Live :

06 You
07 Ripcord
08 Creep
09 Prove Yourself
10 Vegetable
11 Stop Whispering
12 Anyone Can Play Guitar
13 Pop Is Dead
14 Blow Out

The Bends (Special Collectors Edition)

CD1:

01 Planet Telex
02 The Bends
03 High and Dry
04 Fake Plastic Trees
05 Bones
06 (Nice Dream)
07 Just
08 My Iron Lung
09 Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was
10 Black Star
11 Sulk
12 Street Spirit (Fade Out)

CD2:

"My Iron Lung" B-sides:

01 The Trickster
02 Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong
03 Lozenge of Love
04 Lewis (Mistreated)
05 Permanent Daylight
06 You Never Wash Up After Yourself

"High and Dry"/"Planet Telex" B-sides:

07 Maquiladora
08 Killer Cars

"Fake Plastic Trees" B-sides:

09 India Rubber
10 How Can You Be Sure?

"Street Spirit (Fade Out)" B-sides:

11 Talk Show Host
12 Bishop's Robes
13 Banana Co.
14 Molasses

BBC Radio One Session :

15 Just
16 Maquiladora
17 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
18 Bones

DVD:

Music Videos:

01 High and Dry (UK Version)
02 High and Dry (US Version)
03 Fake Plastic Trees
04 Just
05 Street Spirit (Fade Out)

The Astoria, London – Live :

06 Bones
07 Black Star
08 The Bends
09 My Iron Lung
10 Maquiladora
11 Fake Plastic Trees
12 Just
13 Street Spirit (Fade Out)

2 Meter Session, Holland :

14 My Iron Lung
15 High and Dry
16 Fake Plastic Trees
17 Street Spirit (Fade Out)

"Later With Jools Holland" :

18 The Bends
19 High and Dry

"Top of the Pops":

20 High and Dry (03/09/95)
21 Fake Plastic Trees (06/01/95)
22 Street Spirit (Fade Out) (02/01/96)

OK Computer (Special Collectors Edition)

CD1:

01 Airbag
02 Paranoid Android
03 Subterranean Homesick Alien
04 Exit Music (For a Film)
05 Let Down
06 Karma Police
07 Fitter Happier
08 Electioneering
09 Climbing Up the Walls
10 No Surprises
11 Lucky
12 The Tourist

CD2:

"Paranoid Android" B-sides:

01 Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)
02 Pearly*
03 A Reminder
04 Melatonin

"Karma Police" B-sides:

05 Meeting in the Aisle
06 Lull
07 Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Mix)
08 Climbing Up The Walls (Fila Brazillia Mix)

"No Surprises B-sides:

09 Palo Alto
10 How I Made My Millions
11 Airbag (Live in Berlin)
12 Lucky (Live in Florence)

BBC Radio One Evening Session :

13 No Surprises
14 Climbing Up the Walls
15 Exit Music (For a Film)

DVD:

Music Videos:

01 Paranoid Android
02 Karma Police
03 No Surprises

"Later With Jools Holland" :

04 Paranoid Android
05 No Surprises
06 Airbag


Posted by Ryan Dombal on Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 7:50pm

http://www.pitchforkmedia...d-expanded
[Edited 2/8/09 17:00pm]

i have all of this stuff already but i think i'll still buy the
Bends and OK Computer reissues.

this is a cool example of what re-releases should look like. it
would certainly be a welcome way to do prince's back catalogue.

Saw this last week, and it got me really excited for the Bends re-issue. My copy is beat to hell, and it would be great to have all of those B-sides together. As far as OK Computer, I already own the Airbag EP, which I think has most everything together on it...

Axchi696 said:

yeah, the only thing you'd be missing is "how i made my millions" from the
no surprises single. the other 7 bsides from the album are all on that EP.

bboy87 said:

Ok, I've just cum.

Cloudbuster said:

oh shoot. i missed it

This will be a great opportunity for me to check out the albums

IstenSzek said:

Co-sign. The Bends is damn near perfect and OK Computer is almost as good.