Product Description

Sixth studio album from indie rock megastars follows 2001's'Amnesiac'. Purportedly a return to the song-based style oftheir breakthrough smash 'OK Computer', but in reality closer to the style of 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac', with weird electronic elements, odd time signatures, fearless studio experimentation and defiantly uncommercial songwriting. Includes thesingle 'There There'.

Track Listing

1. 2 + 2 =3D 5
2. Sit Down. Stand Up
3. Sail to the Moon
4. Backdrifts
5. Go to Sleep
6. Where I End and You Begin
7. We Suck Young Blood
8. The Gloaming
9. There There
10. I Will
11. A Punch-up at a Wedding
12. Myxamatosis
13. Scatterbrain
14. A Wolf at the Door

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3558 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-09
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk review
Radiohead's Hail to the Thief bridges the gulf between OK Computer's epic progressive rock and Kid A's skittering electronic theatrics, borrowing equally from each. Its title implies that this is a collection filled with songs of anger and dissent, but Radiohead no longer howl at the moon like they did on 1995's The Bends. Instead, they use eloquent metaphors and complicated arrangements to express the uncertainty, fear and anger arising from the 2000 US presidential election and a post-9-11 world. There's no doubt about where Thom Yorke and company stand; the prog-rock break on "2 + 2 = 5" and Yorke's terror at the thought of being "put in a box" make that immediately clear. But there's a prevailing sense of powerlessness here. The tinkling piano behind the cold sonic surface of "Backdrifts" and the brief, swooping melody in the middle of "Sail to the Moon" are islands in a sea of confusion. Like the band's best work, Hail to the Thief requires more than a few listens to fully appreciate, but those who stick around will be richly rewarded. --Matthew Cooke

Customer Reviews

Hail to the Thief
This is a truly underrated album. At first i hated this album, but as the sensational Radiohead always do, i was sucked in by its brilliance. This album is up their with their best work. From the kick up the arse that is 2+2=5, the dreamy sail to the moon and the simply breathtaking There There this is a top quality album from start to finish. Back drifts also took me several listens, as well as Where I End and You Begin before i realized their greatness. There is something about Radiohead that i cannot put my finger on that sets them apart from any other band. Maybe its their intelligence, their lyrics, their originality, Thom York's insanely good voice or Johnny's magical guitar playing. Im not sure, but they really are in a different league to the bland and self loving coldplay or the over rated, nauseating U2. If your a fan of good music and you dont own this album buy it, its worth every penny!

If you waiting to feel the magic of OK Computer once again this is where to come!
Im not suggesting it and I most certainly hope its not the case but this would be a perfect final LP for Radiohead. The record from its earliest moments crackles, skips and goes out of tune building a sign of weakness within the music, like its worn and dying.

Which fits with the sound and feel of impending doom present in HTTT while also representing RH at its wisest and most confident. Thom begins the record leading you on a pessemistic experience not unlike Paranoid Android in which a slow moarnful ballad about the state of the world leads to 'its too late now, you wern't paying attention' as the music spirals downwards and downwards before hitting a climactic stabilisation and acceptance of a grim new fate. You'll get the goosebumps from the untuned guitars and wise yet terrifying lyrics and thank yourself RH haven't lost it.

But from here where does the CD take you? theres about 10 solid tracks here, all perfect singles then theres some accompanying tracks (Sit down/Stand up) and some that could have been left out nicely at no penalty if the cd was trimmed down.

Sail to the moon borrows with soulful use of piano all the musical influences we associate with the moon and then creates something exterestrial in the light of Subterranian Alien (but better). While Backdrafts runs as frantically off an electronic structure as Go to Sleep does with frantic out of tune guitars.

We Suck young blood uses the more striking keys on the piano with thin and stretched vocals to create a brutal violent ballad about vampires 'are you sweet, are you fresh, are you strung up by the wrists'
There There thumps to tribal drums wheras A punch up at a wedding provides a loveless ballad of a disfunctuanal family at its violent climax.

A wolf at the door however is the absolute gem of the collection, summing up all the anxiety within the album in a fast paced rap to a mournful percussion with an element of nursery rhymes that reveal Thoms fears towards the horrors of the world being inescapable and him and his family being vunrable its grim satire of a happy experience and all the better for it.

If Sit Down, Scatterbrain, I will and The gloaming were pulled from the CD bringing its length away from one hour we would be looking at the best album post-Ok Computer. Instead were looking at an album far less minimal and much more approachable than Kid A and and one that every RH fan needs in their collection.

Hail To The Thief/Radiohead
Radiohead's sixth album proper does'nt have the same emotional feel as previous efforts.In not one of these songs do you feel heartbroken(RE:Creep,Fake Plastic Trees,Exit Music(For A Film),Motion Picture Soundtrack,Life In A Glass House,and with a look to the future Nude.).This does not mean it is not a great album.2+2=5,There,There,Where I End And You Begin and Punchup At A Wedding are melodic and more than worth a an extended listen.I Will would have been better served with its proper full length version.Myxomatosis is quite ssimoply,brillant.A pounding bassline and keyboards form the song.Thom's lyrics are funny,in a this is the end of the world sort of a way.I was delighted when Q drew attention to it recently.

While not being they're strongest album(There is an element of filler here.),it is a very good one.Not just for completists.