KID A, The Greatest Left Turn In Music History

Radiohead would not be who they are without Kid A.
Venture into new territory, learn it with Skillshare:
skl.sh/middle8-14
Support the channel on Patreon:
bit.ly/Middle8-...
Middle 8 Merch is HERE!
bit.ly/Middle8-...
Follow Middle 8 on:
Twitter bit.ly/Twitter...
Instagram bit.ly/Instagr...
Discover something great in my Spotify Playlists:
bit.ly/Middle8-...
#Middle8 #Radiohead #KidA
This video is sponsored by Skillshare
Written, voiced & edited by Frank Furtado
Artwork at 4:44 by @danialhkeem
-------------------------------
The success of OK Computer had the band set out on an ambitious tour, with their largest performance set on the Glastonbury stage. It was riddled with technical problems -- a complete nightmare for Thom Yorke who was already burnt out on playing the album’s material. But it was a tour that wouldn’t end for another year and a half.
The mindless cycle of creating albums then touring them was destroying Radiohead. When they had finally gotten to a place where they could take a break and not be forgotten, Thom was left catatonic. Experiencing intense depression, the success and subsequent tour of OK Computer put his mental state in a place he never wanted to be. OK Computer had become an instant classic, but now expectations for a worthy follow up were high, as critics and audiences looked at Radiohead to carry the genre forward.
In their pursuit, Radiohead suffered bouts of writer’s block, leading to self-doubt and the near break-up of the band. Had they released another album in the same vein as OK Computer or The Bends, they might have become the biggest band in the world. Instead, they released Kid A in quite possibly the greatest left turn in music history.
-------------------------------
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the videos, photos or music used in this video. They are used for education and discussion purposes under fair use law.

[@theVHSvlog]

It's pretty incredible how Thom woke up with a lemon in his mouth and then made a perfect album

[@clashpanda120]

Yeah, and with having to deal with the two colours in his head

[@elijahstroer9694]

YESTERDAY I WOKE UP SUCKIN A LEAAAAAAAAAMOOOON......

[@yawbyss981]

All the while he had no idea what people were trying to say

[@clashpanda120]

@@yawbyss981 At least he had ventriloquists.

[@AaronClarity]

I, just recently, woke up "with a lemon, in my mouth". Hit me. Or please don't, just listen to these buddies' comments✌️ i love them more than i love myself.

[@SamAndrew27]

Kid A is a perfect night time driving record, darker the scenery the better. As a close second, it's an amazing headphone album. The landscapes, texture and ambiance really make the album.

[@blazemachine2257]

I first listened to it on the highway during a bleak rainy afternoon. Made it all that much better. And I love the atmospheric vibe the album has. Radiohead really hit it out of the park in 2000.

[@hippiecheezburger5457]

When you say the darker the better that hits, I always think of just very very cold atmosphere where you can see your breath

[@jjberg83]

@@hippiecheezburger5457 I got this album right when I experienced my first cold winter. This album is absolutely for bleak, moonlit snow.

[@brandonromano315]

@@blazemachine2257 It's the perfect rainy day album.

[@musicloverchicago437]

I used to drive through a state park to get to my job, and I would listen to Treefingers there.

[@sitruckoom9845]

Whenever I play Kid A, I have to listen to the entire album. I can’t skip around because it’s so ‘fluid’- there are few pauses between songs.

[@abdullahimran6977]

SAME.

[@eliasmsv3156]

Ok Computer is better on a song to song basis. kid A is better in coherence.

[@mechajintsu]

Same

[@Alice-po7tc]

Every song is equally amazing

[@milosharkey3656]

I mean that transition between Idioteque and Morning Bell is just... damn. Never listen to it on shuffle, ever

[@uncledarthy7573]

Fun Fact: Trent Reznor said this was one of the most important albums of all time.

[@nekozombie]

God himself said that? He must be right.

[@jonny26281]

That’s crazy considering he’d released the fragile (one of my favourite albums ever along with kid a) the year before

[@ubiquitousreverser]

When did he say that if you have a reference to the interview I’d appreciate it.

[@uncledarthy7573]

Ubiquitous Reverser I read it around the time the album came out. Being a huge Nails fan, it made me appreciate the album more. I will try and find it, but I read it close to 20 years ago.

[@Darktangle]

Who the f is trent reznor

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

I suspect Radiohead wouldn't exist now if they'd made a conventional rock follow up to OK Computer...

[@dreamtree1510]

They almost certainly would have broken up if they tried to make another album like OK computer, many of the band members at the time were suffering from burnout and really needed a change.

[@iamboomer.4673]

You never know,we might've got an even better discography,hopefully,maybe.

[@Picnicl]

It'd possibly have looked more similar to this, on the assumption that not doing much electronica and jazz inspired work might lead more quickly to some of the folk rock of Hail to the Thief (however, I don't necessarily think that A Punch Up At A Wedding would have come straight away). ’Amnesiac’ would be the more fitting name for it: Sail to the Moon How to Disappear Completely You and Whose Army? A song that's like Optimistic meets I Might Be Wrong (in a more Bends-like form) The Pyramid Song Go to Sleep Morning Bell There There I Will Scatterbrain A Wolf at the Door Motion Picture Soundtrack

[@DaHatBat]

A lot of their experimental sounds were also on OK Computer so it was kind of destined to be an experimental band still.

[@pablo_6180]

Radiohead is the flagship band of patriarchy, white privilege and Anglocentrism of the last 30 years

[@ben-ty9jo]

Kid A is one of the few albums I've come across that sounds truly genuinely apocalyptic. It really sounds like the end of the world to me

[@antfield_]

exactly, the album creates a terrifying world that you just get lost in.

[@probablyahuman1]

I agree, it feels like a world where the effects of climate change are have apocalyptic consequences.

[@lorenztico4101]

Same feeling. And "end of the world" to me isn't just about the end of Earth, but also the end of life, ego death etc.

[@znicoshi]

feels like a burning forest except you are inside of it and cant breathe

[@jacksondavies1451]

@@znicoshi To me it feels like you're in a pool of freezing water, no way to get out, until the ice freezes around you

[@SteveMutt]

Kid A is 20 years old today, nice.

[@kineahora8736]

Guess time to buy it a bottle of port!

[@tinygremlinman867]

Adult A

[@zackzallie8735]

Teen A

[@brandongibson5640]

Still aging

[@amoonshapedpool4010]

The "first human clone" thing isn't true- Thom actually chose the title "Kid A" after seeing it in a music software purposely because it lacked any meaning at all. His goal was to make it a random blip of a title, something that wouldn't be assigned meaning.

[@massivredboi2646]

ur mom

[@Charchar289]

Ur mom

[@paisleepunk]

This goal was obviously not achieved.

[@jonathangillis4926]

yo how an album write a youtube comment

[@fredman727]

@@jonathangillis4926 the magic of music mate

[@mikekunz9697]

Those opening 5 notes to the album are easily one of my favorite moments in music

[@malta9726]

Me too, when i listened to those same notes i quickly got hooked.

[@jsauce311]

@@redhippopotamus9144 wow

[@charles727727]

Did you ever watch Vanila Sky with Tom Cruise? it opens with Kid A track one. So amazing

[@dt_chun9168]

C A# A C

[@pg9551]

@@dt_chun9168 C G# G C

[@miserirken]

Oh yeah, Radiohead's perfect album: *Ok Kid*

[@miserirken]

And their other masterpiece: *A Computer*

[@coffee5736]

@@miserirken lmao

[@harrylamont6007]

Hail To The King, Pablo Honey, Of Amnesiac Bends In Moon Shaped Kid Computers

[@Ramenoodlesz]

Yes that is so good

[@kirktheshirt307]

Ok boomer

[@michalpitowsky6157]

I was in high school when this album came out, and me and all my friends immediately loved it. We didn't read magazines and the internet wasn't that evolved, so we were not aware this album was controversial. We just thought it was beautiful and genius and listened to it repeatedly.

[@steponikchad9859]

I was in my mid-20s, but same experience. Out in the real world, there was no controversy, really: anyone who cared thought it was... What we think it is today.

[@allthingssports853]

To be honest in an electronic album. The best song on the album is How to Disappear Completely, that whole song revolves around the acoustic guitar. It's also Thoms favourite song

[@adrianapignolo]

Best Radiohead song, love it

[@butterscotchh11]

i disagree with it revolving around the acoustic guitar. i think the bass, vocals, and later on the strings are what make the atmosphere so beautifully emotional. the acoustic guitar simply serves as something to ground the track

[@JoeJigsy]

@@butterscotchh11 In a way it does revolve around the acoustic guitar as it is one of the first few elements in the song (apart from the terrifying strings sound), and other elements come in afterwards. All down to interpretation though :)

[@Samuelisakson]

It really is the most saturated song there. The rest is quite dry, not that that's a bad thing

[@adamjosey1543]

That makes no sense. The acoustic guitar is the only instrument constantly be heard and I play this song on guitar by myself which I can't do for any other songs from this album.

[@fichom1240]

Kid A is an album that make you change your opinion about electronic music

[@jacobbyers4900]

It really can. Before I heard that album, I was pretty much a straight rock fan. I would credit it with opening me up to tons of different genres, now I am a lot less particular about genre

[@lalaland7603]

I feel really identified with your comment. It also widened my music interests. And it became my favourite Radiohead album.

[@ososnake97]

@@jacobbyers4900 because it's fucking well done mate, its not annoying like others albums

[@coltoncurlee2423]

Jacob Byers Jazz too I bet, eh?

[@bassdrummer9849]

Absolutely right. Same for me!!! Kid A, together with Violator bij Depeche Mode, made a huge impact on my perspective towards electronic song elements.

[@daigle1396]

Glad you followed up your OK Computer video! Maybe we could an In Rainbows one in the future?

[@Middle8]

Taking a break from Radiohead for now. Can't stay in Thom's nihilistic world for too long.

[@Nachotina]

@@Middle8 :(

[@Superblamblamman]

I'd actually like to see one on Hail to the Thief, which I believe to be their best, although In Rainbows was the first album of theirs I bought

[@elrabeechum5180]

Middle 8 Agreed. Self-care is important. Take your time!

[@GorgonDrageil]

YES, PLEASE!

[@rooty]

I've never understood why everyone talks like Kid A came out of nowhere, like OK Computer was a traditional guitar rock album. It had Fitter Happier on it ffs

[@vic80895]

I mean but it did...? You can't say a song that only lasts 30 seconds could entirely influence an entire album's sound? Sure you can make that argument now, but at the turn of the century it was definitely an unexpected artistic direction they took with Kid A. No song on OK Computer sounds anything like anything on Kid A. Lyrical content, sure. How the songs are constructed on each project is vastly different

[@stitchgrimly6167]

For views. It's the hype machine mutated. You watched it.

[@stitchgrimly6167]

@@vic80895 It's 1:57.

[@RatSitnov]

I'd say things that served as ornaments and embellishments on OK became foundations for Kid A

[@wspann1967]

OK Computer was an augmentation of alt rock, where Kid A was the full subversion of it. It was certainly a teased change in direction, but I can clearly see how it would have caught people off-guard when the Internet was still relatively new as a musical platform and you didn’t have free access to a million artists all publishing experimental work

[@foxford7135]

Thom Yorke: eats lunch The Media: Greatest sandwich in musical history

[@georgewashington2893]

And 24 hours later, he makes beautiful butthole music.

[@dorito6584]

I mean he probably makes good ass sandwiches

[@georgewashington2893]

@@dorito6584 I could use an ass sandwich right about now.

[@eBaggy7]

After all, it is not the sandwich (breath) but the bite...that makes us yearn (breath) for more.

[@jjmah7]

The kicker? He ate *a salad*

[@mememan3799]

Kid A is a desert island album for me. It was probably the best listening experience of any album I’ve ever had.

[@brandoncruz661]

Calm down bababooey

[@yargnad]

Give Bjork's Homogenic a try on some nice headphones. Same type of experience.

[@mememan3799]

yarg nad Bjork is such an intense musician, my first reaction to it was wasn’t super positive, but upon a second listen I loved it.

[@bradleyc328]

Lateralus. But you can see Kid A from that island 😊

[@yargnad]

@@bradleyc328 Lateralus is not so much a left turn. It is certainly is their magnum opus though.

[@lorenztico4101]

This album is 23-years-old but still sounds futuristic.

[@Forestien]

The Bends -> OK Computer -> Kid A A legendary music sandwich.

[@nalimlattarai2873]

The rest too

[@notyourfavorite99]

Ok computer Kid A Amnesiac is a better sandwich

[@Jamie16611]

@@notyourfavorite99 How bout no

[@Dukeybookey]

@@notyourfavorite99 uhm no

[@MDE128]

The Bends and OK Computer are better albums.

[@enkiea8322]

Idk. I feel like if you listen to their albums in order of succession from Pablo, the Bends, OK Comp, Kid A, it sounds like a pretty natural progression.

[@Zholobov1]

Agreed, but Amnesiac showed a little decline, alas!

[@Melkac]

Yeah. I just got into the band like a week ago and listened to their first few albums and it all flowed seamlessly.

[@DovahFett]

@@Zholobov1 Pyramid Song would like to have a word with you.

[@alejandroserrano7755]

@@Zholobov1 It did but not as much.

[@Zholobov1]

@@DovahFett one great song is not enough 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@thom7433]

Now I need In Rainbows, PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN

[@johnmarcdegaard6589]

Not before Hail To The Thief man. I wanna hear how everyone expected Kid A 2 and we got another solid af rock album

[@apullcan]

@@johnmarcdegaard6589 Hail to The Thief is great, but there isn't as much to say about it as there is In Rainbows

[@johnmarcdegaard6589]

@@apullcan No argument there. Would personally just love a lil vid documenting how it was a bit of an unexpected shift

[@pablosplinter5530]

@@johnmarcdegaard6589 I always remember Hail to The Thief being describd as "the rarest thing in the world...an underrated Radiohead Album". Pretty spot on

[@francisspacehead6587]

Yeah, we need an in rainbows video!

[@cf5914]

Airbag has no drum machines, but loops of live drumming, inspired by DJ Shadow. There are also no "synths" on S.H.A., its a Fender Rhodes.

[@glennc100]

Yes, thank you for mentioning this...this guy is making videos on youtube because he got fired from Pizza Hut, I think

[@xg3990]

@@glennc100 it's easy when you can make videos for people that dont know anything. It's a good thing though. Stuff like videos like these just help more people discover Radiohead(albeit even if all the details aren't 100%)

[@Matthewsavant]

Glad someone’s talking about this, this dude takes a lot of weird liberties with these stories and makes a lot of assumptions and straight up makes stuff up and states things that are inaccurate but absolutely good point if it’s turning new people on to Radiohead that can’t be bad

[@jonhipkins18]

@@glennc100 I love Radiohead. But I think the important thing is people bring a side of doubt when they watch any video or read any article. I mean this guy is compressing the entire 1.5 year or so process of recording Kid A into 10 minutes. So there's that.

[@alfiewillis4893]

@@glennc100 It's good to clarify the mistakes in the video, but I gotta say that these are fairly minor mistakes considering the chopped-up sample of Phil's drumming sounds mechanical and can be very easily mistaken as being done with a drum machine. If people hadn't read the backstory, the majority would probably come away with the conclusion that it was a drum machine rather than a drum sample being processed electronically and looped. And the reverberating chords from a Rhodes electric piano sounds exactly like what you would get out of a modern synth on the "Electric Piano" setting.

[@leotide1990]

Kid A was so incredibly influential to me in my teen years. I rarely pulled this album out. Selectively, when the emotions and atmosphere and situation were all in alignment, I would reach behind the passenger seat of my car, dig out the case from a specific spot in the backrest pouch, and slip the CD inside the headunit. Idioteque was by far the most intense track for me - listening to it while driving just a few over the speed limit on a dark stretch of highway beneath a canopy of stars, rushing wind sounding faintly above an open sunroof, with charged emotions dancing through my veins as I traveled toward a war-zone of love and drama befitting the age... That was an experience like no other.

[@Hedra718]

Awesome preface. When's your book coming out?

[@prodbypatrick7523]

@@Hedra718 LOL

[@sincerelyme1193]

My guy, you have a writer's skills! Good to know that Radiohead influenced and made you feel such emotions. The guys made my teenage years a lot more fun as well. Hope this pandemic ends, I'd love to do this stuff again. Because in my country this isn't a good idea, traffic everywhere... I live in a city, nowhere in the countrysides.

[@britishbluetess]

Bore off

[@user-lb8eb6bx9v]

Trying a bit too hard mate

[@TripleB-nb8en]

I just discovered this album today. Heard the first song a few weeks ago. It came on today on YT music and I clicked 'go to album'. Jesus. I can't remember the last time I listened to a full album. I'm on third listen of the day. I feel like this album found me at the most perfect time in my life where I can appreciate it more now than at any other time. Absolutely incredible.

[@kazamencer]

The years will pass and you'll never stop loving it!!!

[@thisfoodhits6205]

I had a similar experience with it finding me right when I needed it in my life. Can’t imagine my life without this music now. Feels like I’m listening to the strings of the universe vibrating.

[@micaiahbirney3224]

This happened to me but 10 months later from you. That’s pretty cool I think

[@LMT1414]

4:16 that’s an interesting statement. To me Kid A feels like when in the cartoons the characters would shrink down, jump into a computer, and go into a new computer world. If Ok Computer was about fighting against technology than kid a was about getting lost in it. That’s why the lyrics make no god damm sense. They just keep falling further and further into the computer.

[@jaker721]

I really want Kid A to be my favorite Radiohead album, but OK Computer and In Rainbows are just too good. It's really hard for me to pick a favorite

[@ShininDawg]

They're all so bloody good that you just can't decide which one is better! I would add to that list The Bends too, also near perfection. And to think all these records were made by the same group of people, how's that even possible. So when I hear someone saying Radiohead is overrated, Radiohead is an MTV band, what the hell you talking about, they're so much more than that. Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief and Moon Shaped Pool are also very good. And The King of Limbs maybe too, but not so much as the rest, but I remember so much hype leading to that album, so maybe too much expectation ruined it a bit

[@nickthelick]

"I live in the house that Creep built..." - Thom Yorke (said bittersweet-ly)

[@kenjones6441]

I’ve never taken rock critics seriously again after their slaughtering of Kid A when it came out.

[@davyb123music]

Kid A has always been an album I would travel through space with.

[@danaandthewolf]

Thank you for making this and the OK Computer one. Doing the Internet a service.

[@ayylmao8562]

Absolutely beautiful album, remember being a young teenager and listening to this album for the first time, hit me like a truck going 80 on the freeway.

[@VincentPhotoCom]

Same here, I remember exactly when I heard it first : in a record store, where you could listen to the new CDs before buying them. I heard the first seconds of the first songs and immediatly bought it, then it didn't leave my CD player for days.

[@Esch47on]

I was actually hit by a truck doing 80 whilst I was listening to Kid A. Truck was a write off.

[@georgeseif102]

Love Kid A. Listening to Kid A while walking through Manhattan at 300 in the morning will move you in ways you never thought. Kid A just had that feel.

[@waterglas21]

Morning Bell: most underrated song ever.

[@the_emmo]

No, that's In Limbo.

[@user-tr1zc9kw8g]

waterglass21 morning bell perfectly fits the mood of an insane person trying to calm himself down in a stressful situation.

[@andydaniel7063]

1111111 11111 yo that’s a really good description!

[@jonahlouque9621]

Emmo Hernández No, that’s Optimistic.

[@dinecas5002]

There are two of those

[@supertommy1000ify]

Yeah but what if they made the Greatest Right Turn in music history

[@wing_103]

idk probably rerealease The Bends or smth

[@honest1797]

doctor who moment

[@slimyfisher1370]

To be honest, I can't get past the first 5 seconds without giving the CD a 10. "Everything In Its Right Place" features one of the most hopeless, frightened atmospheres I have ever come across in music. I don't know how much Thom Yorke actually thinks about suicide, if at all, but this song is the PERFECT soundtrack for somebody whose life meaning has been destroyed. The soft echoing keyboard tones, Thom's pleading vocals set in perfect coordination with the four-chord rising self- annihilating ring of the music. The world is enormous and you are tiny in it. It's all too much to handle. The stress and loss and constant boredom and pain. I felt it when I was a teenager, and this song fucking BRINGS IT ALL BACK!!! But then the album continues. Okay, so this is the album that everybody called "difficult" when it came out. What this means is that it is "creative," "non-traditional" and "interesting," and normal "modern rock" radio listeners aren't prepared to be, or interested in being, challenged. I don't mean to sound bitter - I just find it disappointing that "modern rock radio" claims to be on the cutting edge, yet all they play is bands that perfectly fit into pre-established popular genres. It's about ad sales and keeping your job, and I understand that, especially in this economy (my company had 130 people six months ago; now we're down to 13. YET I'M STILL THERE!?!?!?!?!). But I digress. There is very little guitar on this album. It's built on synth sound backgrounds, bass lines, moods, chimes, sounds of unclear origin and Thom's beautiful voice. It's not ALL sad by any means. "The National Anthem" (NOT THE ONE BY FRANCIS SCOTT KEY!!!! THIS IS A DIFFERENT ONE ALTOGETHER!!!!) books along on a cool-as-shit bass line and jazzy horn section, "Motion Picture Soundtrack" is just a pretty little church organ choir-ey close, and. mmm. Well, hold that thought. "How To Disappear Completely" IS TAKING ME BACK TO THOSE AWFUL TEENAGE YEARS AGAIN!!! GODDAMN YOU, THOM YORKE!!! HOW DO YOU DO IT SO PERFECTLY!?!??!?!?. These are songs of complete emotional isolation. He claims in interviews that his lyrics of "I'm not here; this isn't happening" were inspired by a dream in which he was floating outside of his body, but with the repetitive sinking bass line and violin-orchestrated tears of pain wafting over his words, it's impossible for me personally to not consider it to be the words of a lost soul in the midst of unbelievable suffering and confusion - trying to convince himself that it's not real. His girlfriend died next to him in a car accident; he watched the World Trade Center collapse with his wife inside - whatever you wish. To Thom, maybe it's transcendental - to me, it is a perfect execution of the "tortured soul" motif without a hint of self-pity coming through. Luckily I'm not an official song critic, because I'd be WRONG on this one! I have a friend who says this album sounds just like Eno, but to my ears, only the ambient drones of "Treefingers" really fit that mold to a tee. The rest of the songs are varied in instrumentation, production and mood, but all just MAKE IT. All of them work perfectly, giving you a package full of sadness, cool- as-shit 6/4 guitar twiggling ("In Limbo"), four extremely sorrowful chords repeating over and over above booming, distorted drums ("Idioteque"), prettiness atop loud tap-a-tap rat- a-tat drumming ("Morning Bell"), and even that other one! I'm not naming it! That is my rebellion. But okay - in short - COOL SOUNDS THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TELL WHAT THEY ARE, ARRANGED INTO BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT PACKAGES OF UN-GENRE- SPECIFIC MUSIC. REPEATING BACKGROUND VOCALS, HUGE SMASHES OF DIDDLING NOISE, BACKWARDS SUCKLING - HOW TO CREATE SOMETHING AMAZING OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL. I wish all bands were this good. This album is fantastic! Smart as hell and full of emotion too. Buy it and listen to it a whole bunch of times. -Mark Prindle.

[@MCLemonyfresh]

The vocals on the title track were NOT manipulated with an Ondes Martenot. That is not at all what an Ondes Martenot does. And Ed is the guitarist responsible for Treefingers, not Jonny.

[@christianlesurfmusic]

Kid A is such a beautiful album and you've dived into it masterfully! Also, PLEASE do a video on In the Aeroplane Over the Sea soon!

[@mrashwinu]

Oh, so you're one of them one's

[@christianlesurfmusic]

@@mrashwinu Yeah, never mind

[@Amed0290]

yessss!!!

[@gamoasr]

There is a Neutral Milk Hotel episode already

[@seriousbismuth2173]

God... that stench of /mu/ in here.

[@Lucas-dw8vl]

Your video on OK Computer encouraged me to listen to them more, since I had never given Radiohead a real chance before. This morning, I listened to KID A on the way to work and now you've uploading this video. It was meant to be.

[@Htheorphanarian]

Listening to national anthem while looking at people rushing about is one of the great life experiences

[@mainstreetsaint36]

A coincidence this wild is something in the vein of thinking of some random tune, turning on the radio, and literally that is what playing (more eerie is that the lyrics continue seamlessly from the ones in your head).

[@saaiemedia726]

Sentimentalist.. do you know how many people did not follow this path? Were they not supposed to be, or something? Don't attribute significance to something as trivial as this. Even if it was meant to be a joke, you're feeding the folks who do believe in this kind of bs. (Also, get a better sense of humour.)

[@CedricJustice]

When Kid A came out, I thought it would revolutionise music like Nirvana's Nevermind. It may have only revolutionised Radiohead. I thought it a masterpiece. And it was one gateway, for me, to accepting the cold echoes of electronic music. My preference seems to err on the ambient side of music, for whatever reason. And as I age, the depth of classical music inspires me. Apparently, the overarching movement to cold simplicity in modern pop just doesn't appeal to me. But this album was a gateway in so many ways, marking my musical path. And this is a great video analysis. You ask if I prefer OK Computer or Kid A. They are my two favourite Radiohead albums, so I refuse to pick. I love them both in entirely different contexts.

[@Squiddit]

yeah, it definitely wasn't revolutionary for music in general - anyone with even a passing interest in electronic music should be able to see that - but it was revolutionary for radiohead for sure, and i can't deny how influential it was in exposing more people to electronic music, even if most of them never really explored further than warp records lol

[@alejandroserrano7755]

Maybe not revolutionise but it was influential.

[@ShininDawg]

So hard to pick, I can't to this day. I lean just a tiny bit more to Kid A, but I always think it's because of my age maybe

[@hecanseeme8210]

A gorgeous album. This is the only album I remember exactly this first time I listened. Instantly I fell in love, and knew the 90s rock was dead and gone, erased by the power of this release.

[@TheGoldSwordSquad]

My brother said he went to see Radiohead after their ok computer tour where they were trying out Kid A stuff and everyone was very puzzled. He still thought of them as an alternative rock group and seeing them take such a turn into electronic music was a bit of a shock to him as this was the first time for him hearing any music from Kid A

[@TagusMan]

I saw them in Lisbon in this period and it was probably one of the most boring concerts of all time. None of the songs were recognizable, if you could call them songs. They barely spoke to the audience, they played on boxes and stared at their shoes the whole time. It might have been Radiohead on stage, but it was not Radiohead in concert.

[@mildred78]

@@TagusMan radiohead shoegaze

[@zackzallie8735]

​@@TagusManWhen you're going to a Radiohead concert expecting Creep loop for 2 hours but getting a shoegaze noidling instead 😪😪

[@LBAW]

Kid A was the album that made me love Radiohead. It's still a major influence on my music. This u-turn in style really reminds me of Talk Talk's change when they made Spirit of Eden, another classic.

[@augusts1]

Great comparison. Love TT & SOE. I was quite surprised by it but if you listen to Colour Of Spring all the clues were there as to what direction they were going. Their last 2 albums are orchestral masterpieces.

[@driftingthroughthisplace5898]

I hate to be this guy, but the u-turn analogy doesn’t make any sense. You’d essentially be going back the same way you came, which is not what Radiohead did. Sorry, just had to say this.

[@jbibro]

Excellent review. I remember the day I bought the CD and initially thought the record company packaged the wrong CD. I bought it the day it came out. I was soon blown away. As a fan for several years, I wasn’t mad that it wasn’t guitar driven and I found it a beautiful work of art. Too difficult to say if it’s better than “OK Computer”. I love both equally.

[@tobiasmeissner1967]

As a big fan of Aphex Twin, I loved KID A and AMNESIAC immediately. It was like a dream come true: Finally an intelligent rockband acknowledging and incorporating the beauty of 90s electronic avantgarde. Plus they have one advantage over even Aphex Twin: Thoms soulful, fragile voice.

[@ReneMontiel]

The cliffhanger on the OK Computer video was amazing. So glad the follow up is here!

[@jonahlouque9621]

Although Kid A has some of Radiohead’s best songs of all time, OK Computer is still my favorite.

[@Middle8]

Same

[@elyy0345]

For me In Rainbows is their masterpiece.

[@cynk2780]

@@elyy0345 ^^^

[@fert7921]

Jonah Louque agreed

[@erin79]

It's a tough call for their best album. I think that title ultimately goes to either OK Computer or In Rainbows. Ok comp is pretty much perfect as a "rock" album, but In Rainbows is where they finally totally and seamlessly married their original rock sound with the textural stuff they grew into. They're both phenomenal records.

[@abbas_ali]

I think this really was the beginning of the end for guitar rock as the dominant form of popular music.

[@BIadelores]

This is not true completely because rock music still was a major presence in charts and regularly topped billboards long after this album's release. That said, this shift was probably the shift that set the stage for rock slowly being phased out in the mainstream, because Radiohead was possibly the biggest band in the world at the time and could have been much bigger had they made another album like OKC and instead shifted their focus to a more sterile and pulse driven sound. This left rock music without a big dominant force above all others like Nirvana was a few years prior, filling a void that some came close to filling but never quite managed because it also happened around the same time the internet was genuinely beginning to take off and causing the homogenous nature of public opinion to splinter heavily until by now, the idea of ever having another major single-unifying star of any kind, let alone rockstar, is more or less impossible. The ones that come closest to having such a presence are all legacy acts who rose to fame long before the advent of the internet, with arguably the single biggest solo musical act in history (Michael Jackson) also being dead for more than a decade now.

[@zynel413]

@@BIadelores ... so it was the beginning of the end for guitar rock as the dominant form of popular music?

[@BIadelores]

@@zynel413 No. I was extremely high on LSD when I wrote all of that.

[@Tityretupatulae]

@@BIadelores we don’t care

[@BIadelores]

@@Tityretupatulae Nobody asked for your worthless opinion dipshit.

[@chantoya17]

People kind of exaggerate when they say the band threw away their guitars or that Thom didn't sing much. Neither of those statements are true, they just started using their instruments in different ways and experimenting with other instruments and devices. Despite the experimentation, there was still guitars and Thom had some conventional vocal performances on it. How To Disappear Completely in particular sounds like it could've been on The Bends or OK Computer. It's a good blended album of where they had been and where they were trying to get to.

[@yargnad]

Yep, it was basically the beginning of Radiohead moving to loop-based parts on live instruments. There is no band more masterful in this technique. You can easily see it in action up close on The King of Limbs - Live from the Basement. It's one of the most perfect performances of all time.

[@_caustics_]

Kid A and Fight Club were everywhere when they came out.

[@donfaus]

Actually neither were an instant success mate

[@matthewsnyder66]

The first Rule of Kid A . . .

[@gillso9840]

Wow you surprised me didn’t expect that face to the voice

[@southernkatrina8161]

Thought this was Catfish for a second!

[@LucasRodmo]

It was my first Radiohead album. I remember watching about the band briefly in the news, and searched for their top sales album, and I found this. As a little 14 years boy raised without TV, videogames and listening basically to low budget gospel, was a REALLY transformative experience. I was in stasis and cathartic state for weeks. My mind just expanded beyond imagination. My life changed forever. I got obsessed in music, specially music that made me feel undescribable feelings, unnamed feelings, unique. Was like injecting transcendence into my veins just pressing on the play button. I will never forget how it feels to freshly see the world in infinite new colors. Radiohead for me was never sad, because it gave me light, it brought me to life.

[@ayushagarwal1342]

"Texture over hooks" What a nice way to describe the album and, in fact, the band as a whole! 👍👍

[@aaroncrilly2005]

Its an album that made me fall in love with electronic music

[@elyy0345]

Aron Crillco Same!

[@lucrativelyrics2004]

Its an album that made me stop listening to radiohead

[@urmumsbaps]

@@lucrativelyrics2004 why are you watching this video then? Couldn't keep away could you ;)

[@rbdriftin]

Kid A was the album which got me into Radiohead because I was (and still am) a huge IDM fan. I’d heard OK Computer and all their singles before and quite liked them but then I heard Idioteque and went “oh I get it now” and somehow learned to love the band as a whole.

[@JayTeeAyy]

To me the album sounds like evolution, it’s picking stuff up, seeing what works, inventing things, and using all of those inventions, and ideas, and building important pillars, and foundations

[@paulbrowne9643]

KID A is truly my favorite Radiohead album and I love all their work. Amazing, how guitar centered an album like the Bends can be and from the same parent as KID A.

[@feverray8307]

Great use of editing! You made the artwork come to life

[@todddouglas7231]

I'd love videos like this about Pink Floyd, Tame Impala, Fleet Foxes, Trent Reznor or Sigur Ros,

[@jadesmith4165]

Trent Reznor and Sigur Ros would be very interesting

[@5t757]

He's done Tame Impala

[@hvideos6864]

I’m a simple man: I see Kid A, I click.

[@sgreen4865]

I love Kid A. It blew my mind years ago. I still listen today

[@robertocarlosfloressuarez3029]

nice video, I love listening/reading about one of my favorite albums. btw, it is actually Ed who was responsible for Treefingers

[@athena5873]

9:23 you missed the opportunity to say that the band dissapeared completely.

[@davidrhysf]

Everything this band does just seems to have purpose and a natural fluid progression. The album covers alone demonstrate this perfectly

[@MrGun1]

7 years. I got stuck on Kid A for seven years. It was all I could listen to. It connected and disconnected me from almost everything. There will never be anything as important ever made again.

[@Tityretupatulae]

Calm down

[@whattheindie7927]

I think this is the first time I've seen your face

[@GameScoreFanfare]

Yup. Despite what people think, Kid A does not exist in a vacuum. It wasn't dropped onto the planet, it had very real influences. The album itself wasn't unprecedented, but Radiohead's sudden departure after a brush with greatness was. I think Kid A is easily Radiohead's best album in the context of their discography, but when you consider them as stand-alone albums... I dunno, the race is definitely tighter. Also, you gotta teach me those reverb tails sometime. *antonio banderas leaning back in satisfaction gif*

[@MarkieG101]

Kid A was exactly what I needed, my freshman year in college and still today after a long day at work. I loved Ok computer but Kid A blew me away! Good analysis!

[@jevinday]

Thom Yorke didn't want the lyrics printed anywhere on the album because he said that they weren't meant to be a separate thing from the music. He used his voice as just another instrument. This album is great. I saw them play Kid A, The National Anthem, Idioteque, and How to Disappear Completely in 2012. It was amazing.

[@bennettwyler846]

Dropped a like on this video before it even loaded. Glad you’re sharing the stories of this band

[@arturhours]

Wait, have you showed your face before? Or is this a face reveal? Either way I’m really jealous of your hair

[@Middle8]

I've done a few sign offs showing my face last year. I did a music news segment once on the channel but that video is long gone. Thanks!

[@arturhours]

+Middle 8 Wow, I really wasn’t expecting you to reply! Keep up the good work. Although Vampire Weekend’s self titled is still their best.

[@ardi1effendi]

ye man, his hair is so on point 👌

[@himom5748]

Don't be

[@carpathianhermit7228]

Btec kaneki

[@J.robertfrick]

I don’t understand how David Bowie’s “Low” wasn’t mentioned once in the video

[@Noelciaaa]

It's so amazing to see an analysis of my fave album i listened to as a teen, years years after!! i heard a theory that the musis you listen to up to age 16 will define your taste. well.... it was mostly radiohead for me so no wonder i ended up being able to enjoy a very wide variety of genres and styles, cuz radiohead was just so inventive and uninhibited by conventions.

[@AristotleFullThrottle]

I still remember my first listen of Kid A. Blew my mind. I had not been a massive fan until that moment.

[@silvvr.]

Finally, it’s here I’ve been waiting for this video more than Anima

[@LexMassive]

My friend, who is their biggest fan in the world (covered in lyrics tattooed, playing and analyzing their songs to the nth). When I was a slight acid casualty he played Thom Yorke for me and explained the political significance and many fine details, creating a wholesome, wonderful experience. He asked me once if I'd listened to Kid A. Of course I said. But really, really listened? He said. He'd driven to my house to see me but at this he insisted I smoke a joint, put on my best headphones, close my eyes and truly listen all the way through. DAMN

[@Balls_Mahony]

What a phenomenal video - In Rainbows my fav' album - looking forward to seeing that video

[@TheEyrie]

I love it and loads of people hated it at the time. It was perfect atmospheric music.

[@bread_n_butter8614]

@Mike Conville no

[@nalimlattarai2873]

Mike Conville Michael conville is definitely a white name

[@losangulos]

When you talk about Kid A you have to talk about Boards Of Canada's influence on it because they mastered that style.

[@friendoist]

Boc don't have any more influence on Kid A than Aphex Twin or Autechre. He mentions warp records which includes all three. It should also be noted that Boc themselves were influenced by Aphex and Autechre among other things.

[@losangulos]

@@friendoist Yes, thats why i posted, to not just leave it at a mention of warp records.

[@rain_down_]

Yeah, Music Has the Right to Children is a better pure electronic album than Kid A, but BoC never made OK Computer or The Bends.

[@losangulos]

@@rain_down_ that's not being discussed, it wasn't to discredit rh, it was to make a point on the video explanation.

[@rain_down_]

@@losangulos I'm agreeing with you mate - BoC were a huge influence on Kid A. Just trying to say that RH did good stuff before Kid A too.

[@maynardcrow6447]

How to disappear completely is one of the greatest songs of all time. Kid A is amazing. It's definitely my top 5. When I was a heroin addict and would be withdrawing that song could always give me such comfort that nothing else could. I would have it on repeat for hours just getting lost in it. And even now sober I feel this song helped me through the worst chapters of my life.

[@jovanius302]

Who else has listened to Kid A in the dark and gets really creeped out and fking scared of the unknown. The songs, the music, the album cover. It has an eerie vibe that is so damn hard to explain, but you feel something. I wish I could say but I just can’t. Me not having the words to explain the album IS what makes it so great.

[@romilrh]

Alright now that you have all the indieheads coming to you for quality content, you know you have to hit In The Aeroplane Over the Sea and Loveless right?

[@elyy0345]

Romil yes please do Loveless 🙂

[@daishoryujin95]

The glow part 2!

[@sundogsun]

man, i’m knee deep in this music scene- have been for way too fucking long. i still don’t like ITAOTS. fuck.

[@abdulmajeedahm644]

How can you even have any self doubt after releasing one of the greatest records of all time? and then put out another classic that's completely different all respect to Radiohead

[@sriniwas764]

That seems like a case of imposter syndrome

[@burning666corpses]

When your standards are set high by the music industry, you really start to doubt yourself. It becomes cemented into your mind if you record something that doesn’t meet those standards, you’ll become a let down. You try not to care, but you can’t help it.

[@caramel7050]

Industry expectations packed with being prone to anxiety and depressive episodes are hell.

[@TheTheode]

You become self conscious of being able to follow it up.

[@Joshua-ye2eo]

It had happened with Pablo Honey after playing Creep over n over. Imagine fighting that 2 albums later, YEAR long tours. But I do agree, on the surface, I used to wonder how myself.

[@Goatchild90]

Happy 20th Anniversary to Kid A. The best album of the 21st Century.

[@Wankerstew]

This was indeed a masterpiece and still one of my favorites. So impressed with this power move in a modern, more futuristic (at the time) direction. Nice when a band gets better and more innovative with age - quite rare in the music industry (after a precious, amazing album). Thanks for the great video

[@guywithalotofcringypast3314]

Wow, you look like Todd from Scott Pilgrim vs the world

[@KyleSnarr]

Watch out for veganity violations! No vegan diet, NO VEGAN POWERS!

[@TheAnthraxBiology]

The greatest left turn in music history* *since David Bowie made Low

[@jrsindone]

The greatest left turn in *rock* music history was Sgt. Peppers. But yeah, Low is def up there.

[@ecst3r465]

J Sindone sgt pepper wasnt a left turn

[@friendoist]

The theme here seems to be artists embracing new tech.

[@rain_down_]

I see what you mean, and I'm a massive fan of Low, but Bowie had already left glam rock and wondered in interesting directions with Station to Station, Diamond Dogs etc before the Berlin trilogy. Kid A was something no one saw coming.

[@treyspace7806]

*before Kanye West made 808s & Heartbreak

[@ICalledDibsProd]

Thom Yorke made music for the Suspiria remake soundtrack and it was haunting and beautiful all at the same time. The feeling of his music is just so atmospheric, and I truly believe he is one of the greatest musicians we've ever heard. Anything he creates is just pure genius. Awesome video! I love both albums but Ok Computer (especially Exit Music) hold a special place in my heart.

[@grantwallace1882]

God, I love Kid A

[@LukeDHarrison2002]

It’s such a captivating album. I feel so strangely emotional whenever I listen to it.

[@ale14zoppi]

So the KZbin algorithm works sometimes, great video!

[@markparvin5727]

Nice account my friend, well set out. I bought the album the day it came out, aged 15, and was immediately in bliss at the opening chords of 'Everything In Its Right Place' . It was exactly what I wanted from Radiohead at that time.

[@kath4454]

I still remember sitting on my bed at 19 in 2000 and hearing Everything In Its Right Place for the first time. It changed my musicial taste forever 💕

[@cockland2974]

Radiohead has caved the way for the biggest change in music history and when technology was changing in the year 2000 and 2003...pure legends and with all original members still 🤘🏻

[@CB0408]

Kid A is a great impressionist work of art.

[@evolvingsound6919]

Ok computer may have been important to the history of rock music, but Kid a was necessary to the history of radiohead music. Nice video bro.

[@rocketappliantist4969]

Kid A is probably my third or fourth favorite Radiohead album but it's still one of my favorite albums in general. Maybe top 5.

[@christophermoody6840]

The Smashing Pumpkins basically did the same thing only 2 or 3 years earlier with the Adore album. A band known as an electric guitar based rock group switched it up and makes album with Heavy Eletronica elements mixed with a sad old west acoustic vibe. I remember when Kid A came out and people were saying it was just a concept album or something. I never thought it was all that shocking... they were never like most of the other rock bands that were around at the time.

[@Logatog]

You have no idea how much I was looking forward to this video, now how about "In Rainbows" and "A Moon Shaped Pool"? :)

[@sundogsun]

a moon shaped pool and kid A were the soundtracks to my lowest point ever. can’t play either album to this day, but i still love them.

[@nicholasstewart7990]

Nicely done! I was always OK and then a few years ago I HEARD Kid A and blew my mind and I loved it!

[@cillboon]

Nice video. It would also have been interesting to note that they toured this album in a tent refusing to be drawn to any kind of brand or logo which further emphasised Thom's and the band's difficulties following OK Computer. I really appreciate when you infer that you can't see one without the other. Ok Computer without Kid A. Kid A really divided Radiohead fans when it first came out but with time its brilliance was appreciated.