Kid A (Radiohead)

As popular as Radiohead became in the 2000's I don't know that you can still classify them as alternative but whatever. 'Kid A' is a great record and in my mind marks a turning point in the sound of Radiohead. In albums before this like 'OK Computer', and 'The Bends' they had a very solid rock/alternative sound and then with 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac' and 'Hail to the Thief' they got progressively slightly less rock and more ethereal sounding. So for me 'Kid A' is a perfect blend of that rock sound they started with and then taking it more to the seraphic sound they've had with their more recent albums. Listen to this album loud in a car with a decent sound system and it will blow your mind.

Another great album from a fantastic band. Radiohead stormed on the scene with their highly impressive debut Pablo Honey and continued with classics The Bends and OK Computer. Now comes this animal. Another classic in the veins of the first two. Kid A begins nicely where OK Computer left off. Not to say that this is a continuation of that album. This is something entirely different. Everything In Its Right Place does feel like it could've fit on OK Computer, but, after giving this entire album a listen, it more properly fits on this one. It gives way to the title track. The experimentation on this alone is worth a listen. Reminding me of some of the techniques used on OK Computer, this is another standout track with a great melody that draws you in. Even if you can't understand what Thom's saying, the melody will have you hooked. Followed by The National Anthem and How to Disappear Completely, the CD starts on a high note. The next song, an instrumental Treefingers, ... Read more

This album breaks all the music listening habits and opens a door for a new world. simply revolutionary..

Radiohead Kid A; 2000 EMI/Capitol Records My Rating: 10/10 KID A is the most controversial album in Radiohead's catalog. After the tremendous commercial and critical success of OK COMPUTER, the band might have easily crafted a cybertronic Brit-Rock re-tread. Instead, they chose to completely turn their songwriting and production process inside out, retreating into the studio for over a year and completely re-learning the art of rock and roll. Lots of people found OK COMPUTER difficult compared to the melodic Brit-rock of THE BENDS, but with this one, the band completely says goodbye to the past and announces to the world, "We are not resting on our laurels." From the opening cascade of electric piano on track 1, KID A sounds numinous, cold, and chronic, perpetually avoiding the pop-music hook but all the while re-inventing it. The album cover features a digitally rendered mountainous landscape, which suggests that the band intended to make a grand and foreboding album. Well, al... Read more

When I first heard Radiohead I immediately thought of Pink Floyd, and there is some Floyd in there. But as music is, I think of Radiohead as an evolving Pink Floyd. I just love Kid A. This CD shows the world what great musicians they are - the percussion, the chords, the keyboards. Radiohead is very much a fusion band, fused with so many kinds of bands and music. Thom's vocals are great. His vocals are used as an instrument through most of the CD along with great percussion. I hear Miles Davis in this album and many other influences. There could never be a Radiohead without Thom Yorke but then there could never be a Radiohead without the great musicians that make up this band. They are constantly on a journey and Kid A did not dissappoint me. How to Disappear Completely is one of my favorite Radiohead tunes. Other great tunes on this cd are, Everything in its Right Place, Optimistic, Morning Bell, Motion Picture Soundtrack. If you are just starting to get into Radiohead, I would... Read more

Not to pretend to be a huge Radiohead fan, but at least a fan of popular music. What in the world happened? And how did so many publications and people seemingly enjoy this? This is no Bends or Pablo Honey. There is one good song on the CD and that is Optimistic. Actually, most of the music may not qualify as songs, so Optimistic is one of only a few actual songs on the CD. I have to believe that Yorke put this out to see if people would simply buy and enjoy anything after the fuss over OK Computer. Buy the mp3 for Optimisitc and skip the rest.

Possibly the worst record I've heard, ever.

i love How to Disappear Completely

I think that this cd is one of the best that radiohead has came out with. I don't really care for alot of synthesized sounds and music but I think that the sounds mesh with Radioheads style really well.

There seems to be a common reaction to Kid A of pain. Fans with a grim determination to like it no matter how long it takes,listening endlessly til the blood pours from their ears; or non-fans who listen once and dub it "radiator noise". For me this is the only Radiohead album I really loved the first time I played it. (The others all took at least a couple of plays, Amnesiac being my current favourite).There's something about the flow of the music, the shifts from say the beautiful "How to disappear" to the infectious dance of "Idiotheque"(which it's impossible to keep still through) which makes you feel good having listened to it.And it does get even better when you've played it a few times. Ok, it doesn't seem to be to everyone's taste (what is?)but, cross my heart, it is "proper" music and wonderful music at that. In short: Kid A:Not some form of torture device.

You people giving this album a 1 star are obviously retarded or havan't spent enough time listening to it.

This is a superb album written by one of the most brilliant and influenciel bands of our time. It might take a while to grow on you but given time you'll love it. Good to see a band at their peak writting music that interests them, rather than just trying to impress their fans. The fact that they're as popular as ever is a testimant to their talent.

Absolutely brilliant. Bravo!

Kid A is the kind of album that grows on the listener the more she listens to it. It took me a while to appreciate it's hauntingly beautiful sonic qualities. Many people have attacked it, calling it pretensious and frustratingly obtuse, and I'll admit it's not especially "welcoming", but I personally enjoy listening to "challenging" music. Music that brushes past the listeners ears without provoking her to think or feel anything (even ambivalence) may be considered an "easier" listen, but I believe that music is always better when the listener is encouraged to take part in the music through analysis, repeated listening and personal interpretation. For anyone else who feels the same way about music, I highly reccommend Kid A. The hauntingly beautiful "How to Disappear Completely" is my current "anthem"!!!

Even though it's no OK Computer, I still think this is a real good album. My favorite album of recent is "our lady Peace" spiritual machines", and Kid A is a close second!

People only like this album because "RADIOHEAD is on the front. If I put this out no one would buy it and no radio station would play anything on it. I LOVE Radiohead, but this album has nothing to offer. I think since they were so original and creative with "OK COMPUTER" they wanted people to think the same of this album. The only thing original and amazing about it is that is sucks when all their other albums were amazing.

It's the best Radiohead album ever...

Not "The Bends", or even "OK Computer" esq, this album is an aquired taste , especially if your more into Radiohead's guitar influnced stuff.However, "Kid A" takes a walk down the Massive Attack path, combining futuristic vocal sampling with crass 80's analogue malarky.Of course its experimental ut none the less this album is wicked, you just need to watch "Bladerunner" a few too many times first, then you'll get what Tom Yorke is all about!

The only album I gave 5 stars to recently was Finley Quaye's "vanguard' But this one is pretty close. I love the songwriting and melodies, and they never cease to surprise me!!

After five full listens it still hasn't grown on me. There is too much dance beat and none of the intensity of OK computer. OK computer was IMHO the best album of the last ten years and Kid A has been a disapointment, so far. Maybe it will grow on me and I'll come back and up this score. Sorry guys.

The first time I listened to Radiohead it struck me to be an album from next century. I had to buy it. It is an organic work, something you cannot listen to in isolated tracks. It is simply wonderful. My best atmosphere creator!!!

This album has caused a lot of Radiohead fans to look deeper into their musical taste, forget the thrashing guitars of The Bends and what I consider a shaky change-over when OK Conputer was born. I wasn't keen on OK Comp, although a couple of tracks did stand out to be really good and those tracks were the hesitant start to really making music that makes sense. That is what Kid A does, it makes sense, but only if you can beat your prejudices and be willing to be moved.

By far the best album to come out in a long time. No promotion, no videos, no commercials, and it shoots to #1 its first week on the Billboard charts. They melt pop and rock together in such a way that boggles the mind. In my opinion, this is a concept album rating up there with Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and a breakthrough album the likes of Nevermind. Excellent.

I had to listen to this album a few times, and it is totally growing on me. I still think OK computer is one of the best album of all time, so it's hard to follow up something so huge. they did a great job. Kid A and David Gray's 'white ladder' are my two favorite albums right now.

I am new to Radiohead. My first Radiohead CD was OK Computer which I really like. The more I listen to it the more I like it. So my boyfriend just bought Kid A (personally, I wanted to go back in Radiohead time and get The Bends but was over-ruled). In listening to it a couple of times, the more I like it. I am starting to see a pattern in Radiohead. They are so talented and their music is so different, it just takes a while to get used to it. Kid A is a great CD and I really recommend it to anyone who has patience with listening to a CD at least a few times before giving up on it. You will not be disappointed.

If you have trouble getting into this recording it is only natural. Radiohead has sculpted a beautiful murky landscape that needs no traditional instruementation to help your ear lead the way through KID A. This album took me a long time to listen to and now I think of it as one of the greatest recordings of all time. I listen to KID A at least once a day and have so since it was released. Try to listen to one track at a time as if you were in a museum looking at a painting then put them all together and enjoy this masterpiece.

Intense. That is one word to describe Kid A. And a word that is not used lightly. Brilliant is another word to describe Kid A and this is one of the most influencial records I have ever heard. Cry, to 'How to dissapear completley' sing to 'Optimistic' and dance to 'Ideoteque'. I can't get enough of Radiohead and Thom Yorke's voice. If only they had more guitar in the album, then it could have been flawless but it is as addictive as smoking and as exhilirating as a rollercoaster. Long live Radiohead!!!

Radiohead cd's get better by the minute. It took a couple of times to get used to Kid A. After that I fell in love, just like I did with O.K. Computer. Kid A is all I listen to now. Radiohead in my opinion is the best band ever. Their songs have alot of meaning. They mean different things for different people. I can always relate to them. And the music is anything but tense! It is the most relaxing cd. The whold thing is good. Some idiot reccomended to "stay away" from it, they must be crazy! I reccomend getting O.K. Computer if you dont have it, and definitley Kid A to go along with it. This cd should not be qualified as "rock music" it is hardly that.

I came to this CD, not by having listened to any previous Radiohead albums, but from having admired Thom Yorke's collaborations with Bjork and PJ Harvey. Immediately after having ordered the CD online I read a very hostile review of Kid A in The New Yorker. The critic suggested that Radiohead go back to being a pop band and stop the pretentious BS. I was apprehensive, therefore, that I had wasted my money. But I'm listening to Kid A as I write this--about my fourth listening--and loving it. A highly pleasureable experience. Very intelligent music. Maybe I wouldn't like the earlier stuff?

KidA was different yet better than what I had expected. After the first two songs I realized I had been thrown a curveball and in for a ride! The CD grew on me after the second time and I cant wait for the next release due next year. Open the back of the CD case for a surprise on the back sleeve!

This album is everything I expected and more. I am dissapointed by some people's comments aboutit lacking sense of direction, and not living up to their other albums. As this album clearly demonstrates, not all "good" music has to follow standard ABABCB linear format. And, not all music has to have immediate pop-appeal to be valuable or enjoyable. This album is marking the wave of the future. Technology is rarely used in the mainstream music world in unique, innovative ways. This album is far from formulaic, although it follows in the steps of some of the greats(eno and fripp for example). If you think this music is "weird," "a-tonal," etc, then listen again- and force yourself to listen to composers like Stockhausen, John Cage, Raymond Scott, etc. to hear that it is actually quite melodic in comparison to other unique uses of technology. I don't mean to renounce any other view, but I strongly feel that this music deserves attention. It is time that we look past the wretched p... Read more

I can't in good conscience give any CD that I have to try so hard with better than a "3" rating. While it is growing on me - after about 6 or 7 complete listens - this cd stresses me out more than anything else. The music is tense, the vocals bordering on grating, and many of the "songs" tend to meander around aimlessly. I like the CD, but my recommendation is to stay away unless you are a die hard Radiohead fan with a really open mind.

I'm doing my best to get into this CD, but it's tough work. My experience with Radiohead's previous CD, "OK Computer," was that I didn't like it at all the first few times I heard it, then after a while I started to kind of like it, and all of a sudden I couldn't stop listening to it. So I assumed it would take me a while to appreciate "Kid A," and it has. I've probably listened to it about 10 times now, and I'm at the point where I think it's good, interesting music, but I don't feel nearly as mesmerized as I did by "OK Computer." The sonic, ambient quality of the "Kid A" music - often without guitars - is intriguing and cohesive, but it lacks the balance of traditional sounds that helped made "OK Computer" so compelling and addictive. If you're already a Radiohead fan, you need to buy this CD, but if you're looking for an introduction to this talented band, start with "The Bends" or "OK Computer."

Nothing like their previous CDs, I am trying hard to love this one... so far all I can muster is a serious appreciation for their unique and artistic sound. Some tracks border on trance, and the CD as a whole is perfect for listening to on a melancholic day. Worth buying, even though it may take a few listens to warm up to.

Although this album strays from the normal rock album and format, it is an incredible work of art. Nonetheless, even a Radiohead fan must keep their ears and mind open and appreciate Radiohead's intentions. You must buy this.