*Notice some that sentences are copy and paste and please excuse any inaccurate facts. Last years person who did The Bends did a great job and I had a hard time trying to ad anything else*

 

The Bends

The Bends is the second album by Radiohead, released on March 13th, 1995. The Bends marked the start of a gradual turn in Yorke's songwriting from personal angst to the more cryptic lyrics and social and global themes that would come to dominate the band's later work.

 

 

Track Listing:

1. Planet Telex

2. The Bends

3. High and Dry

4. Fake Plastic Trees

5. Bones

6. (Nice Dream)

7. Just

8. My Iron Lung

9. Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was

10. Black Star

11. Sulk

12. Street Spirit (Fade Out)

 

 

Planet Telex:

This track was originally known as "Plant Xerox" but was changed because Xerox is a trademark for a company which sells color for printers. It is said that Thom Yorke was drunk and improvising when he recorded the vocals. The band came to the studio after drinking a lot of wine, and Yorke lied on the floor and sang without even writing the lyrics beforehand.

The Bends:

"We wrote this song before completing the first album. The sound at the beginning come from the cacophonous rumpus outside an hotel in the US. A guy was dragging 8-year-old kids to parade with all their instruments. This guy had a small mike on his sweater and he kept shouting: 'Yeah, keep it up, keep it up.' So I went outside and recorded him." ~Thom Yorke

 

The Bends was written long while before it was actually released. In 1993 it was called The Benz. Thom said "It's about knowing who your real friends are and when they're going to come to your gigs."

 

High and Dry:

High and Dry was recorded during the Pablo Honey sessions but was dismissed by the band. However, during recording sessions for The Bends it was remastered, as it was felt that it worked well with the rest of the album's content.

 

In an interview, Thom Yorke stated that he did not like the song, saying "It's not bad... it's very bad". He also stated that he was pressured into including the song on The Bends, which is a possible reason he further loathes the song.

 

Fake Plastic Trees:

"The product of a joke that wasn’t really a joke, a very lonely, drunken evening and, well, a breakdown of sorts". ~Thom Yorke

 

Ed claims that it Fake Plastic Trees started as a very bombastic song that was full of guitar. They thought it was horrible and it was frustrating to get it just right. Yorke recorded a guide track for "Fake Plastic Trees" featuring only guitar and vocals. Yorke performed three takes of the song and then cried afterward, according to Jonny Greenwood.

Bones:

Bones was recorded at the same day as The Bends. Bones looks at Thom's fear of growing old and becoming physically incapacitated.

 

"We recorded this about four times before we got it right. The original had the ending going on for about a minute and a half, which was something Jonny got from The Fall." ~Thom Yorke

 

(Nice Dream):

Nice Dream was written in 1992.

 

"We all debuted playing acoustic guitar on this in a sort of cosmic Kumbaya outside the studio. There's this awful photograph of us all sitting on a lawn with headphones on. The lyrics came out of a half-drunk dream I had, one of those where you don't really sleep properly. It's about our relationship with people generally." ~Thom Yorke

 

Just:

"A competition by me and Jonny to get as many chords as possible into a song" ~Thom Yorke on Just

 

Just is one of the most complex songs on the album and is especially notable for Greenwood's guitar solo. Nobody knows what the man says at the end of the Just music video, and there is no use asking as the band have said that they are never going to reveal the answer. The world may never know.

 

My Iron Lung:

My Iron Lung was Radiohead's response to the success of Creep. Iron lung is a metaphor, showing how Creep both sustained the band's life and constrained them. My Iron Lung was recorded live, in the same 1994 London concert filmed for Live at the Astoria, with only singer Thom Yorke later overdubbed.

Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was:

Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was is a song that calls for the listener's personal interpretations. There is no clear meaning.

 

Black Star:

Black Star is about "Sex in the morning. Which is the best time to have it. As long as you've cleaned your teeth beforehand."says Yorke.

 

Sulk:

Sulk was the last recorded song for the album. It was inspired by the Hungerford Massacre in England.

Street Spirit (Fade Out):

Street Spirit (Fade Out) was written in 1993 at around the same time as My Iron Lung. It was a very big hit in Britain. Inspired by the novel The Famished Road by Ben Okri. Video produced by Jonathan Glazer. Thom says that he didn't write this song; it wrote itself, and Radiohead were just its messengers.

 

 

Here are some videos from The Bends era:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JifG4-71vs8]YouTube- Radiohead JUST live[/ame]

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaA4lXiqClI]YouTube- Radiohead The Bends live 1994[/ame]

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKWGNX5JFhI&feature=related]YouTube- radiohead - fake plastic trees 1995[/ame]

*Thom's hair^*

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6uaTYjCWvY&feature=related]YouTube- Radiohead - High and Dry (Jools Holland)[/ame]

 

 

My very personal Opinion:

 

 

The Bends is one of my favorite albums by Radiohead, not gonna lie. And no I'm not one of 'those fans'. I have all their albums and I've given them all a a fair amount of listens. I'm a killer for guitar solos, and they can be heard throughout the entire album so if that gives a reason that I like it...

 

Everyone’s like “LOL ALYSSA WHY YOU LOVE THE BENDS THAT SHIT SUX.”

 

WELL FUCK THE HATERS.

 

No, but seriously guys. I like The Bends. Opinions will be opinions, feel free to post your own. :nice:

 

 

 

Mike's World Famous Survey from the Past:

Favorite song –

Least favorite song –

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) -

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) -

Favorite song musically -

Favorite song lyrically –

Favorite line of the album -

Most overrated song -

Most underrated song -

Current favorite -

Favorite when you first listened to the album -

 

What song best exemplifies each of the members off the album

Thom -

Jonny -

Ed -

Phil -

Colin –

 

 

I'll also be organizing a listening party tonight probably via Tinychat. Check out the Listening Party Thread in the Lounge for details.

Nice, Alyssa. Actually, I very much like "The Bends" myself. Thom's vocals on it are just beautiful. :nice:

 

So, I tried filling out the survey thing, but I realized that I really couldn't decide on anything. There are too many of these that I like. :bomb:

good post!

 

it's my hmmmhmmmmmm Bends ranks 4th or 5th amongst all RH albums for me (atm, it changes. It used to be my 2nd favourite) Favourite songs Street Spirit, The Bends, Nice Dream, FPT

 

 

can't fill that survey thingy either, heh

well maybe some of it..

 

Least favorite song – Sulk

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - The Bends

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - I'd say it's Sulk

Favorite song lyrically – Street Spirit

Most Underrated Song - well I dunno Bones I guess.. I love that one

Favorite line of the album - "This machine will not communicate/

These thoughts and the strain I am under"

Current favorite - Nice Dream

Favorite when you first listened to the album - FPT probably

 

 

 

agh my okc thingy is still a big fucking mess..

"mike's world famous survey"....ahaha! :lol:

 

Favorite song – Bulletproof (I Wish I Was)

Least favorite song – Black Star

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Black Star/Sulk/Bones

Favorite song musically - Street Spirit or Fake Plastic Trees

Favorite song lyrically – Street Spirit

Favorite line of the album - Immerse your soul in love

Most overrated song - The Bends

Most underrated song - Bulletproof (I Wish I Was)

Current favorite - Bulletproof (I Wish I Was)

Favorite when you first listened to the album - My Iron Lung

 

What song best exemplifies each of the members off the album

Thom - Street Spirit/Fake Plastic Trees

Jonny - My Iron Lung

Ed - Street Spirit

Phil - Planet Telex/My Iron Lung

Colin – My Iron Lung

 

 

 

This album is a really great album and might be the first Radiohead album that I fully got into. At this point though it would be my least favorite of the bunch (well I don't really count PH as much of a first release since I feel this album is where they began to find their sound)

Awh. The Bends. I love it. It's my third most listened album on last.fm (after Kid A and In Rainbows) and it's definitely in my top three favourite RH albums as well. It's also the first RH album I really got into so it still feels kind of special. I love the guitars on this one and the overall accessibility of the album. And the second half is SO good. Compared to later releases (coughkidaandamnesiaccough) The Bends has such a normal and mainstream-y sound. Unweird. That doesn't make it bad though. At all.

 

Attempt at survey:

Favorite song – Dunno. I LOVE Bulletproof/Black Star/Sulk. Guess it's Bulletproof then.

Least favorite song – High and Dry

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Fake Plastic Trees

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - High and Dry/Planet Telex/(Nice Dream)

Favorite song musically - Fake Plastic Trees. The ending is so beautiful. :dead:

Favorite song lyrically – Street Spirit

Favorite line of the album - Eh, dunno. "Immerse yourself in love" is a really powerful line, but I haven't got any stand outs. Haven't listened to the album in quite some time though.

Most overrated song - Fake Plastic Trees probably. *hides*

Most underrated song - Black Star

Current favorite - Bulletproof

Favorite when you first listened to the album - Street Spirit

 

 

By the way, I love Street Spirit, but for some reason I can't listen to it too much. It er.. kinda scares me. :freak: The video is beautiful though.

Attempt at survey:

Favorite song – Probably either "(Nice Dream)" or "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"

Least favorite song – Uhhhhh. "Bones," maybe? :thinking: Ionno.

Favorite song musically - I'm not sure. Honestly.

Favorite song lyrically – "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"

Favorite line of the album - "Cracked eggs, dead birds scream as they fight for life./I can feel Death, can see its beady eyes."

Most overrated song - "My Iron Lung"

Most underrated song - "Planet Telex"

Current favorite - "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"

Favorite when you first listened to the album - "Fake Plastic Trees"

 

I took out the most/least listened because I almost always have my iTunes on shuffle, so the results wouldn't really reflect what I really listen to.

I remember when I first heard Street Spirit I used to think that he was singing "you are, just so... in love" rather than "immerse your soul in love"

Awwwww, your interpretation actually sounds cute. :wacky:

Favorite song – Street Spirit/Fake Plastic Trees/Planet Telex

Least favorite song – Sulk

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Fake Plastic Trees

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - My Iron Lung

Favorite song musically - Fake Plastic Trees

Favorite song lyrically – Street Spirit

Favorite line of the album - (I have no idea)

Most overrated song - Just

Most underrated song - Planet Telex or Bullet Proof

Current favorite - Planet Telex

Favorite when you first listened to the album - I don't remember

k

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMwp3wWYjRg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMwp3wWYjRg[/ame]

 

:awesome:

 

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-uv_simb1I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-uv_simb1I[/ame]

 

One of the best music videos ever imo. :dead:

yeah it is great. Glazer's talented.

FINALLY DUN THIS

 

Favorite song – Planet Telex

Least favorite song – Sulk

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Planet Telex

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Sulk

Favorite song musically -

Favorite song lyrically –Fake Plastic Trees

Favorite line of the album - I dunno?

Most overrated song - Just

Most underrated song - Bullet Proof... I wish I was

Current favorite - Planet Telex

Favorite when you first listened to the album - Bones

Favorite song – Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Least favorite song – Sulk

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - Bones

Favorite song musically - Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Favorite song lyrically – Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Favorite line of the album - Immerse your soul in love

Most overrated song - My Iron Lung

Most underrated song - Bulletproof (I Wish I Was)

Current favorite - don't know, haven't listened to the album for aaaaaages

Favorite when you first listened to the album - Fake Plastic Trees

 

 

Yeah I kind of like Street Spirit (Fade Out).

is Bullet Proof underrated? we all seem to love it :P

Well until now I haven't heard people saying they love it :P

Favorite song – Fake Plastic Trees, Planet telex, street spirit

Least favorite song – High and Dry

Most listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - I dunno

Least listened to song (iTunes/last.fm) - I dunno

Favorite song musically - Fake Plastic trees

Favorite song lyrically – Fake Plastic Trees and Street spirit

Favorite line of the album - Immerse your soul in love, If I could be who you wanted

Most overrated song - High and Dry

Most underrated song - Bulletproof (I Wish I Was)

Current favorite - don't know, haven't listened to the album for aaaaaages

Favorite when you first listened to the album - Fake Plastic Trees

I almost did not change Nina's post :P

:lol: nothing wrong with that! i forgot to add 'if i could be who you wanted' line, though!