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The Bends
Radiohead
Retail Price (not our price): $17.98
Release Date: 1995-04-04
Manufacturer: Capitol
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
While Radiohead saw its stock rising in 1994, it wasn't until 1995's The Bends that it really became a blue chip band. And for good reason. The quintet honed its talent for bombastic Brit Rock, yet still preserved an edge of unpredictability. Even singles like the title track didn't give in to the kind of swooning guitar clichés usually embraced by commercial radio. If the CD proved anything, it was that Radiohead could find solid ground between pop experimentation and the tradition of born-in-the-bone, balls-out rock. --Nick Heil

2) Amazon.com
Radiohead PhotosMore from RadioheadOK ComputerAmnesiacKid APablo HoneyHail To The ThiefI Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) The Bends is the Best Place to Start   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
There are many very informative reviews for Radiohead's "The Bends", but I decided to go ahead and put in my two cents worth. I am not a long-time fan. I just recently bought a few of their albums. After listening to them, I came to the conclusion (as have others) that this would be the best place for someone new to the band's music to start out with. The reasons are simple. The Bends is one of the bands best albums, and it is indeed the most approachable. One of the things I dis-liked the most with "OK Computer" and "Kid A" was the vocals. The Bends definately have the most comprehensible lyrics of the three. So, Like I said, this is my recommendation of the place to start getting into Radiohead. If you like this one, then you can explore further, but be cautious.

2) The Bends   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Radiohead-The Bends *****Bridging the gap between what was and what was to come, The Bends, released in 1995 was essentialy a transistional album for Radiohead. Released after the bands debut Pablo Honey, and the My Iron Lung (EP), The Bends sepperated a great rock band in the style of Oasis, with a Beatles twist from a U2 meets modern day Coldplay but better alternative band. After The Bends Radiohead would go on to release more alternative albums such as Ok Computer, Hail To The Theif, and as off late 2007 In Rainbows among others. The guitars are still in full swing here and are still a mjor driving force of the band, Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien just have added more effects pedels and depth to their playing and style where as before it was just straight up rock with mostly use of power-chords only. Thom Yorke has grown and devoloped quite nicely as a performer and became quite the endearing song writer as of The Bends.Leaning more toward electronica then the typical rock anestetic on songs like the album opener, 'Planet Telex' and 'My Iron Lung' showing that U2 were not the only ones capable of trying new things and using electronica as a force in the early 1990's, infact I would argue that Radiohead did it better. Other places such as the almost epic '(Nice Dream)' with it's sheering guitar assault mid way through, and sedate vocals mixed with a classical string arrangement make this melting-pot of a track one to remember. Followed almost immediatly by 'Just,' a straight up hard rocker boasting one of the best song opening lines ever, "Can't wash the stink out, it's been hanging 'round for days,' you can tell from that moment on that you are in for one hell of a song, one reminicent of Pablo Honey.The second half of the album is a lot heaver and rocks a little bit harder then the first with songs like the albums stand out track 'My Iron Lung' which was so good on it's own EP released just before The Bends that was so good they decided to include it here as well, the already mentioned 'Just' and the fantastic 'Black Star' which is a little softer then the other too but none less powerful.So while The Bends is not a stand out track in the bands canon or a defining one it did help to show what was to come and sepperate the future from the past and show a band that had growth. With not a bad song to it's name The Bends easily stands up against the bands three other giant albums, Ok Computer, Kid A, and the newly released but maybe the best thing they have ever done In Rainbows. Radiohead is one of few bands that I would reccomend their whole catologue, but they are simply fantastic, and even when they don't shine at their brightest, they still tower over most others.

3) Really Great album   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
I agree, the most underrated of the albums from radiohead, I just got really into them a year ago, having listened to them for years since my brothers have been into them for years, but never really heard this album(which is surprising). I would definitely recommend this to people JUST getting into radiohead, for the main reason that this is kind of user friendly, but still has the hard edge of radiohead. And the next album I would say to a user to listen to is the new album In Rainbows...but let me get back to this album.Every track is definitely rockier and just great to listen to loud..and I think the best tracks have to be The Bends, Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, My Iron Lung, and the beautiful Street Spirit( Fade Out). Each one of these to me are 10/10, but the other tracks are great as well. I think this album definitely should have got more recognition, because I think this definitely shows what they are capable of producing, which is meaningful, beautiful, and classic music.Great Job Radiohead for sticking around and never giving into pop culture....well maybe Pablo Honey was generic, but that was your first album.

4) Buy It!!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This album is musical perfection from start to finish. I think it's their best album by far and is typically highly underrated. People are so caught up in OK Computer and Kid A, but The Bends is far more inventive. Buy this CD!! It's worth every penny.

5) Best album of the 90s   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Ask most Radiohead fans and they might tell you OK Computer is better, but if you've never listened to Radiohead before this is the place to start as its easily the most accessible of the post-Pablo Honey albums. Thom Yorke's voice alternates between anguished and wistful, and the band is tight, tight, tight. You get radio-friendly acoustic gems like "High and Dry" along with guitar workouts like "Just", and just when you think the album is tailing off it closes with "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", possibly the best song they ever recorded. A tour de force and an absolute rock masterpiece.