The Bends

Some time in 1995, I walked into a music store and heard The Bends, Radiohead's second album, on the store's sound system. I purchased it immediately. The album was a huge breakthrough for Radiohead and it was, in this reviewer's opinion, along with the band's third album, OK Computer, one of the two best albums of the 1990s. As most of those considering this box set already know, the music on The Bends is nothing short of amazing. It is beautiful and rocking guitar (often acoustic) based music (unlike many later Radiohead efforts), with ethereal and thought provoking vocals, colorful textures, and tasteful guitar leads. Thom Yorke (vocals) and Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar) really shine. It is a great, great album. So what about this box set? Well, as with the other two recent re-releases of Radiohead's first three albums by the band's now former record company, it contains two audio CDs, one of the original album and one of ep tracks and/or B-sides and "live" tracks (here, from BBC Radio One), and one DVD containing videos and "live" tracks (here concert, studio and television footage). There are also less expensive sets just containing the two audio CDs. About the sound quality. There has been some griping that the album has not been remastered. Keeping in mind that the album was first made for CD, and not all remastering is an improvement, it seems to me that the sound on these CDs -- although I found this more obvious on the Pablo Honey and OK Computer discs -- sounds better than I recall the original discs sounding. The 2CD/1DVD box sets are manufactured in the EU -- most likely in the UK --and seem to be excellent pressings. I do not know if the same is the case with the 2CD sets, but given the delay in the release of the box sets, I suspect that the 2CD sets are likely domestic. As great as the first CD (containing The Bends album) is, it is remarkable how fine the second CD is. First, it contains all of the songs (other than the title track, which appears on the first CD) of the "My Iron Lung" ep, which was released in 1994, the year before the Bends was released (and following the Pablo Honey album). The second disc also contains B-sides from the singles released from The Bends album, and these include some of the band's finest B-sides, some really great tunes. Lastly, it includes four live songs from a 1994 BBC Radio One session. While Radiohead fans are likely to have many, or most, of the songs included on this second disc, it is nice to have them all together, and, for those who haven't acquired them already, at a much lower cost than purchasing all of the [import] singles. In response to the reviewer who complained that the same songs are available on-line for 99 cents each, but sorry, the sound quality here is superior to MP3 format. The third disc is a DVD containing the videos from the album (amazing how young the band members look), concert footage from a 1994 London show (the same show featured on the Pablo Honey DVD) and live footage taken in the studio and from British television. While the video could have been better (the footage does not run consecutively for one thing) it is great to see the band rock out on the tunes, and the sound and video quality is very good. I'm certain that most of this footage can be found on-line, so it is up to the individual as to whether to pony up the extra dough for the box set. Like I said, however, the box set is an import containing some nice pressings of the audio CDs. Lastly, about the record company cashing in, and that the band is not behind this. Yes, that may be true. But was the band behind the release of all those outrageously expensive import singles/B-sides, that should have been released, as they have been here, on a single CD? The nut of it is, the music is excellent (same of Radiohead's very best), and at the time of the writing of this review, Amazon is selling this thing at a steep discount from the release price (I'm waiting for a refund). Highly recommended.

10/10 Album The CD was great too!

He quedado muy satisfecho con el CD. La entrega fue rápida y el producto llegó en excelentes condiciones.

Great

I play it straight through every time and haven't heard it enough despite 30 or so years of listening.

Llego rápido hasta Perú, buena calidad, buen sonido, lo unico malo fue el estuche del CD que llego con 2 rajaduras, fuera de eso todo Ok.

Grandson loves it

Good pressing! Arrived in good shape as well

excellent, very satisfied, quick delivery

Issues with recorded quality. Not a balanced mastering

"The Bends" dei Radiohead è un capolavoro che segna il passaggio cruciale di una band da fenomeno underground a icona del rock alternativo. Uscito il 13 marzo 1995, è il secondo album del gruppo inglese e rappresenta un salto emozionale, tecnico e concettuale rispetto al debutto "Pablo Honey". Un sound in espansione: Abbandonando le influenze grunge di "Creep", i Radiohead creano un universo più cupo, denso e atmosferico. Brani come *"High and Dry"* e *"Fake Plastic Trees"* uniscono chitarre acustiche, synth inquietanti e la voce di Thom Yorke che sembra levitare tra le nuvole. Testi introspettivi e poetici. L’album è un viaggio nella disconnessione moderna, l’ansia, e il peso delle relazioni. Ascolta *"The Bends"*, dove Yorke canta: "All the poor and lonely, all the freaks that chase, driven on by desire, these desperate hands". È come se ogni canzone fosse un grido trattenuto. Da *"Just"*, con il suo riff tagliente e il climax isterico, a *"Street Spirit (Fade Out)"*, un lento sussurro che ti avvolge e ti lascia senza fiato. La band suona come se stesse lottando contro sé stessa — e questo è magico. Prodotto da John Leckie (già con Pink Floyd e Muse), l’album ha un suono più maturo, meno “britpop” e più visionario. Il gruppo inizia a esplorare il territorio che poi esploderà in "OK Computer". Se proprio vogliamo trovare qualche difetto Alcuni fan del primo periodo potrebbero trovare l’album meno immediato di "Creep", ma è un disco che si svela con l’ascolto. La produzione, pur eccellente, ha un suono un po’ “raw” che non rende giustizia a tutte le sfumature (ma questo aggiunge fascino). Il finale di *"Bones"* è un po’ confusionario, ma è un dettaglio. 1. *"Planet Telex"* – Un opener ipnotico, con distorsioni e paranoia palpabile. 2. *"Fake Plastic Trees"* – Una ballata fragile, come un sussurro in una foresta di plastica. 3. *"High and Dry"* – Il singolo malinconico che ti resta dentro. 4. *"Street Spirit (Fade Out)"* – La chiusura maestosa, un requiem che ti fa sentire il peso del mondo. 5. *"Just"* – Un pezzo nervoso e perfetto per sentire il cuore pulsare. Nel 2020, Rolling Stone lo ha inserito tra i 500 migliori album di tutti i tempi. È stato un successo commerciale (3x Platino nel Regno Unito), ma soprattutto un trasso fondamentale per band come Muse, Coldplay e Arcade Fire. È il disco dove i Radiohead trovano la loro voce: meno rockettari, più inquietanti. Ogni ascolto ti rivela un nuovo dettaglio: è come un puzzle emotivo. È un ponte tra il grunge e l’era digitale, con un sound che ancora oggi suona fresco. "The Bends" non è solo un album: è un’esperienza. Se ti piacciono artisti come Muse, The National o Smiths, questo è il disco che ti farà capire perché i Radiohead sono considerati i profeti del rock maledetto. Non è facile da digerire al primo colpo, ma è un investimento emotivo che ripaga.

Obra-prima com um som inacreditável!!!!!

Radiohead in its best period.