•
Rating:
The premise that must be made before listening to this album is the following. "Pablo Honey" is light years away, or almost, from the band's later works. Qualitatively, all the works that follow are certainly of greater value. However, the album should not be overrated, one should not fall into the opposite trap; because "Pablo Honey" is not a bad album at all.
Talking about the first album of Radiohead and immediately thinking of "Creep," unfortunately, is a very recurring fact. Inevitably, the first track that comes to mind is the single that brought the Oxford band to success. After being released in 1992, it quickly became an anthem for those who found themselves immersed in the alienation of an entire generation. Since 1998, Radiohead will no longer play the song live, withholding disdain for those who immediately turned up their noses when the song wasn’t performed during a show. The track is not bad, on the contrary, it is excellent; the only flaw is precisely the value that this song will assume for the band. The strong points of "Creep" are Jonny Greenwood's violent guitar and Thom Yorke's vocal performance.
The album primarily expresses itself through sonorities close to pop rock. Notable examples are the first track of the album "You," an excellent song whose lyrics tell of an obsessive love, and "How Do You?," a pleasant track of not extraordinary length.
Completely different, however, are other songs, like the two singles "Stop Whispering" and "Anyone Can Play Guitar." The former in particular recalls some sounds that we will find in later works; while the latter evokes disturbing, haunting atmospheres that are, at the same time, almost ironic.
Decent songs also include "Ripcord" and "Vegetable," although they certainly do not lead to thoughts of the word masterpiece. Of greater value is "Prove Yourself." Despite the song not being a complex composition, the final result is convincing; also thanks to a direct message: "I'm better off dead."
"Thinking About You," on the other hand, is one of the songs contending for the title of worst on the album. All too banal, with a predictable text and a melody that recalls something already heard. The other candidate is "Lurgee," a track overly boring. Appreciable is "I Can't," on par with "Ripcord" and "Vegetable."
The album concludes with the track that deviates the most from the album's sound. "Blow Out" indeed seems to be the best song on the entire CD precisely for its difference from the other tracks. Something different, more articulate.
Radiohead will continue their career brilliantly, and even though "Pablo Honey" will prove to be the band's worst work, it must be acknowledged for being the right starting point.
A good album, a necessary album.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 Creep (03:55)
When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh
She's running out the door
She's running out
She runs, runs, runs, runs
Runs
Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here
04 Stop Whispering (05:25)
And the wise man say I don't want to hear your voice
And the thin man say I don't want to hear your voice
And they're cursing me, and they won't let me be
And there's nothing to say, and there's nothing to do
Stop whispering, start shouting
Stop whispering, start shouting
And the mother say we spit on your son some more
And the buildings say we spit on your face some more
And the feeling is that there's something wrong
Because I can't find the words and I can't find the songs
Stop whispering, start shouting
Stop whispering, start shouting
Dear Sir, I have a complaint
Can't remember what it is
It doesn't matter anyway
It doesn't matter anyway
05 Thinking About You (02:41)
Been thinking about you, your records are here
Your eyes are on my wall, your teeth are over there
But I'm still no-one, and you're now a star
What do you care?
Been thinking about you, and there's no rest
Shit I still love you, still see you in bed
But I'm playing with myself, and what do you care
When the other men are far, far better
All the things you've got
All the things you need
Who bought you cigarettes
Who bribed the company to come and see you honey?
I've been thinking about you, so how can you sleep?
These people aren't your friends, they're paid to kiss your feet
They don't know what I know and why should you care
When I'm not there
Been thinking about you, and there's no rest
Should I still love you, still see you in bed
But I'm playing with myself, what do you care
When I'm not there
All the things you've got
She'll never need
All the things you've got
I've bled and I bleed to please you
Been thinking about you
06 Anyone Can Play Guitar (03:37)
Destiny, destiny protect me from the world.
Destiny, hold my hand, protect me from the world.
Here we are with our running and confusion,
And I don't see no confusion anywhere.
And if the world does turn and if London burns,
I'll be standing on the beach with my guitar.
I want to be in a band when I get to heaven,
Anyone can play guitar and they won't be a nothing any more.
Grow my hair, grow my hair, I am Jim Morrison,
Grow my hair, I wanna be, wanna be, wanna be Jim Morrison.
Here we are with our running and confusion,
And I don't see no confusion anywhere.
And if the world does turn and if London burns,
I'll be standing on the beach with my guitar.
I want to be in a band when I get to heaven,
Anyone can play guitar and they won't be a nothing any more.
07 Ripcord (03:09)
Soul destroyed with clever toys for little boys
It's inevitable, inevitable, it's a soul destroyed
You're free until you drop
You're free until you've had enough
And you don't understand
No ripcord, no ripcord
No ripcord, no ripcord
Aeroplane do I mean what I mean?
Oh it's inevitable, inevitable, oh aeroplane
A thousand miles an hour
On politics and power
That she don't understand
No ripcord, no ripcord
No ripcord, no ripcord
The answer to your prayers
We'll drop you anywhere
No ripcord, no ripcord
No ripcord, no no no no ripcord
Oh yeah
08 Vegetable (03:12)
I never wanted anything but this
I worked hard, tried hard
I ran around in domestic bliss
I fought hard, died hard
Every time you're running out of here
Every time you're running I get the fear
I never wanted any broken bones
Scarred face, no home
Your words surround me and I asphyxiate
And I burn all hate
Every time you're running out on me
Every time you're running I can see
I'm not a veg'table
I will not control myself
I spit on the hand that feeds me
I will not control myself
The waters break, the waters run all over me
The waters break, the waters run
And this time you're gonna pay
I'm not a veg'table
I will not control myself
I spit on the hand that feeds me
I will not control myself
09 Prove Yourself (02:25)
I can't afford to breathe in this town
Nowhere to sit without a gun in my hand
Hooked back up to the cathode ray
I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
I want to breathe, I want to grow
I'd say I want it but I don't know how
I work, I bleed, I beg, I pray
But I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Woah
11 Lurgee (03:07)
I feel better, I feel better now you've gone
I got better, I got better, I got strong
I feel better, I feel better now there's nothing wrong
I got better, I got better, I got strong
Tell me something, tell me something I don't know
Tell me one thing, tell me one thing, and let it go
I got something, I got something, heaven knows
I got something, I got something, I don't know
12 Blow Out (04:40)
In my mind and nailed into my heels
All the time killing what I feel
And everything I touch
[All wrapped up in cotton wool]
[All wrapped up and sugar coated]
Turns to stone
And everything I touch
[All wrapped up in cotton wool]
[All wrapped up and sugar coated]
Turns stone
I am fused just in case I blow out
I am glued just because I crack out
Everything I touch turns to stone
Everything I touch
[All wrapped up in cotton wool]
[All wrapped up and sugar coated]
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Sallu
Creep represents, in this case, just the tip of an iceberg.
This album is far from the paranoia of the later works, it is very youthful, carefree, and unpretentious.
By nickbelane
"'Creep' became a kind of anthem for many young people who identified with Thom Yorke’s bitter words."
"A journey that has seen Radiohead in continuous evolution, never stuck in a style that would have guaranteed them success."
By JohnWinston
It's as if Radiohead were searching for their soul but could not find it.
'Creep' is probably the most famous song of the entire Radiohead catalog, as well as one of the few peaks of the album.
