Fuzzy Lion

Tis the season of Radiohead, huh? First they release In Rainbows as a name-your-own-price download, and now they have announced plans for three different ways to buy their entire back catalog in a box set.

If you’re like me, you already own all their albums on CD, so it’s pointless to re-buy them. (That’s option 1).

If the thought of CDs makes you shutter in fear of finding more room to store jewel cases, then don’t fret – the box set will be available as a digital-download in glorious 320 kbps bitrate mp3. (That’s option 2).

The coolest choice, and one that is sadly way out of my budget, is the limited edition Radiohead USB stick which features all the albums in CD quality WAV files. (You guessed it, option 3).

Since the dollar is worth jack shit these days, the USB stick will cost us US residents approximately $167. Hey Radiohead, call me when you sell this USB stick sans pre-loaded music!

Always trying to one-up themselves in groundbreakingness, Radiohead are asking fans to name their own download price to pre-order their new album In Rainbows which they will make available on October 10th.

The band will also be releasing the album in a “Discbox” which includes a CD, 2×12″ vinyl and access to the download code on October 10th. The Discboxes are made to order and ship in early December and will sell for £40 ($81)

Head on over to www.inrainbows.com to pay the band as much (or as little) as you think a download of their new album should be worth. (This author has already made his payment!)

There are countless Radiohead bootlegs out there, but there have been very few that have been as wonderful as Gagging Order: Acoustic Recordings.

Gagging Order sounds as good as I would expect an official Radiohead release to sound with a tracklist that is equally impressive. The acoustic takes on such songs as “There There,” “My Iron Lung” and “You” are mind-blowing.

Complete Tracklist:

1. Good Morning Mr. Magpie
2. You
3. There There
4. Fake Plastic Trees
5. Banana Co.
6. Blow Out
7. Scatterbrain
8. Go To Sleep
9. Subterranean Homesick Alien
10. My Iron Lung
11. Knives Out
12. Karma Police
13. On the Beach
14. Creep
15. I Might Be Wrong
16. Follow Me Around
17. Sail To the Moon
18. Street Spirit [Fade Out]
19. Gagging Order
20. Everything In Its Right Place

Download Gagging Order: Acoustic Recordings here.

Prior to changing their name to Radiohead, “On a Friday” recorded three tracks at Woodworm Studios in Oxfordshire. Those tracks were:

1. Happy Song
2. To Be a Brilliant Light
3. Sinking Ship

The songs, while a far departure from the Radiohead that we know today, still have that “early Radiohead” feel to them, especially when compared to Pablo Honey. Other apparent comparisons that I can come up with are a bit of the quirky Cure B-side sound (especially on “Happy Song”) and even some Squeeze thrown into the mix.

Regardless, these are a must-have for any die-hard Radiohead fan. Download the 1988 Demos here.

Back in June of 2003, Radiohead did an acoustic in-studio interview & performance at Electric Ladyland in NYC, which was hosted by Matt Pinfield and broadcast over K-Rock Radio. The quality on this show is beautiful as is the setlist:

• I Might Be Wrong
• Sail To the Moon
• Go to Sleep
• A Punchup At a Wedding
• No Surprises
• I Will
• There There
• Everything In Its Right Place
• Karma Police

Download this wonderful show here.

Update: Megashares seemed to be giving some people problems, so the show can be found here now.