I’m posting this for the sole purpose of making sure my roomate Dave is never more than an internet connection away from hearing this song. He’s been known to get cranky when he can’t. It’s from Blind Melon’s second record, released just months before frontman Shannon Hoon’s fatal cocaine overdose.

I never felt that Blind Melon got a fair shake because they will forever be known only as the band that sings that “No Rain” song. Dave thinks about it like “No Rain” is a song from the radio. The stuff on Soup is actually Blind Melon. It’s the same way I think of “Creep.” It’s a song that’s generally associated with Radiohead, but real Radiohead is stuff like “The National Anthem.” Unfortunately for Blind Melon, their iron lung didn’t get a chance to sustain them long enough to make a greater impression.  So I’m going to try to do my part to share something else.  Also their cover of the Schoolhouse Rock classic “Three is A Magic Number” and, because I mentioned it, “The National Anthem.”

 Blind Melon - Vernie [3:16m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Blind Melon - Three is a Magic Number [3:14m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - The National Anthem (Live) [4:58m]: Play in Popup | Download

All pictures courtesy of the kickin’ Lendi.

To view bigger, and assuming you’re using Firefox, because why the hell wouldn’t you be, right click on the images and click “View Image”.

 Radiohead - Palo Alto [3:42m]: Play in Popup | Download

All this jazz about Radiohead being opposed (and rightly so) to the release of a Greatest Hits comp has gotten me to thinkin’. Actually it was one of the comments on the NME article, but I would’ve come up with it eventually. If EMI wanted to do something that would sell, and be less blatantly offensive, they ought to have released a B-Sides & Rarities instead. Y’know, like Amnesiac. Anyone who likes Radiohead enough to be interested in this Hits disc is likely to have those songs already because, well, they are good songs. So it’s a rarities night tonight: the sexiest song ever written (according to Thom), the sexiest song ever written (according to me), a corrected version of an old song done live on French TV, an old song done for the radio with members of the Posies (not Pixies, I can’t stress this enough), a “No Surprises” b-side, a string quartet rendition of an OK Computer track, one of my favourite early songs live, and an acoustic version of Kid A’s closer. I think it’s a pretty balanced selection. And, because I like you, I’m throwing in a video of “Karma Police” live on Le Reservoir. That whole set is floating around YouTube, I recommend you seek ‘em out. [youtube onw96jFCHb4]

 Radiohead - Nobody Does it Better (live) [3:35m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - Talk Show Host [4:14m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - Fog (again) [live] [2:17m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - Blow Out (acoustic) [3:23m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - How I Made My Millions [3:08m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Section - Electioneering [3:15m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - Killer Cars (live) [2:17m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack (acoustic) [3:16m]: Play in Popup | Download

Well, I saw Radiohead on Tuesday night. I’m not sure exactly how exciting this is, because I have no ticket left over (besides an e-ticket), no good pictures and not very good video. I’m waiting on some better quality stuff from a friend who got up to the seventh row. We actually sat in the lawn, which is all the way in the back. Where you can drink, smoke, and get to the loo easily, so it was worth it.

The show was awesome. Apparently the boys had requested that the two side video screens toRadiohead not be used, but they used their own that were on stage behind them. So you could see Thom’s crazy eye and everything. (I don’t know if this important to you, but his eye was very important to the friend I went with).

I feel like seating, obviously, is super important. Especially at a show like this. Radiohead had electric curtains of some kind, that lit up with all sorts of colors and strange patterns. Which was awesome, but I’m sure it would have been way more awesome and trippy if it was happening like 20 feet away from my face.

So the high energy was all up front, and the chill was all in my lap, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the show. What was also awesome about chilling in the lawn was that for certain songs, if I chose, I could just lay back on the blanket and stare at the stars while Thom Yorke and the boys played me their music. Pretty fucking sweet.

They opened with ‘All I Need’. Do I have a setlist? No. I can tell you they played Weird Fishes, Reckoner, Fake Plastic Trees, Bodysnatchers, House of Cards, and Videtape. I think they played Nude. They played Idioteque. I know they didn’t play much from OK Computer, because a different friend was a little disappointed by that. But what you gonna do? I have special requests, too. Like In Limbo. Love that song.

It was a good, chill show. I have seen Radiohead. CHECK.

Enjoy some short, bad-quality video.

 Radiohead - Reckoner [4:50m]: Play in Popup | Download

Song of the Day, which Damon used to use in his emails to me, has long been forgotten. But now I find reason to pull it out of the internet, blow the dust off, and bring it to life. This is a song that is awesome and has been following me around, in my head, at my ankles, and more importantly, in my ear. Enjoy it. It makes me think of death and life. Death tonight as I drove home from work. Life when I wake up. And here’s a pretty picture of the Tree of Life.

Radiohead | In Rainbows

 Radiohead - All I Need [3:49m]: Play in Popup | Download

Recently my best friend told me she got the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, and said she enjoyed it, and it was her first real Radiohead experience. Well, of course, hearing that, I feel the need to educate on Radioheadian values, so I made a mix for her. Of some of the head’s more noteworthy songs.

Radiohead

Bulletproof is a track from an Unplugged Radiohead album. Love it. Reckoner is my new favorite from In Rainbows. How to Disappear Completely is one of my favorite tracks from Kid A, as well as In Limbo. How to Disappear Completely also happens to be Damon’s girlfriend’s favorite Radiohead track, period.

 Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely [5:56m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - Reckoner [4:50m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - In Limbo [3:31m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Radiohead - Bulletproof [2:42m]: Play in Popup | Download