“Immerse your soul in love”
September 21, 2008
Radiohead – “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” – Performed live at the All Points West Festival, Jersey City, NJ, August 8, 2008.
Radiohead – “There, There” – Live at All Points West, 8-8-08
Radiohead – “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” – Live at All Points West, 8-8-08
I was lucky enough to see Radiohead live on two consecutive nights this summer at the All Points West Festival in Jersey City, NJ. The Radioheads sure know how to put on a good show. All of these tracks come from the Friday night show, on August 8.
The band is very tight and together when they play live, as evidenced by these recordings. It is difficult to hear the contributions of each individual band member on the albums; seeing them live gives one a new appreciation for the structure of a Radiohead song. After seeing them live, I’ve discovered some of my favorite parts of certain songs are the background vocals provided by Ed O’Brien (he’s the tall one). Listen for these especially on “There, There.” The first comes about 1:57 into the song. I never paid much attention to these lines before because they just sound like mumbling if you don’t know the actual words being sung (read the lyrics here), but knowing what Ed is actually singing has added a new dimension to this song for me.
“Street Spirit (Fade Out)” is my favorite song from The Bends. The song sounds completely hopeless until the final lines: “Immerse your soul in love.”
“Jigsaw Falling Into Place” is a standout track from In Rainbows, the band’s latest effort, which is some of their best work yet.
Buy their albums if for some reason you don’t already have them all
Posted by Adam
September 21, 2008 at 5:00 pm
For some reason over the past two years I just haven’t listened to Radiohead all that much. They were my favorite band for a long time but I had just had enough. However, over the past month I’ve really gotten back into them and have started to notice some of the little things you’ve mentioned. They are very good.
September 22, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I saw them a month or two ago at a GIANT venue in Cleveland. Lots of people were smoking all kinds of things. It gave me a strange appreciation for the wide audience they’ve been able to develop despite their odd, electro-pop tendencies.
Standouts from the live show for me were “15 Step” and “The Gloaming.” Good show.
September 22, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I saw them a while back in Charlotte. I am with Bailey on the band’s pure tightness. The songs sounded leaner and meaner than on record, and though I attended the concert with more people than live in my hometown, it felt like an intimate show.