SOUNDTRACK: RADIOHEAD-Pablo Honey (1993).
I haven’t listened to Pablo Honey in years. I think of it as an almost proto-Radiohead release with one huge single. But as I was listening to it again recently I remembered that I used to listen to this disc a LOT, and I know all the songs very well. I’m also really impressed with how well the album stands up to the mayhem that they unleashed later on. It’s also pretty crazy that the album is named after a Jerky Boys skit (and not a particularly inspired one at that).
True, the album is very simple: a guitar band in the grunge era. And yet, despite the grunge inflections of “Creep,” it’s quite apparent that there’s a lot more going on here than slacker anthems.
On first listen (17 years ago (!)), a song like “Thinking About You” sounded like a conventional ballad that goes along with this type of album, revealing a softer side to a grungy band. But really, it’s a complicated mellow song placed right in the middle of the album and the break in styles is very nice. Conversely, a quick rocker like “How Do You?” is certainly a simple song, and yet it shows another dimension that the band would later investigate (it also samples the Jerky Boys deep in the mix, which I never noticed before). Even the opener “You,” is intricate and complex, with wonderful guitar riffs and solos, easily foreshadowing some of the great stuff that Jonny Greenwood would produce later on.
The more memorable songs also reveal things all these years later. “Stop Whispering” has a real Pavement feel to it (and who knows if Radiohead had even heard Pavement (who only had one album out) at that time, but it’s some cool foreshadowing of their indie rock style). And “Anyone Can Play Guitar,” a truly great song, is like a stripped down version of “Paranoid Android,” but with a really really catchy chorus.
By the end of the disc, it seems like Radiohead has run through its tricks although the oddly titled “Lurgee” points to future greatness as well. It’s easy and lazy to say that this album is a blueprint for the future Radiohead, and yet it’s surprisingly true. Not the techno stuff, obviously, but the song structures and intricacies easily foreshadow what was to come. Yet who would have ever guessed that the “you’re so fucking special” band would turn into what they did.
It’s also foolish to dismiss this record as an early version of the band, because although the album has some slow moments, it holds up very well, and actually revealed somethings that I’m sure I missed a decade and a half ago. Oh, and “Creep” is still awesome.
[READ: December 21, 2010] “The Tree Line, Kansas, 1934”
This is the story of two FBI agents on a stake out. The story gets into the head of the older agent (Lee) as he listens to the endless droning of the younger agent (Barnes).
The two have been on the stake out for several days waiting for the criminal Carson to come back to his uncle’s farm, where a boot full of loot is waiting him. They have been keeping utterly still, noting the uncle plow the barren field, taking occasional smoke breaks and really just watching the grass grow,
Barnes says t the whole stake out is futile, there’s no way that Carson is coming back here, he’ll know there are agents there, etc. Lee, on the other hand, believes the Bureau is correct, believes that Carson will return. I enjoyed the digression into Lee’s head about how a feeling in your gut turns into a hunch.
The story then jumps unexpectedly to years later as we get a look at the events as they transpired that day. The story’s emphasis on boredom crashes to an end with the exciting events on the Carson farm.
I didn’t love this story. It’s not my kind of thing. And yet for a story that I didn’t find that exciting, I was completely captivated by it. I wouldn’t go out of my way to read another story by Means, especially if it was set around the same time or about FBI agents (one is enough for me), but it was much better than I thought it would be.
I Just Read About That... 
I think Pablo Honey sounds like an album made by a garage band that is just starting to get to grips with music. There’s hints of genius in there, but mostly it’s a bit forgettable.
When you look at the Radiohead albums you can clearly see how the band has changed through each recording, finding a sound they’re really comfortable with and achieving their own sound. I like that, it shows that their success isn’t down to some natural talent, but it’s something they worked for.
I totally agree about Radiohead’s progress. For all of the peculiar noises and soundscapes they create, it all feels very natural and oxymoronically organic. And yes, their growth has been amazing.
Your attitude about Pablo is exactly the attitude I had about it until I re-listened. As I said I was delighted to discover it being a lot better than I remembered. Admittedly, in no way is it near their best stuff, but it’s better than their “one hit” of “Creep” would have led us to remember.