| album: #4, untitled release: march 2000? formats: cd/2lp/mc/md producer: nigel godrich recording studios: paris: started February 3rd 1999 (recording studio in Paris, France) copenhagen: a fortnight in March 1999 (Medley studio in Copenhagen, Denmark) Gloucestershire: started April 12th 1999 ("at a stately home" in Gloucestershire, UK). |
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01 big boots (aka man-o-war) 02 nude/big ideas (don't get any) 03 how to disappear completely and never be found (aka 'this is not happening') 04 follow me around 05 i promise 06 lift 07 life in a glass house 08 last flowers till the hospital 09 motion picture soundtrack 10 nothing to fear 11 true love waits 12 the thief 13 lost at sea/in limbo 14 optimistic 15 neil young *9 16 everything in its right place 17 up on the ladder 18 move along 19 you and whose army 20 cuttooth 21 say the word (aka c minor song) 22 knives out 23 jonny scott walker song |
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About 4th album.
band quote (ed o'brien): "Our response is always however long it takes. There is no way we are consciously
going to release shit."
ed o'brien's diary wednesday august4 1999:
first time since starting this that i have had absolutely no desire to write anything about today. 24 hours and
a good rehearsal (thursday) later things are a little clearer. yesterday or rather today (the 4th) there was very
little played but a lot of talk. the problem we have found is that we are essentially in limbo - for the first
time in our time we have nothing to get ready for, except 'an album', but weve been working on that since january
and nothing substantial has come of it, except maybe a few harsh lessons in how not to do things*. its like how
do we start this - when we made our last three albums, there were time restrictions - we no longer have these.
are we going down 'stone roses' territory? the result of this somewhat frank discussion is that we need a plan
and something to aim for...
*not quite true in hindsight - we have recorded some good stuff (not much, though).
management quote: "We don't know how many songs they're working on. I don't think it's that structured,
it's still early days. There's no time-scale, but I doubt we'll see a release this year. There are no live appearances
scheduled for this year at present. They had spent so much time demoing up songs beforehand, the recording of the
new album should be relatively straightforward. They've took their mobile studio to demo on the road when they
were touring, and since then, they have been rehearsing new songs in France. They're got tons of stuff written
already, but they're in no hurry to get it done. A release date in early 2000 is more likely than later this year."
record company quote: "The band are not in a rush."
unknown sources close to nigel godrich: "Radiohead have at least 20 songs ready, and are working on
14 songs. No drastic stylistic departures are expected."
tracklisting?: below you can find a possible tracklisting. it is possible that none of these tracks
make it to the album. but to give us some food for thought, i'll display it anyway. to check the lyrics, click
on the song title. About 40 songs were more or less rehearsed for the fourth LP, including one or two from the
Pablo Honey era that didn't made it on OK Computer.
01 big boots (aka man-o-war)
notes: This song was a candidate for "the Bends and "OK Computer" but never made it to the albums'
tracklists. Early 1998 there were plans to record it will for the Avengers soundtrack, but they ditched that plan
as well. Thom: "we were so messed up and we went in, tried to do the track, but we just couldn't do it. It
was actually a really difficult period of time. We had a five week break and all the shit was coming to the surface.
It was all a bit wierd..I mean we went in and tried to do this old track that we had... and it just wasn't happening
at all. It was a real low point after it. It was quite an early song. It was written around The Bends and it didn't
make it onto The Bends. We couldn't find the proper way into it or whatever." A lot of clues tell us that
this track must be the song known as 'Man-O-War', performed on their US Tours in 1995. this song featured in the
documentary 'meeting people is easy'
02 nude/big ideas (don't get any)
notes: first played acoustic by thom in Tokyo, Japan on 23-01-1998. Played by the band with Jonny on keyboards
on 29-04-1998 in Dallas, USA. Anounced by thom as "this next song doesn't have a title yet", but was
already a candidate in 1996 for OK Computer, known as 'nude'. Thom said he was considering calling it something
to the effect of "failure to receive payment will put your house at risk," but feared it wasn't catchy
enough. this song featured in the documentary 'meeting people is easy'
03 how to disappear completely and never be found (aka 'this is not happening')
notes: premiered in Los Angeles, USA, 01-04-1998. Thom on acoustic guitar, Jonny on the Rhodes keyboard. Played
live the song is about seven minutes long and was then dedicated to Nigel Godrich and all the bootleggers. this
song also featured in the documentary 'meeting people is easy'
04 follow me around
notes: this song featured in the grant gee's documentary 'meeting people is easy'
05 i promise
notes: played live in 1996 during the whole tour, but ignored by the band since they last played it when supporting
alanis morissette.
06 lift
notes: appeared in almost every setlist in 1996, but never heard since thom & jonny played the song at a party
october 10th 1996. rumoured as an ok computer track, even as a single. according to ed the was never considered
by the band.
07 life in a glass house
notes: never played live before. this song is played at soundchecks. according to a reporter from 'select magazine'
in january 1998 it's a quite exquisite song that lies somewhere between exit music and climbing up the walls. it's
also featured in the documentary 'meeting people is easy'
08 last flowers till the hospital
notes: jonny wrote this song (for the okc album), which is -untill now - only instrumental - and features a lot
of strings. Ed: "It was one that we actually tracked and it sounded shite". But Colin was upset to see
this track left off the ok computer album.
09 motion picture soundtrack
notes: played live various times (including acoustic by thom for a radio session) comments from the official website:
he pulsing of a life support system . that's as far as we've got.
10 nothing to fear
notes: this song was played live (with Thom on piano) at the Amsterdam Tibetan Freedom Concert in Amsterdam on
June 13th 1999.
11 true love waits
notes: played live at 'la luna' in brussels (december 1995), the song featured thom on acoustic guitar and jonny
on keyboards. sadly, it hasn't been played since.
12 the thief
notes: this song almost made it to setlist at the Amnesty International Concert in Paris (december 10th 1998),
but was eventually replaced by Street Spirit
13 lost at sea/in limbo
notes: "after only nine months work its starting to sound like its getting somewhere. good in fact."
(ed o'brien's diary - 22-07-99) thom thinks weve already recorded the definitive version whilst in paris. not sure
about that, mind you he admits that thats because of the way hes singing it (which hes only done with a tape alone
whilst driving). i really like this new version, as much as anything for its relentlessness and energy. (from ed
o'brien's diary - 03-08-99)
14 optimistic
notes: "i really love the words, especially the line "this one just crawled out the swamp" reminds
me a bit of PJ Harvey's blues stuff. cool." (from ed o'brien's diary - 23-07-99)
15 neil young *9
notes: "highlight of the day is attempting 3 part harmonies on "neil young *9"- not the harmonies
themselves, but phil cracking up because he feels a bit like that drummer from the eagles. a fucking brilliant
rehearsal. its great to be in our band. a couple of interesting jams. one of them is jonny's who bemoans the fact
that his stuff never turns into proper songs. its good but he doesnt realise it, as hes already bored of it by
the time he plays it to us. finished by playing 'neil young *9' or as cozzie calls it the 'phil is don henley'
song. It sounds even better today (from ed o'brien's diary - 23 & 24-07-99)
16 everything in its right place
notes:
17 up on the ladder
notes:
18 move along
notes:
19 you and whose army
notes:
20 cuttooth
notes: its got a 'neu' thing about it - long and hypnotic.... (from ed o'brien's diary - 03-08-99) the song with
little structure and the only certainty is a bass riff. it makes you wonder how 'neu' did their thing - it always
sounds spontaneous on those 12 minute epics, but did they have to rehearse intensely? did it require a degree of
editing? (from ed o'brien's diary - 31-08-99)
21 say the word (aka c minor song)
notes: "jonny thinks that maybe it's getting a little too tasteful and nice and he's right. it sounds too
slick" (from ed o'brien's diary - 31-08-99) "great drum, bass and vocals - personally getting a bit anxious
over it, as i can't find anything that works with it, or rather i have an idea but can't get the sound right. makes
me a bit neurotic."(from ed o'brien's diary - 09-09-99)
22 knives out
notes: "sounding quite 'smiths-esque'. especially phil who has got that mike joyce thing down to a tee."
(from ed o'brien's diary - 09-09-99)
23 jonny scott walker song
notes: well, this what ed calls it in his diary when describing it as: "very short and sweet"