EMI Pushes Radiohead's Greatest Hits While Radiohead Is Busy Social Networking

Few bands have oeuvres as consistent and engaging as the men of Radiohead. Few record labels have seen as tumultuous times as EMI. You already knew where this was all headed, now the date for The Best Of is here: June 2nd in the UK, and June 30th in the States (just in time for the roadtrip with the Grizz). It's got an EPK! Its got album art! All it needs now is Radiohead's blessing. Which, it's not getting -- and which won't be stopping Terra Firma from executing upon the cash grab.
Meanwhile, there's w.a.s.t.e.-central.com, a newly launched Radiohead social networking site. The twist: this Radiohead project is sanctioned by Radiohead! We love it when that happens. Now if only it didn't seem to be a w.a.s..... you get it. There's not a whole lot happening over there is what we're saying. A place for Radiohead fans to talk about the band on the web, sure maybe, which makes it identical to atease, Stereogum, and pretty much any other place that reports on Thom's deadairspace ramblings with a Comments function. If you find that it's worth a second look, you can let us know. For now, here's that EPK and album art, because it is Radiohead, and we can't help ourselves, and we have a Comments function.
The cover:

The Best Of is out 6/2 in the UK on Parlophone/EMI, and 6/30 in the US via Capitol/EMI, in single disc, double disc, and 4-LP varieties. You want to hate it. But the tracklist makes that tough:
DISC ONE
01 "Just"
02 "Paranoid Android"
03 "Karma Police"
04 "Creep"
05 "No Surprises"
06 "High And Dry:"
07 "My Iron Lung"
08 "There There (The Boney King of Nowhere.)"
09 "Lucky"
10 "Fake Plastic Trees"
11 "Idioteque"
12 "2+2=5 (The Lukewarm.)"
13 "The Bends"
14 "Pyramid Song"
15 "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"
16 "Everything in Its Right Place"
17 "Optimistic"*
DISC TWO
01 "Airbag"
02 "I Might Be Wrong"
03 "Go To Sleep (Little Man Being Erased.)"
04 "Let Down"
05 "Planet Telex"
06 "Exit Music (For A Film)"
07 "The National Anthem"
08 "Knives Out"
09 "Talk Show Host"
10 "You"
11 "Anyone Can Play Guitar"
12 "How To Disappear Completely"
13 "True Love Waits"
* US release only
Posted at 6:17 PM in Album Art, Video
Tags: Radiohead































Commenting! Seriously though, that US-only tack-on of "Optimistic is kind of random...
Score = 1
enough with the radiohead. they are past their prime and irrelevant.
please, please, please stop reporting on these has-beens.
have they put out something even remotely good in the last five years? no. let's all just admit this and move on.
thanks
Score = -44
looks like narrow stairs
i will possess your iron lung
Score = 0
That W.A.S.T.E central thing will be great during the actual tour with photos and setlists
nice!
Score = 2
come on its not a best of if its 30 songs! Anyone can make that playlist on shuffle, it takes skill to narrow it down to 12 songs and really think about the order.
Score = 3
It's unfortunate Radiohead didn't record a cover of a hit song from the 1980's before they split with EMI, because that's what this Greatest Hits is missing.
Thom Yorke looks like he is doing a bad impression of Ryan Adams in that picture at the top.
Score = 0
"Thom Yorke looks like he is doing a bad impression of Ryan Adams in that picture at the top."
haha, he really does!
Score = 0
EMI sucks.
Score = 4
I would buy it for a studio 'Nobody Does it Better'
Otherwise I have all that shit on my iPod already
Score = 0
what the hell is an EP-K?? and in reply to JR, radiohead are awesome
Score = 1
electronic press kit.
Score = 0
mmm, meeting people is easy.
Score = 0
Wow. Never before has a greatest hits album been so unpredictable. I mean, who knows what will be on it beyond Creep! I have to admit I have my own Radiohead playlist and was always kind of ashamed of it. Seems wrong to break up their albums somehow. And jeez, JR. Has beens? Radiohead continues to redefine music not just as an art form but as a business and more. All eyes are on them because they should be.
Chris Blake
www.myspace.com/chrisblakemusic
Score = 1
Heh heh. Just realized I scrolled past the RH tracks. What?? No Where You End and I Begin?!
Score = -1
actually i can hate on the tracklist. seems like exactly what people expected - more songs from the bends than all of amnesiac and HTTT combined, a completely improbable three songs from pablo honey (that's wishful thinking, right there). The album title shoulda been "the bends, Ok computer, and some other shit."
It's beyond opportunistic. you know the band isn't flying with you, and you don't care.
Score = 0
Just go to the internet and look for all the Bsides. If EMI released a package off all the bsides I would be all over it like a fat kid on gravy
Score = 0
JR can suck my Boney King. In Rainbows is Really great. Hail to the Thief was good- by the way, Where's wolf at the door on this list? Amnesiac and Kid A were admittedly let downs for me, but between the two of them I could almost find a short album of good tunes.
That said, I think Radiohead already released a "Greatest Hits' album, and they called it "The Bends". OK Computer, Hail to the thief, and In Rainbows should only be owned as Full Albums, much like Darkside of the moon.
I agree with John0 about the B-side stuff though. I like gravy.
Score = 0
As God as my witness,i will see to it no one buys this.Shame on you,EMI,HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?!
Score = 0
Somebody else has launched a social network regarding Radiohead. It is at http://www.radioheadspace.com
Not much there yet, but I think it is quite new too.
Cheers
Jones
Score = 0
I have tried the official Radiohead social networking URL, but the page never loads. So I have found another Radiohead Social Network called
http://www.RadioheadSpace.com
There are not as many users as on the official one, but http://www.RadioheadSpace.com works
Score = 0