"In England, I think a lot of the reviews have been slightly over-the-top," remarked Jonny Greenwood, "because the last album ["The Bends"] was somewhat under-reviewed possibly and under-received."
Radiohead left EMI, parent company of Parlophone, in 2007 after failed contract negotiations. EMI retained the copyright to Radiohead's back catalogue of material recorded while signed to the label. After a period of being Out of print on vinyl, EMI reissued a double-LP of "OK Computer" on August 19, 2008, along with later albums "Kid A", "Amnesiac" and "Hail to the Thief" as part of the "From the Capitol Vaults" series. "OK Computer" became the year's tenth best-selling vinyl record, shifting just under 10,000 units. The reissue was connected in the press to a general upswing in vinyl sales and cultural appreciation of records as a format.
"OK Computer" was reissued again on March 24, 2009 simultaneously with "Pablo Honey" and "The Bends", without Radiohead's involvement. The reissue came in two editions: a 2-CD "Collector's Edition" and a 2-CD 1-DVD "Special Collector's Edition". The first disc contains the original studio album, the second disc contains B-sides collected from "OK Computer" singles and live recording sessions, and the DVD contains a collection of music videos and a live television performance. All material on the reissue had been previously released.
In a March 2009 interview, O'Brien claimed that EMI had not notified the band members of the reissue and said "I think the fans have got most of [the material on the reissues], it's all the stuff up on YouTube. This is just a company who are trying to squeeze every bit of lost money, it's not about [an] artistic statement." Press reaction to the reissue announcement reflected the concern that EMI was exploiting Radiohead's back catalogue. Larry Fitzmaurice of "Spin" accused EMI of planning to "issue and re-issue [Radiohead's] discography until the cash stops rolling in", and Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal said it was "hard to look at these reissues as anything other than a cash-grab for EMI/Capitol—an old media company that got dumped by their most forward-thinking band." Daniel Kreps of "Rolling Stone" defended EMI, saying "While it's easy to accuse Capitol of milking the cash cow once again, these sets are pretty comprehensive."
The reissue was critically well received, although critics were mixed about the supplemental material. Reviews in AllMusic, "Uncut", "Q", "Rolling Stone" and PopMatters praised the supplemental material, but with reservations. A review written by Scott Plagenhoef for Pitchfork awarded the reissue a perfect score, arguing that it was worth buying for fans who did not already own the rare material. Plagenhoef said, "That the band had nothing to do with these is beside the point: This is the final word on these records, if for no other reason that the Beatles' September 9 remaster campaign is, arguably, the end of the CD era." "The A.V. Club" writer Josh Modell praised both the bonus disc and the DVD, and said of the album, "And what can be said about 1997's "OK Computer" that hasn't been said before? It really is the perfect synthesis of Radiohead's seemingly conflicted impulses."
Footnotes
Citations
Niklas Bäckström
Niklas Oskar Bäckström (born February 13, 1978) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender. He plays for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played in the SM-liiga for HIFK, SaiPa and Kärpät and in the Elitserien for AIK. He won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2007 along with Manny Fernandez. He also played for Finland at the 2006 Winter Olympics where he won a silver medal and at the 2010 Winter Olympics where he won a bronze medal.
Marcin Gortat
Marcin Janusz Gortat (born February 17, 1984 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish basketball player who currently plays for the Phoenix Suns as a Power forward and Center.
He has also played for the Orlando Magic from 2008 to 2010 before being traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, a 2011 first-round draft pick, and $3 million for Hedo Türkoğlu, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark.
Soulmate (song)
"Soulmate" is a 2007 song by the English singer and songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. The song was released during July 2007 in United Kingdom. It was not until late 2008 that this song was released in the United States. It got mixed to negative review from critics within the United Kingdom, though Soulmate did become commercial success. This song gained popularity in the U.S. after being played on an episode of MTV's "The Hills".
Achterhoek
Achterhoek (English: back-corner) is a region in the province Gelderland in the Netherlands.
The Achterhoek (in English: back corner) is part of the former County of Zutphen, and once belonged to Münster in Germany, in the former county of Lohn. Significant towns include Winterswijk, Aalten, Borculo Bredevoort, Eibergen, Geesteren, Groenlo, Hengelo, Lichtenvoorde, Neede, Silvolde, Varsseveld, Vragender, and Zelhem. After 1326 these areas were added to "Graafschap" (Earldom). Doetinchem, Winterswijk and Zutphen are the largest towns in the Achterhoek.
In the south-west there is a small area called "Liemers". Many people think that it's part of the Achterhoek, but it is in fact another region.
Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland (born October 31, 1941) is an American movie and television actress. Kirkland was named after her mother. Her mother was a fashion editor for "Vogue" and "LIFE" magazines). She had small roles for 1970s movies ("The Sting", "The Way We Were" and "A Star is Born"). She also starred in many television roles in the soap operas "Valley of the Dolls" and "Days of Our Lives".
Kirkland was born in New York City.
Magnus Johansson
Magnus Johansson (born September 4, 1973 in Linköping, Sweden) is an Swedish ice hockey defenceman for the Linköpings HC of the SHL where he is also the captain. He has also played in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks for 1 season and the Florida Panthers for 1 season before being signing a contract with the Atlant Moscow Oblast of the KHL and then retured back to Linköpings HC where he was named the team's captain.
Lorraine Bracco
Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Hill in the 1990 movie "Goodfellas" and Jennifer Melfi in the HBO series "The Sopranos". She has also been in other movies, such as "Medicine Man" and "The Basketball Diaries".
Dejima
"Dejima Dutch Trading Post" is now a Japanese national historic site.
In 1543 Portuguese traders were the first to set foot in Japan, on the island of Tanegashima. Six years later Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier came to the island of Kyushu at Kagoshima. At first Portuguese traders were based in Hirado. Then they started a search for better port. In 1570 a powerful landowner or "daimyo" called Ōmura Sumitada became a Catholic. (He chose Bartolomeu as his Christian name.) He made a deal with the Portuguese to make Nagasaki better for trading. Soon the port was open. In 1580 Sumitada gave the jurisdiction of Nagasaki to the Jesuits. The Portuguese became the only ones trading silk with China through Macau.
Shogun Iemitsu ordered the creation of the artificial island in 1634. He did this at first to keep the Portuguese merchants living in Nagasaki in one area. After a rebellion of the mostly Christian population in the Shimabara-Amakusa region, the Tokugawa government banned all Western nationals except the Dutch employees of the Dutch East India Company ("Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie", VOC). Without the yearly Portuguese ships from Macau, the economy of Nagasaki suffered heavily.
Since 1609 the Dutch had a trading post on the island of Hirado. Government officials made the Dutch move from Hirado to Dejima. From 1641 on, only Chinese and Dutch ships were allowed to come to Japan.