It’s unfortunate that I’m approaching this album in the manner that I am. When something is touted to me as “the Greatest of All Time” it skews my perception. I over analyze things. I dig into the details to try to hear or see what others have seen. I think too much about why it’s considered “great”. This is certainly a flaw of mine when approaching music, because the sad reality is that no album can possibly live up to the expectations of that title. It will inevitably let you down, because what you believe a great album should sound like might not align with the actual music itself. And that’s where I find myself with this album.
It’s a good rock album.
Maybe I had to be there when it dropped in 1997 to appreciate it more. Maybe I should just dig into what it is instead of what I think it should be. Whatever the flaw is with this album I find myself appreciating the well-composed rock songs but feeling no desire to return to it. Sure, songs like “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police” are great, but especially after hearing its younger sibling “Kid A” first I feel let down. The album is not as conceptual as others have praised it to be, nor genre defining as some of the others on this list. Can I hear how it influenced some artists like Muse and some of the other rock to come out in the early 00’s? Absolutely. Does it feel as inspired or as hungry as some of the other great music on this list? I’m not so convinced.
I suppose all this makes it seem like I dislike the album; that’s not true. But if you’re going to put something on the pedestal of being one of the most praised and critically received albums of all time, I guess I expect something more out of it. Would I recommend this album to someone? Perhaps, but not before stating that I appreciate the atmosphere and songwriting on “Kid A” better.
In my book, this album’s just ok.
Rating: 3/5
The Word and The Song 