Radiohead's full 'King of Limbs' session, From the Basement

By Andrew Flanagan Thu., Aug. 18 2011 at 2:03 PM

Categories: YouTube, What Can't You Do?

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Back in February, Radiohead released King of Limbs to international befuddlement -- do we like this? can we? I do! me too! -- that had zero effect on my neighbors' ability to play the record nonstop for at least a month (not mad). It might have been what you'd call a 'grower,' a word that people use to describe something their brains/tastes/cultural attachments aren't ready for until they are.

Beyond the newspaper, the most exciting thing to come following the record was a session for Nigel Godrich's From the Basement series, introduced to us in June with a clip of the band running through "Staircase," a King of Limbs-period song that didn't make it onto the album. It was pretty much incredible, with eminent guest drummer Clive Deamer sitting in and the band relaxed and focused in the semi-casual setting.

Today the band has made viewable -- for a limited time! -- that entire session, and it is, more than probably whatever else you're up to, worth an hour of your time. In no uncertain terms, it's better than the record proper; the songs stretch out, the sound is warmer and kinder, the band live and present, the setting intimate. And adorable banter.

The last time Radiohead came through town was on May 8th, 1997 in support of OK Computer, and their touring to towns like ours has inversely dwindled with their astronomical popularity -- so this may be as close as you get (which is really close!) to Radiohead for a good long while.

Bonus candid humanity: "Please tell me that sounded alright..."

Track - Time:
"Bloom" - 0:33
"The Daily Mail" 7:30
"Feral" - 11:15
"Little By Little" - 14:45
"Codex" - 19:50
"Separator" - 25:00
"Lotus Flower" - 31:50
"Staircase" - 37:20
"Morning Mr. Magpie" - 42:30
"Give Up the Ghost" - 48:10

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