Reviews for Radiohead's OK Computer (33 1/3) (33 1/3)

1. Worth A Read

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2010

   I believe that the previous reviews of this book are somewhat unfair and unfocussed, condemning this book as eith nonacademic or soullessly clinical. I would like to interject however, as I believe both outlooks to be flawed as they seem to skew the content to the point where I was not sure if I was reading the same book as other reviewers.
   
   A previous review states that the book is nothing more than florid prose and statements of track lengths and key signatures, which I would denounce as being wholly inaccurate. Griffiths seeks to contextualize OK Computer in the time period that it was released, raises some quite valid points and is overall very passionate about her subject matter, writing in a style reminiscent of Paul Morley's "Words and Music".
   
   Is this book perfect though? In a word 'no': Griffiths could definitely have expanded on some sections of her material although there is a reasonable amount of in-depth analyses present. Her love of lengthy and at times questionable quotation was somewhat of a hinderance, but not necessarily the death of this book.
   
   I gave this five stars to offset the somewhat unfairly over critical rating given by previous reviewers. Although I find the star rating system somewhat redundant I shall simply say that this book is worth reading. If you're looking for some analysis into the career of 'Radiohead' or contextual analysis of OK Computer you can do a lot worse than 33 1/3's "OK Computer". I would not however, suggest completely ignoring this book as I have found it a valuable asset into further understanding of the bands creative intention and the entity that is "OK Computer".

2. Worst of the series

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, August 12th, 2009

   I was of the opinion that the worst in the series was the one on Tribe Called Quest's first album... that was until I read this one.
   
   While the one on the Tribe album is pretty dire, just being random musing from the author and nothing about the album, that was at least readable. This doesn't succeed on any level, no real insights about the album, the band, and it doesn't succeed as an academic analysis either.
   
   This was a HUGE opportunity to have a great book on a great album, and it is totally wasted.
   It sounds like the author has not even ever listened to the album before. Even if that is the case, he could have still written a solid book by cribbing from what other critics have said, interviews with the band, or just done a straightforward analysis of the music and the lyrics, but he opts for an entirely different subject altogether, which he doesn't break down well either.
   
   Though we can't lay the blame entirely at the door of the author - whoever let this go as far to be published is at fault too.
   
   The argument I've seen from a minority of other reviewers that we don't want to read about what the band has to say or any inside information is ludicrous. It's not band-worshiping, it's simply getting the facts from, you know, the people who actually made the album! If you're not into reading about bands and their music and how things were put together, then why would you even be buying this book in the first place?
   
   Terrible, please for the love of God 33 1/3, please don't let this fate befall any other albums we love.
   
   
   
   

3. honest

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, February 12rd, 2009

   The book is good if you are looking for an analysis into cover, length of songs, a description of lyrics and music and a politicsl discussion into how the album situates itself in 1997. However it does not feature music analysis to any extensive degree and I fear that other books by Simon Frith will take you closer to understanding the music itself. Well written is however certainly the case.
   
   By Allan Nellemann

4. falls short of even being academic

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2008

   I generally agree with the bad reviews here; the trouble is, they're written with the assumption that the book is too 'analytical', or that "If you're a fellow 'academic'... you'll get a kick out of learning the average length of the tracks".
   
   Nothing could be further from the truth. As an open-minded Radiohead fan with a music degree, I would have welcomed some real musical analysis of the album as a whole. Instead we get nothing but lists of key signatures, track lengths, even the lengths of individual verses. There is a difference between analysis and mere description - and this is nothing but dispassionate, tedious, and ultimately useless description. No analysis here to get a kick out of.
   
   The book's saving graces may be the florid literary references with which Griffiths peppers his otherwise bland text, but these tend to be tangential, over-personal, and often unrelated. That is until the very end, where he does seem to be making a point - only it's not his own point, but a collection of other peoples'.
   
   Disappointing; I'm left wondering what motivated Griffiths to write this. Doesn't sound like the Radiohead I know.

5. Let down

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2008

   I'd agree with some of the more negative reviews written here. The writing in this book is academic, devoid of passion, and having read it I have no idea whether the author even likes the album or not. Lester Bangs he is not.