The Decomposer Lounge | Radiohead Reaction Airbag, Weird Fishes, Morning Bell, Fake Plastic Trees 

Weird Fishes is one of the most beautiful songs ever made by humanity.

Colin Greenwod is such an underrated genius. He only plays his notes when necessary, a thing that is very rare for contemporary bassists. His melodies are unforgettable.

Nigel Godrich has been the producer and engineer for Radiohead since The Bends (Edit: Since OK Computer) and he's basically to Radiohead what George Martin was to The Beatles. Geebz you really owe it to yourself to watch some live footage of Radiohead (especially Live From the Basement) to see just how much each member contributes to their arrangements. The textures and pads are almost exclusively made by Ed and Johnny on their guitars and when they do use synths and keyboards they are almost always vintage analog instruments being played by Johnny.

"Airbag" to me is the sound of the future, presenting itself in all of its awe and terror. One of the greatest album openers of all time.

Weird Fishes is for sure one of my favorite Radiohead jams. I also love Reckoner and All I Need. The live basement recording of Reckoner is a 10/10 experience as is the Scotch Mist version of All I Need.

Your reactions are pure gold. You look like a good friend talking to us. Thanks for that. And thanks for this Radiohead reactions. That band definitely needs to be listened this way, with accuracy on details. Like a beautiful and strange abstract painting. Hugs from Brazil.

Shocked no one ever mentions Life in a Glass House. The layering and feel of that song is unparalleled. Would love to see you explore that track… also like Spinning Plates!

The "if I could be who you wanted" part still sometimes brings me to tears now after all these years.

Fake Plastic Trees is one of those songs I can listen on loop and not tire from it. I just adore the melody and emotion. Great reaction!

Weird fishes/Arpeggi is the greatest radiohead song. It gives me so much emotion. It makes me miss a person ive never met. It makes me love someone whose face ive never seen and will never see. When i hear that song i feel like pure energy.

Huge Radiohead fan, and I love this! You’ve got to do “Nude”, “Burn the Witch”, and “There, There”. Some of Radiohead’s best songs, I think.

Weird fishes/Arpeggi has to be one of the best contemporary pieces of classical music

The bassline on Airbag is one of their very best, and that's saying something. Brother Jonny gets heaps of praise but Colin is a phenomenal bassist and his parts are often one of the best things about their music

Love all the songs. Weird Fishes especially feels like religious exaltation.

If you change the first two phonemes of weird fishes, you get Feared Wishes. If no one has said it yet, I always remember someone telling me that. - That's how I hear the song since then.

So many people think Radiohead just have 'Creep' and they are oh so wrong. 🤘🤘🤘

Watch the live from the basement version of Weird Fishes. They can produce this kind of sound live without overdubs.

"Packt like sardines in a crushd tin box" (a radiohead song) deserves some perusal at your convenience, mister Geebz.

I really can't believe I'm watching this. It's hard to put into words watching someone listen and react to this band... now... at this point in time.... I'm totally living vicariously through you. Listening to these songs for the first time again is just so surreal...

Morning Bell isn't *quite* a part two to another song, the outro of Idioteque (the previous) kind of just leads into Morning Bell, then fades out. Still a super cool transition when the Morning Bell drums enter. I really love the flow of Kid A, it's my favorite album of all time.

Morning Bell is so underrated. Such an indescribable atmosphere. Like it seamlessly alternates between eery and beautiful.

Fake plastic trees is the song that got me into them. Loved them ever since

We really want to experience their 'Live From the Basement' with you man... the whole session..

Weird fishes is like the perfect layered Radiohead song… it’s like every thing they have ever done rolled into one song.. it’s Fucking amazing

Weird Fishes is (to me) one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL songs every made. I cannot listen to this one without feeling A LOT. The sounds made in this song whatever they may be are perfectly matched with the composition and vocals IMHO. Thank you for finally doing this one. It is very special to me! Please by all means watch this one live from The Basement. It is Amazeballs!!!!! Love your videos 💓 I am a HUGE Radiohead Fan!!!!!!!!!

I think you'd get another (in my opinion, even better) feel from listening to a live version of Weird Fishes - search for "In Rainbows From the Basement (April 2008)" and it's the first track. The pacing also feels different to the studio version in a good way. The video showcases the In Rainbows album and is something I often return to.

"It's trance-like when I'm hearing it" Exactly. They take you for a ride. Very good breakdown, I feel a much deeper connection with these songs after listening to your interpretations.

Weird fishes is one of the greatest songs of all time and one of my favorites in their discography. A good go-to timeless track that takes you in and out of time. You gotta react to the live from the basement performance of the track aside from “reckoner” too. Heck “blow out”, “wish I was bulletproof “ and “black star” are awesome, emotional driven early Radiohead tracks.

OK Computer still manages to absolutely amaze me every time I drop the needle. So effing good.

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi was originally a piece for orchestra and six Ondes Martenots composed by Jonny Greenwood. He then invited Thom to add lyrics and vocals to it. There's actually a live version from 2005 (search Arpeggi at Ether Festival). The band version features not only overlapping guitars but also a celesta.

Radiohead has provided me with an emotional outlet for decades now. They're so easy to get into because their music really pulls on your soul. Thanks for spending so much time reviewing this band, Geebz.

Radiohead is such an incredibly important band, I can not think of another band that has constantly taken new steps in its development, broken new musical ground and still retained all the bandmembers. It is both amazing and beautiful, in this world full of conflicts. While waiting for a new record, I have to settle for Thom & Johnny's side project (together with Tom Skinner), The Smile. They sometimes reach the same dizzying heights as Radiohead

Airbag was my alarm wakeup song for years - never heard it on headphones until now. Wow!

John Leckie who was also the producer for the first Stone Roses album and many of XTC's albums, was the producer for The Bends and Nigel Godrich was his tape operator and assistant engineer, Nigel went on to produce all the albums after that.

I thank Radiohead deeply for the creativity they brought to my ears as a young teenager- they are a strong bridge to moving on to many different genres of music and being open to many different kinds of sounds. They expanded what I was able to appreciate.

I cook dinner parties for my trade and clean the dishes listening to you, Geebz. Always a pleasure and especially when it's Raidiohead, greatest British band ever.

Radioheads unofficial 6th member is their Producer Niles. He produced their 2nd album and has been with them since. He is also is in some of the individual band members projects.

Geebz, what can I say, I love Radiohead, completely, totally. Incomparable. 1:10 am and work tomorrow but what a joy. As much satisfaction as they give me there is something greater watching another’s discovery.

It's really quite awesome watching someone experience Radiohead for the first time. This is the kind of band I think a lot of us come to love while listening alone, so getting to see other people have the same love for the band I do is just the coolest.

The Bends. That and "Garbage" were the first two CDs I ever bought. They both hold up very well, and both take me back in time - effortlessly. Fake Plastic Trees is just pure melancholic genius.

Among the sounds in the breakdown of Airbag is the drums put through a Moog synthesizer.

The numbers and decks dark from a moon shaped pool !!! This is their best album for composition pov

I tihnk some of the ambience in Weird Fishes is a reverb that is pulsating in stereo width and reverb length. Its a really cool effect.

BEST BAND IN THE WORLD!

LET DOWN is their masterpiece and a crowning achievement!

Thanks! I think everyone really would like to see your reaction to There There.

Morning Bell, Airbag AND Weird Fishes? Now this is the Radiohead discussion video I was needing. I would love to hear your thoughts on Elliot Smith and his work. Listening to Radiohead always puts me a certain mood, and Elliot Smith goes close with that.

That was fun, saved rhe best til last. Airbag is a special song, it ends with computer distortion. Said it before but once you have reacted to all of OK Computer, then you can hear it all in order, life changing experience, perfect album.

You’ve got to do Staircase too, what a beautiful and haunting song.

the expressions he made when listening to Fake plastic trees, the same expressions i made when i first listened it, so beautiful.

Thank heavens you are listening to more Radiohead. Enjoy the journey, there’s really nothing like it.

Amazing and wonderful - your quote - it should be thrown back at you. Nobody does vids like you do - and to have you enjoy and breakdown my lifelong favorite band is a true joy. Honestly, so such gratitude to you for this absolute treat. Radiohead knocked off Stevie Ray Vaughan who had knocked off Pink Floyd as my favorite artists and no one has ever come around to take that crown despite my wide ranging tastes across so many genres since it happened at "OK Computer" in college in Blacksburg, VA in 1997 to this very day. They just have something else that rises above - for me myself of course, to each their own with music always - but your knowledge and breakdowns add so much, both to enjoy your discovery but also for me as a fan. Great man - this was an unexpected bit of treasure after a long day - thank you my brother. And yes sir - there is SO much more to come! Wait till you see "Weird Fishes" from the Basement concert. All in due time.

It makes me really happy when someone compares Radiohead with beatles and Led Zepplin. They are magnificent.

In Rainbows Live from the Basement is one of my favorite (& probably most watched) things to watch on this Tube. The band is mesmerizing to see that close up. They are alchemists for sure. *edit* & there I go, off to watch it again. ❤🙏

Still here , brother. So glad you are enjoying one of the best bands of the last 30 years!

You're damn right I'm still here! Thanks Geebz 🤙

I'm still here. I'm loving your Radiohead reactions. Keep it up.

Listening to Radiohead brings emotions to the surface I didn't even realise were there

Welcome to the Radiohead fandom. You rock man. And your experienced ear lends new light to a band thats really just changed so many people's musical experience. Please keep doin what youre doin. YES (IN RAINBOWS - Live from the Basement!)

Those bass parts in airbag could cut through titanium

I am still here. I love these long form programs, especially when you have music like this. I am a big fan of Radiohead. Can't wait for the next one.

Good evening mr. Geebz...I claimed OK Computer to be perhaps being the best Album of the '90s long time ago....and I absolutely love how you keep doing songs from this masterpiece!!!

oh man i wish you did idioteque and morning bell back to back. that transition is amazing

IMO one of the things that's really cool about Weird Fishes is realizing how close they get to the album recording live. Even that waterfall effect in the coda. So... obviously there's overdubs and such on the record, but nothing that they can't recreate (mostly) live.

Life in a Glass House by Radiohead. I think you’ll really dig this jam.

Not going to lie, i teared up a bit listening to Weird Fishes with you there. Really tugs on me at an emotional level.

Man, Airbag has to be in my top 3 or 5 fav Radiohead songs. So grooving and spacious.

Enjoyed it very much because as a self taught guitar player I use Radiohead songs to elevate my guitar playing due to their diversity and their musical evolution over time and you dissecting and analysing their music give names and understanding of what I've heard but didn't understand as the pure listener, Thanks even came up with my own creation listening to you. Please dissect PRESENT TENSE or EVERTHING IN IT'S RIGHT PLACE. Great work!

Don’t know if someone has mentioned it but usually all the “synth” or ethereal sounds are Ed Obrien’s electric guitar work.

WooHoo! Funny, I've got my OK Computer 20th anniv remaster CD playing in the car, and just listened to Airbag! Love this idea of a long-form show. Can't wait to watch this after work! Long Live Radiohead & Long Live GEEBZ!!

Rad selection! Love me some Radiohead. Thanks Geebz.

I cry every single time I hear Weird Fishes. That is all.

Hey Geebz, I’m still here. I think what is fun about this channel is that I can watch something, anything and get a new perspective about music. Also, it makes me feel like you’re watching/listening to the music with me. It’s truly a rare talent. Anyway, I’ve listened to Airbag a thousand times but never tried to listen to the snare drum. There is something there early in the song that comes back much later. 😀

"He used to do surgery for girls in the eighties, but gravity always wins" - get's me every time. Jesus.

i watched all your radiohead reactions last week and was thinking why they are so few of them and look what we have here you did a long video on radio im thrilled 😊

Oh man, you MUST check out "In Rainbows Live From The Basement" videos. They do ethereal so naturally. It's fun to watch them perform.

I love how I could notice new things about tracks that I listened hundreds of times.

I'm. Still. Freaking. Here. And happy about it.

I always enjoy watching u react to RADIOHEAD. they're brilliant and u know it

Been anticipating you doing Weird Fishes 🤘

Nigel Godrich is the unofficial 6th member of Radiohead. Stanley Donwod, the artist who designs their covers, is a deep friend of Thom Yorke and is the unofficial seventh member (Donwood and Yorke work together on art, and Yorke's artist name is Dr Tchock, or Tchocky)

Dude... checked your channel to see if you have done any more Radiohead and this is what I get. Thanks! That Pyramid Song reaction is one of your best takes.

The Numbers is one of Radioheads best songs if you love arrangements and production. Gives me the feels everytime!

The ONE main ‘tidbit’ you and everyone needs to know about Fake Plastic Trees…Thom recorded those [extra HIGH] vocals RIGHT AFTER they went to see JEFF BUCKLEY in London, [would’ve been late 1994] -the SAME NIGHT. Thank you Jeff Buckley, you tragically weren’t around long enough to bath us in years worth of tracks, but you definitely get a major ‘assist’ with Fake Plastic Trees…if not 20 more songs after. [and I hope they sneak that part into THE Jeff bio movie they’re FINALLY shooting as we speak]

The warm, organic keyboard sounds on Morning Bell: I believe it’s a Fender Rhodes electric piano. They used that a lot on OK Computer and Kid A and it’s one of the things that they took from Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, which they cited as a big inspiration during the OK Computer period. Live, on some tracks like Everything in its Right Place, they sample the sound through guitar pedals. I also love those warm tones and it’s a shame they stopped playing Morning Bell live. It was a great opener to their live sets for a while: I remember Colin, the bass player, saying he liked the gaps in the music because they’d help him get a feel for the physical space they were in. Great selection of tracks: they have a timeless quality in my opinion because of the details in the arrangements, the abstract lyrics and the way the songs keep revealing themselves on repeated listens, 15-25 years on from the recordings.

Radiohead and Geebz--just the way I want to wind down after work! Thanks!

Love the title song, The Bends!!!

"JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE" If you want to hear them in pure musical form. Melodic... beautiful... haunting. Radiohead as a band, not just cool sounds and complex arrangements. You'll see what I mean😉

What I really admire in these decompositions, being a ‘pure listener’ myself, is the way a layman (me) gets a kind of behind the scenes look of what seems to be going on in an educated musicians’ head whilst listening to some of these tracks (closing eyes, fingers counting, face up in delight, confusion, resolution, …). Especially interesting for me personally is watching that proces as it enfolds during the sort of songs which I myself tend to find “complicated” during a first listen. Apart from that track from the Bends in this vid (or any other track on that album really, which one might classify as one of their more traditionally use of instrumentation, keys, time and all that - being only their 2nd album after the first with one hit wonder that had ‘Creep’ on it, their imagine still almost that of a usual rockband at the time), in the 3 other songs (not quite as easy on the ears at first for me i must admit) you, Geebz, seem to be able to somehow work out most of what is going on and can actually enjoy those songs that I found to be less accessible at first listen. Having followed Radiohead for decades though & I’ve come to realise that it’s exactly those -to me- more complicated tracks, that eventually grow on me the most and really end up being my absolute favourites. And it seems that what I usually try during first listens is what you do: to analyse mentally, to decompose, yet not having any real background there, it’s only during second (or later) listening to those tracks in particular, that I’ve learned to let go of analysis completely and just surrender, emerge into the song, physically and emotionally, turning off all cognitive attempts of understanding the how and why (almost as a exercise in mindfulness you might say, thoughts might appear still but not hanging on rather let them float away as clouds, remaining in the song entire body&soul) I suppose I usually do include lyrics in first listens, so that information does still register in those go-with-it later listenings, but I even that aspect never really affected my experience first time (either I got into it fully first time, or needed second, third and more times of emotional emerging into those songs that seemed less accessible at first -despite really liking the lyrics even first time, long before getting into the full sonic atmosphere later on). I don’t know whether anyone here can relate to this type of experience (more concrete example perhaps: being blown away by ‘The bends’ the very fist time hearing it, getting touched by every single song, but needing multiple playings for albums like ‘OK computer’, ‘Kid A/ Amnesiac’ or ‘In Rainbows’ - whilst in fact the latter are now the albums that turned out the be those you listen to the most and you’d probably even name one of those albums I just mentioned, as your favourite Radiohead-album, though it didn’t sound like that when you first listened to it - I truly wonder whether any of that makes sense or even sounds familiar to anyone reading this - perhaps it’s just me…). Specifically in reference to this video, I would like to point Geebz and/or viewers to a few other videos worth checking out: - Too often forgotten I think is the absolutely world class composer/ band member Jonny Greenwood. Especially some of his music-scores, really opened up my eyes to his incredible talent. The subtlety with which relatively recent soundtrack lifted the picture ‘Year of the dog’ to another level (admittedly not the only Jane Campion movie-score that is eerily beautiful, so does know how the choose them), the haunting track to ‘Their will be blood’ or even the romantic melodious atmosphere he created for ‘Norwegian Wood, too name but a few. If you are aware of good movie composers the likes of Max Richter, Philip Glass, Zimmer, Nyman, … but haven’t included Jonny in that list yet, my advice is that it’s about time you get to experience his unique soulful touch (which knowingly or not has undoubtedly already gotten deep underneath your skin and left a heavy impact during some or other flic you saw but didn’t know he scored) with his gift. The contributions Jonny brings to Radiohead which I value most are his ‘cinematic’ approaches towards the songs since long before he got into cinema. The way he (at least from OkC onwards as their music got less guitar-oriented since, which seems to have been a starting point his newfound avant-gard ways to arrange, layer and experiment in short) seems to have a natural ability to compose/arrange appropriate (cinematic)‘soundscapes’ almost that apart from being so different every time yet still bear his recognisable artistic voice, still manages to form that glorious complemental flip side to Thoms part of the coin whose has a totally intriguing personal brand of weird and wonderful all of its own of course. Both men obviously enormously talented yet (joking dynamics aside) delightfully modest and respectful to that which the other brings into the mind-blowing trip which is know as Radiohead. Link to short clip about Jonny as (academy award winning) movie score composer: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qX4QaMKMYP4.html - I heard Geebz refer to Thoms vocal talent in almost every Radiohead-decomposer video, each time almost apologetically admitting that he’s not to be a true vocal expert and can’t always go into the finer technical stuff that’s happening vocally. I kind of like that approach btw, I heard some of the most astute descriptions here in fact, about Thoms ability to pull you into whatever he’s singing. Not because his voice is turned way up to the foreground in the mix in a poppy way, but by the mere emotional pull his voice just seems to evoke, as if directly addressing the soul. Still, recently I came across a vocal ‘decomposer’s’ take on Thom York, which I thought was interesting enough to also include in this comment (which is getting way to long btw): see ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dHvJeCdrXlg.html - Personally for me, my absolute favourite youtube video out there with and from radiohead which demonstrates the genius of both Thom and Jonny most (+ not to forget the other band members ) is their live In the basement recording session of the entire ‘in rainbows’- album, found here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DWuAn6C8Mfc.html As this comment is getting far too lengthy as it is, short final words: I’m still here! (+ lovely video!)

My favorite part of Airbag is that long, sustained reverb at the end. Such a good ending.

I intended to write something long and meaningful. However, I would just like to say thanks for doing this. I really enjoy your analysis of a band that means so much to me.

Nigel Godrich has produced all of of radiohead's albums since OK computer. He also produced the album "Amok", made by a supergroup consisting of Thom Yorke radiohead's lead singer , flea of red hot chili peppers, Ed O'brien Backup vocals, guitar, and effect controller of radiohead, and Jerry Waronker, drummer of R.E.M. and Beck. And now, he has produced the album for Thom Yorke's latest band, "The smile". All of these bands are worth checking out.

the pre-delay of the the reverb on thoms vocals on Weird Fishes is so sweet

Really enjoyed this 👌

Well bud, you hit some great ones!! The crazy thing is they can do it all live, without overdubs. They ARE the real deal. Check out the stuff From the basement it's great to see it baked and the cake rise right in front of your eyes!!

I started to type that fake plastic trees is lyrically the one to know but thought I'd wait to see..and sure enough, impossible to miss. Great review. Always a pleasure.

I wish I could go back to the first time I heard this album! Thanks, your reaction helps me capture a bit of that.

Weird Fishes is my favourite song. Your reactions open up a whole new Radiohead experience for me since I fell in love with them in 1993 when I heard 'Anyone can play guitar'. I hear maybe 1/100th of the musical music that you do. I hear the emotional resonance of their songs. You reaction is wonderful for me to find another dimension after all these years. One thing about their songs is the way they always give a closure - even if it's unresolved, it feels like a deliberately unresolved closure, and so it's satisfying.

Thank you Geebz for your wonderful videos! Love your compassionate, open-minded and sonically aware head space! Please continue to share your passion for music! It inspires me every time :)

This was just pure joy for me! I'm a huge Radiohead fan and you managed to pick two of my all-time favorites in this video (Weird Fishes and Fake Plastic Trees). It was wonderful to pay attention to some of the things you heard and to see how much you enjoyed the music. Thank you!