I love this brilliant‚ geeky music shit. Adam King (I Shit Music) told me about this and wrote about it on his Pure Pop blog. Basically, OK Computer and In Rainbows are complimentary albums created ten years apart, and if they are synched up by alternating tracks from each album (with minor adjusting) it feels like one cohesive piece of music. If you really want to geek out, there's a ton of other great findings that Radiohead fans have discovered - just dig around a bit. Here's an excerpt from Adam's blog:
Radiohead Aliens
...Turns out that behind being the most psychedelic musical geniuses of all time‚ they're even more so musical geniuses. From many scattered clues‚ much akin to those posted on the internet during Pink Floyd's last tour in the 90's‚ there has been a secret hidden in the last Radiohead album. The album was announced 10 days before it's release on 10/10‚ and 10 years after OK Computer's release‚ and both titles have ten letters‚ and much‚ much more…. But the secret is that the two albums are actually companion tracks of one great piece. What one must do‚ is retrack the albums together alternating tracks. So you start with "Airbag" off OK Computer and then segue that into "15 Steps"‚ the first track off In Rainbows. Keep going track for track‚ using "Fitter Happier" as the center piece between the two halfs. What you get is a playing of songs that fit together far beyond any coincidence. The albums seem like they were actually made to be played as a whole. The most signifigant‚ and obvious sign is the cut from "Subterranean Homesick Alien" into "Nude." "Nude" actually starts with the reverb from SHA still lingering‚ it's fuckin' amazing‚ and beautiful‚ and has got me shaking listening to it at 1 in the morning on this Friday night.
You must check out this website and message board: http://puddlegum.net/radiohead-01-and-10/
So‚ Adam sparked my interest. Besides, it's Saturday night and I got some time to kill. Matt Bushow (SoM co-editor) and I fired it up. Here's the playlist:
1. Airbag (OK Computer)
2. 15 Step (In Rainbows)
3. Paranoid Android (OK Computer)
4. Bodysnatchers (In Rainbows)
5. Subterranean Homesick Alien (OK Computer)
6. Nude (In Rainbows)
7. Exit Music (For A Film) (OK Computer)
8. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (In Rainbows)
9. Let Down (OK Computer)
10. All I Need (In Rainbows)
11. Karma Police (OK Computer)
12. Fitter Happier (OK Computer)
13. Faust Arp (In Rainbows)
14. Electioneering (OK Computer)
15. Reckoner (In Rainbows)
16. Climbing Up The Walls (OK Computer)
17. House Of Cards (In Rainbows)
18. No Surprises (OK Computer)
19. Jigsaw Falling Into Place (In Rainbows)
20. Lucky (OK Computer)
21. Videotape (In Rainbows)
22. The Tourist (OK Computer)
Now... here's my text message conversation with Adam King during the process:
MM: Ha ha I'm listening to Radiohead now. Last two songs would be from OK Computer?
AK: No‚ you put "Fitter Happier" - the unlabeled 7th track of OK as the middle. So it goes "Karma Police" then "Fitter Happier" then "Faust Arp" from In Rainbows.
MM: Got it!
AK: They recommend ten second cross fades with songs too‚ but it doesn't matter
MM: ha ha ha ha
AK: On Rainbows by itself the album is recorded with sacred geometry ratios too. Golden ratio of 1/1.618 comes 2 minutes and 49 seconds into revolver when in rainbows is first sung. Sick.
MM: Wow‚ I just pooped everywhere.
AK: Hear how the 4 beats at the end of "Airbag" set new tempo for "15 Step"? Aliens bro. Aliens.
Ten minutes later
MM: Golden ratio?
AK: The ideal mean. Like a snail shell or da Vinci - perfect man. The ration point represents when it advances one more level within itself. They go way deeper still. Lets get into more at some point. They are literally operating on a whole other fuckin level man. Real deal‚ next level of consciousness shit. So inspiring.
MM: So the point beyond perfection = aliens…
AK: Oh yeah. That's my goal.
MM: Word - u rule
I ended up listening to Radiohead for one hour and forty minutes straight. It was really fucking good. They could be aliens…