radiohead - the best of (emi)
September 04, 2008
You don't need me to tell you that the music industry is in a bad way in this country. A sale of a mere 2000 units could be enough to get you a Top 5 position in this country now, if not the top spot and many record labels are even beginning to talk about the death of the beloved CD. Digital and DVD is where it is all heading and it may not be long before the CD joins his mates Vinyl and Cassette down the pub for a pint or two. Many records, still being led by baby boomers who believe downloading could be a phase, are not prepared for this downturn in sales and are looking to alternative ways in which they can reclaim some dosh.
Although not new in concept, the Greatest Hits compilation seems all the more important now and, in some cases, have often been pieced together without the consent of the act in question. Such is the case with Radiohead's recent best of; the band always citing that they won't do greatest hits compilations and EMI jumping onto it as soon as the band and label parted way. In this instance, as with many others, the best of could actually be something of a blessing. Radiohead, whilst having a legion of loyal fans and seemingly creating amazing albums one after the other have, strangely, always had mainstream chart success elude them. For them, it's risk versus reward with a greatest hits - it may captivate someone to go out and buy their entire back catalogue or it could also become just enough for what one person needs. The real insult only comes when artists whose careers are on the decline tend to release more greatest hits compilations than studio albums because no one cares anymore (i'm looking at you, Michael Jackson).
However, as a review of Radiohead's "The Best Of", we may be missing the point. It could be argued that as the band were not involved in the creation of this project, it stands as a better testament to the band than what the band, keen to censor parts of their past that they would rather forget. On the DVD, we get the very awkward clip for "Anyone Can Play Guitar"; a band clearly being directed by their A&R and feeling all the more incongruent for it. Radiohead have only had one DVD compilation previously and so to have one DVD with 21 clips on it is something of a wondrous godsend for Radiohead fans.
