Album Description: 2007 enhanced UK reissue of this collection of b-sides and rarities, originally released in 2004 as a Japan-only compilation album. Features an enhanced video of '2+2=5' (Live At Belford Festival) plus 10 audio tracks including live tracks, remixes and non-album cuts. 11 tracks total. Parlophone.
4.5 Stars... a 'must-have' for any Radiohead fan Radiohead is not shy about issuing its B-sides and other assorted "left-overs". "My Iron Lung" is one of the best examples, "Airbag/How Am I Driving" is another. Not merely a single or an EP, but not quite yet an album's worth of music, these releases are hard to classify. After the release of "Hail to the Thief", Radiohead issued another such "maxi-EP", but only for the Japanese market, namely "Com Lag"
"Com Lag" (10 tracks, 36 min.) was originally released in 2004 in Japan, but finally re-released for wider audiences in 2007. This compilation is a hotch-potch of (then) unreleased tracks, B-sides, live tracks and remixes, and so not surprisingly this is all over the place. It starts off very strongly with a live version of "2+2=5" (from London's Earl Court in November '03). The outstanding instrumental "I Am Citizen Insane" reminds me musically of the Thom Yorke solo album "The Eraser". Other highlights for me are "Paperbag Writer" (which is the best track on here for me personally), "Gagging Order" (just Thom Yorke and acoustic guitar), "Fog (Again") (just Thom and piano; recorded live) ; "I Am a Wicked Child" and the closer "Where Bluebirds Fly". I can do without the 2 remixed HTTT tracks: a nervous remix of "Myxomatosis", and a slightly better remix of "Scatterbrain".
In the end, "Com Lag" reflects both the scattered sense of these types of grab-all compilations and the scattered sense of the Hail to the Thief album. However, if you are a Radiohead fan, you will cherish this release. (Last but not least, I stumbled upon this recently while browsing in the used CD bin at my local indie-record store, and picked this up for only $7.99!)
a decent companion for Hail to the Theif As Radiohead imports go, this is one of my least favorites. The remixes are really good but the tracks Paperbag Writer, I am Citezen Insane, and Where Bluebirds Fly are just plain dull and not worth more than one listen. Fog (Again) is a pretty albeit brief piano ballad. Two of my favorite tracks are Gagging Order and I am Wicked Child but I already own these as b-sides to one of the american singles from "Hail". If you don't own either "Airbag/How am I Driving?" or "My Iron Lung" I would strongly reccomend buying those first. However if you are like me and can't resist hearing any new Radiohead song you can find then by all means, buy this disc.
A Must Have If you are a true Radiohead fan, you need to get this EP. I'm not a huge fan of the remyxomatosis, but skttbrain is awesome, and the whole thing is worth buying just because of gagging order and fog (again).
Great b-side collection This EP is fantastic. At first, I wasn't too enthused about the b-sides from HTTT. I thought the remixes of "Myxomatosis" and "Scatterbrain" were awful, and I thought the other studio tracks were duds. However, wanting to have a definitive collection of the b-sides, this was the easiest and most economical way of getting the HTTT b-sides. Now, after having and listening to these songs in their entirety in full quality, repeatedly, I'd have to say I prefer nearly all the b-sides to the actual HTTT album. The remixes I think capture the feel of the original songs' subjects much better, and rest of the tracks are actually quite fantastic. "Paperbag Writer" is everything that "Backdrifts" completely failed at, "I am a Wicked Child" is hypnotic and gets stuck in my head easily, and "Gagging Order" is just a gorgeous piece of songwriting... it's quickly become one of my favorites from Radiohead. The only track I don't particularly like is the L.A. remix of "I Will", which is still good, I just prefer the much more bare album version. All in all though, I would much rather put this in my player than HTTT any day.
i love it i like for its diversity, and complex style i have come to expect from these guys. plus i was in japan for a year and some of these where played while eating m#chr00m$, hallucinating up and down the coast of okinawa. which i would not recommend, as these tracks are very trippy, slippery,and down right sad. got to lovem...5 stars hit me up killerblack
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