

Both the 20 deluxe editions are double-CD sets-OKNOTOK also has accompanying Super Deluxe and vinyl editions-and the bonus material on both is largely identical, rounding up the B-sides that appeared on the various singles pulled from the album in 19. OKNOTOK is the twentieth anniversary edition of OK Computer, a reissue endorsed by the band whereas the 2009 Collector’s Edition was not. Yet all of this would simply be showmanship if the songs weren’t strong in themselves, and OK Computer is filled with moody masterpieces, from the shimmering “Subterranean Homesick Alien” and the sighing “Karma Police” to the gothic crawl of “Exit Music (For a Film).” OK Computer is the album that established Radiohead as one of the most inventive and rewarding guitar rock bands of the ’90s. It’s a thoroughly astonishing demonstration of musical virtuosity and becomes even more impressive with repeated listens, which reveal subtleties like electronica rhythms, eerie keyboards, odd time signatures, and complex syncopations.

Even at its most adventurous – such as the complex, multi-segmented “Paranoid Android” – the band is tight, melodic, and muscular, and Thom Yorke’s voice effortlessly shifts from a sweet falsetto to vicious snarls. Radiohead have stripped away many of the obvious elements of guitar rock, creating music that is subtle and textured yet still has the feeling of rock & roll. The anthemic guitar heroics present on Pablo Honey and even The Bends are nowhere to be heard here. Using the textured soundscapes of The Bends as a launching pad, Radiohead delivered another startlingly accomplished set of modern guitar rock with OK Computer.

In 2015, The National Recording Registry selected OK COMPUTER to be preserved in the Library of Congress as a recording that has proven “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Produced by the band and Nigel Godrich, the album is widely cited as one of the greatest works of Radiohead’s–or any artist’s–catalogue and was the first Radiohead record to reach #1 in the UK and to be be nominated for the Album of the Year GRAMMY. OK COMPUTER was originally released on various dates ranging from May to July 1997. “OK Computer: OKNOTOK 1997-2017” featuring remastered OK COMPUTER album plus B-Sides and 3 Never Before Released Tracks: “I Promise”, “Lift”, and “Man Of War”, rescued from defunct formats, prized from dark cupboards and brought to light after two decades in cold storage! All material on OKNOTOK is newly remastered from the original analogue tapes.

Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: WasteHeadQuarters | Front Cover | © XL Recordings
