Radiohead Have Dropped An Unreleased Song From The ‘Kid A’ Sessions, And It Rules
One of the most influential albums of the past few decades is getting a brand new expanded release.
Kid A by Radiohead is one of those game-changing records that divides the pop music industry into separate epochs: there is before Kid A, and there is after it.
Coasting on the success of their iconic album OK Computer, Radiohead decided to veer off into an entirely new direction, creating something rich, strange, sad and utterly original. The term “unique” is overused in music criticism — there are a lot of great albums that don’t break the mould — but Kid A is exactly that, a fresh start not just for the band but for all those who would eventually try to imitate them.
For that reason, any chance to dive back into Kid A nostalgia is a welcome one. Which is why Radiohead fans should prepare themselves — this Friday, we’re getting a brand new re-issue of the record, complete with unreleased tracks.
Titled Kid A MNESIA, the re-issue is a blend of Kid A cuts and songs taken from Amnesiac. It’s a kind of bridging manoeuvre, a way of combining the twinned universes of two of their most popular releases.
Filled with alternative takes and cuts, this is no mere re-tread of the past. There’s new versions of ‘The Morning Bell’, ‘Like Spinning Plates’ and ‘Fog’, as well as a string-heavy cut of arguably the greatest Radiohead song ever released, the deeply melancholic ‘How To Disappear Completely.’
Oh, and there’s fresh material too, including the never before heard ‘If You Say the Word’, taken from the recording sessions for Kid A, as well as a new studio version of ‘Follow Me Around’.
You can listen to ‘If You Say the Word’ in full right here. And you should. It’s an urgent reminder of Radiohead’s singular skills, and a taste of a band that never once stayed still. Lap it up.