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My Iron Lung EP

Radiohead - My Iron Lung EP Audio CD

A fair review of the Radiohead "My Iron Lung EP" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Radiohead reviews here, or go back to the Radiohead tabs.

Band: Radiohead
Title: My Iron Lung EP
Rating:

Release Date: 1998-12-08
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: My Iron Lung 2: Trickster 3: Lewis (Mistreated) 4: Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong 5: Permanent Daylight 6: Lozenge of Love 7: You Never Wash Up After Yourself 8: Creep [Acoustic]

4 mp3 tracks?
The 4 tracks are nice, but you cant call an album with half the tracks by the same name. Much to my dismay, only 4 tracks were available from amazon MP3.
.

Great Radiohead EP
The album brings back memories of when the guitar was a more prominent instrument in Radiohead's songs. This EP contains songs that are just as good as those found on The Bends. This is an album that belongs on the shelf of any Radiohead fan.

Five star EP (at least for the already obsessive fan, maybe even for others)
Even if you aren't a well established Radiohead fan, you still might find a lot to love here, as it's one of their more accessible, while still great (even if not quite as iconic or as groundbreaking) works. Not sure if this EP has sufficient general appeal, and if you've never heard Radiohead before, I really don't know if this is the best introduction, but I'll stick with the (hopefully safe) assumption that if you're looking at this page, let alone reading this particular review, that you've heard some of Radiohead's music before and are looking into some of their lesser-known recordings.

My Iron Lung is no lackluster EP, and is perfect for fans of their Bends-era material (the title track was featured in The Bends a few months later, but if you don't want to search for their singles, the other tracks are available here). You may even want to let your non-fan friends hear it, as even though I just said it may not have general appeal (on second thought, I may have been wrong there), it's probably more accessible than the typical Radiohead album, even if not as groundbreaking (not to say that there's no originality here, there's lots of it).

However, even if the Bends isn't your favorite Radiohead album, this is still worth a buy if your budget allows it (the price often fluctuates quite a bit, some of the other reviews may be outdated in complaining about the steep price). Personally, my favorite Radiohead album is Kid A, then OK Computer, then Amnesiac, and then maybe The Bends, and I never even listen to Pablo Honey, a few songs aside. Yet somehow this pre-Bends recording really works, and it's hard to imagine that it was released not too long after Pablo Honey. In my humble opinion it's nearly on par with the quality of their albums. Also, the fact that it's an EP is almost misleading, you get eight songs, and twenty-eight minutes of music.

So let's go straight to the songs, shall we?

1. "My Iron Lung" - Almost exactly the same as the version found on The Bends, though I've heard it's mixed at a slightly different level. If you already own The Bends and have a heard it many a time, this is nothing new, though it still works as a great opener when listening to the EP the whole way through.

2. "Trickster" - Probably my favorite on the EP, this is a really strong second song, and for those who are familiar with their newer material, which should be released officially sometime this year (2007), it is quite similar to their much newer song "Open Pick," the lyrics are also quite interesting. And aside from the song I just mentioned, it's quite unique within their whole catalog.

3. "Lewis Mistreated" - Not a bad song at all, even though perhaps my least favorite on here. It's a bit more like their Pablo Honey material than it is like The Bends stuff.

4. "Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong" - A softer song, though no less (and perhaps more) sinister than those preceding it. Thom Yorke's vocal performance recalls sadder emotions (well the title implies it's about lovesicknesses) and it foreshadows darker things to come for the band.

5. "Permenant Daylight" - A song that sounds darker than it's title may suggest, the vocals are intentionally somewhat obscured, and the signature Radiohead guitar attack is clearly present here.

6. "Lozenge of Love" - Not your typical Radiohead fare but a beautiful song nonetheless, that's quite simple, quite short, but works.

7. "You Never Wash Up After Yourself" - This is another shorter song. The intro reminds me of "Wolf at the Door" (an by extension The Beatles' "Because") . Like the one before it, it's a simpler song, compared to most of Radiohead's output but works well to close off the EP.

8. "Creep (Acoustic)" - Okay so the EP doesn't end at the seventh song, even if I just implied that, but I always see this track more as a bonus track than a closing track, even if it can work as an emotional closer, and ties into the lyrical subtext of the opening track, which is really about how the song "Creep," really kept them going as a band, and sustained them, even though most of the band dislikes the song. Creep diehards will love this song, but many, including myself, think Thom delivered an almost intentionally poor performance out of disgust.

There it is then, don't hesitate to get it if you're a fan and have the necessary funds. However, if you're thinking of purchasing your first Radiohead EP, I'd have to say that unless you really prefer The Bends to both OK Computer and Kid A, you're probably best off purchasing Airbag/How Am I Driving? if your budget allows.

This is where Radiohead first proves they're a fantastic band.
Like so many other bands with a couple of hits under their belt, Radiohead could have released a couple more mediocre records in the span of a few years and generally fade from public consciousness. Although Radiohead's monster single, Creep, was tearing up the charts in the early 1990s, the album from which it was taken, PABLO HONEY, was an average album from what appeared to be an average band. Hootie and the Blowfish and Seven Mary 3 are good examples of this phenomena. I actually wrote Radiohead off and never bothered to listen to any of the followups until about 2001, when I realised there was so much more to Radiohead than just "Creep" (one of my least favorite songs by them, incidentally).

Radiohead, however, had a different career destiny in mind, and pulled it off wonderfully. Rather than continue in the PABLO HONEY vein, Radiohead managed to record a series of phenomenal records not only noted for their musical instinct, but just wonderful, amazing music. Judging from PABLO HONEY, you would have no possible inkling they would go on to record an album of such high calibre like THE BENDS, let alone OK COMPUTER. OK COMPUTER is in a whole other universe in terms of quality, critical acclaim, and rabid fan adulation compared to PABLO HONEY. Radiohead wonderfully reinvented themselves, and have become one of the most consistently interesting, thought provoking bands around these days.

So how do they do it? My personal belief is it all starts right here with this EP released in 1994, MY IRON LUNG. This EP, which is comprised of one track later released on THE BENDS in 1995, six songs recorded during the Bends sessions available nowhere else, and an acoustic rendition of their 1993 hit "Creep", is a remarkable achievement for a band who, at that time, only had the wholly unremarkable PABLO HONEY debut under their belts. In every way, shape, and form, this EP not only outshines the debut but establishes the foundation of the rest of their career. Each song is a vast increase in production skills, overall musicality, and just plain listenability over the debut. This is the first indicator that Radiohead is more than an average, early 1990s band, with only a couple of hits in them.

What really benefits MY IRON LUNG is that it plays like a real album, not just a hodgepodge of outtakes and b-sides. In fact, in sequence and length (8 songs, 28:13 minutes), this could have been released as a main album, or if they so desired, the band could have thrown on a few more tracks to make it a more substantial release.

The six songs not included on THE BENDS could just as easily placed that album. They never sound like mere B-sides. In fact, you could swap any of these songs out, making them interchangeable with the songs that made the cut, and THE BENDS would still be considered one of the best records from the mid 1990s. These songs are fully formed, and many other bands of Radiohead's era would love to have such quality songwriting to their name, and amazingly Radiohead relegates this first class material to EP status. The only real sore spot on the EP is the acoustic version of "Creep", which has a harsh off-key section. Other than that, this is Radiohead's first real evidence that they are not just an average band who managed to score a big hit, but a band of skill, durability, and worthy to be considered among the other legendary bands of rock and roll.

After recording this EP, Radiohead would go on to prove themselves time and time again. While I do believe MY IRON LUNG laid the foundation for the rest of their career, sonically it is most akin to THE BENDS. This EP proved in so many ways that their debut did not that they were versatile, they could write great songs, and they had what it takes to be a first-rate rock and roll band. Naturally, in their musical evolution Radiohead's journey lead them to such radical departures as KID A, AMNESIAC, and HAIL TO THE THIEF, all of which sound little like the music found here. But MY IRON LUNG was the first step in that direction toward the upper echelon of rock.

BOTTOM LINE:: essential listening for any rock fan. While it may be a fairly expensive item to obtain for your music collection, it is worth it, simply because it plays very much like a lost Radiohead album than just an EP filled with odds and ends. While PABLO HONEY may have been their first record with a couple of good songs, MY IRON LUNG was the first indication that Radiohead was here to stay, and a band with far more interesting music than most of the other drek being recorded these days.

(There are different editions of MY IRON LUNG. Some releases split the songs into two singles. Make sure you get the version that has all 8 tracks. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money).

Good - but like many uncommon LP or single, expensive.
I heard a rumour, a sort of urban myth, that the guitar crunches on the album version were an attempt to "sabotage the song" (an attempt which backfired) and I have to say the acoustic is probably what Thom would have wanted. Some people like the Acoustic version of creep; I have to say I hate it. Personally I dislike the vocals and it lacks the complexity of other songs.

The Trickster sounds great. While it is extremely catchy and you'll probably love it as soon as you hear it, I have found that it doesn't have the same longevity as other RH songs.
Permanent Daylight is also a beautiful, restrained sort of song and along with the youthful and pop sounding "Lewis (mistreated)" this is a good collection of songs.

HOWEVER I myself did not order this over the internet. With the cost of postage+handling, this just isn't worth it. What I reccomend you do is go to iTunes or Bigpond Music and order this.
A lot of people prefer to have an actual CD and I wouldn't even consider downloading (legally)a RH album over the net, but unless you're a serious collector its not entirely worth the cost.
Consider using the previously mentioned sites.

You can see a complete list of all Radiohead discography, or go back to the Radiohead tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.