OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017 is a reissue of the 1997 album OK Computer by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released in June 2017,the album's 20th anniversary,following the 2016 acquisition of Radiohead's back catalogue by XL Recordings from EMI.
OKNOTOK comprises remastered versions of OK Computer and its B-sides,plus three previously unreleased songs:"I Promise","Man of War" and "Lift". The special edition includes an art book,notes,and a cassette tape of demos and session recordings. Unlike previous Radiohead reissues,which were released by EMI and contained no new material,Radiohead curated the OKNOTOK material themselves.
Radiohead promoted OKNOTOK with a teaser campaign of posters and videos. Music videos were released for the three new songs,and "I Promise" and "Man of War" were released as singles. OKNOTOK debuted at number two in the UK Albums Chart and was the bestselling album in UK independent record stores for a year. In the US,it reached number 23 on the Billboard 200. It received acclaim,particularly for its bonus material.
The special edition includes the album on vinyl,a hardcover art book,a book of notes written by the songwriter,Thom Yorke,and a sketchbook of preparatory artwork by Yorke and the cover artist,Stanley Donwood.[7] It also includes a cassette containing audio experiments,session recordings,demos (including demos for two previously unheard songs),and early versions of four songs released on later albums:"The National Anthem","Motion Picture Soundtrack","Nude" and "True Love Waits".[8][9]
The final track on the cassette,"OK Computer Program",comprises computer tones. When run on a ZX Spectrum computer,the tones load a short computer program. The program lists the band members and the date 19 December 1996,plays several minutes of electronic tones,and displays the text:"Congratulations....you've found the secret message syd lives hmmmm. We should get out more".[10]OKNOTOK is dedicated to Rachel Owen,Yorke's ex-wife,who died from cancer months prior to the release.[11]
Promotion and release
OKNOTOK was the first Radiohead compilation released after their back catalogue was transferred from EMI to XL Recordings in 2016.[12] Previous compilations were not remastered,contained no new material and were issued without Radiohead's involvement.[13]
Radiohead announced OKNOTOK on 2 May 2017. It was promoted with posters in cities around the world featuring cryptic messages,and a teaser video featuring "glitchy" computer graphics and lyrics from "Climbing Up the Walls".[7][14] Radiohead temporarily restored their website to its 1997 state.[15]
The download and CD editions of OKNOTOK were released on 23 June 2017,and the boxed edition shipped in July. Radiohead released "I Promise" on 2 June and "Man of War" on 22 June as downloads for those who had pre-ordered OKNOTOK,[16] accompanied by music videos.[17][4] A video for "Lift" followed on 12 September.[18]
On 11 July,Radiohead released an "unboxing" video previewing the contents of the special edition. The video features Chieftain Mews,a character created by the band who appears in webcasts and promotional material.[19] In December 2019,Radiohead uploaded all their albums,including OKNOTOK, to YouTube.[20] In January 2020,they added the OKNOTOK special edition cassette to their website as part of the Radiohead Public Library,an online archive of their work.[21]
Sales
OKNOTOK debuted at number two in the UK Albums Chart,[22] boosted by Radiohead's third headline performance at Glastonbury Festival.[23] It was the bestselling album in UK independent record shops between April 2017 and April 2018.[24] In the US,it sold 13,000 copies in its first week,reaching number 36 on the Billboard 200. Following the release of the vinyl and boxed editions,OKNOTOK re-entered the chart at number 23,selling another 17,000 copies (including 8,000 on vinyl and 7,000 on CD).[25] On 19 October 2018,it was certified gold by the BPI for sales of over 100,000.[26]
On the review aggregator website Metacritic,OKNOTOK has a score of 100 out of 100 based on 15 reviews,indicating "universal acclaim".[27] Praise focused on the previously unreleased material. The Observer wrote that the reissue,with its "excellent" unreleased songs,proved that Radiohead were "the world's greatest rock band,pushing the limits of what they,or anyone else,could achieve".[32]Pitchfork wrote that the best feature was "hearing how the lost material informs the original album".[38]PopMatters selected "Man of War" as the best of the new tracks.[39] Some critics felt "Lift" lacked energy compared to live bootlegs from the period.[40][5][41]
The Record Collector critic Jamie Atkins praised the special edition,particularly its version of "Motion Picture Soundtrack",writing:"To these ears it's one of the performances of [Yorke's] career. He begins sounding utterly wounded until –as if revelling in the places his voice is capable of taking the song –it ends up becoming something quite defiant."[8]
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