Amnesiac - Definition and Overview

This article is about the Radiohead album called Amnesiac. For information about suffering from a loss of memory, see amnesia.

Amnesiac
Album by Radiohead
Released	June 4 2001 (UK) June 5 2001 (US)
Recorded	?
Genre	Rock
Length	43 min 57 sec
Label	Parlophone (UK) Capitol (US) CDP 7243 5 32764 2 3
Producer	Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
Professional reviews
AMG (3.5/5) link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47916DB4AAC7120C79A3647D1A17FE70BFE41F69B1B39455BD8B023068E0238F457E98088CBFE31F41FE9B326BB5D10D1CAEE52B0DD66373D8EE4A260284F36&uid=SUB030408071003&sql=10:48jveat54xa7~T1)
Radiohead Chronology
4th Kid A (2000)	5th Amnesiac (2001)	I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings (2001)

Amnesiac is Radiohead's fifth studio album, released on June 4, 2001 in the United Kingdom and on June 5 in the United States and Canada, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 100.

Both Amnesiac and Kid A, which was released in 2000, were recorded in the same period, and most of the songs from Amnesiac resulted from the same recording sessions that produced Kid A. This fact has led some to refer to Amnesiac as a "b-sides" album, although the band has said the two albums should be considered separately. Amnesiac also includes a different version of a song from Kid A, "Morning Bell".

While Kid A garnered much critical acclaim, Amnesiac is often viewed as the less accomplished of the two works. It has been criticised for its lack of cohesion. However, a growing number of critics refer to this lack of continuity as a deliberate device used by Radiohead to distinguish Amnesiac from Kid A. The band has explained the thematic difference between the two albums, saying of Amnesiac, "It's about the things you forget. And remembering...if you look at the artwork for 'Kid A', well that's the fire from afar. 'Amnesiac' is the sound of what it feels like to be standing in the fire."

In addition to the standard release of the album, a special edition album was released in limited numbers. This consists of a red hardback book with the CD inside the cover. The book is styled as a library book from "Catachresis College Library" complete with library slips and date stamps, and featuring many pages of Thom Yorke's art.

Tracks

1. [04:00] " Packt like sardines in a crushd tin box "
2. [04:49] " Pyramid song "
3. [04:07] " Pulk/pull revolving doors "
4. [03:11] " You and whose army? "
5. [04:54] " I might be wrong "
6. [04:15] " Knives out "
7. [03:14] " Morning bell / Amnesiac "
8. [04:52] " Dollars and cents "
9. [02:01] " Hunting bears "
10. [03:57] " Like spinning plates "
11. [04:34] " Life in a glass house "

External link

• Radiohead Unpackt (http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~adrivera/) - an in-depth interpretation of OK Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac.