Kid A is a criminally underrated album

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Not really in terms of people who just plain dislike Radiohead, in that case it doesn't really matter how good it is.

But I mean with people who like some Radiohead, and even a few magazines. They treat it like some kind of abomination. Most of my friends love Pablo Honey (which I dislike) and The Bends, but then OK Computer strays into the "too progressive" stage from the Britpop formula, and only a couple really like it.

People treat Kid A like a traiterous leap from the Bends, and it has gained this horrible reputation whereby people refuse to even listen to it because "Radiohead went up their own arses" or they should "make albums like the Bends again".

I only bought it second hand for €8 because I wasn't sure, because of the furore when it came out, but I took a punt because OK Computer is one of the greatest albums of all time and much better than the Bends.

Kid A is as good, for me, as OK Computer. I listened to it this weekend, with someone who likes Radiohead but previously said they didn't really like Kid A, and when they actually listened to it, they ended up putting it on another two times in a row, and went out that day to buy themselves a copy.

Sometimes it pays to listen to an album rather than listen to a bunch of idiots.