10 Great Albums You Didn't Understand The First Time
3. Ok Computer - Radiohead
For most alt rock fans, Ok Computer remains a watershed moment for the entire genre. In one tight album experience, Radiohead created luscious soundscapes that turned into some of the best rock music the 90's had ever produced. While it's still been steeped with praise to this day, the initial reaction to this record told a different story.
For a lot of the rock community, this record seemed to just be another effort from "the 'Creep' guys," a backhanded compliment that seems hilarious in retrospect. All of the experimental and electronic influences on the album also seemed too jarring at the time. In fact, the group's label EMI went so far as to lower the expected sales of the album after they heard the initial version of the album.
Over time, the apprehension that came with this record was unfounded, with most of the experimental songs becoming pristine production feats in the rock world. After the album's tour kicked in, the album went from being a standard effort to being heralded as not only the album of the year, but perhaps one of the greatest records the rock genre has ever produced. This positioned Radiohead as the prime voices of the rock genre, giving them the freedom to go even more experimental as they reached the 2000's.