What are the radiohead tracks that sound the worst live ?

how would re-arranging the music track fix his allegedly weak vocals though? i don't think his vocals are weak, they sound frantic and whiny- like the studio recording- which is intentional to get across the idea.

that's also the one song Thom has always danced to, ever since the first live performances in 2000, back when he wasn't ever dancing on any other song. dancing and singing at the same time inherently damages the ability to get "perfect" vocals. this is why artists whose shows include dance as a serious component either find it necessary to lip sync for perfect vocals, or they do perform the vocals live while dancing, but sacrifice vocal quality in favor of authenticity. Radiohead does that. I would be ok if Thom wanted to lip sync Idioteque to ensure more perfected vocals, but I really think that's unnecessary because the power of this song is in the crazed energy. it shouldn't sound smooth.

there are certain other songs, like Lotus Flower, where Thom's dancing unfortunately damages his ability to perform the vocals the way the song demands. I don't want him to stop dancing to that song, but Lotus Flower is a song that does demand smooth vocals, which are hard to execute while dancing (especially because the vocals in that song are higher than he usually sings these days, as well, so it's a technical challenge).

performances of Lotus Flower almost never sound perfect. but they're perfect if you're there experiencing the energy of it. at that point it's good to remember Radiohead started out as a post punk band. it's only rock n roll, etc. again, I'd be ok with them using lip syncing to get perfect vocals if they really want to (plenty of technically skilled singers use it in moderation so they can concentrate on dancing), but I don't think they want to do that, and it isn't really necessary.

/r/radiohead Thread Parent