Very good set of early recordings. Thanks to WackoBrothers for sharing the a long time ago.
On A Friday / Shindig Demo
Label: none
Audio Source: 1st Gen Cassette
Lineage: Master Cassette > Digi001/Logic Pro > AIFF > FLAC (5) > ZOMB > SBE fixed (TLH) > MWP
Number of Discs: 1
Artwork: none
Total running time: 52m 31s
Notes: sound quality is again excellent.
SBE were fixed with TLH. Protocol is included
Info:
Second known Radiohead demo. Recorded in the summer of 1990, when the band changed their name from ‘On A Friday’ to ‘Shindig’… and shortly after back to ‘On A Friday’. The demo contains 15 tracks. The titles are very familiar, as they were registered at Warner/Chappell around 2003.
14 of these tracks first appeared on the internet in August 2002 with different track names and details (it was referred to be Courtyard Studio demos from 1991). Around the time 1988 demo tape surfaced on the net, at the end of 2005, this 1990 also appeared with a correct and more accurate details, and features a track did not appear before, "Tell Me Bitch".
The following is the information that came with the distribution of this demo tape on the net:
This tape is a collection of demos made over the summer of 1990. All the members were by this point at different Universities around the country, but reconvened over the summer, with the exception of Phil who was in Ireland, although at this time the band did not have a settled name, having dropped On A Friday, but not come up with anything better. The band's working title was 'Shindig', which survived long enough for Thom to spray paint it on his acoustic guitar case, but by the time of their next 'proper' demo, they had reverted to On A Friday. In order to keep recording and rehearsing a school friend who had recorded some previous demos for the band was drafted in to keep the drum stool warm. The Clifton Hampden tracks were recorded over a number of weeks with this line up, while Jonny took the four track home with him in between where him, Thom and Colin worked on tracks. When Phil returned the band recorded another demo track in rehearsal, 'What's That You See?', significant because it was the first time Jonny moved from keyboards to guitar. The song was the only one from this period that remained in the set up until just prior to the deal with Parlophone.
04 - This track was demoed again later this year at Dungeon Studios in Oxfordshire, this version is the original rehearsal take.
05, 08, 12 - Significant tracks as the first time under the band banner they had worked with technology, in this case drum loops from Public Enemy and Soul To Soul. Since the band did not own a sampler, the loops were generated by Thom repeatedly recording from his walkman onto a track of the Portastudio, hence the loop stuttering ocassionally in Everyone Needs Someone To Hate. In Rattlesnake he adjusted the eq on his walkman as the loops were recorded, which gives the drum track it's texture.
07 - Recorded by Thom solo, this song had it's chorus replaced and was revived as Maquiladora for The Bends sessions.
08 - This track was demoed again later this year at Dungeon Studios in Oxfordshire, this version is the original version with the Soul To Soul drums. Still a potential hit too IMHO.
09 - Re-recorded during The Bends sessions pretty much verbatim, with drums added. This version is scrappy, but has the added attraction of cars passing the village hall in the rain.
11 - Also survived in the live set for some time.
13 - A full band version of this was demoed later, but this is the acoustic take. The Bush of the title refers to George Snr.
14 - Apparently Thom arrived at Jonny's house excited one day that he'd written his most viscous set of lyrics. Jonny and Colin suggested doing it as a ska number. Which they did. They also sped it up.
15 - Since he didn't own a sequencer at that time, Jonny triggered his Roland U20 to play the bass line of this song from a painstakingly programmed drum machine. This song is significant one of only two vocal contributions ever made by Colin. He ranted like Captain Beefheart for the verses while Thom sang the choruses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead
The members of Radiohead all attended Abingdon School, a boys-only public school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.Yorke and Colin Greenwood were in the same year, O'Brien and Selway were one year above and Jonny Greenwood two years below. In 1986, they formed the band "On a Friday", the name referring to the band's usual rehearsal day in the school's music room. On a Friday played their first gig at Oxford's Jericho Tavern in late 1986.Jonny Greenwood joined as a keyboard player but soon became the lead guitarist.
Although Phil Selway, Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and Ed O'Brien had left Abingdon by 1987 to attend university, the band continued to rehearse often on weekends and holidays. In 1991, when all the members except Jonny had completed their university degrees, On a Friday regrouped, but briefly changed their name to "Shindig." The band recorded demos, including the Manic Hedgehog demo tape, performed live around Oxford and appeared on the cover of a local music magazine Curfew. Although Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley had an active indie scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it centred around shoegazing bands such as Ride and Slowdive. On a Friday were never seen as fitting this trend and later commented that they had missed it by the time they returned from university.
As On a Friday's number of live performances increased, record labels and producers became interested.[Chris Hufford, the co-owner of Oxford's Courtyard Studios, attended an early On a Friday concert at the Jericho Tavern.[Impressed by the band, he and his partner Bryce Edge produced a demo tape and became On a Friday's managers. As of May 2007, Hufford and Edge remain Radiohead's managers. The band signed a six-album recording contract with EMI in late 1991, following a chance meeting between Colin Greenwood and label representative Keith Wozencroft at the record shop where Greenwood worked. At the request of the label, the band changed their name to Radiohead, inspired by the title of a song on Talking Heads' True Stories album.
Tracklisting:
01 - Climbing Up A Bloody Great Hill +
02 - Somebody ^
03 - Mr B +
04 - What's That You See? *
05 - Everyone Needs Someone To Hate ^
06 - Upside Down ^
07 - The Greatest Shindig Of The World ^
08 - Give It Up ^
09 - How Can You Be Sure? +
10 - Life With The Big F +
11 - Keep Strong +
12 - Rattlesnake ^
13 - Burning Bush ^
14 - Tell Me Bitch ^
15 - New Generation ^
+ - Recorded at Clifton Hampden Village Hall, drums - Nigel Powell
^ - Recorded in one or more bedrooms
* - Recorded at Nuneham Courtenay Village Hall, drums - Phil Selway
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Manic Hedgehog Demo Tape
October 1991
Label: none
Audio Source: unknown generation cassette, but probably is a direct transfer from one of the demo cassettes that were distributed around Oxford on 1991.
Lineage: unknown generation cassette > ? > SHN > ZOMB > FLAC ( 8 ) > MWP
Number of Discs: 1
Artwork: the tape has cover art by Thom of an ink penned alien complete with distorted
and stretched head, and the slogan "Work Sucks" in a speech bubble.
Total running time: 17m 08s
Notes: it's not from the original master, but the quality is pretty good. The sound is less clear and sharp compared to the two previous demos. There is some hiss and slight fluctuations in higher frequencies, just like what you notice on any cassette, even in official ones !!!.
These demos are not MP3 sourced, as can be seen in the image of the Frequency Analysis and Spectral View done with Cool Edit Pro. Protocol for the SHN to FLAC transfer is included.
Info:
The Manic Hedgehog demo tape is the title of Radiohead's third demo tape, released in October 1991 on audio cassette. The record was named after an Oxford record shop.
It was distributed around Oxford for £3 when the band was still known as On a Friday, and received favourable reviews from a local music magazine 'Curfew'.
The tape has cover art by Yorke of an ink penned alien complete with distorted and stretched head, and the slogan "Work Sucks" in a speech bubble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead
The members of Radiohead all attended Abingdon School, a boys-only public school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.Yorke and Colin Greenwood were in the same year, O'Brien and Selway were one year above and Jonny Greenwood two years below. In 1986, they formed the band "On a Friday", the name referring to the band's usual rehearsal day in the school's music room. On a Friday played their first gig at Oxford's Jericho Tavern in late 1986.Jonny Greenwood joined as a keyboard player but soon became the lead guitarist.
Although Phil Selway, Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and Ed O'Brien had left Abingdon by 1987 to attend university, the band continued to rehearse often on weekends and holidays. In 1991, when all the members except Jonny had completed their university degrees, On a Friday regrouped, but briefly changed their name to "Shindig." The band recorded demos, including the Manic Hedgehog demo tape, performed live around Oxford and appeared on the cover of a local music magazine Curfew. Although Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley had an active indie scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it centred around shoegazing bands such as Ride and Slowdive. On a Friday were never seen as fitting this trend and later commented that they had missed it by the time they returned from university.
As On a Friday's number of live performances increased, record labels and producers became interested.[Chris Hufford, the co-owner of Oxford's Courtyard Studios, attended an early On a Friday concert at the Jericho Tavern.[Impressed by the band, he and his partner Bryce Edge produced a demo tape and became On a Friday's managers. As of May 2007, Hufford and Edge remain Radiohead's managers. The band signed a six-album recording contract with EMI in late 1991, following a chance meeting between Colin Greenwood and label representative Keith Wozencroft at the record shop where Greenwood worked. At the request of the label, the band changed their name to Radiohead, inspired by the title of a song on Talking Heads' True Stories album.
Song information:
I Can't is different from the later version on the album Pablo Honey, whilst it was played throughout 91 & 92, it was the first song from Pablo Honey to be dropped from the live set.
Nothing Touches Me was a live favourite at the time, dealing with the subject matter of a prisoner who is also a talented painter. It is in the style of the 'alternative' rock dominant in 91. Allegedly, this song played a major role in helping Radiohead get a record deal, but never appeared on any album.
Thinking about You is different from the later version on the album Pablo Honey, here a britpop style thrash, with Thom Yorke's vocals muted due to sound equipment problems. This song was later lifted and taken onto Drill, and further still, to Itch.
Phillipa Chicken was a favourite of EMI, Radiohead's later record company, until the band decided to drop it. Its most notable feature is its stream of consciousness lyrics, and its bassline has been compared to that of The Beatles's Ticket to Ride.
You is powerful rock, with many time changes, and remains considered one of the better songs from their early period. The lyrics are generally regarded as poor, with references to a loved one as the 'sun and moon and stars' showing little of the talent shown in later works. However, it was later re-recorded several times and was taken through to Pablo Honey."
Tracklisting:
01 I Can't
02 Nothing Touches Me
03 Thinking About You
04 Phillipa Chicken
05 You
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Demos
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