Issued in 2008 by Radiohead's former label, Capitol, this compilation surveys the innovative British alternative-rock band's first six albums, ranging from 1993's formative PABLO HONEY to `03s restless HAIL TO THE THIEF. Not surprisingly, many songs on the non-chronological 16-track collection are pulled from THE BENDS and OK COMPUTER, mid-'90s records that elevated the group, first to widescreen majesty (see the expansive "High and Dry"), and then to art-rock glory (the dynamic, prog-leaning "Paranoid Android").

Although BEST OF, which was not selected with the band's involvement, downplays Radiohead's more electronic-oriented output, featuring only two tunes from KID A (most notably, the warm, atmospheric "Everything in Its Right Place") and one from AMNESIAC, all the tracks presented are top-tier examples of Thom Yorke and company's emotive, adventurous aesthetic. While most Radiohead fans will already own all or most of these signature songs, the anthology serves as a good introduction for the uninitiated, and will likely set off further exploration into the U.K. ensemble's impressive catalogue.

The year 2008 might have been a slightly early point in time to release expanded editions of the first several Radiohead albums, so Capitol greased the reissue pipeline with The Best Of, a 17-track disc with a track list that is as debatable as any other. The idea of squeezing the band's first six albums into something resembling a definitive one-disc introduction seems almost as wise as presenting A Collection of Great Dance Songs (incidentally a Capitol release) as the one true and useful introduction to Pink Floyd, but to be more fair, the disc does cover just about all of the basics: all the singles and emphasis tracks, from Pablo Honey's "Creep" through Hail to the Thief's "2+2=5," along with a small assortment of the band's better-known album cuts. One track apiece comes from Pablo Honey (1993) and Amnesiac (2001); three are from Kid A (2000), four are from OK Computer (1997), and six are off The Bends (1995). The primary problem, of course, is that Radiohead are much more an albums band than a singles band, especially from OK Computer onward, so a natural reflex for someone who has valued the band since The Bends is to shriek in mild agony; in principle, a best-of Radiohead compilation is similar to a DVD containing somewhat thoughtfully picked scenes from films made by a specific director. For a very casual fan who has absolutely no interest in exploring beyond the songs he or she heard on the radio or through MTV and the like, this set will do (it has "Creep" and half of The Bends, after all, and then a bunch of "the weird stuff"), but otherwise it clearly serves a purpose more meaningful for the label than anyone else. ~ Andy Kellman

Record Collector (magazine) (p.96) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Everything they touch affects on some level....This continually knocks you sideways. Staggering..."