Skip to main content

The Force Awakens: Radiohead Frontman Thom Yorke Unleashes Scrapped James Bond "Spectre" Theme Song on Christmas Morning (self-released)




While they may be a little out of my typical wheelhouse of head-nodding Hip-Hop or fist-clenching Punk Rock, I've always been a casual fan and long-time admirer of Radiohead's rather unique aesthetic and business tactics... name-your-price In Rainbows, Kid A, OK Computer, I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings, The King of Limbs, Amnesiac, and COM LAG (2plus2isfive). Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and his band mates have seemingly always attempted to employ an underlying Hip-Hop feel and have a mutual respect for the genre as a whole; Philly-bred Tonight Show band The Roots sampled them on Game Theory stand-out "Atonement," as did Kanye, Pharrell & Lupe Fiasco's short-lived super-group Child Rebel Soldier (CRS), and even Portishead founder Geoff Barrow & Katalyst went as far as to revamp "Fitter Happier" on a Guilty Simpson & MED-asssisted Quakers cut. Yorke has even managed to work alongside the mysterious masked villain himself, MF DOOM, on a number of occasions over the years since his critically-acclaimed "solo" debut, The Eraser. So, what I'm ultimately getting at here, in a very long-winded roundabout manner, is that Radiohead without a doubt deserve a little yuletide coverage here at Hip-Hop-minded The Witzard - ha. "Last year, we were asked to write a tune for [James] Bond movie Spectre. Yes we were... It didn't work out, but became something of our own, which we love very much... as the year closes, we thought you might like to hear it. Merry Christmas. May the force be with you," a rather generous Star Wars-frenzied @thomyorke wrote on Twitter in a lengthy three-part post early Christmas morning.


It seems as though Radiohead were at one point, in the running to record an original and ultimately scrapped Spectre theme song, which ended up going to "Stay with Me" crooner Sam Smith; nearly having put Radiohead amongst an elite crop of James Bond theme performers including the likes of Louis Armstrong, Paul McCartney & Wings, Madonna, Garbage, Jack White & Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Adele, Chris Cornell, and Carly Simon. Yorke's statement and immediate FREE Christmas gift of "Spectre" now, seemingly only adds validity to previously debunked reports and sleuthing Radiohead fan forum murmurs that alluded to Radiohead's involvement with Spectre's theme long before director Sam Mendes announced Smith's "Writing's On The Wall." While it functions exceedingly well as undeniably classic Radiohead song, one could see how "Spectre" didn't exactly fit too well with the latest addition to the never-ending James Bond series, as it's a little more dark and brooding (befitting Radiohead's aesthetic) than your typical tastefully sexed-up spy romance-drenched Bond themes. It is however, quite interesting to imagine what a Radiohead-scored Bond sequence might have sounded like, which is why I've included self-proclaimed "huge Radiohead and James Bond fan" StereotypeAnomaly's wonderfully edited Spectre trailer mash-up above. If nothing else, I would imagine that "Spectre" is likely evocative of Radiohead's long-rumored King of Limbs (2011) follow-up, from which they've recently been testing a number of previously unreleased tentative album tracks live on the road.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of

All-around Breakdown: Sean Martin Discusses Debut Instrumental EP Introducing The Magician As No More Magic (Residual Effects)

Sean Martin is a multi-versed musician, producer, and tattooer hailing from Connecticut. As a guitarist, song-writer, and/or producer he has worked with a variety of well-known artists including Hatebreed, Cold Cave, Wear Your Wounds, Umbra Vitae, Twitching Tongues, Cage, Kid Cudi, House of Blow, Head Automatica, XO Skeletons, Jet Fueled Horses, Handsome Boy Modeling School, and more. His versatility and flexibility within music allows him to blur the lines in-between the confines of Hardcore, Electronic, Metal, and Hip-Hop. Martin is, also, a skilled tattooer at Brass City Tattoo located in Oakville, Connecticut promoting the traditional approach to the craft. Founded by Martin himself between 2020-22, No More Magic combines ominous melodies with downtempo beats to create a dizzying dream-like atmosphere. Paying homage to the golden era of Hip-Hop while forging ahead down its own dark road. For fans of Portishead, Massive Attack, and DJ Shadow. No More Magic's Introducing The