Radiohead have just dropped Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003–2009)—a surprise collection of 12 live tracks, freshly mixed by Ben Baptie and mastered by Matt Colton. Spanning the years from the album’s original 2003 release through the end of the In Rainbows touring cycle in 2009, this album captures the raw energy of the band during a tumultuous, creatively charged period. Physical editions of the album will follow on October 31.
Thom Yorke reflects on the project:
“I was shocked by the kind of energy behind the way we played… the finishing of Hail to the Thief was particularly messy and fraught… it has all been a very cathartic process.”
Though Hail to the Thief has a reputation for being overstuffed—famously prompting Yorke to publish a trimmed-down tracklist online and prompting producer Nigel Godrich to dub it “probably [his] least favourite” Radiohead album—the live versions offer new clarity and momentum. Notably, Yorke recently reworked the album live as part of a Hamlet/Hail to the Thief theater production that debuted in Manchester this spring.
Listen now: Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003–2009)