When reissuing an artist or band's first batch of releases, it's important to make sure you're doing it right. Instead of just re-mastering the albums and leaving it at that, labels and their bands need to pony up and offer something more – especially if the some of the albums have been out for nearly two decades. So it goes for Radiohead, who, over the past decade, has become one of most boundary-breaking and innovative bands to release music in contemporary times. Now, the group has decided to repackage and reissue their first three releases - Pablo Honey, The Bends and OK, Computer - giving listeners a lot more than they could have asked for on these six discs.



On the limited edition versions of these discs, each album is repackaged with an accompanying disc to include a special disc of B-sides, previously released EPs, demos and live renditions of certain tracks to whet the appetite of any hardcore Radiohead fan. With each two-disc bundle, listeners will be able to dive into the Radiohead vaults and revel in unheard and rare recordings, inviting the world to see and understand the band beyond the finished product. The girth of material on each bonus disc shows that Radiohead or their label didn't skimp out on releasing these new collections of tracks, creating the first double-disc albums essential for any true Radiohead fan that appreciates their music in both its stripped-down and completed forms.

The earliest CD of the bunch is their official debut Pablo Honey, an album that wasn't necessarily up to Radiohead standards in terms of pushing the creative envelope, serving more as a snapshot of the band before they truly found their sound as a collective. So it makes sense that the accompanying disc is packed with the most songs out of any second disc of the three, helping to reveal their humble beginnings in kicking off with the Drill EP. Here, we get a listen to demo version sof "You," "Thinking About You" and "Prove Yourself," as well as a bonus demo of "Stupid Car" that didn't end up making the final cut. Also packaged are various B-sides like "Million Dollar Question" and "Blow Out (Remix)," expanding the scope of the group when it was in its baby stages.



The Bends was Radiohead's next release, becoming one of their most critically lauded efforts to date. The album showed Radiohead musically challenging themselves and songwriting conformities in ways that had been previously unseen in pop and rock, with songs like "Fake Plastic Trees" and "My Iron Lung" achieving classic single status since release. On the accompanying disc, listeners can enjoy acoustic versions of tracks like "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" as well as a recording of their '94 BBC live session and a smattering of B-sides. OK, Computer, one of the band's most experimental releases, gets the same treatment, with a BBC session, live versions of "Airbag" and "Lucky," mixes of "Climbing Up the Walls" by Zero 7 and Fila Brazillia and rarities like "Lull" and "Meeting in the Aisle" offering listeners recordings they might not have heard before.

By no means are these three releases a good place to start if you're new to Radiohead, as the overwhelming amount of material will leave your head spinning. But if you're up on your Radiohead and are fending for new material, these releases are right up your alley. Never before have Radiohead releases covered as much territory as these six discs do, giving listeners incentive to go out and pick up another copy of something they might already own (hey, you gotta give a little to get a little). For a band that's consistently proven that they respect their fans (they released their last album In Rainbows on the internet for fans to download at a pick-your-own price rate), Radiohead has once again given something extra to their fans, just another reason to respect one of the innovative and humble bands in all of rock.