Pitchfork

Turns out Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien and drummer Phil Selway weren't joshin' when they suggested the band's former label Parlophone/EMI would assemble a greatest hits package to coincide with Radiohead's spring tour. Hence we have The Best Of, due June 2 across the pond, a mere four days before Radiohead's first European In Rainbows date in Dublin [via At Ease and confirmed by an EMI rep].

Not unlike EMI's previous Radiohead cash grab, the discography box set, this Best Of comes in multiple formats to maximize money milking potential. We have the single-disc version, comprising 16 tracks (including "Pyramid Song", woo!). We have the double-disc version, containing the first disc plus a second CD packed with 13 more tracks. And we have the 4xLP limited edition box set, containing the material found on both discs spread across, yes, four pieces of vinyl.

Also not unlike that discography box set, Radiohead did not sanction this release.

You can't really argue with the song selection, though: "Paranoid Android", "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Karma Police", and sure, "Creep", all make the first disc, while disc two includes "Airbag", "The National Anthem", and that best known of Radiohead rarities, "True Love Waits". No word yet on a U.S. release for The Best Of.

In other Radiohead news, Thom Yorke's doing some remixing, Jonny Greenwood's debuting some compositions, Bat for Lashes and Liars are opening parts of the tour, animated video and remix contests are on now, UK Radiohead fans can get a live "Videotape" download and an April 1 BBC gig stream right here, and all freeloaded copies of In Rainbows mysteriously self-deleted on Tuesday.*

* yeah, April Fools

The Best Of:

01 Just
02 Paranoid Android
03 Karma Police
04 Creep
05 No Surprises
06 High and Dry
07 My Iron Lung
08 There There (The Boney King of Nowhere.)
09 Lucky
10 Fake Plastic Trees
11 Idioteque
12 2+2=5 (The Lukewarm.)
13 The Bends
14 Pyramid Song
15 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
16 Everything in Its Right Place

The Best Of disc two:

01 Airbag
02 I Might Be Wrong
03 Go to Sleep (Little Man Being Erased.)
04 Let Down
05 Planet Telex
06 Exit Music (For a Film)
07 The National Anthem
08 Knives Out
09 Talk Show Host
10 You
11 Anyone Can Play Guitar
12 How to Disappear Completely
13 True Love Waits

Those dates again:

05-05 West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre *
05-06 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre *
05-08 Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre *
05-09 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
05-11 Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge *
05-14 St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
05-17 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion *
05-18 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center *
06-06 Dublin, Ireland - Malahide #
06-07 Dublin, Ireland - Malahide #
06-09 Paris, France - Bercy #
06-10 Paris, France - Bercy #
06-12 Barcelona, Spain - Parc del Fòrum (Daydream Festival) *#^$
06-14 Nimes, France - Arenes #
06-15 Nimes, France - Arenes #
06-17 Milan, Italy - Civica Arena #
06-18 Milan, Italy - Civica Arena #
06-20 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
06-22 Scheeßel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06-24 London, England - Victoria Park #
06-25 London, England - Victoria Park #
06-27 Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow Green #
06-29 Manchester, England - Lancashire County Cricket Club #
07-01 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Westerpark #
07-03 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-05 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter Festival
07-06 Arras, France - Main Square Festival
07-08 Berlin, Germany - Wuhlheide
08-08 Jersey City, NJ - All Points West Festival
08-09 Jersey City, NJ - All Points West Festival
08-15 Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre
08-22 San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Festival
10-04 Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena
10-05 Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena

* with Liars
# with Bat for Lashes
^ with Low, Clinic, Modeselektor
$ with Ensemble Nacional de España de Música Contemporánea, performing pieces by Jonny Greenwood and Radiohead