Pitchfork

Sometimes we have to ask ourselves, "Just how far will we go for Radiohead?" We own all the albums, natch, we have all the singles, and we've even collected bootlegs. We even copped those damned Christopher O'Riley piano covers. What's left to show our undying devotion?

Ohhh, we here at Pitchfork News know there's plenty left (hell, this is our third Radiohead story in four days). You just have to be patient. In fact, on August 15 you'll be faced with one of the biggest Radiohead fan challenges yet, when Brooklyn's Easy Star Records releases an all-reggae covers version of OK Computer, entitled...wait for it...Radiodread.

Uggggggggh.

Easy Star main man Michael G. has already corralled quite a few big (and not so big) names into the project. Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals tackles "Let Down", Citizen Cope does "Karma Police", Sugar Minott takes on "Exit Music (For a Film)", Junior Jazz does "Subterranean Homesick Alien", and Tamar-Kali voices "Climbing up the Walls". Horace Andy, Morgan Heritage, Frankie Paul, and Kirsty Rock also contribute.

Michael G. captured Toots' vocal at Inner Circle's studio in Florida, so it's only a matter of time before "Karma Police" replaces "Bad Boys" on Cops.

In press materials, the G-Man has said, "We're at the stage where we can all sense what an incredible album this will be. We can't wait to get started with the mix of Radiodread as that is where the true soul of the album will emerge."

And if you think he's not serious, consider this: Easy Star All-Stars released Dub Side of the Moon, a reggae take on, yes, Pink Floyd, in 2003. That's experience talking, kid.

In real Radiohead news, Thom Yorke updated Radiohead's official mouthpiece/blog "Dead Air Space" on Monday, and from the sound of it, the band is making still more steady progress towards the follow-up to 2003's Hail to the Thief. Quoth Thom: "Listening back to things we are doing and looking through the lyrics today and stuff it feels like we are finally getting somewhere. There are lots of songs. Too many to get together straight away. So we will be furiously rehearsing and writing as we go."

"We're just going to do what feels right at the time, quite into the idea of singles at the moment (that don't get on the radio)."

"No grand design. Wherever we are at. Some of the random stuff we have at the moment could be the most exciting...anyway it is not important. There is more to life than freaking out about petty bullshit like this. There are more important things to think about."

That's it for today's episode of "As the Radiohead Turns". And in case you missed them, here are those tour dates we reported on Tuesday:

05-01 London, England - KOKO (Friends of the Earth benefit with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood)
05-06 Copenhagen, Denmark - KB Hall *
05-07 Copenhagen, Denmark - KB Hall *
05-09 Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall *
05-10 Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall *
05-12 Blackpool, England - Empress Ballroom *
05-13 Blackpool, England - Empress Ballroom *
05-15 Wolverhampton, England - Civic *
05-16 Wolverhampton, England - Civic *
05-18 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo *
05-19 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo *
06-17 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival #
08-12 Budapest, Hungary - Óbudai Island (Sziget Festival) %
08-19 Chelmsford, England - Hylands Park (V Festival) ^
08-20 Staffordshire, England - Weston Park (V Festival) ^
08-22 Edinburgh, Scotland - Meadowbank
08-24 Dublin, Ireland - Marlay Park

* with Willy Mason
# with Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Ben Folds, Common, Sonic Youth, My Morning Jacket, Cat Power, Atmosphere, Amadou & Mariam, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Magic Numbers, Dungen, Andrew Bird, et al
% with Franz Ferdinand, Ministry, Robert Plant, Natacha Atlas, Sick of It All, et al
^ with Beck, Bloc Party, The Magic Numbers, Keane

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