The Best of Radiohead was released on Tuesday. This disappointing compilation didn’t include any songs I, and I imagine most Radiohead fans, didn’t already own. Futhermore, a bunch of Radiohead songs jumbled together on two discs borders on sacrilege. Would you tear random pages out of several books, staple them together, and then sell them? A boxed set would have been a much better product.

Honestly, if this greatest hits collection is a cynical attempt by a record company to monetize their Radiohead catalog (as some people are suggesting in their reviews of The Best of Radiohead), a better way to cash in on Radiohead would be to release a compilation of all of the b-sides before Kid A. These b-sides are hard to find and are a great reminder of why many of us fell in love with Radiohead’s early sound. Radiohead fans would buy this collection of b-sides in droves. It would be a great product that serves not only the record company, but also the artists and the fans.

Case in point, “India Rubber” and “Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong” are incredible songs that harden back The Bends. It would be a shame for gems like these to molder in some dusty archive.

From Fake Plastic Trees – Part 1:

“India Rubber”

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From My Iron Long:

“Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong”

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Photo by OuroborosX

In “Pay What You Want for This Article“, the NYTimes examined this weekend whether Radiohead finally proved with In Rainbows that nobody does it better.

“Nobody Does It Better” by Radiohead

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Gillian, we love and miss you. You haven’t released an album in four years. We check your website regularly for tour information and news about your next album. Gillian, please don’t leave us hanging forever. The only new material we can find of you and Dave is on YouTube. The sound quality is painful, but beggars can’t be choosers. Damn.

If you’re feeling like your in a rut, ask Nora, Conner and the other Bright Eyes kids to return the favor and be your backing band for an album (hell, they can even open for you on your tour this time). The idea might send a Dylan-goes-electric shiver down some true believers’ spines, but this spiraling, spinning “Look at Miss Ohio” is compelling. As Radiohead’s In Rainbows has shown us, you can alway return to form after a few albums. We know you listen to them, Gillian.

“Black Star” by Gillian Welch

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Gillian, you also have a lot of amazing songs in your repertoire. There’s no need to hold back.

“I’ll Go Downtown” written by Robert Earl Keen

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We don’t even know who wrote this song or the title of it, but it’s so delicate and beautiful.

“Way Up Saginaw Way“?

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If we can’t have an album next year, can we have a new mp3 or two?

Please come to New York City. We’ll totally buy a 6-pack of Coors and you can sing on our roof. No joke.

Photo by reyguy

The nominees for the 2008 Independent Music Awards have been announced. The following artists have been nominated for the album of the year.

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Merge)
Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin (Sub Pop)
Battles – Mirrored (Warp)
Beirut – The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing)
El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (Definitive Jux)
Justice – † (Downtown / Vice / Ed Banger)
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (Polyvinyl)
Panda Bear – Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (self-released)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone)
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
The National – Boxer (Beggars Banquet)

You should vote. The great thing about the PLUG voting process is you can listen to a complete song from each album right on their website before you make your decision. The songs stream into each other so you can start it up and do something else while you listen. Furthermore, we’ve written about some of these albums on Brontosaur.us if you would like to reference some of the music we are streaming here.