A full version of a much sought-after live Radiohead tune has finally been released, exactly twelve years to the day after it was first recorded.
Back in 2006, Radiohead hadn’t been up too much for a while. Following the release – and accompanying tour – of 2003’s Hail To Thief, the group took a bit of a break, playing only ten shows between 2004 and 2005, and allowing Thom Yorke to focus on his burgeoning solo career for a bit.
However, in May of 2006, the group had hit the live stage again, and this time they were armed with a handful of new songs, the majority of which would end up on the groundbreaking In Rainbows, released a year later.
On June 24th, the group hit up the Greek Theatre in Berkley, California for a typically stunning show. This time, a handful of lucky fans managed to be in attendance for the group’s lengthy soundcheck, which featured a song called ‘Come To Your Senses’.
Thankfully, one of the audience members recorded this soundcheck and uploaded a small snippet online for fans to listen to. However, the group never performed the song again, and the full version of the track remained unavailable… until now.
Yes, taking to Reddit yesterday, a fan shared the full version of ‘Come To Your Senses’, having been uploaded to the Internet the day before.
As the story goes, a Radiohead fan who went by the username Hoserama was the one who originally recorded the track in 2006, but following a torrent of online abuse which saw them accused of inexplicably lying about a new track, they only shared the original one-minute snippet as a means of providing proof of the tune’s existence.
Now, Hoserama has resurfaced, uploading the entirety of the 2006 soundcheck to YouTube, along with a recording of the ensuing concert. So if you’re keen on spending your next few hours listening to elusive Radiohead tunes, now’s your chance!
“This soundcheck is notable as the band plays the never released demo ‘Come to Your Senses’,” explaind Hoserama. “Thom talks about having just written the lyrics for it, and the do a bit of work on it. In general, Radiohead soundchecks tend to be a lot of fun. Thom is always joking around, and his clowning about chewing gum on stage at the beginning is a laugh.”
“This recording has a bit of infamy online,” they continued. “Initially I posted the the transcribed lyrics on the now-deceased Atease Radiohead message board. When I was laughed at and called a hoax (among other names), I tossed up a short clip to provide proof. When I didn’t immediately provide a full recording, out came every mean insult in the book.”
“I typically hold some recordings back as trade bait, but this was beyond many of the Atease fans. If I had taken a shot for everytime somebody on the board called me a douche, I could have drank an entire distillery.”
As it stands, Radiohead are still out on tour in support of their 2016 album A Moon Shaped Pool. While the group have frequently hinted at an Aussie tour some time in the future, nothing concrete has been announced. So it looks like we’ll have to wait a little bit more to see the group on Australian shores once again.
Check out the entirety of Radiohead’s 2006 soundcheck:
