My Iron Lung

My Iron Lung is the third EP by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 26 September 1994 by Parlophone Records in the UK and by Capitol Records in the US. It compiles songs not included on Radiohead's second album, The Bends (1995), plus the Bends song "My Iron Lung", which was also released as a single. The EP marked Radiohead's first collaborations with artist Stanley Donwood and producer Nigel Godrich.

My Iron Lung
EP by
Radiohead
Released26 September 1994 (1994-09-26)[1]
Recorded1993–1994
Genre
Length28:23
Label
Producer
Radiohead chronology
Itch
(1994)		 My Iron Lung
(1994)		 The Bends
(1995)
Radiohead singles chronology
"Stop Whispering"
(1993)		 "My Iron Lung"
(1994)		 "High and Dry" / "Planet Telex"
(1995)

Radiohead wrote "My Iron Lung" in response to the success of their debut single "Creep" (1992). Unsatisfied with the version they had recorded at RAK Studios in London, they used a performance recorded in May 1994 at the London Astoria.

The "My Iron Lung" single peaked at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. Sales of the EP were better than expected and suggested that Radiohead had found a loyal fanbase and were not one-hit wonders. It received positive reviews.

Recording

Most of the songs on My Iron Lung were recorded at RAK Studios, London, during the sessions for Radiohead's second album, The Bends (1995).[4] Songwriter Thom Yorke described the EP as a collection of songs that did not fit on the album rather than outtakes, and said: "The EP was just for fans, really ... It's for Radiohead fans and we think they're good, otherwise we wouldn't have plugged them on."[5]

Only "My Iron Lung" was included on The Bends.[6] Radiohead wrote it in response to the request from their record label, EMI, to record a single to repeat the success of their 1992 debut "Creep".[7] The caustic lyrics use an iron lung as a metaphor for the way "Creep" had both sustained Radiohead and constrained them: "This is our new song / Just like the last one / A total waste of time / My iron lung".[8] Yorke said in 1995: "People have defined our emotional range with that one song, 'Creep'. I saw reviews of 'My Iron Lung' that said it was just like 'Creep'. When you're up against things like that, it's like: 'Fuck you.' These people are never going to listen."[9]

Radiohead recorded versions of "My Iron Lung" at RAK, but were not satisfied with the results. Instead, they used a performance recorded in May 1994 at the London Astoria, with Yorke's vocals replaced and the audience removed.[10] According to producer John Leckie, "Considering it was recorded in the back of a truck outside the hall – not the best sound to get something from – we did quite well."[11] Jonny Greenwood used a DigiTech Whammy pedal to pitch-shift his guitar by one octave, creating a "glitchy, lo-fi" sound.[12] Ed O'Brien used an EBow, an electronic sustaining device, on his guitar to generate a drone.[13]

The acoustic version of "Creep" was taken from a live performance on KROQ-FM on July 13, 1993.[14] The EP marked Radiohead's first collaborations with artist Stanley Donwood and producer Nigel Godrich, both of whom have worked on every Radiohead release since.[15][6]

Release

A "My Iron Lung" single was released to US college radio stations, where it fared poorly; Yorke and Greenwood expressed disappointment that EMI had not promoted it more.[10] CD1 features the B-sides "The Trickster", "Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong", and "Lozenge of Love",[16] while CD2 features the B-sides "Lewis (Mistreated)", "Permanent Daylight", and "You Never Wash Up After Yourself".[17] The single reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart.[18] Sales of the My Iron Lung EP were better than expected and suggested that Radiohead had found a loyal fanbase and were not one-hit wonders.[19]

On 31 August 2009, EMI reissued The Bends in a "Collector's Edition",[20] including My Iron Lung.[21] Radiohead had no input into the reissue and the music was not remastered.[20] The "Collector's Editions" of Radiohead albums, issued without Radiohead's approval, were removed from streaming services after their back catalogue was transferred to XL.[22]

Critical reception

According to journalist Mac Randall, "My Iron Lung" initially puzzled fans and critics: "Its transitions from jangly, ring-modulated opening hook to McCartney-esque verse melody to pulverising guitar explosions in the bridge were jarring and didn't correspond to what anyone expected from Radiohead. But now, placed next to its 11 fellow songs on The Bends, it makes much more sense."[4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Entertainment.ie[23]

AllMusic critic Greg Prato praised the EP, writing: "Because of the tracks' consistency and sequencing, it plays like a real album rather than a collection of B-sides and outtakes thrown together haphazardly." He felt the acoustic version of "Creep", with a "surprisingly harsh and off-key middle section", was "the only weak spot".[6] Entertainment.ie wrote: "While these off-cuts are inevitably more low-key and experimental than the classics we're all familiar with, the same spirit of anguish [of The Bends] and fragility is still thrillingly familiar."[23]

Reviewing My Iron Lung when it was reissued as part of The Bends in 2009, Pitchfork critic Scott Plagenhoef wrote that it had seen Radiohead finding "new ways to pick apart and re-construct the typical alt-rock template ... [it] demonstrated a band whose collective heads seemed to crack open and spill out new ideas."[24]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Radiohead.

No.TitleLength
1."My Iron Lung"4:36
2."The Trickster"4:40
3."Lewis (Mistreated)"3:14
4."Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong"4:40
5."Permanent Daylight"2:48
6."Lozenge of Love"2:16
7."You Never Wash Up After Yourself"1:44
8."Creep" (Acoustic)4:19
Total length:28:23

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes.[14]

References
  1. "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 24 September 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  2. Hall, David Brendan (10 October 2016). "Austin City Limits: The five best of Weekend Two". Time Out. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  3. "10 Essential Next-Level Albums". Treble. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  4. Randall, Mac (15 May 2015). "Radiohead's The Bends, 20 years later: reexamining a modern rock masterpiece". Guitar World. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  5. Malins, Steve (April 1995). "Scuba Do". Vox. IPC Media (55).
  6. Prato, Greg. "My Iron Lung - Radiohead | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  7. Randall, p. 90
  8. Runtagh, Jordan (22 February 2018). "Radiohead's 'Pablo Honey': 10 Things You Didn't Know". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  9. Malins, Steve (April 1995). "Scuba Do". Vox (55).
  10. Garcia, Sandra (July 1995). "Decompression". B-Side (51).
  11. Randall, Mac (1 February 2012). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5.
  12. "Iron man". Total Guitar. Future plc. 19 October 2018 – via PressReader.
  13. Brewster, Will (2 June 2020). "The Story of the EBow in 7 Tracks". Mixdown. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  14. My Iron Lung (booklet). Radiohead. 1994.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. "Stanley Donwood". Eyestorm. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
  16. "My Iron Lung - Radiohead | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  17. "My Iron Lung [#2] - Radiohead | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  18. Irvin, Jim; Hoskyns, Barney (July 1997). "We Have Lift-Off!". Mojo (45).
  19. Randall, Mac (12 September 2000). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story. Delta. pp. 98–99. ISBN 0-385-33393-5.
  20. McCarthy, Sean (18 December 2009). "The Best Re-Issues of 2009: 18: Radiohead: Pablo Honey / The Bends / OK Computer / Kid A / Amnesiac / Hail to the Thief". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 20 December 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  21. Plagenhoef, Scott (16 April 2009). "Radiohead: Pablo Honey: Collector's Edition / The Bends: Collector's Edition / OK Computer: Collector's Edition". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  22. Christman, Ed (4 April 2016). "Radiohead's Early Catalog Moves From Warner Bros. to XL". Billboard. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  23. "Radiohead – My Iron Lung". Entertainment.ie. 22 February 2005.
  24. Plagenhoef, Scott (16 April 2009). "Radiohead: Pablo Honey: Collector's Edition / The Bends: Collector's Edition / OK Computer: Collector's Edition". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
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