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My Iron Lung | 
| Artist: Radiohead
Label: Parlophone
Category: Music
List Price: £13.99
Buy New: £4.98
You Save: £9.01 (64%)
New (63) Used (17) Collectible (3) from £1.80
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 23621
Format: Ep
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 31478
UPC: 766482449927
EAN: 0766482449927
ASIN: B000007361
Release Date: January 31, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | My Iron Lung | | • | Trickster | | • | Lewis (Mistreated) | | • | Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong | | • | Permanent Daylight | | • | Lozenge Of Love | | • | You Never Wash Up After Yourself | | • | Creep |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
When exactly Radiohead transformed themselves from an average alterna-rock band into an avant-garde juggernaut is difficult to pinpoint, but in terms of recording, they took the great leap forward somewhere around the time of their second album, The Bends. While their debut, Pablo Honey, had a few sharp hooks, there was nothing to predict the avalanche of ideas that made The Bends one of the important albums of the 1990s. This EP (which is actually longer than some bands' full albums) doesn't clarify things a bit. The acoustic version of "Creep" that ends My Iron Lung is a sensitive read, but it doesn't explain the structural leap of the title track, which sounds as if the band had relearned how to play their instruments. Most of the remaining tunes are short, quirky numbers that point up Thom Yorke's penchant for melancholy melodies. Those who treasure the art rock of OK Computer or Kid A may find these plaintive pleas for love and understanding almost too simple. --Rob O'Connor
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 This is where Radiohead first proves they're a fantastic band October 17, 2007
Although Radiohead's monster single, Creep, was tearing up the charts in the early 1990s, the album from which it was taken, PABLO HONEY, was an average album from what appeared to be an average band. Like so many other bands with a couple of hits under their belt, Radiohead could have released a couple more mediocre records in the span of a few years and generally fade from public consciousness. Hootie and the Blowfish and Seven Mary 3 are good examples of this phenomena. I actually wrote Radiohead off and never bothered to listen to any of the followups until about 2001, when I realised there was so much more to Radiohead than just "Creep" (one of my least favorite songs by them, incidentally).
Radiohead, however, had a different career destiny in mind, and pulled it off wonderfully. Rather than continue in the PABLO HONEY vein, Radiohead managed to record a series of phenomenal records not only noted for their musical instinct, but just wonderful, amazing music. Judging from PABLO HONEY, you would have no possible inkling they would go on to record an album of such high calibre like THE BENDS, let alone OK COMPUTER. OK COMPUTER is in a whole other universe in terms of quality, critical acclaim, and rabid fan adulation compared to PABLO HONEY. Radiohead wonderfully reinvented themselves, and have become one of the most consistently interesting, thought provoking bands around these days.
So how do they do it? My personal belief is it all starts right here with this EP released in 1994, MY IRON LUNG. This EP, which is comprised of one track later released on THE BENDS in 1995, six songs recorded during the Bends sessions available nowhere else, and an acoustic rendition of their 1993 hit "Creep", is a remarkable achievement for a band who, at that time, only had the wholly unremarkable PABLO HONEY debut under their belts. In every way, shape, and form, this EP not only outshines the debut but establishes the foundation of the rest of their career. Each song is a vast increase in production skills, overall musicality, and just plain listenability over the debut. This is the first indicator that Radiohead is more than an average, early 1990s band, with only a couple of hits in them.
What really benefits MY IRON LUNG is that it plays like a real album, not just a hodgepodge of outtakes and b-sides. In fact, in sequence and length (8 songs, 28:13 minutes), this could have been released as a main album, or if they so desired, the band could have thrown on a few more tracks to make it a more substantial release.
The six songs not included on THE BENDS could just as easily placed that album. They never sound like mere B-sides. In fact, you could swap any of these songs out, making them interchangeable with the songs that made the cut, and THE BENDS would still be considered one of the best records from the mid 1990s. These songs are fully formed, and many other bands of Radiohead's era would love to have such quality songwriting to their name, and amazingly Radiohead relegates this first class material to EP status. The only real sore spot on the EP is the acoustic version of "Creep", which has a harsh off-key section. Other than that, this is Radiohead's first real evidence that they are not just an average band who managed to score a big hit, but a band of skill, durability, and worthy to be considered among the other legendary bands of rock and roll.
After recording this EP, Radiohead would go on to prove themselves time and time again. While I do believe MY IRON LUNG laid the foundation for the rest of their career, sonically it is most akin to THE BENDS. This EP proved in so many ways that their debut did not that they were versatile, they could write great songs, and they had what it takes to be a first-rate rock and roll band. Naturally, in their musical evolution Radiohead's journey lead them to such radical departures as KID A, AMNESIAC, and HAIL TO THE THIEF, all of which sound little like the music found here. But MY IRON LUNG was the first step in that direction toward the upper echelon of rock.
BOTTOM LINE:: essential listening for any rock fan. While it may be a fairly expensive item to obtain for your music collection, it is worth it, simply because it plays very much like a lost Radiohead album than just an EP filled with odds and ends. While PABLO HONEY may have been their first record with a couple of good songs, MY IRON LUNG was the first indication that Radiohead was here to stay, and a band with far more interesting music than most of the other drek being recorded these days.
(There are different editions of MY IRON LUNG. Some releases split the songs into two singles. Make sure you get the version that has all 8 tracks. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money).
 Suck your teenage thumb December 24, 2003
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
This EP is merely a small collection of B-sides that were released with the "My Iron Lung" single. However this doesn't stop it being an instant classic.The title track features some of the most explosive guitar work Radiohead have ever produced. The high pitched intro and mellow verses set your mind at ease until the song erupts to the most distorted sound Radiohead have ever made. Imagine an angry version of "Paranoid Android" and you get the idea. "The Trickster" once again sees Jonny at his manic best, as he strums out some harsh lead melodies over the slow rythym. "Lewis (mistreated)" is Radiohead's punk song, slightly simular to "How Do You" but hits the spot a lot easier. "Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong" is a beautiful mix of mellow, hypnotic music and amazing slide guitar. Apparently it's about one of Thom Yorke's own personnal experiences. "Permanent Daylight" uses delay effects to the max and shows the creative ability of all guitarists. "Lozenge Of Love" is a brilliant acoustic melody, which is accompanied by a lead guitar (Jonny?) that follows the notes Thom is singing. "You Never Wash Up After Yourself" will sound familiar to those who have heard "Wolf At The Door", but is half as effective. "Creep (Acoustic)" is merely Thom playing the old favourite by himself, with some interesting singing. The reason to by this CD.
My Iron Lung EP October 6, 2003
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
The CD begins with the second best radiohead track My iron lung and for the next half hour there is only one non a+ track. it's often been said that with a few more tracks and a bit of work this could have easily been a full length album and this is true fitting snuggly between Pablo Honey and The Bends. If you have all the 6 studio albums then this is definetly the best course of action for you. If only it could have been a bit longer than 28 minutes.
Unsung Treasure Of The Amazing Radiohead Back Catalogue July 25, 2003
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
The import version of My Iron Lung is something I purchased a few years ago, and never really listened to at first, because I didn't take to it. But as with almost every Radiohead album, a few listens and it opens up like a fine wine. Listening back now, I really think that if Iron Lung had been removed from the Bends, and a little more time laboured over this, we would have a stunning full lenght album right here, talked about in the terms of magnitude and brilliance lavishly adorned on classic albums such as The Bends and OK Computer. Thrashing guitar rock on Trickster, and some fantastically melodic vocal work throughout by Yorke never better demonstrated than on You Never Wash Up After Yourself and Lozenge Of Love make this a most own piece of Radiohead magic, concluded with a stunning acoustic rendition of Creep, which if you liked the original will absolutely blow you away. This Import EP nicely shows the progression between the underrated and deliciously raw debut of Pablo Honey and the genius of their breakthrough album The Bends. You won't regret this one, and it won't be long before it rarely leaves your CD player. Looking back at their back catalogue, and some brilliant B sides like Killer Cars, one can't help wondering if Radiohead should have perhaps bridged the gap between OK Computer and Kid A with a B sides compilation in the style of Lipstick Traces by The Manic Street Preachers. Perhaps they don't have the same history to go with it as the Manics, but they've still got one hell of an impressive range, and the varying styles and development of the music tells a story. It's amazing to see the differences in this to Hail To The Thief, but for my money the legacy co-exists nicely, and the enormous differences shouldn't be compared but enjoyed as fantasic individual entities of legends in the making. If your a Radiohead fan casual or committed you have to own this.
a very good song! December 7, 2002
1 out of 35 found this review helpful
This is a great song by radiohead but I cant help but feel unhappy about how the song is sometimes interrupted by a sped up arrangement of guitars and vocals, which I think spoils the calmness of the rest of the tune. Apart from that, this song is very good. I would rate it 8 out of 10.
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