Supercollider / The Butcher
"Supercollider" and "The Butcher" are songs by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as a double A-side in April 2011 for Record Store Day and June in North America. Radiohead worked on both songs during the sessions for their eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011).
"Supercollider" / "The Butcher" | ||||
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Single by Radiohead | ||||
Released | 16 April 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2009–11 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 11:37 | |||
Label | Ticker Tape Ltd. | |||
Producer(s) |
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Radiohead singles chronology | ||||
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History
Singer Thom Yorke first performed "Supercollider" solo on 6 June 2008 at Malahide Castle, Dublin.[1] Radiohead worked on it during the recording of their eighth album, The King of Limbs, but did not finish it until March 2011, one month after the album's release. The song features a "calm electronic pulse".[2]
"The Butcher" was recorded and mixed during the King of Limbs sessions, but excluded from the album as the band felt it did not fit.[3] It features "stuttering"[4] drums and a one-note bassline.[2]
Release
"Supercollider / The Butcher" released as a double A-side single on 12-inch vinyl in the UK, Europe and Japan on 16 April 2011 for Record Store Day.[5][6] It was released on the same format in the United States and Canada on 14 June 2011. On 18 April 2011, Radiohead released downloads of the tracks to those who had ordered The King of Limbs from their website.
Reception
Rolling Stone described the songs as "superb electro ballads" that would have fit the "moodier second half" of The King of Limbs, and awarded the single 4 out of 5.[4] The Guardian wrote that "Supercollider" had a "a lovely rise and fall", and particularly praised Yorke's falsetto.[2] Rolling Vulture critic Marc Hogan wrote that "The Butcher" had "impressively rumbling percussion, but, by Radiohead standards, not too much more".[7]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Supercollider" | 7:02 |
2. | "The Butcher" | 4:35 |
Total length: | 11:37 |
Charts
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
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Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] | 19 |
UK Indie (OCC)[9] | 26 |
References
- "Listen to new Radiohead song online now – NME". NME. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- Cragg, Michael (18 April 2011). "New music: Radiohead – Supercollider/The Butcher". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- Email sent out by the band upon release.
- "Supercollider". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- "Record Store Day – Exclusive Product". Retrieved 16 April 2011.
- Adriaan Pels (13 April 2011). "Radiohead's Record Store Day release for UK, Europe and Japan only". ateaseweb.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- Hogan, Marc (28 March 2019). "I Might Be Wrong: Every Radiohead Song, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- "Radiohead: Supercollider / The Butcher" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2017.