Nigel Godrich (producer on every Radiohead album since the My Iron Long EP and countless other dope albums) has created a production thats only purpose is to capture unadulterated live musical performances.
From The Basement…not to be confused with the christian version of The Basement.
Nigel talks about the conceiving the production in a 2007 Pitchfork interview:
Beck and I [had] been watching Rock and Roll Circus, that Rolling Stones movie that they made after they’d been on tour…we were just saying how amazing it was to see such a snapshot of that time: You get to see them, warts and all…hanging out with John Lennon and Eric Clapton and all these people. [We were] just saying what a shame it was that there wasn’t anything that really felt as honest as that anymore, at the moment.
I think that I’m disappointed by the current state of the music business. I think one of the reasons for that is just because people don’t have anything stimulating to look at and listen to. So if we could somehow just feed something good, create something good, no matter on such a small scale, it doesn’t matter. That’s reason enough to do it.
As you might notice, there are no corporate sponsors, no host, no hidden agenda. Thom Yorke explains:
From The Basement was exciting because it came from the desire to cut out the crap that lies between the music and the viewer. To get plugged straight into the mains. No producer director egos messing it up.
Amazing takes of, for the most part, pretty amazing bands. With Nigel behind the boards, these cuts have impeccable character.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Radiohead /\ FULL SHOW
Not sure how long this will stay up. Making it painfully obvious that they are the best band on the planet.
Thom Yorke /\ Analyse
Sonic Youth /\ The Sprawl
PJ Harvey /\ White Chalk
(Saw her play this album live at the Beacon Theater on Oct 10th 2007. Same day that Radiohead released “In Rainbows”….spooky)
White Stripes /\ Blue Orchid + Party Of Special Things To Do
Thanks to Cole Maloney for the heads up!
Love these video’s. I remember first seeing them and I was blown away. Finally to see great music as is.. Is this still going on and is it on a certain channel. I haven’t seen any new one’s. Hope all is well brotha, feels like it’s been a lifetime. Cheers, happy holidays, and grow that beard!
ha
Whats up Neil…
I’m not sure if From The Basement is still being produced. As far as I know, this was a side project for Nigel. With a new Radiohead album coming out soon, maybe his time will free up. I also believe From the Basement was broadcast on a couple cable channels, including the Independent Film Channel. Now you can buy each episode on iTunes or on From the Basement website.
Hope all is well Downtown-Neil-Brown. Say hi to the fam.
Peace
karl