Radiohead’s cover of On the Beach, the title track of Neil Young‘s outstanding 1974 release, has been praised by listeners.
The track would become one of the many greats in Young’s discography, and years after its release, it would be covered by Radiohead. While the Thom Yorke-fronted band has not officially released their cover, it was featured on a bootleg album, Gagging Order (Acoustic Renditions). Fans have shared the studio-quality recordings for years, but this On the Beach cover is, for many, a standout. An upload of the On the Beach cover to YouTube has thrilled listeners, with some calling it a “simply stunning” rendition of one of the very best songs in Young’s discography.
One fan wrote: “One of my favourite groups covering one of my favourite rare songs from another one of my favourite artists… Can’t wrap my head around it.” Another shared: “What I enjoy most about covers is how a band puts their own spin on a tune, however, what I admire most about this one is how true they kept to the original, sacrificing no emotion.
“I think this is the only band that could cover this particular Neil Young song and even come close to doing is justice. Remarkable song. Remarkable artists all around.” A third user added: “It’s like Radiohead were born to cover this song. What a perfect match! Everything about it sounds absolutely perfect.”
Other listeners were left realising how much influence Young had on Yorke’s vocals. One shared: “Just now I’ve realised how much Thom was influenced by Neil. Two legends.” Another comment reads: “It’s hard to deny Neil’s influence on Thom’s vocals. Love them both.”
A third shared: “Thom’s voice does so much justice to this song.” The instrumental work has also been praised by listeners, with one suggesting the On the Beach cover is a “class act” from Radiohead, thanks to the guitar work featured.
The fan wrote: “This is a class act – simply stunning. Thom’s voice, coupled with that fantastic guitar sound, is just devastating!” Another shared: “I don’t kno,w but this song really matched Radiohead’s artistic tone. Neil Young had opened doors to lot of many artists.”
A third wrote: “This is sick. The additional instruments make this great.” The song has been performed just once in public by the band, though never on tour. The sole time Radiohead has played On the Beach is during a 2003 BBC Radio 6 Music Session, held in London, England.
There, the band would cover Young’s On the Beach and play their own classic, Karma Police. The group, whose last performance was in 2018, has not played On the Beach outside of this sole date, and it is unlikely they ever will perform it.
Genius
I never would have considered Radiohead as a culprit for covering Neil Young. Neil has such a minimalist sound, while Radiohead is so not minimalistic. Don’t get me wrong I love both. Neil Young is so amazing with that sound and Radiohead with their fermin amongst other instruments is equally amazing.
This Cover however works on so many levels!
I love Radiohead, but c’mon now—their version’s just “ok”— nothing worth losing your mind over. Pretty much meh. Neil’s original BY FAR is the gold standard, especially his guitar sound (a Gretsch?). You want a better cover? Check out the one Boz Scaggs did.
Neil introduced that song as one of the two encores at the CSNY Oakland Colosseum show July 13, 1974. It was the first time I saw and them and it blew me away!