I remember when I bought Kid A. The day it came out (10/3/00) was the same day I had an Econ exam @ 9:00. I went to class, finished the exam and then ran to the record shop down the street from school. They had one limited edition copy left. I took that back to my room, shut the door, locked it, and just sat back and listened.
I didn't make a sound for that entire hour. Even though I gave in (probably like the rest of us) and downloaded some of the leaked tracks off of Napster (yes, the ORIGINAL NAPSTER), I was still blown away. From the horns on 'National Anthem' to the tribal drumming on 'Optimistic,' or even the way that 'How to Disappear' brought tears to my eyes, it is simply the greatest record I have ever heard.
Radiohead is my favorite band, bar none. And for years, I debated on what their better record was, OK Computer vs. Kid A. But it's Kid A. It's so bold and different and defiant....it's simply fucking brilliant. Even the last worRAB of the album ("...I will see you in the next life...")...amazing. They're the greatest!