What can you say about a “best of”?

For a band who are best enjoyed through their albums rather than their singles – like Radiohead – it’s like seeing a bunch of movie trailers without seeing any films. Sure it’s a nice showcase and you do get a feel for the band, but it all seems just not quite enough.

To be fair, Radiohead: The Best Of ticks all the boxes. You get a little from all six EMI releases: from the soundtrack to everyone’s teenage angst that is ‘Creep’ (from 1993’s Pablo Honey), though the downbeat-in-a-fun-way ‘Karma Police’ (of 1997’s Ok Computer), all the way to the more rockin’ ‘2+2=5’ (2003’s Hail to the Thief). As the ringmaster might hawk, there’s something for everyone in there.

Only problem is it’s difficult to listen to ‘Optimistic’ without getting a hankering to bust out all of Kid A (2000), at which point you’ll wonder why you just didn’t start there in the first place. It's a feeling that will hit you at just about every track outro on the compilation. Another point of interest is that The Best Of cuts off at 2003, when the group left EMI – so you miss out on tasting 2007’s sublime In Rainbows, which may have just been the most accessible Radiohead’s ever done.

But for what it is, The Best Of succeeds. If you have a friend who doesn’t know yet that they like Radiohead, it’s like a friendly Thom Yorke handshake – or, if you’re after a bit of a quick reminder yourself of just what was so special about the ‘head, it works in a pinch. Just make sure you have the rest of the catalogue at hand, or you’ll be left with that unsatisfying pinge that follows every meal that just wasn’t quite enough.