Radiohead remains one of the few acts whose every new utterance can set the Internet on fire…though we confess that we were initially confused (but delighted!) to learn that the band had just issued a song paying tribute to American maverick composer Harry Partch. On closer investigation, we found out that Thom Yorke & Co. were actually honoring Private Harry Patch, the last surviving English veteran soldier who saw combat in World War I. Patch passed away last month at the wizened age of 111.
How’s the song? “Harry Patch (In Memory Of)” sounds rather a lot like an outtake from one of Jonny Greenwood’s orchestral scores, like the music used in the film There Will Be Blood. Over lush waves of strings and keys, Yorke croons lines adapted from Patch’s own latter-day recollections. You want this, of course, and you can buy it exclusively through Radiohead’s Web store for the measly price of one pound—approximately $1.70 by this morning’s exchange rate. What’s more, you definitely want to cough up the cash: All proceeds from sales of the track benefit the Royal British Legion.
Once you’ve listened to the song (above), lend your ears to Patch himself, as he shares his recollections of the 90-day Battle of Passchendaele in a 2007 interview.
