I don't think i'd say that regarding pablo honey. Radiohead is my favorite band ever and i think all their music has its place. The Bends is a fantastic album but i wouldn't mention it in the same sentence as pablo honey unless i was pointing out how much better The Bends is (eg my earlier comment).
Pablo Honey is straightforward. It's poppy. Creep was a hit but i don't think it has any more value for music in general than any pop song out today. To me, Pablo Honey is like Mumford & Sons or The Lumineers... It scratches an itch the first couple times and then really starts to bother me. So i wouldn't call it amazing. Especially not when you consider what Radiohead are capable of. Dude, they made Kid A. It blows my mind how they can eschew the hit formula on a whim and still be the biggest band in the world.
I still like Pablo Honey but it could be that I was 16ish when it came out and it's the nostalgia, but there's some bad ass rocking going on there that I don't think should be so easily dismissed. Kid-A is amazing, so are all their albums but to me, their best (meaning the one I enjoy listening to the most) is still the Bends.
That makes sense. I still have a soft spot for some of the earlier Blink 182 albums even though i recognize that they're not very good. And i'm not dismissing Pablo Honey. I still do think it has a place in Radiohead's narrative arc. I just don't want to call it amazing. I'd call it a necessary starting point. The Bends is the most thenewgreen-y, haha. That used to be my favorite too, but now i can never decide. Somewhere between Kid A and In Rainbows i guess.