Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Andy Kellman
Radiohead was one of the few alternative bands of the early
'90s to draw heavily from the grandiose arena rock that
characterized U2's early albums. But the band internalized
that epic sweep, turning it inside out to tell tortured,
twisted tales of angst and alienation. Vocalist Thom Yorke's
pained lyrics were brought to life by the group's
three-guitar attack, which relied on texture -- borrowing as
much from My Bloody Valentine and Pink Floyd as R.E.M. and
Pixies -- instead of virtuosity. It took Radiohead awhile to
formulate their signature sound. Their 1993 debut, Pablo
Honey, only suggested their potential, and one of its songs,
"Creep," became an unexpected international hit, its
angst-ridden lyrics making it an alternative rock anthem.
Many observers pigeonholed Radiohead as a one-hit wonder,
but the group's second album, The Bends, was released to
terrific reviews in the band's native Britain in early 1995,
helping build a more stable fan base. Having demonstrated
unexpected staying power, as well as increasing ambition,
Radiohead next released OK Computer, a progressive,
electronic-tinged masterpiece that became one of the most
acclaimed albums of the '90s.
Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar), Ed O'Brien (guitar, vocals),
Jonny Greenwood (guitar), Colin Greenwood (bass), and Phil
Selway (drums) formed Radiohead as students at Oxford
University in 1988. Initially called On a Friday, the band
began pursuing a musical career in earnest in the early
'90s, releasing the Drill EP in 1992. Shortly afterward, the
group signed to EMI/Capitol and released the single "Creep,"
a fusion of R.E.M. and Nirvana highlighted by a noisy burst
of feedback prior to the chorus. "Creep" was a moderate hit,
and their next two singles, "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and
"Pop Is Dead," built a small following, even as the British
music press ignored the group.
Pablo Honey, Radiohead's debut album, was released to mixed
reviews in the spring of 1993. As the band launched a
European supporting tour, "Creep" became a sudden smash hit
in America, earning heavy airplay on modern rock radio and
MTV. On the back of the single's success, Radiohead toured
the U.S. extensively, opening for Belly and Tears for Fears.
All the exposure helped Pablo Honey go gold, and "Creep" was
re-released in the U.K. at the end of 1993. This time, the
single became a Top Ten hit, and the band spent the
following summer touring the world.
Although "Creep" made Radiohead a success, it also led many
observers to peg the band as a one-hit wonder. Conscious of
such thinking, the group entered the studio with producer
John Leckie to record their second album, The Bends. Upon
its spring 1995 release, The Bends was greeted with
overwhelmingly enthusiastic reviews, all of which praised
the group's deeper, more mature sound. However, positive
reviews didn't sell albums, as Radiohead struggled to be
heard during the U.K.'s summer of Britpop and as American
radio programmers and MTV ignored the record. The band
continued to tour as the opening act on R.E.M.'s prestigious
Monster tour. By the end of the year, The Bends began to
catch on, thanks not only to the band's constant touring but
also to the stark, startling video for "Just." The album
made many year-end best-of lists in the U.K., and early in
1996 the record re-entered the British Top Ten and climbed
to gold status in the U.S., helped in the latter by the
video for "Fake Plastic Trees."
During the first half of 1996, Radiohead continued to tour
before re-entering the studio that fall to record their
third album, OK Computer, which was released in the summer
of 1997. A devoted following of fans and a handful of
enthusiastic critical supporters immediately embraced the
album's majestic blend of unfettered prog rock, post-punk
angst, eerie electronic textures, and assured songwriting.
Since it skillfully teetered between rock classicism and
futurism, it earned near-unanimous critical and popular
support over the course of the year, which turned into
unrestrained adoration in the final two years of the decade,
even though its sales still hadn't climbed above gold
status.
Expectations for Radiohead's fourth album were
stratospheric, which placed additional pressure on the
already perfectionist band, and led to several stumbling
blocks along the way. An intense buzz of excitement among
the band's still-growing following greeted the prerelease
appearance of most of the album's tracks on the Internet in
MP3 form; they displayed an all-out fascination with
challenging, often minimalist electronica. Titled Kid A, the
album was finally released in October 2000 and astonished
many observers by debuting at number one on the U.S. album
charts. While the band didn't release any singles or embark
on a formal tour, the album met with a mixed critical
response as the group was accused of creating a distant and
radio-unfriendly record; however, it did remain a fan
favorite.
In June of 2001, Radiohead quickly released an album under
the name Amnesiac that consisted of material that was
recorded during the Kid A sessions. The band made it very
clear, though, that it was not to be considered an outtakes
album; rather, they insisted that the two albums were of
clear and separate concept. Regardless, Amnesiac debuted at
number one in the U.K. and number two on the U.S. chart
(behind then-stronghold Staind), while outselling Kid A in
week one by 25,000 copies. The singles Pyramid Song and
Knives Out were culled from Amnesiac with a subsequent world
tour. While planning "I Might Be Wrong" for a third single,
the idea expanded into a live "mini-album," titled after the
track, that was released in November of 2001. Hail to the
Thief, the proper follow-up to Amnesiac, was relatively
direct in structure and peaked at number three on the U.S.
chart. Sporadic recording sessions resumed in early 2005,
but a projected release date for the band's seventh studio
album remained 2007 as Yorke prepared a solo album, The
Eraser, which was issued in July 2006.
On October 1, 2007, the band announced that they had
finished their seventh album, In Rainbows, and that it would
be "out" in a matter of ten days. Giving fans the option to
pay whatever they'd like for the album as a zip file of
MP3s, Radiohead also devised a pre-order system for the
physical version of the album -- a "discbox" containing a
double-vinyl version, a CD copy with an enhanced six-track
bonus disc, a lyric book, and photos -- which they planned
on shipping by early December. This was done without the
involvement of a record label.
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