Radiohead

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Radiohead
Ed O'Brien and Thom Yorke in concert.
Background information
Origin	Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Genre(s)	Alternative rock Art rock Electronic music
Years active	1991 – present
Label(s)	Parlophone Capitol
Website	Official site
Members
Thom Yorke Jonny Greenwood Ed O'Brien Colin Greenwood Phil Selway

Radiohead are an English rock band from Oxfordshire, initially formed in 1985 under the name On a Friday.^[1] Radiohead's lineup has remained the same since their inception, with Thom Yorke (vocals/rhythm guitar/piano/electronics), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar/ondes martenot/keyboards), Ed O'Brien (guitar/backing vocals), Colin Greenwood (bass/synthesizers) and Phil Selway (drums/percussion).

Among the band's earliest influences were post-punk acts such as Joy Division and Magazine,^[2] and 1980s alternative rock bands such as R.E.M., Pixies,^[3] and Sonic Youth.^[4] Radiohead released their first single, "Creep" in 1992, followed by their debut album Pablo Honey (1993). The song was an unexpected worldwide hit, and the band were widely branded as a one-hit wonder.^[5] However, Radiohead met with success at home in the United Kingdom with their second album, The Bends (1995), earning fans with dense guitar atmospheres and frontman Thom Yorke's falsetto singing.^[6] Radiohead's third album propelled them to greater attention; popular for an expansive sound and themes of modern alienation, OK Computer (1997) was named a landmark record of the 1990s by many critics.^[7]

With their polarising albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001),^[8] Radiohead reached their peak global popularity^[9] even as their musical style changed, drawing on diverse experimental, electronic, jazz and modern classical artists ranging from Can^[10] and Autechre^[11] to Charles Mingus and Olivier Messiaen.^[12] Their latest album, Hail to the Thief (2003), mixed guitar-driven rock, electronic influences and topical lyrics, and was seen to blend styles from throughout the band's career.^[13] Radiohead are currently without a label, and are working on their seventh studio album, expected for release sometime in 2007.^[14]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation and first years: 1985-1991 1.2 Early success: 1992-1995 1.3 OK Computer, fame and critical acclaim: 1996-1998 1.4 Kid A, Amnesiac, and a new musical style 1999-2001 1.5 Hail to the Thief and a hiatus: 2002-2004 1.6 Current recording sessions: 2005 - present 2 Musical style 2.1 Changing musical style and influence 2.2 Roles 2.3 Collaborators 3 Solo work 4 Discography 5 Notes 6 Further reading 6.1 Online articles 6.2 Books 6.3 Dissertations 7 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Formation and first years: 1985-1991

Radiohead were formed in the mid-1980s at the Abingdon School, a boys-only public school which all five members attended. They began to practice in the school's music room, which led to the formation of their first band, "On a Friday", so named because of their usual rehearsal day.^[15] Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and O'Brien were in the same form, Selway was one form older, and Jonny Greenwood two forms lower. Jonny Greenwood, as the youngest member, joined as a harmonica player but soon developed into the band's lead guitarist.^[2] On a Friday's early lineup was flexible, at one point including several girls on saxophone.^[16]

The band's mentor at the school was the music teacher, Terence Gilmore-James, who, according to band members, was the only one who encouraged them.^[3] Colin Greenwood, commenting on Gilmore-James' influence on the band, said, "When we started, it was very important that we got support from him, because we weren't getting any from the headmaster. You know, the man once sent us a bill, charging us for the use of school property, because we practiced in one of the music rooms on a Sunday." ^[3]

Although Selway, Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and Ed O'Brien had left Abingdon by 1988 to attend university, the band regrouped in Abingdon every three weeks, making it a point to rehearse.^[17] By 1991, when all the members except Jonny had completed their degrees, the band reformed, recorded demos (such as the Manic Hedgehog demo tape), and began to perform live around Oxford again.^[18] Though Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley had an active independent music movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s centred around shoegazing bands like Ride and Slowdive — whose managers Radiohead shared — the band were not seen to fit into this trend, and later commented that they had "missed" it by the time they returned from university.^[17]

As the band's live bookings increased, record labels started to show interest in them. The band finally signed a six-album recording contract with EMI in early March 1992,^[2] thanks to a chance meeting by bassist Colin Greenwood with EMI representative Keith Wozencroft at the record shop where Greenwood worked.^[19] At the request of the label, the band changed their name to Radiohead, inspired by the title of a song on Talking Heads' True Stories album.^[3]

[edit] Early success: 1992-1995

Radiohead's debut EP was produced by their managers Chris Hufford and Bryce Edge of Oxford's Courtyard Studios, who remain the band's managers today. However, shortly after releasing the poorly charting Drill EP in March 1992, the band hired producers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, known for their work with the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr., to produce their first album. Radiohead's debut album, Pablo Honey, was recorded in three weeks in an Oxford studio in autumn 1992.^[2]

With the initial release of the single "Creep" in late 1992, the band began to receive attention from the British music press, not all of it favourable. The NME described them as "a lily livered excuse for a rock band,"^[20] and the song was not played on Radio 1 because it was felt to be "too depressing".^[21] The band subsequently released another single, "Anyone Can Play Guitar," followed by Pablo Honey in February 1993, and by the stand-alone single "Pop Is Dead" soon after. Another track from "Pablo Honey", "Stop Whispering," followed later that year, also performing under commercial expectations.

Resigned to chart indifference in the UK,^[22] the band began their first tour of the United States in spring 1993, but "Creep" had unexpectedly built momentum, spreading from popularity in Israel^[23] to an alternative radio station in San Francisco.^[3] By the time Radiohead arrived in America, "Creep" was in heavy rotation on MTV,^[24] eventually rising to #2 on the Billboard modern rock charts and charting at #7 when re-released in the UK that autumn. Radiohead nearly broke up due to the pressure of sudden success^[25] as the Pablo Honey supporting tour extended into its second year, and the album continued to rise in popularity internationally, fuelled by "Creep" — which still remains the band's largest worldwide hit.^[5]

After the end of their American tour, Radiohead began work on their second album, hiring veteran Abbey Road studios producer John Leckie, who had previously worked with The Stone Roses, XTC and The Fall. Tensions were high, as the band felt smothered both by "Creep's" success and the mounting expectations for a superior follow-up. According to Leckie: "It was either going to be 'Sulk', 'The Bends', 'Nice Dream', or 'Just'. We had to give those absolute attention, make them amazing, instant smash hits, number 1 in America. Everyone was pulling their hair and saying, 'It's not good enough!' We were trying too hard!"^[26]

The band responded by seeking a change of scenery, touring Australasia and the Far East in an attempt to reduce the pressure. However, once again confronted with their newfound popularity, singer Thom Yorke began to feel discomfort at being "right at the sharp end of the sexy, sassy, MTV eye-candy lifestyle" he felt he was helping to sell to the rest of the world.^[4] "It messed me up good and proper," Yorke later said of the way people identified with "Creep".^[22] The 1994 EP My Iron Lung, featuring the single of the same title, was his reaction. It marked a transition between the style of Pablo Honey and the greater depth the band aimed for on their second album.^[27] Having developed the remainder of the new songs on the road, Radiohead returned to Britain and completed the album in a fortnight in late 1994, mixing and releasing The Bends in May 1995.

While a resurgent Britpop scene dominated the charts and the media's attention, Radiohead missed the trend but finally earned success in their home country with The Bends,^[17] an album driven by dense riffs and ethereal atmospheres from the band's three guitarists — Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien and Yorke — as well as greater use of keyboards than their debut.^[2] The singles "Fake Plastic Trees," "Just," and "High and Dry," featuring Yorke's expressive falsetto, achieved modest success. Looking back in 1998, Jonny Greenwood said, "I think the turning point for us came about nine or 12 months after The Bends was released and it started appearing in people's polls for the end of the year. That's when it started to feel like we made the right choice about being a band, I think."^[6] Yet major success for the album did not come until the release of the final single "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", which hit #5 in the UK, the band's highest chart position to that point.

In summer 1995, Radiohead toured in support of R.E.M., one of their formative influences and at the time one of the biggest rock bands in the world.^[28] Introducing his opening act, Michael Stipe said, "Radiohead are so good, they scare me".^[29] The buzz generated by such famous fans, along with a series of distinctive music videos such as "Just" and "Street Spirit", helped to expand Radiohead's popularity outside the UK.

According to drummer Phil Selway, "When The Bends came out everyone went on about how uncommercial that was. Twelve months later it was being hailed as a pop classic. The record company were worried there wasn't a single on it- and we ended up with five top 30 hits from it!"^[30] However, while critically acclaimed, the album and its singles failed to match the worldwide commercial success of "Creep".

[edit] OK Computer, fame and critical acclaim: 1996-1998

Thom Yorke said that The Bends succeeded because "we had to put ourselves into an environment where we felt free to work. And that's why we want to produce the next one ourselves, because the times we most got off on making the last record were when we were just completely communicating with ourselves, and John Leckie wasn't really saying much, and it was just all happening".^[2]

One new song was already recorded: "Lucky", recorded for the War Child charity's The Help Album and released as a single to promote that compilation. Radiohead also contributed two songs to Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, "Talk Show Host" and "Exit Music (For a Film)". The former was a remix of one of the B-sides to "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", while the latter was a new song, eventually to be included on the band's next album.

With the assistance of audio engineer Nigel Godrich, their collaborator on "Lucky" and "Talk Show Host," Radiohead produced their next album themselves, beginning work in early 1996. By July they had recorded four songs with Godrich at their rehearsal studio, Canned Applause, a converted apple shed^[31] in the countryside near Didcot, Oxfordshire. Having learnt from The Bends, they decided to perfect the songs live, touring as an opening act for Alanis Morissette, before completing the record. The rest of the album was recorded in actress Jane Seymour's 15th-century mansion, St. Catherine's Court, near Bath.^[32] The recording sessions were relaxed, with the band playing at all hours of the day, recording songs in different rooms, and listening to The Beatles, DJ Shadow, Ennio Morricone and Miles Davis for inspiration.^[2] The album was finished by the end of 1996, and by March 1997, it was mixed and mastered.^[33] Ed O'Brien, commenting on the album's recording process, said that he felt that "the biggest pressure was actually completing it, we weren't given any deadlines and we had complete freedom to do what we wanted. We were delaying it because we were a bit frightened of actually finishing stuff". ^[34]

Radiohead released OK Computer in the summer of 1997, to widespread critical acclaim.^[2] Largely composed of melodic rock songs, the new record also found Radiohead introducing more uncommon musical elements, experimenting with song structures, ambient noise and electronics. "OK Computer" was the band's first #1 UK chart debut, eventually propelling Radiohead to commercial success in many markets around the world. In the US, it received the band's first Grammy recognition, an award for Best Alternative Album and a nomination for Album of the Year. Commenting on the album's success, Yorke has admitted that he is "actually amazed it got the reaction it did. None of us fucking knew any more whether it was good or bad. What really blew my head off was the fact that people got all the things, all the textures and the sounds and the atmospheres we were trying to create."^[35]

The release of OK Computer was followed by the "Against Demons" world tour, the band's biggest yet. Grant Gee, the director of the "No Surprises" video, accompanied the band on their tour and filmed the proceedings. The results were released as the 1999 "fly on the wall" documentary Meeting People Is Easy. Rather than depicting stereotypical rock n' roll behaviour, the film portrays the band's disaffection with the music industry and press that feted them, and shows their burnout as they progressed from their first concert dates in mid-1997 to mid-1998, nearly a year later.^[2] During this time the band released 7 Television Commercials, a compilation of their music videos, and two EPs which compiled B-sides from OK Computer. One of them, Airbag/How Am I Driving?, had tracks that were seen as a bridge between that album's progressive alternative rock and their subsequent more atmospheric, electronic work.^[36]

[edit] Kid A, Amnesiac, and a new musical style 1999-2001

Exhausted by fame and on the verge of burning out following their 1997-1998 world tour, Radiohead were largely inactive during the rest of the year. The band's only public performance was at an Amnesty International concert in Paris,^[37] while in 1999 only Thom and Jonny made an appearance at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in Amsterdam, performing a new song. Yorke later admitted that during that period the band came close to splitting up, and that he had developed severe depression: "New Year's Eve '98 was one of the lowest points of my life. I felt like I was going crazy...I was a complete fucking mess."^[10]

In early 1999, Radiohead began work on a follow-up to OK Computer, though in a less organised fashion than with their previous albums. Although there was no longer any pressure or even a deadline from their record label, tensions during this period were high. The members all had different visions for the band's future, and Yorke, in his songwriting role, was experiencing writer's block.^[38] Eventually, all the members agreed on a new musical direction, redefining their roles in the band.^[12] For the first time the band recorded without considering live performance, secluding themselves with producer Nigel Godrich in a series of different studios from Paris to Copenhagen to Gloucester, to their own studio, newly complete in Oxford. In the process, they pared their forty new songs down to the thirty which ultimately featured on their subsequent two albums and accompanying b-sides.^[39] In 1999-2000 the band also played several of the new songs in a series of live webcasts for the first time, alerting fans to their progress.

Radiohead did not attempt to create a stylistic sequel to OK Computer, but opted for a minimalist and textured style with less overt guitar parts. The new tracks featured more diverse instrumentation, including the ondes martenot, electronic beats, strings and jazz horns. However, they managed to retain some of the lyrical and musical hooks of their earlier records. "The trick is to try and carry on doing things that interest you, but not turn into some art-rock nonsense just for its own sake", Colin Greenwood said of the recording sessions,^[10] which were completed in late spring 2000, after nearly 18 months.

Kid A, released on October 2, 2000, was the first of two albums taken from these recording sessions. Synthesised and claustrophobic, the album stunned both the music industry and Radiohead's fan base for its departures from their past work and from pop conventions. Although the band did not release any singles from Kid A, promos of "Optimistic" and "Idioteque" received some radio play.^[40] Instead, a series of "blips" or "antivideos" were created by directors Chris Bran and Shynola, together with the band's longtime artistic collaborator Stanley Donwood, and distributed free over the Internet; these 30-second largely animated videos were seen to tie in with the album's anti-consumerist themes.^[41]

Yet the album achieved Radiohead's highest worldwide chart placement to date, debuting at number 1 in many countries, including the United States. Its debut at the top of the Billboard album chart, where OK Computer had peaked at #21, marked a first for the band, identifying them as one of the few modern British artists to penetrate the American market,^[42] although the album fell off the charts quickly. Kid A's success has been attributed to massive hype, the availability of the entire album on the Internet file-sharing network Napster in April 2000, accustoming many fans to the band's new musical style,^[43] and as the result of anticipation after OK Computer.^[44]

Kid A received a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album and a nomination for Album of the Year. However, although critics and the press branded Radiohead one of the world's most "important" rock bands, Kid A did not inspire universal praise. "I think a lot of writers expected us to come back with a combination of OK Computer and The Bends. The fact that we didn't do that means people who got their guitars out have had to put them back into the wardrobe", said Jonny Greenwood.^[45] However, along with fans who were appalled or mystified, there were many who saw Kid A as the band's best work.^[46] The record cemented Radiohead's enigmatic image, gaining them acclaim for courage and innovation.^[47]

On previous tours, Radiohead had performed in large, corporate-sponsored venues, but had expressed their distaste for them.^[48] However, for "Kid A" Radiohead was inspired by Naomi Klein's anti-globalization book No Logo to mount a tour of Europe in a custom built tent free of advertising;^[49] the band also performed a mere three concerts in North America, their first performances there in over two years, selling out smaller theatres.^[50] Along with songs from Kid A, the band used their tour to perform songs that had been recorded during the sessions, but not yet released.^[49] Having rejected the possibility of a double album before Kid A, Radiohead settled on the release of another album to contain the remaining material.

Amnesiac, released in June 2001, comprised those further tracks. Conceived by the band as complementary but distinct sequences of songs, the two albums' connection was made explicit with different versions of the song "Morning Bell" appearing on both records. Amnesiac saw the band's sound coalesce into a similar hybrid of avant garde electronic music and art rock, though in contrast to Kid A it featured more influence from jazz, and slightly more accessible songs. The piano ballad "Pyramid Song" was released as Radiohead's first single since 1997, hitting the UK top 5, and the guitar single "Knives Out" followed. Although criticised for a lack of cohesion, "Amnesiac" was critically acclaimed and a commercial success.

"I Might Be Wrong," initially planned as a third single, expanded into the band's first and thus far only live record. Released in autumn 2001, I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings featured performances of Kid A and Amnesiac songs from various international concerts, and an acoustic performance of the previously unreleased, "True Love Waits". After Amnesiac's release, the band embarked on a world tour, visiting North America, Europe and Japan. They staged a summer mini-festival in Oxford's South Park, featuring Beck, Sigur Rós, Supergrass, and Humphrey Lyttelton, who played trumpet on the last track of Amnesiac, "Life in a Glasshouse".

[edit] Hail to the Thief and a hiatus: 2002-2004

Immediately following the Amnesiac tour, Radiohead toured Portugal and Spain during July and August 2002, playing new songs. Using this opportunity to test and finalise the songs before an audience of their fans, the band completed the album in two weeks in a Los Angeles studio with Nigel Godrich, with a few additional recordings done later in Oxford. Band members described the album as having a more relaxed recording process, in contrast to the tense Kid A/Amnesiac sessions.^[1]

Radiohead released their sixth album, Hail to the Thief, in June 2003. Upon its release, Hail to the Thief was critically acclaimed for its mix of influences from all aspects of Radiohead's earlier work, combining guitars, electronic atmospheres and topical lyrics.^[13] Although the album received many positive reviews, certain critics felt that the band was treading water musically rather than continuing the "genre-redefining" trend that OK Computer had begun.^[51]

Nonetheless, Hail to the Thief was Radiohead's fourth consecutive UK #1 album. It had more moderate commercial success in the US, debuting at #3 on the Billboard chart with the band's highest first week sales to date, but falling off soon after. The album's lead single, "There There", peaked at #4 in the British charts, while subsequent singles "Go to Sleep" and "2+2=5" charted at #12 and #15 respectively. The single "There There" was a #1 hit in Canada, and returned the band to U.S. modern rock radio favour, after several years without a song on playlists. At the Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Album, Radiohead's fifth straight nomination in that category. Producer Nigel Godrich received the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album.

Although Hail to the Thief's title was assumed be a comment on the controversial 2000 American presidential election, Yorke has denied this, explaining, explaining that he first heard the phrase during a Radio 4 discussion of John Quincy Adams, "who stole the election and who was known as "The Thief" throughout his presidency".^[1] Although he explained that the album was, to an extent, influenced by world events of late 2001 and early 2002, he also said, "It struck me as the most amazing, powerful phrase...it [annoys] me if people say it's a protest because I feel really strongly that we didn't write an [exclusively] protest record, we didn't write a political record."^[1]

After the release of Hail to the Thief, Radiohead embarked on an international tour, which lasted about a year but was punctuated by long breaks,^[52] as most members of Radiohead had families and children at home by this time. In June 2003, Radiohead headlined the main stage of the Glastonbury Festival, a sequel to their 1997 performance. The band finished the Hail to the Thief tour in mid-2004 with a performance at the Coachella Festival. Following the tour, the band began writing and rehearsing in their Oxford studio, but soon went on hiatus, as both O'Brien and Colin Greenwood were expecting sons, and needed some time with their respective families. Free of any contractual obligations, Radiohead spent the remainder of 2004 resting and working on solo projects. The band released a DVD version of their webcast television show The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time in December 2004.

[edit] Current recording sessions: 2005 - present

Main article: Radiohead's seventh studio album

Radiohead began work on their seventh album early in 2005, though to date the album has no confirmed title or release date. In the summer 2006, the band toured Europe and North America, and debuted 13 songs they have been working on. Although the band began by working with mixer Mark "Spike" Stent, since autumn 2006 they have been recording with longtime producer Nigel Godrich in several rural locations in England. Radiohead have stated that they will not tour until their new album is completed, according to Yorke "We are going off for the rest of the year basically, until it's done - we're not let out 'til it's done."^[53]

The band is currently without a record contract, having fulfilled their six-album contract with EMI. In interviews in 2006, they admitted that "for the first time, we have no contract or release deadline to fulfill - it's both liberating and terrifying".^[54] Radiohead have stated that they will not make a decision on how to release their new material until the album is completed.^[55] Yorke has hinted at the possibility of releasing a series of EPs rather than a full album, although he has ruled out the possibility of Internet-only distribution.^[56] To date it is unknown whether the band intends to negotiate a new contract with a label for the release of current and future recordings.

Radiohead's new music has been characterized by the band as "almost embarrassingly minimal," "sparse with lots of bass," and, more recently, "lush", according to Stanley Donwood, who is working closely with them on the artwork of the new album. Yorke described the lyrical concept of the album as, "It's about that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking, 'I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something else'... it's similar to OK Computer in a way. It's much more terrifying. But OK Computer was terrifying too - some of the lyrics were."^[57] On recent postings on Dead Air Space, the band's blog, Yorke has posted extracts of J.G. Ballard's anti-consumerist book Kingdom Come and links to sites against the use of nuclear power and for the promotion of global warming awareness ^[58] providing a possible glimpse at the lyrical content of the album.

[edit] Musical style

[edit] Changing musical style and influence

Radiohead's evolving musical style has been seen as a consequence of band members' varied tastes and accomplishments. Lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is currently the BBC's Composer in Residence, the only classically trained member of the band (although all members but Yorke can now read music), and a multi-instrumentalist. Aside from guitar and keyboard, Greenwood plays the Ondes Martenot, banjo, viola and harmonica, and in 2002 suggested he had been learning the trumpet; not all these instruments have appeared on record. Greenwood has also arranged string orchestrations for Radiohead songs, including "Climbing Up the Walls", "How to Disappear Completely" and "Pyramid Song". Yorke plays guitar and piano and, at Exeter University, was once a DJ and part of a techno group, "Flickernoise".^[12] In recent years he has focused on the digital manipulation of sound, claiming in 2003 that he would rather make music only on computer than only on guitar. His 2006 solo album, The Eraser, relied heavily upon electronic beats and samples, as well as piano.^[59]

The Kid A/Amnesiac recording sessions brought about a change in the band's musical style, as Radiohead moved away from standard rock music instrumentation.^[10] Ed O'Brien described the sessions in 2000: "If you're going to make a different-sounding record, you have to change the methodology... everyone feels insecure. I'm a guitarist and suddenly it's like, well, there are no guitars on this track, or no drums. Jonny, me, Coz, and Phil had to get our heads round that." ^[10]

Despite the increasing profile and popularity that Kid A and Amnesiac brought to the band, ^[42]the popularity of The Bends and OK Computer ensured the continued influence of Radiohead's earlier style on British rock music. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, many critics compared the sound of contemporary bands to that of Radiohead at some time during their recording output, and in some cases, these bands utilized the band's own producers Nigel Godrich or John Leckie. When asked in 2001 by MTV, "How do you guys feel about the fact that bands like Travis, Coldplay and Muse are making a career sounding exactly like your records did in 1997?", Yorke replied, "Good luck with Kid A."^[3] However, rock bands such as Bloc Party claimed to draw influence from Radiohead's later albums, and acts in various genres including The Roots, Hanson, The Flaming Lips, and John Mayer, as well as jazz and classical musicians, have covered Radiohead songs from their Kid A/Amnesiac period.^[60]

[edit] Roles

Since their formation, Radiohead have, lyrically and musically, been dominated by Yorke. In a 2000 interview, referring to the working of the band, Yorke said, "We operate like the UN, and I'm America."^[12] An exception to this dynamic is songwriting. Although Yorke is responsible for writing nearly all the lyrics, songwriting is actually a collaborative effort, as interviews have revealed that all members have had an integral songwriting role.^[10] Songwriting is usually done in three stages.^[3] Yorke, still the primary songwriter, creates a rough idea for the song, and Jonny Greenwood, the only classically trained member of the band, creates a melody and finalises instrumentation.^[3] The other members of the band then acclimate themselves with the song, understanding their instruments and the song's musical style. ^[3] As a result, all the band's songs are officially credited to "Radiohead".

The relaxed 2003 recording sessions for Hail to the Thief changed the dynamic in Radiohead, with Yorke admitting in interviews that "his power within the band was absolutely unbalanced and [I] would subvert everybody else's power at all costs. But it's not as bad as that any more. It's actually a lot more healthy now, democracy wise, than it used to be." ^[61] In regard to instrumentation, since the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions, because of their greater use of electronic instruments, bandmembers have had greater flexibility in using their primary instruments, and now regularly switch depending on the particular song requirements.^[10] Yorke sometimes played keyboard and bass, while Jonny Greenwood often played ondes martenot, Colin Greenwood worked on sampling, and O'Brien and Selway branched out to drum machines and digital manipulations, also finding ways to incorporate their primary instruments, guitar and percussion, respectively, into the new more electronic recordings.^[10] In live performances, however, the band have sometimes adapted studio versions of songs to rock instrumentation, although band members each play multiple instruments on stage.^[10]

[edit] Collaborators

The band maintains a close relationship with their producers and engineers, in particular Nigel Godrich, as well as with graphic artist Stanley Donwood. Godrich made his name with Radiohead by working with the band as coproducer ever since OK Computer, and has sometimes been dubbed the "sixth member" of the band in an allusion to George Martin's work with the Beatles.^[62]

Donwood, another longtime associate of the band, has produced all of Radiohead's album covers and visual artwork since 1994, often together with Yorke, whom he met at art school. Yorke is credited for artwork under the pseudonym "Tchock" or "The White Chocolate Farm". Examples of Donwood's art range from oil paintings and computer-generated imagery to collages and antique style posters. In interviews, he has said that he works near where the band is recording so as to find a visual equivalent for their sound.^[63] Together with Yorke, he won a Grammy in 2002 for a special edition of "Amnesiac" packaged as a library book.

Graeme Stewart has been Radiohead's sound engineer since their "Kid A/Amnesiac" sessions. He has also engineered Jonny Greenwood's and Yorke's respective solo albums Bodysong and The Eraser. Dilly Gent has been responsible for commissioning all Radiohead music videos since The Bends, working closely with the band to find a director suitable for each project. Radiohead's roadie Plank has worked with the band since The Bends, and has achieved a degree of fame in his own right.^[64]

[edit] Solo work

Main articles: Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway, and Thom Yorke

• Jonny Greenwood appeared on Pavement's Terror Twilight in 1999, playing harmonica and guitar on several tracks. In 2003, he released Bodysong, an instrumental soundtrack he wrote for the documentary of the same name. His brother Colin Greenwood contributed bass and programming to the soundtrack. Since 2003, Jonny has composed "Smear," "Popcorn Superhet Receiver" and "Piano for Children" in his capacity as the BBC's resident composer. In 2005 Greenwood, along with Radiohead drummer Phil Selway, appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as part of a fictional band fronted by Pulp's Jarvis Cocker; they recorded several songs available on the official soundtrack to the film. In 2006 Greenwood was chosen as Composer of the Year in the British Composer Awards voted by BBC Radio 3 listeners, for his piece "Popcorn Superhet Receiver".^[65]

• In 1999, Ed O'Brien contributed to the soundtrack for Eureka Street, a British television miniseries; the soundtrack was released on CD by the BBC. In late 2000, Ed and Phil toured with Neil Finn, Johnny Marr and others for 'Seven Worlds Collide'. In 2002, O'Brien contributed guitar to several tracks on Enemy of the Enemy, an album by Asian Dub Foundation also featuring Sinéad O'Connor.

• In late 2000, Phil Selway toured for 'Seven Worlds Collide'. In 2005 Selway, along with Jonny, appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as part of a fictional band fronted by Jarvis Cocker; they recorded several songs available on the soundtrack. Later that year, Selway performed live with Nigel Powell's band Dive Dive; Powell was the former drummer of Andy Yorke's band Unbelievable Truth.

• In 1998, Thom Yorke collaborated with Drugstore on the single "El President", and contributed vocals to the UNKLE track "Rabbit in Your Headlights", a collaboration with DJ Shadow. He participated in the 1998 Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, singing Roxy Music cover songs as part of the fictional band "Venus in Furs". In 2000, he sang duets with Björk and PJ Harvey on their respective albums Selmasongs and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. Yorke's solo album, The Eraser, was released in 2006 on XL Recordings, debuting at #2 in the US and being nominated for the Mercury Prize and a Grammy.

[edit] Discography

Main article: Radiohead discography

1. Pablo Honey - February 22, 1993 - #22 (UK) Platinum , #32 (U.S.) Platinum
2. The Bends - March 13, 1995 - #4 (UK) 3x Platinum , #88 (U.S.) Platinum
3. OK Computer - June 16, 1997 - #1 (UK) 3x Platinum , #22 (U.S.) 2x Platinum
4. Kid A - October 2, 2000 - #1 (UK) Platinum, #1 (U.S.) Platinum
5. Amnesiac - June 4, 2001 - #1 (UK), #2 (U.S.) Gold
6. Hail to the Thief - June 9, 2003 - #1 (UK) Platinum, #3 (U.S.) Gold

[edit] Notes

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Online articles

• Draper, Brian. Interview with Thom Yorke. Third Way Magazine, December 2004. Vol. 27, No. 10.
• McLean, Craig. "All messed up." The Observer, June 18, 2006.
• Ross, Alex. "The Searchers: Radiohead's unquiet revolution." The New Yorker, August 20 and 27, 2001.
• Smith, Andrew. "Sound and Fury." The Observer, October 1, 2000.
• White, Curtis. "Kid Adorno." Context. Issue No. 6.
• At Ease: Radiohead Biography
• Radiohead Articles Archive: comprehensive unofficial site
• Follow Me Around: Radiohead Press Cuttings

[edit] Books

• Radiohead: An Illustrated Biography by Nick Johnstone (1997, ISBN 0-7119-6581-1)
• Radiohead: Hysterical and Useless by Martin Clarke (2000, ISBN 0-85965-332-3)
• Radiohead: Standing on the Edge by Alex Ogg (2000, ISBN 0-75221-843-3)
• Exit Music: The Radiohead Story by Mac Randall, (2000, ISBN 0-385-33393-5)
• Radiohead: Back to Save the Universe by James Doheny (2002, ISBN 0-82641-663-2)
• Radiohead's OK Computer by Dai Griffiths (2004, ISBN 1-56025-398-3
• The Music and Art of Radiohead edited by Joseph Tate (2005, ISBN 0-7546-3980-0)
• Welcome to the Machine: OK Computer and the Death of the Classic Album by Tim Footman (2007, ISBN 1-84240-388-5)

[edit] Dissertations

• "Authenticity in Rock Culture (Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, Radiohead)" by Mark Mazullo (1999, University of Minnesota)
• “Contextually Defined Musical Transformations” by Jonathan Kochavi (2002, State University of New York at Buffalo)
• "'How to Disappear Completely': Radiohead and the Resistant Concept Album" by Marianne Tatom Letts (2005, University of Texas at Austin)

[edit] External links

• Radiohead.com
• "Dead Air Space" - Radiohead blog
• Radiohead Track Resource

v • d • e Radiohead
Thom Yorke • Jonny Greenwood • Ed O'Brien • Colin Greenwood • Phil Selway
Discography
Albums: Pablo Honey • The Bends • OK Computer • Kid A • Amnesiac • Hail to the Thief • TBA
EPs: Manic Hedgehog • Drill • Itch • My Iron Lung • No Surprises/Running from Demons • Airbag/How Am I Driving? • I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings • COM LAG
Singles: "Creep" • "Anyone Can Play Guitar" • "Pop Is Dead" • "Stop Whispering" • "My Iron Lung" • "High and Dry"/"Planet Telex" • "Fake Plastic Trees" • "Just" • "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" • "Lucky" • "Paranoid Android" • "Karma Police" • "No Surprises" • "Pyramid Song" • "Knives Out" • "There There" • "Go to Sleep" • "2 + 2 = 5"
DVDs: Live at the Astoria • 7 Television Commercials • Meeting People Is Easy • The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time
Related articles
Nigel Godrich • Stanley Donwood • Dead Air Space • Covers of Radiohead songs • Rare songs • Trivia
Other projects
Bodysong • The Eraser • Spitting Feathers
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