Everything You Wanted To Know About Radiohead (But Were Afraid To Ask... Music Snobs)
Update: Radiohead's ninth album - A Moon Shaped Pool has arrived. Read our review here!
Radiohead. Start a conversation with any '90s music fan and you're bound to hear them mentioned with more than a tinge of adoration.
From their roots in South East England in 1985 to their cult status in alternative music today, the past three decades have yielded immeasurable success for the quintet.
It's not unusual for teens these days to only know of Radiohead as a word adorned on shirts at their local music shop, and I can remember being just as confused myself upon hearing “Creep” for the first time during an intense game of SingStar.
Many years and much research later, I consider myself equipped to bring you this brief guide to their career, on the brink of their ninth album's release.
Let's start from the top. Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien met at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire and formed the first incarnation of Radiohead, known then as On A Friday (take a guess which day their rehearsals were). Their first gig took place at the Jericho Tavern, and over the ensuing years the band continued rehearsing in between their university priorities. It was not until 1991 that their frequent live performances began garnering attention from record labels. By the end of the year, On A Friday had signed a contract with EMI and, as their rehearsals increased, they were rebranded as the catchier Radiohead. I suppose “On A Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sometimes Even Sunday” didn't have the same ring to it.
Following 1992's Drill EP, Radiohead's debut album Pablo Honey was released in February 1993. From this stemmed arguably their most well-known track, “Creep”. Of all the Radiohead songs you didn't realise you knew, “Creep” is chief among them, with its iconic chorus “I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo; What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here.”
Pablo Honey swiftly found international acclaim yet struggled in the band's home country. It was not until the release of The Bends in March of 1995 that they hit the big time in the UK. In particular, single “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” saw Radiohead reach their first top five position in the charts. From here on in, they were on an upward spiral.
1997's OK Computer was Radiohead's first self-produced album, and this technique proved to be another massive leg-up. Their sound began to move from a rather clean, alternative rock into a more abstract realm. Yorke's lyrics also began addressing larger scale topics such as politics and consumerism. For a band whose first two albums had them stereotyped as a bunch of whingeing Gen Xers, OK Computer was a definite 180.
Kid A and Amnesiac followed in 2000 and 2001 respectively, keeping on with their newfound art rock style. Pitchfork went on to call Kid A the best album of the 2000s. Amnesiac, recorded at the same time as Kid A, was considered a collection of B-sides in comparison, but it still stands on its own. 2003 brought Hail To The Thief which combined the essence of Radiohead's former sound and their newer ventures into electronica. The album's title itself comes from a phrase uttered by anti-Bush protesters during the 2000 US election controversy, with Yorke saying in a 2003 interview for German TV that its choice was intended to "state the bleeding obvious... that the most powerful country on earth is run by somebody who stole an election.”
In Rainbows (2007) was released as an unusual pay-by-choice download; setting a precedence for a model still used today. For example, Wheatus modified the purchase of all past and future releases to this model after noticing In Rainbows' success.
Radiohead’s most recent release, The King Of Limbs (2011), was nominated in five Grammy categories. The video for single “Lotus Flower” was particularly notable for Yorke's smooth moves; take a look for yourself and you'll see what I mean. Like somebody in the comments section states, "he's defo the king of limbs".
Since then, the excitement for LP9 (as it is known) has been palpable amongst fans. Particularly if you're involved with Radiohead fans on Tumblr, you'll be well aware of the thorough investigation that has been going on to deduce recent clues. Seriously, some of these people should consider careers in forensics. To list everything that's been discovered would take an age, so here's a rundown. In October, diehards noticed the creation of a new company, Dawn Chorus, under the band members' names; a similar notion performed three months before TKOL's release. Yorke also performed two new songs during his solo shows in December, and Radiohead have been booked for various festivals throughout 2016 such as Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Summer Sonic in Japan. Alongside the festival announcements, what appears to be new artwork has also surfaced. The announcements have been particularly suspenseful for Australian fans, who haven't been in the presence of Radiohead since they visited Sydney and Melbourne 12 years ago. Prior to that, they were last here in 1994! Many of us wait with bated breath for any indication of Australian shows. So why is it that Radiohead have achieved such success? I personally like to imagine the life of a human being as a metaphor for their career. As we grow and change, so does their music; its concerns never ceasing to be relevant as the years tick on. Pablo Honey is reflective of the early teen years; an emotionally rampant and rapidly changing time. The Bends signifies a development; a maturing if you like. OK Computer is that overhaul of personality we all inevitably go through, by ditching the old and embracing the new. I see the subsequent albums as an amalgamation of everything; a return to the roots, the combining of the past with the present and perpetual transformation. The fact that Radiohead are so universal in their varying sounds and lyricism is a sure indicator of their global reach. Now that you've got an idea of who Radiohead are, I present you with a 'beginner's guide to Radiohead' playlist, to give you an insight into Radiohead's ongoing musical metamorphosis. (Thank you to my friend Izzy for your invaluable assistance on this mix.) Update: Radiohead's ninth album - A Moon Shaped Pool has arrived. Read our review here!
Pablo Honey swiftly found international acclaim yet struggled in the band's home country. It was not until the release of The Bends in March of 1995 that they hit the big time in the UK. In particular, single “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” saw Radiohead reach their first top five position in the charts. From here on in, they were on an upward spiral.
1997's OK Computer was Radiohead's first self-produced album, and this technique proved to be another massive leg-up. Their sound began to move from a rather clean, alternative rock into a more abstract realm. Yorke's lyrics also began addressing larger scale topics such as politics and consumerism. For a band whose first two albums had them stereotyped as a bunch of whingeing Gen Xers, OK Computer was a definite 180.
Kid A and Amnesiac followed in 2000 and 2001 respectively, keeping on with their newfound art rock style. Pitchfork went on to call Kid A the best album of the 2000s. Amnesiac, recorded at the same time as Kid A, was considered a collection of B-sides in comparison, but it still stands on its own. 2003 brought Hail To The Thief which combined the essence of Radiohead's former sound and their newer ventures into electronica. The album's title itself comes from a phrase uttered by anti-Bush protesters during the 2000 US election controversy, with Yorke saying in a 2003 interview for German TV that its choice was intended to "state the bleeding obvious... that the most powerful country on earth is run by somebody who stole an election.”
In Rainbows (2007) was released as an unusual pay-by-choice download; setting a precedence for a model still used today. For example, Wheatus modified the purchase of all past and future releases to this model after noticing In Rainbows' success.
Radiohead’s most recent release, The King Of Limbs (2011), was nominated in five Grammy categories. The video for single “Lotus Flower” was particularly notable for Yorke's smooth moves; take a look for yourself and you'll see what I mean. Like somebody in the comments section states, "he's defo the king of limbs".
Since then, the excitement for LP9 (as it is known) has been palpable amongst fans. Particularly if you're involved with Radiohead fans on Tumblr, you'll be well aware of the thorough investigation that has been going on to deduce recent clues. Seriously, some of these people should consider careers in forensics. To list everything that's been discovered would take an age, so here's a rundown. In October, diehards noticed the creation of a new company, Dawn Chorus, under the band members' names; a similar notion performed three months before TKOL's release. Yorke also performed two new songs during his solo shows in December, and Radiohead have been booked for various festivals throughout 2016 such as Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Summer Sonic in Japan. Alongside the festival announcements, what appears to be new artwork has also surfaced. The announcements have been particularly suspenseful for Australian fans, who haven't been in the presence of Radiohead since they visited Sydney and Melbourne 12 years ago. Prior to that, they were last here in 1994! Many of us wait with bated breath for any indication of Australian shows. So why is it that Radiohead have achieved such success? I personally like to imagine the life of a human being as a metaphor for their career. As we grow and change, so does their music; its concerns never ceasing to be relevant as the years tick on. Pablo Honey is reflective of the early teen years; an emotionally rampant and rapidly changing time. The Bends signifies a development; a maturing if you like. OK Computer is that overhaul of personality we all inevitably go through, by ditching the old and embracing the new. I see the subsequent albums as an amalgamation of everything; a return to the roots, the combining of the past with the present and perpetual transformation. The fact that Radiohead are so universal in their varying sounds and lyricism is a sure indicator of their global reach. Now that you've got an idea of who Radiohead are, I present you with a 'beginner's guide to Radiohead' playlist, to give you an insight into Radiohead's ongoing musical metamorphosis. (Thank you to my friend Izzy for your invaluable assistance on this mix.) Update: Radiohead's ninth album - A Moon Shaped Pool has arrived. Read our review here!
Eloise Parks is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. Learn more about the contributors program.
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