Radiohead

Formed: 1991
Location: Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Genre: Indie Rock, Art Rock
Years Active: 1991 -
Meaning of the Name: Inspired by the Talking Heads song of the same name. Refers to the way information from the mass media is transmitted to the brain.
Core Members: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Philip Selway
Way of Working: Collaborative

Essential Releases

The Bends (1995)

Anthemic and deeply emotional guitar music.

OK Computer (1997)

A sonic exploration of anxiety and technology.

Kid A (2000)

The leading band of indie rock unexpectedly transitioned into icy electronica.

In Rainbows (2007)

Emotional and hypnotic album of warm textures.

He's a creep, he's a weirdo, we've all heard the song Radiohead refuse to play live. For those living under a rock, it's called 'Creep'. But the truth hurts, and what the record effectively did was signal a direction of travel in the band's early career as outsiders peering through the glass at normal people and their foolish smiles.

Ordinarily, alternative music is a place for misfits to feel understood in their socially awkward community. That the members of Radiohead felt alienated from even them says something about just how odd these guys really are, but you have to be odd to be number one. To be alienated is to have a unique perspective by definition, and Radiohead had exactly that; while the UK was overjoyed at the prospect of New Labour's impending government in 1997, Thom Yorke and co. released OK Computer, an album so groundbreakingly anxious it jumped before seeing its own shadow and cracked the concrete.

For Radiohead, contrariness was nothing new. While the music scene of their native Oxford was abuzz with shoegaze, they liked Pixies and R.E.M.. When the rest of the country was enamoured with the swaggering Britpop, they were morose and pessimistic, complaining about not having the perfect body. For a time, it felt like they had a foot in each scene, some in the US even classified them as grunge, but they never really fit. Radiohead were influenced by American bands like Talking Heads instead of The Beatles and were forward thinking when Britpop sought to resurrect the past.

What they really were, however, was a band determined to make great songs, absorbing diverse influences and reinterpreting them through an outsider's lens. Over the years, they've released work in styles as varied as art rock (Hail to the Thief), krautrock ('Ful Stop'), IDM ('Idioteque'), grunge ('Creep'), glitch pop ('The Gloaming') and jazz ('The National Anthem'), as well as their traditional alternative rock, which is to say that while they've remained consistent in their outsiders perspective, they've differed wildly in terms of execution.

As one of the most creative rock bands of their generation, when Radiohead embraced the electronic on their fourth album Kid A (2000), they left the music world with its jaws scraping the proverbial floor. Many were blindsided, some even felt betrayed. The Guardian gave the record a two out of five star review, but by 2009 had completed a stunning about face and named it as the 2nd best album of the decade.

Songs like 'Idioteque', with its warnings about looming environmental catastrophe proved especially prescient; what was once dismissed as interminable miserablism is now the default position. It's similar to how the concerns raised by OK Computer (1997), about the dangers of modern technology and information overload, predated government action on smartphone usage by decades. On 'The Tourist', for example, Yorke implores us to 'slow down'; nearly three decades ago, the world was already going too fast.

When Kid A was released, sizeable portions of the music press were looking both ways for a train that had already come and gone. Talent hits a target other people can't hit, genius hits a target other people can't see. Radiohead are rightfully regarded by many as one of the greatest bands of all time not only because they were unafraid to take risks, but because they were always ahead of the curve, and had the musical acumen to back it up.

When other groups disbanded due to personal animosities, Radiohead stayed together. While other outfits descended into drug addiction, Radiohead were clean. They haven't had trouble with the law. They haven't wasted their money on lavish lifestyles. If Radiohead are the weirdos, I wouldn't want to be normal.

Skills

*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.

Emotional Impact

i Does it connect with the heart? What does it make you feel and how much of it?

90

Mental Impact

i Does it connect with the head? Social issues, interesting observations, clever lyrics, similies etc.

90

Originality

i Are they unique? Did they break new ground, use new techniques or create new genres.

90

Artistry

i Using creativity and imagination to present themselves in a unique way. Example, Wu-Tang Clan as Shaolin and Marvel characters etc.

80

Authenticity

i Do they really mean what they say? Is it autobiographical, personal?

80

Live

i Stage presence, working the crowd, performance. Miming, forgetting lyrics reduce this.

95

Production

i Studio techniques. More important for electronic music including hip hop.

90

Musicianship

i Their ability to play individually and as a group. Technical skills. DJing. Freestyling for hip hop.

90

Singing

i Technical attributes.

85

Songwriting

i Storytelling. Cohesive themes. Is the song about something? Stan by Eminem is an example of excellent songwriting.

90

Danceability

i Does it make you move? Do you tap your foot, nod your head or move your whole body?

80

Fun

i Is listening to it a good time? Are the lyrics funny? Depressing themes lowers value.

30

Consistency

i Have they put out good music across their careers. Two good albums and 5 band ones will reduce this value. Reduced for Pixies due to their post-reunion albums.

90

Range

i Fast, slow, ballads, party jams. Do they go beyond their own genre?

95

Cool

i Laid-back, icy detachment, unflustered.

55

Charisma

i Factors include appearance, force of personality. Elvis making people faint etc.

30

Commercial & Critical Success

Awards >>>

• Grammy Award WINNER! x6
• BRIT Awards Nomininee x16
• Mercury Prize Nomininee x5

Certifications >>>

• Pablo Honey - Platinum in the USA, Canada & the UK; Gold in Holland, Italy & Australia
• The Bends - Platinum in the USA, Canada & the UK; Gold in Holland & Italy
• OK Computer - Platinum in the USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Holland & the UK; Gold in France
• Kid A - Platinum in the USA, Canada, Australia, France & the UK; Gold in Italy
• Amnesiac - Platinum in the UK & Canada; Gold in the USA, France & Australia
• Hail to the Thief - Platinum in the UK & Canada; Gold in the USA, France & Australia
• In Rainbows - Platinum in the UK & Canada; Gold in the USA & Italy
• The King of Limbs - Gold in the UK & Canada
• A Moon Shaped Pool - Platinum in the UK & Canada; Gold in the USA, Australia, France & Italy

Charts >>>

• The Bends - Number 4 in the UK;
• OK Computer - Number 1 in the UK; Number 2 in Canada & Holland; Number 3 in France
• Kid A - Number 1 in the USA, the UK, Canada & France; Number 2 in Australia; Number 3 in Italy; Number 4 in Germany
• Amnesiac - Number 1 in the UK & Canada; Number 2 in the USA, Italy, France, Germany & Australia; Number 3 in France & Holland
• Hail to the Thief - Number 1 in the UK, Canada & France; Number 2 in Australia; Number 3 in the USA, Italy & Germany; Number 4 in Holland
• In Rainbows - Number 1 in the USA, the UK, Canada & France; Number 2 in Australia
• The King of Limbs - Number 2 in Australia; Number 3 in the USA & Holland; Number 5 in Canada; Number 7 in the UK
• A Moon Shaped Pool - Number 1 in the UK; Number 2 in Australia & Canada, Holland & Italy; Number 3 in the USA & Germany

Critics >>>

• Billboard - In Rainbows: Best Albums of 2007: 1st
• Colin Larkin - The Bends: All Time Top 1000 Albums: 2nd
• NME - In Rainbows: Best Albums of 2007: 3rd
• Q - The Bends: All Time Top 100 Albums 1998: 2nd
• Q - The Bends: All Time Top 100 Albums 2006: 2nd
• Q - OK Computer: All Time Top 100 Albums 1998: 1st
• Q - OK Computer: All Time Top 100 Albums 2006: 1st
• Paste - The Bends: The 90 Best Albums of the '90s: 11th
• Pitchfork - Kid A: Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 1st
• Pitchfork - In Rainbows: Best Albums of 2007: 4th
• Rolling Stone - Kid A: The 100 Best Albums of the Decade (2011): 89th
• Rolling Stone - Hail to the Thief: The 100 Best Albums of the Decade (2011): 1st
• Slant - A Moon Shaped Pool: Best Albums of 2016: 1st
• The Guardian - Kid A: Albums of the Decade (2009): 2nd
• The Times - A Moon Shaped Pool: Best Albums of 2016: 1st

Similar Acts

• Talking Heads
• Pixies
• TV On the Radio
• Muse
• Interpol
• Battles

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