Radiohead
Ed O'Brien and Thom Yorke in a 2006 concert
Background information
Origin	Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Genre(s)	Alternative rock Art rock Electronic music
Years active	1986–present
Label(s)	Parlophone Capitol
Website	www.radiohead.com
Members
Thom Yorke Jonny Greenwood Ed O'Brien Colin Greenwood Phil Selway

Radiohead are an English rock band that formed in Oxfordshire in 1986. The band's lineup, which has never changed, consists of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway.

Radiohead released their first single, "Creep" in 1992, followed by their debut album Pablo Honey (1993). Although initially unsuccessful, the song became a worldwide hit by the time it was re-issued a year later. The band's popularity increased in the United Kingdom with their second album, The Bends (1995), which featured dense guitar atmospheres and Yorke's falsetto singing. However, Radiohead's third album propelled them to greater attention. Featuring an expansive sound and themes of modern alienation, OK Computer (1997) was warmly received by critics, and has often been named a landmark record of the 1990s.

The band's next recordings, Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), saw Radiohead reach their peak of global popularity even as their music divided fans and critics. The period marked a change in the band's style, with influences including experimental electronic music as well as Krautrock, jazz and modern classical music. Radiohead's shift away from standard rock songwriting also resulted in greater flexibility, with each member playing a wider range of instruments in the studio and at live concerts. The band's 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. Radiohead are currently without a record label, and are working on their seventh studio album, expected for release sometime in 2007.

History

Formation and first years: 1986–1991

Abingdon School, where the band formed.

The members of Radiohead all attended Abingdon School, a boys-only public school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Yorke and Colin Greenwood were in the same year, O'Brien and Selway were one year above and Jonny Greenwood two years below. In 1986, they formed the band "On a Friday", the name referring to the band's usual rehearsal day in the school's music room. On a Friday played their first gig at Oxford's Jericho Tavern in late 1986. Jonny Greenwood joined as a harmonica player but soon became the lead guitarist.

Although Selway, Yorke, Colin Greenwood and O'Brien had left Abingdon by 1987 to attend university, the band continued to rehearse often on weekends and holidays. In 1991, when all the members except Jonny had completed their university degrees, On a Friday regrouped, but briefly changed their name to "Shindig". The band recorded demos, including the Manic Hedgehog demo tape, performed live around Oxford and appeared on the cover of a local music magazine Curfew. Although Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley had an active indie scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it centred around shoegazing bands such as Ride and Slowdive. On a Friday were never seen as fitting this trend and later commented that they had missed it by the time they returned from university.

As On a Friday's number of live performances increased, record labels and producers became interested. Chris Hufford, the co-owner of Oxford's Courtyard Studios, attended an early On a Friday concert at the Jericho Tavern. Impressed by the band, he and his partner Bryce Edge, produced a demo tape and became On a Friday's managers. As of May 2007, Hufford and Edge remain as Radiohead's managers. The band signed a six-album recording contract with EMI in late 1991, following a chance meeting between Colin Greenwood and label representative Keith Wozencroft at the record shop where Greenwood worked. 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.

Pablo Honey, The Bends and early success: 1992–1995

Drill, Radiohead's debut EP, was produced by Hufford and Edge at Courtyard Studios and released in March 1992. Its chart performance was poor, and consequently the band hired Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, who had previously worked with the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr., to produce their debut album, Pablo Honey. The album was recorded in three weeks in an Oxford studio late in 1992.

With the 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," and the song was not played on BBC Radio 1 because it was deemed "too depressing". Radiohead released another single, "Anyone Can Play Guitar" in February 1993, followed closely by Pablo Honey later that month. Neither did well commercially, especially Pablo Honey, which peaked at #32 in the UK and is considered by critics and the band to be their weakest album. A non-album single, "Pop is Dead" and the last single from Pablo Honey, "Stop Whispering" followed later that year; both of which also performed poorly commercially.

However, "Creep" unexpectedly built momentum in the United States, spreading from popularity in Israel to a San Francisco college radio station. By the time Radiohead began their first United States tour in early 1993, "Creep" was in heavy rotation on MTV. The song rose to #2 on the Billboard modern rock charts and to #7 in the UK singles chart when re-released later that year. Radiohead nearly broke up due to the pressure of sudden success as the Pablo Honey supporting tour extended into its second year. The album continued to rise in popularity internationally, fuelled by "Creep", which remains Radiohead's largest worldwide hit. The band later said, however, that the tour had been a miserable experience because towards its end they were "still playing the same songs that we'd recorded two years previously...it was almost like being held in a time warp."

After the American tour, Radiohead began work on their second album, hiring veteran Abbey Road studios producer John Leckie. 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".