Radiohead,
alternative rock quintet from
Oxford,
England,
1988 -
Present.
Partial
Discography:
The release of
Radiohead's first major-label album,
Pablo Honey, brought
lackluster reviews and sales in their native
Britain until "
Creep" began to receive major airplay on the radio and
MTV in the USA. On the back of the single's success,
Radiohead toured the USA extensively.
Pablo Honey went gold, and "
Creep" was re-released in the
UK at the end of 1993. This time around, the single was a hit, and the band went on a world tour in the summer of 1994.
Unfortunately, the song that brought them stardom also became a source of intense
frustration. (The song "
My Iron Lung" is about the band's
love-hate relationship with "
Creep.") Critics had tagged
Radiohead as a
one-hit wonder, and, determined to prove them wrong,
Radiohead entered the studio and recorded
The Bends. Lauded by critics for a more mature sound but largely ignored by the public,
The Bends received attention only after constant touring.
The Bends contained a wealth of great singles, including
High and Dry,
Fake Plastic Trees,
Just, and
Street Spirit.
In 1997,
Radiohead released
OK Computer, which was an immediate hit in both the
US and the
UK, and also received critical
praise on both sides of the pond. The band stripped down their sound for this album, creating a more subtle, textured work with a
darker tone than either
The Bends or
Pablo Honey. Highlights include
Airbag,
Paranoid Android,
Let Down, and
Karma Police.
In 1998, the
Airbag: How Am I Driving? EP was released, essentially a
mini-album in its own right, containing material left off of
OK Computer.