Radiohead

Radiohead embody an enduring benchmark for bold experimentation within rock, tracing a path from visceral expressions of self-doubt through atmospheric progressive suites toward introspective, luminous ballads. They inherited the visionary mantle once held by David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and Talking Heads—the source of their band name—by fusing Floyd’s cosmic expanse with U2’s anthemic stadium presence and incorporating abrasive guitar textures drawn from the American underground of the 1980s. The abrupt, angular guitar bursts on “Creep,” the band’s breakthrough single that reached the U.K. Top Ten and the U.S. Top 40 from their 1993 debut Pablo Honey, echoed the dynamics of Pixies and Nirvana; yet amid the alternative-rock surge, Radiohead stood apart as somber art-rock outsiders domestically and fleeting chart sensations across the Atlantic. While Brit-pop dominated, they issued The Bends in 1995, an artistic stride that secured modest momentum, though it was OK Computer in 1997—a daring collection shaped by film scores, Krautrock, and electronica—that propelled them to the summit of both the U.K. and U.S. charts. Thereafter, any rock ensemble exploring electronics tended to favor diaphanous atmospheres and inward reflection rather than rigid beats, a direction the Oxford quintet had charted first.

They intensified this approach on Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), emphasizing spare instrumentation and avant-garde jazz inflections over immediate melodies. From that juncture, Radiohead intermittently retained conventional forms while pursuing more idiosyncratic routes on Hail to the Thief (2003) and the surprise 2007 pay-what-you-want release In Rainbows, then continued with The King of Limbs (2011) and A Moon Shaped Pool (2016). Their 2019 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame preceded a primary focus on archival material, side projects, and individual endeavors throughout the 2020s.

Every member attended Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. Ed O’Brien on guitar and Phil Selway on drums were the oldest, followed a year later by Thom Yorke handling vocals, guitar, and piano alongside Colin Greenwood on bass. These four began performing together in 1985 under the name On a Friday; soon they recruited Colin’s younger brother Jonny, who had previously performed in Illiterate Hands alongside Yorke’s brother Andy and Nigel Powell. Jonny initially played keyboards before switching to guitar, though that lineup dissolved quickly. By 1987 the others departed for university, where several continued musical studies, yet the five only reconvened in 1991 and began regular shows around Oxford. They attracted the notice of Chris Hufford—then recognized chiefly as producer for shoegaze outfit Slowdive—who, with partner Bryce Edge, arranged a demo session that led to the pair becoming managers.

EMI signed the group in 1991 after hearing the demo and recommended a name change. On a Friday became Radiohead; they cut their debut EP Drill with Hufford and Edge, issuing it in May 1992. The band next recorded their first full-length with producers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade. The initial single from those sessions, “Creep,” appeared in the U.K. in September 1992 and initially floundered: music publications dismissed it, stations ignored it, and it peaked at number 78. Pablo Honey arrived in February 1993, trailed by “Anyone Can Play Guitar,” yet both made little headway at home; the non-album single “Pop Is Dead” in May offered no relief. Meanwhile “Creep” gained traction elsewhere, first charting in Israel before igniting along the U.S. West Coast after influential San Francisco station KITS added it. The track climbed toward the top of Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, reached number 34 on the Hot 100, and earned substantial MTV exposure—an unusual feat for a British guitar act. Its U.K. reissue hit number seven in autumn 1993, suddenly delivering the band more attention than they could manage.

Radiohead sustained Pablo Honey touring into 1994 without further hits, prompting one-hit-wonder speculation that spurred anxiety to capture fresh material. Early that year they entered the studio with producer John Leckie, previously noted for his Stone Roses work; the EP My Iron Lung, released late 1994, previewed the muscular direction of 1995’s The Bends. Issued in March, the album expanded their sound into dense, panoramic territory while elevating their profile: although the first three singles (“High and Dry,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Just”) failed to crack the U.K. Top 20, the closing “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” reached number five in early 1996. Brit-pop fervor indirectly aided their ascent despite the band’s more cerebral, rock-centric identity. In the U.S., The Bends peaked at number 88 on Billboard yet cultivated a devoted audience; the group maintained visibility through opening slots for R.E.M. in 1995 and Alanis Morissette in 1996.

Between 1995 and 1996, with Nigel Godrich—formerly an engineer on The Bends—now producing, new tracks emerged gradually. “Lucky” featured on War Child’s 1995 charity album The Help Album, “Talk Show Host” surfaced as a B-side, and “Exit Music (For a Film)” appeared on the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack. These pieces fed into OK Computer, released June 1997 and marking a career watershed. Lead single “Paranoid Android,” a nervy, multi-part composition issued in May, climbed to number three in the U.K., signaling the album’s scope and positioning the band for wider recognition.

OK Computer indeed catalyzed a shift, departing from Brit-pop exuberance and grunge’s lingering gloom toward introspective, electronics-infused art-rock. Its immediate success included a U.K. number-one debut, a Grammy for Best Alternative Album, and an extensive world tour later captured in the documentary Meeting People Is Easy. While that film circulated, the group reconvened with Godrich for a fourth album. Kid A, released October 2000, amplified the electronic and jazz leanings of its predecessor; despite early online piracy, it debuted at number one in both the U.K. and U.S.—their first American chart-topper—secured another Grammy for Best Alternative Album, earned platinum certifications across multiple markets, and notably issued no singles. Amnesiac, drawn from the same sessions, followed in June 2001, topping the U.K. chart and reaching number two stateside; singles “Pyramid Song” and “Knives Out” indicated a slightly more approachable stance. I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings appeared at year’s end. By summer 2002 they began work on Hail to the Thief, released June 2003 and debuting at number one in the U.K. and number three in the U.S. The supporting tour concluded with a headline set at the 2004 Coachella Festival, coinciding with the B-sides and remix collection COM LAG that fulfilled their EMI contract.

A subsequent hiatus allowed individual explorations. Yorke issued the electronic solo album The Eraser in 2006, while Jonny Greenwood launched a scoring career with Bodysong in 2004 and later formed a lasting partnership with director Paul Thomas Anderson beginning with There Will Be Blood in 2007; he contributed to Anderson’s subsequent films The Master and Inherent Vice. The band eventually resumed recording with Godrich after initial sessions with Spike Stent proved unsatisfactory, completing the work by June 2007. Lacking a label, they launched In Rainbows directly via their website in October under a pay-what-you-want model that generated widespread coverage and reportedly exceeded one million downloads on the first day. Physical editions followed in the U.K. that December and the U.S. the next January; the album debuted at number one domestically and captured Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.

Touring continued into 2009, during which EMI released the compilation Radiohead: The Best Of in June 2008. A 2010 break enabled Yorke to form Atoms for Peace with Godrich and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, while Selway delivered his debut solo effort Familial. Early 2011 saw completion of The King of Limbs, initially offered digitally in February before physical copies arrived in March; the album moved roughly 400,000 downloads at launch. The remix collection TKOL RMX 1234567 followed that autumn, and touring persisted into 2012. Subsequent solo activity included Atoms for Peace’s Amok in February 2013, Yorke’s Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes in September 2014, and Selway’s second album Weatherhouse the next month. Work on a new Radiohead record began in autumn 2014 and continued through 2015, yielding only the rejected James Bond theme “Spectre.” A Moon Shaped Pool emerged May 8, 2016, led by singles “Burn the Witch” and “Daydreaming.” An extensive tour supported the album, followed in June 2017 by the OK Computer twentieth-anniversary reissue OK Computer: OKNOTOK 1997 2017, which reached number two in the U.K. bolstered by a major Glastonbury broadcast. Selway, Yorke, and Greenwood each scored films the following year, with Greenwood receiving an Oscar nomination for Phantom Thread.

Radiohead entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, introduced by Talking Heads’ David Byrne. Yorke released his third solo album Anima that June. Two years later the band issued Kid A Mnesia, assembling unreleased material from the Kid A and Amnesiac era and promoting it with “If You Say the Word” and “Follow Me Around.” During the early 2020s all members remained active: O’Brien issued Earth under the EOB moniker in 2020; Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed and recorded with drummer Tom Skinner as the Smile while pursuing further soundtrack work; Colin Greenwood toured with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis; and Selway released his third solo album, Strange Dance.