Radiohead started as five blokes from Oxfordshire, England who played a few instruments. They ended up as one of the most important, praised and interesting modern rock acts. Whether pushing the boundaries of what is considered "marketable" rock music or reinventing their own sound, time and time again, Radiohead manage to embody the spirit of alternative rock while maintaining an international profile and a massive level of mainstream popularity.
As schoolboys, Radiohead started a band entitled On A Friday. (Guess which day they rehearsed.) After most of them graduated, went off to university, then returned home, they started playing more high profile gigs -- to mixed success (i.e. the press hated them). Eventually, they were signed to EMI with a six-record deal. In 1992 they released their debut studio album Pablo Honey with single "Creep." It was blacklisted from UK radio (for being too mopey) -- but became a smash hit internationally.
Vaulted by the surprising popularity of "Creep" -- but leery of becoming a one-hit wonder -- Radiohead recorded a follow-up album, The Bends. Initially criticized as being "too rough" to sell, the album went on to produce five top 30 hits. The album's dense guitar work and anthemic singing displayed the influences of The Smiths, Pixies, R.E.M. and Joy Division, but also introduced a new, emotive force to alternative rock.
In 1997, Radiohead released their seminal album, OK Computer. Expanding the style of The Bends with ambient layers and more expansive song structures, OK Computer was both a quick hit and quickly hailed as a landmark modern rock album -- one of the greatest of the decade. It received a the Best Alternative Album Grammy Award and was nominated for Album of the Year. After touring extensively in support of the album, however, Radiohead headed back into the studio with a different sound in mind.
In 2000, Radiohead released Kid A, an album that was a significant stylistic departure from their previous work. Relying less on guitar work and more on synthesized sound, the album earned Radiohead their highest chart placement nonetheless, but was not the critical hit of its predecessor. In 2001, Radiohead relased Amnesia, an album culled from the same studio sessions that produced Kid A. Due to the album's similarities, it was not received with as much critical fanfare, though it sold well.
In 2003, Radiohead released their sixth full-length studio album, Hail to the Thief. The work attempted to fuse the raw power of their earlier work with the experimentation of their latter. The band followed up the album's release with a year of touring. Since 2004, the band has been free of any contractual obligations and has been working on solo projects and resting, in anticipation of the release of their seventh studio full-length, possibly in 2007.
Update: Radiohead released their seventh full-length album as a digital download on October 10, 2007 and as a self-released "discbox" on December 3, 2007.
Full-length Albums
1993: Pablo Honey
1995: The Bends
1997: OK Computer
2000: Kid A
2001: Amnesiac
2003: Hail to the Thief
2007: In Rainbows
EPs
1992: Drill
1994: Itch
1994: My Iron Lung-br]
1997: No Surprises/Running From Demons
1998: Airbag/How Am I Driving?
2001: I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
2004: COM LAG (2plus2isfive)
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