BIOGRAPHY

It was in the early eighties when a young Thom Yorke joined Abington college schoolmates, Ed O Brien and Colin Greenwood in a punk band called 'TNT'. However, unhappy with this band, Thom left, soon to be followed by Ed and Colin. The trio formed a new band in 1987 with their friend Phil Selway, who was the year above them in school. They called the band On A Friday, referring to the day of the week when the band would practice.

Colin's younger brother, Jonny, really wanted to join the band. At first he was put on harmonica, and then keyboard. Eventually it became talented how talented a guitarist he was, and he soon became the bands lead guitarist.

In 1998, the band had their first gig in an Oxford pub called The Tavern. From 1988, the band took a back seat while all the members undertook university degrees. The band resrufaced in 1991 after Thom, Phil, Ed and Colin graduated from their respective courses. Since Jonny was two years younger than the others, he decided to quit university to put all his time into the band. The band presented a tape of their songs to Byrce Edge and Chris Hufford at courtyard studios. After a couple of tapes had been presented, they recorded their first demo, Manic Hedgehog. The band got another gig in the Tavern, and also appeared on the cover of the Oxford-based 'Curfew' magazine. The band were building up a reputation for themselves, and after a lot of interest from various record companies, they signed with EMI in 1992.

However, one thing had to be settled first.. the band name. 'On A Friday' was widely criticised by many, so the band decided to rename themselves after a song from the album 'True Stories' by Talking heads... 'Radio Head'

The band released the Drill EP in 1992, with the main song being 'Prove Yourself', however the EP failed to make an impression on the UK singles chart.. it only reached 101.


PABLO HONEY

While jamming in the studio one day, the band came up with a song which was described as being their "Scott Walker Song". While at first it was thought by others that this was a cover, it soon emerged that it was in fact their own composition... 'Creep'.

Creep was immensely popular with everyone who heard it, and this song gave them the opportunity to record their first album, Pablo Honey. 'Creep' was released in September 1992 but only reached #78 in the UK chart. 'Pablo Honey' was released the following February, along with the single 'Anyone Can Play Guitar'.

The band weren't being well received by the British public, however unbeknown to the band, their work was causing ripples on the other side of the Atlantic. 'Live 105' made Pablo Honey their album of the year, and news began to spread around America. Despite Creep not doing noticeabely well in the US charts, the album went gold. Creep was re-released in the UK charts exactly a year later, and reached #7. Radiohead, and in particular 'Creep' had just become a worldwide hit.


THE BENDS

In 1994 the band returned to the studio to record The Bends, their second album. Relatively unhappy wit their first album, they decided to hire John Leckie in order to escape from the 'one record wonder' label that Creep had given them. However, when recording the bends, the band felt smothered by the success of Creep and the weight of expectation to produce another such hit. According to Leckie, either 'Sulk', 'The Bends', 'Nice Dream' or 'Just' was going to be the song chosen to be the long awaited follow up of Creep, a single which would hopefully be a hit both sides of the Atlantic.

The band released My Iron Lung EP, which served as a transitional song between the simple Pablo Honey and the more complex The Bends, an album in which a lot of the nirvana-inspired, raucous rock riffs were ditched, being replaced with acoustic guitars overlaid by electric guitar effects. The single only reached a disappointing number 23 in the charts. Frustrated with the recording sessions, the band decided to take to the road yet again. They toured Australia and the Far East, where they arranged and experimented with the new songs in front of a live audience. When the band returned to the UK, the Bends was completed within a fortnight.


OK COMPUTER

Next up for Radiohead was their third album. They had liked the way in which Black Star and Lucky (a song recorded for the charity album Help) had been recorded, they asked sound Engineer Nigel Godrich to build them a portable studio. They converted an old apple shed near their Oxford homes, Canned Applause, into a recording studio. They began recording in the studio in July 1996. Despite the experimental, unconventional surroundings, four of the tracks recorded there made it onto the bands third album. After the lessons learned from the recording of The Bends, the band decided to try out their new material on the road. That autumn, they played a 13-date tour with Alanis Morissette.

They eventually left their Canned Applause studio to move to St. Catherine's Court, a mansion owned by actress Jane Seymour, and finish OK Computer. The album was recorded without any real deadlines, they were given complete freedom. They made use of the different atmospheres throughout the house. Their alienation from the outside enabled them to record spontaneously, a number of the songs were recorded live, and Let Down was recorded at 3am in the morning. The following Christmas, the record was completed. OK Computer was released in June 1997, The songs 'Airbag', 'Paranoid Android', 'Karma Police' and 'No Surprises' were released as singles. However, the album reached #1 in the charts and was met with rave reviews and it is a critically acclaimed piece of work, unlike anything most people have heard before.

The album constantly finished top of 'top 100 best albums ever' lists etc. That summer of 1997, they played Glastonbury, which many believe is the greatest performance/concert by an act ever. OK Computer had made Radiohead the greatest and the biggest band in the world.

After the release of OK Computer, The band went on their "Against Demons World Tour". Director Grant Lee followed the band during this hectic time and recorded the documentary 'Meeting New People Is Easy'.





KID A

The OK Computer tour ended mid 1998. The band members were exhausted and were on the verge of splitting up. They spent most of the next year away from the public eye, in need of a break from Radiohead. In that time Thom Yorke battled depression, citing Michael Stipe as a force who enabled him to come through this bad time of his life. Thom suffered severe writers block and every time he took up his guitar, he is quoted as saying that "I just got the horrors!". The band hit the studio yet again in mid 1999 to record their fifth album, Kid A. At first there were disagreements about what musical direction the band should head in, but eventually they all became to an agreement. In the new album, guitars would be replaced by synthesizers and other electronic effects.

No singles were released from the album, and it was practically not promoted at all. They only did a handful of concerts on the run up to its release. Songs from the whole album were released onto the file sharing website 'Napster' three months before the release. The record company were furious that this would destroy record sales. However, begged the question whether file sharing programs such of Napster increase record sales... because the album reached #1 in America, the bands highest ever chart enrty position. The record was released in October 2000 and was met with mixed reviews. Even though it was a success in the charts, many accused it of deliberately not being radio-friendly. It divided Radiohead's fan base. Many were disappointed about the lack of guitars, while many see it as being their best album to date.


AMNESIAC

The sixth studio album, Amnesiac, consisted of many of the songs that didn't make it onto Kid A. It was recorded with the bands long time producer Nigel Godrich and was released in June 2001. The two albums are similar in style, and the song Morning Bell appears on both album, albeit different versions. While Amnesiac was received very well and outsold Kid A, it is not considered by fans as being as good as Kid A. 'Pyramid song' and 'Knives Out' were released as singles.

Initially the band wanted to release 'I Might Be Wrong' as a single, however they decided to release an 8 song live album, 'I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings' which included the new song 'True Love Waits'.


HAIL TO THE THIEF

Prior to recording their sixth studio album, Hail To Te Thief, the band decided to experiment their new material on the road, akin to the The Bends era. They toured around Portugal and Spain in summer 2002. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, and while it didnt contain as much as guitars as their first albums, there was less experimentation. Many believe that the title is a reference to the 2000 U.S. presidential election, something which the band denies.

A copy of the album was stolen a couple of months before its release date and leaked onto the internet. However, it was released on June 7th 2004, and the album still went on to outsell both Amnesiac and Kid A, and was followed by a year long world tour. Hail To The Thief was met with great reviews from both the fans and the critics. The album was the Radiohead's most guitar driven composition in a long time, and the band seemed at peace with themselves, proud of their record. This self-contentedness was evident at their live concerts, where the band would be jumping around onstage, smiling, interacting with the crowd, talking to the crowd. And for the first time in a long time, they were playing their 'hits' live.