Radiohead

Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, beats), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboard, other instruments), Ed O'Brien (guitar, backing vocals), Colin Greenwood (bass guitar, synthesizers) and Phil Selway (drums, percussion).

Radiohead released their first single ^{single (music)} , "Creep ^{Creep (Radiohead song)} ", in 1992. The song was initially unsuccessful, but it became a worldwide hit several months after the release of their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993). Radiohead's popularity rose in the United Kingdom with the release of their second album, The Bends (1995). Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), propelled them to greater international fame. Featuring an expansive sound and themes of modern ^modernity alienation ^{social alienation} , OK Computer has often been acclaimed as a landmark record of the 1990s.

Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) marked an evolution in Radiohead's musical style, as the group incorporated experimental electronic music, Krautrock, post-punk and jazz influences. Hail to the Thief (2003), a mix of guitar-driven rock, electronics and lyrics inspired by war, was the band's final album for their major record label, EMI. The band's first six albums, released via EMI, had sold more than twenty-five million copies by 2007. Radiohead independently released their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), originally as a digital download ^{music download} for which customers could set their own price, and later in physical form to critical and chart success.

Radiohead's work has appeared in a large number of listener polls and critics' lists. For example, in 2005 Radiohead were ranked number 73 in Rolling Stones list of "the greatest artists of all time". While the band's earlier albums were particularly influential on British rock and pop music, their later albums brought them a wide audience.

 
Formation and first years (1985–1991)


The musicians who form Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, a boys-only public school ^{Independent school (UK)} in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. This success was attributed variously to marketing, to the album's leak on the file-sharing network Napster a few months before its release, and to advance anticipation based, in part, on the success of OK Computer. but said, "[Radiohead] didn't write a protest record, we didn't write a political record." Following the band's sudden announcement 10 days beforehand, Radiohead's unusual strategy received much notice within the music industry and beyond. From mid-2008 to early 2009, Radiohead toured North America, Europe, Japan, Mexico and South America to promote In Rainbows. The band headlined the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2009.


2009 and 2010 sessions (2009–present)

In May 2009 the band began new recording sessions with producer Nigel Godrich. A few months later, in August, Radiohead released two singles from these sessions on their website. First, "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)", was recorded in tribute to the recently deceased Harry Patch, the last surviving British soldier to have fought in World War I. The song was sold for £1, with proceeds donated to the British Legion. The song featured Thom Yorke singing lyrics based on Patch's own statements about his war experience, over a string orchestra backdrop arranged by Jonny Greenwood. Later that month, a new song "These Are My Twisted Words," was made available as a free download or a torrent; a digital set of pictures was included. Jonny Greenwood explained that the song had been one of the first products of the band's recent studio sessions, and it was likely to be played during their August festival appearances, the final dates of the In Rainbows tour.
In a mid-2009 NME interview, Yorke suggested that Radiohead would turn their focus from full length albums to releasing EPs, including the possibility of an EP of orchestral music ^Orchestra . But in mid-December 2009, O'Brien posted on the band's website that the band would begin work on its next album in January. He stated, "The vibe in the camp is fantastic at present, and we head off into the studio in January to continue on from the work we started last summer...10 years ago we were all collectively (that’s the band) in the land of Kid A .. and although hugely proud of that record, it wasn’t a fun place to be...What’s reassuring now, is that we are most definitely a different band, which should therefore mean that the music is different too and that is the aim of the game."{{Listen
| filename=Radiohead - Pyramid Song (sample).ogg
| title="Pyramid Song"
| description="Pyramid Song" was strongly influenced by jazz musician Charles Mingus' 1963 piece "Freedom".
Since their formation Radiohead have lyrically been spearheaded by Yorke, but musically, songwriting is a collaborative effort, and it has been noted in interviews that all the band members have roles in the process.The band maintains a close relationship with their producer ^{Record producer} Nigel Godrich, as well as with graphic artist ^{Graphic design} Stanley Donwood. Godrich made his name with Radiohead, working with the band since The Bends, and as producer since OK Computer. He has, at times, been dubbed the "sixth member" of the band in an allusion to George Martin being called the "Fifth Beatle". Together with Yorke, Donwood won a Grammy ^{Grammy Award for Best Recording Package} in 2002 for a special edition of Amnesiac packaged as a library book. The band's live technician, Peter Clements, or "Plank", has worked with the band since before The Bends, setting up their instruments for both studio recordings and live performances.Radiohead have been credited by critics and by fellow musicians as one of the most influential bands of their generation. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree has claimed the band are responsible for the success of a series of bands that have followed them: "It's no coincidence we are seeing bands like Muse ^{Muse (band)} , Porcupine Tree, Sigur Rós, Flaming Lips and The Mars Volta having top 30 albums, because I don't think ambition is a dirty word any more. Radiohead were the Trojan Horse in that respect. Here's a band that came from the indie rock tradition that snuck in under the radar when the journalists weren't looking and started making these absurdly ambitious and pretentious - and all the better for it - records."* 1993: Pablo Honey
* 1995: The Bends
* 1997: OK Computer
* 2000: Kid A
* 2001: Amnesiac
* 2003: Hail to the Thief
* 2007: In Rainbows