Radiohead

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Radiohead is a British rock band from near the English town called Oxford. The lead singer and lyrics writer of the band is Thom Yorke, who also plays guitar and piano. Thom is known for his falsetto singing style and the dark mood and message of his songs.

The band has five members, and three of them play guitar. In their early years, Radiohead was known for their layered and heavy guitar sound. In later years, the band began using other instruments too, and creating more electronic sounds. The band still performs live and attracts large crowds of fans to sold-out concerts, even though they play many different styles of music.

Most bands from England are not successful outside their home country of the UK. But Radiohead is successful in the UK and also in Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Israel, Japan and other parts of Asia. Radiohead does not sell as much as the biggest pop artists in the world, but they are recognized by fans and music critics. Lots of people and magazines have called their albums some of the best ever made. They have made six albums so far and they are working on their next one. The band also works to help environmental and peace causes.

[edit] History

The band started in 1986 when they were still in school. They signed to EMI, a large record company, and they made their first album in 1993, Pablo Honey. Radiohead's style of music at first was a mix of English and American alternative rock influences. Some of the musicians that inspired them at this time were The Smiths, Pixies, Queen, U2 and Elvis Costello. Some people called them the "English version of Nirvana", who were the most popular alternative rock band at the time. Both bands had songs with quiet and beautiful moments and also loud guitar distortion.

Radiohead's song "Creep", from their first album, became a large hit all over the world in 1993. The song was from the point of view of a man who adores a woman from afar who is "just like an angel", but the character in the song knows he is "a creep" who "doesn't belong here" and he can never get close to her or "look her in the eye". Even though the band moved on from the sound and lyrics of "Creep", it is still the band's most recognized song. It is played on radio and TV more than any of their other music. The song was first popular in the US in 1993, and then spread around the world through MTV. It was only popular in their home of England when they put the single out again. The rest of the album Pablo Honey did not stand out as much for most people. Today many consider it Radiohead's weakest album, even though it contains "Creep".

Radiohead made a short album (or EP, for "extended play") in 1994. This was called My Iron Lung, and contained the title single, and seven songs known as B-sides (because they were not on a full length album). The main song, "My Iron Lung", was about the way fans had reacted to their song "Creep". The band was happy the song had been a hit, because otherwise they might not have been able to continue the band. But the band, especially Thom Yorke, were reluctant to be celebrities. They were already disturbed by the workings of the music industry. They felt they had no control over things. "Creep" was popular, so they felt under pressure to make more similar songs. They hated the way "Creep" was the only Radiohead song anyone listened to at their concerts, yet it was all that was keeping them afloat. The "iron lung" was a metaphor for such a "life support".

Their second normal album, The Bends, came out in 1995. The song "My Iron Lung" was on it, along with 11 new ones. The band released four more songs as singles: "Fake Plastic Trees", "High and Dry", "Just" and "Street Spirit [Fade Out]". None of these songs were as popular as "Creep" around the world. Radiohead was now a one-hit wonder to many people in America. Songs from The Bends did not get played on the radio very much there. But the album became very popular in Radiohead's home of the UK. It also got excellent reviews from music critics, unlike the band's first album. Many said it was one of the best rock records in memory. The album was produced by John Leckie, a veteran at EMI's Abbey Road studios. As a young man Leckie had assisted on Pink Floyd albums in the 1970s.

The band's lineup was the same for The Bends. Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien played rhythm and auxiliary guitar; Thom sang and Ed sang backup. Phil Selway played drums and percussion. Colin Greenwood played bass guitar. Radiohead's lead guitarist was Jonny Greenwood, Colin's younger brother. Jonny was also younger than any of the other members. Jonny was the only member of the band who didn't graduate from university. He was also the only member who had attended music school. Jonny had had to leave university after a few months to join Radiohead on a tour when they became popular. But he played in an orchestra when he was young, and he had a knowledge of classical and experimental music and jazz. Thus, Jonny became the band's musical expert. At this stage he already played many instruments, such as keyboard.

It was Jonny's complex and cathartic guitar solos in songs like "Just" and "The Bends" that soon began to attract notice. So did his simpler playing in other songs. The circle of Radiohead fans began to grow. Thom Yorke's lyrics also began talking about larger more political themes during this time. Mostly, they were still about personal disappointments, loves, losses, depression, unease, and anger. But Thom wrote songs like "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit" which found the source of the unease in the larger structure of society, not the individual.

Radiohead's style of music had gotten more mature, according to most people, without changing too much. Some others felt their songwriting had improved so much it was no longer unrecognizable. The band used more keyboards and acoustic guitar this time, and made a more subtle atmosphere. But electric guitars were the main instrument used on the record. Some of Radiohead's influences this time were: the post-punk band Magazine, the singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, Morrissey's (former Smiths singer) Vauxhall & I, and the music of R.E.M. That band had inspired Radiohead from the beginning. Radiohead would get a chance to tour with them in summer 1995, after releasing the album. Lead singer Michael Stipe became a friend and mentor to Thom, and also a public fan of Radiohead. In 1995 he said "they're so good, they're scary".

The band's influences had expanded once more by the time of their next album OK Computer.

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