174-520: In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead . It was self-released on 10 October 2007 as a pay-what-you-want download, followed by a retail release internationally through XL Recordings on 3 December 2007 and in North America through TBD Records on 1 January 2008. It was Radiohead's first release after their recording contract with EMI ended with their album Hail to
348-399: A DCMS Committee inquiry into the impact of streaming on the music industry. He said he wanted to speak for less successful artists, who he felt were exploited. O'Brien said of his playing: "I literally learned to play my instrument within the band, so I started off very limited — and I'm still very limited. But I've been lucky, because I've been in a band that has not required you to be
522-626: A Klon Centaur overdrive pedal. In 2010, the Rolling Stone journalist David Fricke named O'Brien the 59th-greatest guitarist of all time. In 2023, Rolling Stone named O'Brien and Greenwood the joint 43rd-greatest guitarists, writing that O'Brien was "possibly the most underrated guitarist in rock ... adding subtle textures that enhance each song and keeping the band grounded with his cheerful, up-for-anything vibe. You might not be able to name his best solo, but it's impossible to imagine Radiohead without him." O'Brien's earliest guitar influence
696-541: A box set of Radiohead albums recorded before In Rainbows, released in the same week as the In Rainbows special edition. Radiohead were reportedly angered by the release, and commentators including the Guardian saw it as retaliation for the band choosing not to sign with EMI. Hands defended the reissues as necessary to boost EMI's revenues and said "we don't have a huge amount of reasons to be nice [to Radiohead]". The box set
870-437: A box set of Radiohead material recorded before In Rainbows , released in the same week as the In Rainbows special edition. Commentators including the Guardian saw the move as retaliation for the band choosing not to re-sign with EMI. In June 2008, EMI released a greatest hits album, Radiohead: The Best Of . It was made without Radiohead's involvement and contains only songs recorded under their contract with EMI. Yorke
1044-586: A minimalist and textured style with more diverse instrumentation, including the ondes Martenot , programmed electronic beats, strings , and jazz horns. It debuted at number one in many countries, including the US, where it became the first Radiohead album to debut atop the Billboard chart and the first US number-one album by any UK act since the Spice Girls in 1996. This success was attributed variously to marketing, to
1218-539: A pitch shifter pedal to shift his guitar chords from minor to major . For " All I Need ", he used a sustain unit and a guitar strung with four bottom E strings, creating a thicker sound. O'Brien uses the EBow , an electronic sustaining device, on his guitar to generate drones and ambient leads on songs such as " My Iron Lung ", "Talk Show Host", " Jigsaw Falling Into Place ", "Where I End and You Begin" and " Nude ". On The King of Limbs and A Moon Shaped Pool , he used
1392-403: A "commercial suicide note" and "intentionally difficult", and longed for a return to Radiohead's earlier style. Fans were similarly divided; along with those who were appalled or mystified, many saw it as the band's best work. Yorke denied that Radiohead had set out to eschew expectations, saying: "We're not trying to be difficult ... We're actually trying to communicate but somewhere along
1566-431: A "post-rave trance track", similar to the music of Surgeon , and said Jonny Greenwood was "obsessed" with shifting the start of the bar . Radiohead performed "Videotape" a more conventional rock arrangement on tour in 2006, with Selway's drums building to a climax. For the album, Godrich and Greenwood reduced the song to a minimal piano ballad with percussion from a Roland TR-909 drum machine. The In Rainbows artwork
1740-405: A "really big" offer, and an EMI spokesperson said that Radiohead had demanded "an extraordinary amount of money". Yorke and Radiohead's management released statements denying this, and said that they had instead wanted control over their back catalogue, which Hands had refused. Radiohead's co-manager, Bryce Edge, said Radiohead had the moral rights to the albums. According to Hands, Radiohead wanted
1914-428: A 160 kbit/s DRM-free MP3 format. The staggered online release began at about 5:30am GMT on 10 October 2007. The download was removed on 10 December. Radiohead also sold a limited "discbox" edition from their website. It contained the album on CD and two 12" heavyweight 45 rpm vinyl records with artwork and lyric booklets, plus an enhanced CD with eight additional tracks, digital photos and artwork, packaged in
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#17328582329222088-463: A 2000 tour of Europe in a custom-built tent free of advertising; they also promoted Kid A with three sold-out North American theatre concerts. Kid A received a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album and a nomination for Album of the Year in early 2001. It won both praise and criticism in independent music circles for appropriating underground styles of music; some British critics saw Kid A as
2262-607: A North American tour, their first there in three years, in June 2001. With a string of sold-out dates, The Observer described it as "the most sweeping conquest of America by a British group" since Beatlemania , succeeding where bands such as Oasis had failed. Recordings from the Kid A and Amnesiac tours were released on I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings in November 2001. In July and August 2002, Radiohead toured Portugal and Spain, playing
2436-430: A band." In later years, The Bends appeared in many publications' lists of the best albums of all time, including Rolling Stone 's 2012 edition of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" at No. 111. In 1995, Radiohead again toured North America and Europe, this time in support of R.E.M. , one of their formative influences and at the time one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Attention from famous fans such as
2610-658: A break to focus on other areas of their lives, and that the end of their contract provided a natural point to pause and reflect. The New York Times described Radiohead as "by far the world's most popular unsigned band". In 2005, the singer and songwriter, Thom Yorke , appeared on the web series From the Basement , performing the future In Rainbows tracks "Videotape", "Down is the New Up" and "Last Flowers". He released his first solo album, The Eraser , in 2006. The lead guitarist, Jonny Greenwood , also composed his first solo works,
2784-688: A collaboration between Greenwood, Godrich, the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and Indian musicians, was released in November 2015, accompanied by a documentary directed by Anderson . In April 2016, Radiohead's back catalogue was acquired by XL Recordings , which had released the retail editions of In Rainbows and The King of Limbs and most of Yorke's solo work. XL reissued Radiohead's back catalogue on vinyl in May 2016. Radiohead began work on their ninth studio album in September 2014. In 2015, they resumed work in
2958-589: A converted apple shed in the countryside near Didcot , Oxfordshire. In August 1996, Radiohead toured as the opening act for Alanis Morissette . They resumed recording not at a studio but at St. Catherine's Court , a 15th-century mansion near Bath . The sessions were relaxed, with the band playing at all hours of the day, recording in different rooms, and listening to the Beatles , DJ Shadow , Ennio Morricone and Miles Davis for inspiration. Radiohead released their third album, OK Computer , in May 1997. It found
3132-639: A dance piece by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company , which debuted in October 2003 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music . Radiohead's sixth album, Hail to the Thief , was released in June 2003. Its lyrics were influenced by what Yorke called "the general sense of ignorance and intolerance and panic and stupidity" following the 2000 election of US President George W. Bush . The album was promoted with
3306-607: A dangerous precedent at the expense of less successful artists. Radiohead promoted In Rainbows with webcasts , music videos, competitions and a worldwide tour. " Jigsaw Falling into Place " and " Nude " were released as singles; "Nude" became Radiohead's first US top-40 song since their debut single " Creep " (1992). The retail release of In Rainbows topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200 , and by October 2008 it had sold more than three million copies worldwide. It
3480-413: A deadlock, Radiohead toured Asia, Australasia and Mexico and found greater confidence performing their new music live. However, troubled by his new fame, Yorke became disillusioned with being "at the sharp end of the sexy, sassy, MTV eye-candy lifestyle" he felt he was helping to sell to the world. The My Iron Lung EP and single, released in 1994, was Radiohead's reaction, marking a transition towards
3654-548: A fan-made video of the performance, Radiohead for Haiti , was released via YouTube and torrent with Radiohead's support and a "pay-what-you-want" link to donate to Oxfam. Radiohead also released the soundboard recording of their 2009 Prague performance for use in a fan-made concert video, Live in Praha . The videos were described as examples of Radiohead's openness to fans and positivity toward non-commercial internet distribution. In June 2010, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed
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#17328582329223828-430: A guitarist and suddenly it's like, well, there are no guitars on this track, or no drums." He began using effects units more extensively to process his guitar, creating synthesiser-like sounds. O'Brien kept an online diary of Radiohead's progress during the recording. During the sessions for In Rainbows (2007), O'Brien believed Radiohead might never record another album. He said later: "One of my mantras throughout
4002-417: A hardcover book and slipcase . The limited edition was shipped from December 2007. In June 2009, Radiohead made the In Rainbows bonus disc available for download on their website for £6. Radiohead ruled out an internet-only distribution, saying that 80% of people still bought physical releases and that it was important to have an "artefact" or "object". For the retail release, Radiohead retained ownership of
4176-546: A landmark record of the 1990s and the Generation X era, and one of the greatest albums in recording history. In 1998, Radiohead performed at a Paris Amnesty International concert and the Tibetan Freedom Concert . In March, they and Godrich entered Abbey Road Studios to record a song for the 1998 film The Avengers , " Man of War ", but were unsatisfied with the results and it went unreleased. Yorke described
4350-412: A large advance, but had instead wanted control over their back catalogue. Radiohead self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows , on their website on 10 October 2007 as a download , for any amount users wanted, including £0. The landmark pay-what-you-want release, the first for a major act, made headlines worldwide and created debate about the implications for the music industry. Media reaction
4524-514: A large payment in addition to ownership of their back catalogue, which EMI "valued even more". He estimated that they had wanted "millions and millions". Responding to Hands's statement, Yorke told an interviewer: "It fucking pissed me off. We could have taken them to court. The idea that we were after so much money was stretching the truth to breaking point. That was his PR company briefing against us and I'll tell you what, it fucking ruined my Christmas." Days after Radiohead signed to XL, EMI announced
4698-499: A larger tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Rolling Stone named O'Brien among the greatest guitarists of all time in 2010 and 2023. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Radiohead in 2019. O'Brien was born on April 15, 1968. His family comes from Ballyporeen , Ireland. As a child, O'Brien enjoyed cricket and theatre. His parents split when he
4872-418: A living from their music. Responding to criticisms, Jonny Greenwood said Radiohead were responding to the culture of downloading free music, which he likened to the legend of King Canute : "You can't pretend the flood isn't happening." Colin said the criticism was "worrying about all these ancillary questions and forgetting about the primal urge of people to share and enjoy music. And there's always going to be
5046-495: A long time in the studio just not going anywhere, wasting our time, and that was really, really frustrating." They attributed their slow progress to a lack of momentum after their break, the lack of deadline and producer, and the fact that all the members had become fathers. In December 2005, Radiohead hired the producer Spike Stent , who had worked with artists including U2 and Björk , to help them work through their material. Stent listened to their self-produced work and agreed it
5220-427: A modest hit, but Radiohead's growing fanbase was insufficient to repeat the worldwide success of "Creep". The Bends reached number 88 on the US album charts, and remains Radiohead's lowest showing there. Jonny Greenwood later said The Bends was turning point for Radiohead: "It started appearing in people's [best-of] polls for the end of the year. That's when it started to feel like we made the right choice about being
5394-635: A new band, Atoms for Peace , to perform his solo material, with musicians including Godrich and the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea . They played eight North American shows in 2010. In January 2010, Radiohead played their only full concert of the year in the Los Angeles Henry Fonda Theater as a benefit for Oxfam . Tickets were auctioned, raising over half a million US dollars for the NGO's 2010 Haiti earthquake relief. That December,
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5568-487: A non-album single, also sold poorly. O'Brien later called it "a hideous mistake". Some critics compared Radiohead to the wave of grunge music popular in the early 1990s, dubbing them " Nirvana -lite", and Pablo Honey initially failed to make a critical or a commercial impact. The members of Radiohead expressed dissatisfaction with the album in later years. In early 1993, Radiohead began to attract listeners elsewhere. "Creep" had been played frequently on Israeli radio by
5742-486: A number of new songs. For their next album, they sought to explore the tension between human and machine-generated music and capture a more immediate, live sound. They and Godrich recorded most of the material in two weeks at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles. The band described the recording process as relaxed, in contrast to the tense sessions for Kid A and Amnesiac . Radiohead also composed music for "Split Sides",
5916-551: A piano dirge , for the War Child charity album Help: A Day in the Life . The album was sold online, with "I Want None of This" the most downloaded track, though it was not released as a single. In late 2006, after touring Europe and North America with new material, Radiohead re-enlisted Godrich and resumed work in London, Oxford and rural Somerset , England. Recording ended in June 2007 and
6090-459: A record label. Shortly before work began, Yorke told Time : "I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say 'fuck you' to this decaying business model." In August 2007, as Radiohead were finishing In Rainbows , EMI was acquired by the private equity firm Terra Firma for US$ 6.4 billion (£4.7 billion), with Guy Hands as
6264-607: A record on the most secretive terms, basically for free, and still be wildly successful, even as industry profits continued to plummet." Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon , Oxfordshire , in 1985. They comprise Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass); Ed O'Brien (guitar, backing vocals); and Philip Selway (drums, percussion). They have worked with
6438-568: A rhythmic flow". " Reckoner " developed while Radiohead were working on another song, " FeelingPulledApartByHorses ". It features Yorke's falsetto , "frosty, clanging" percussion, a "meandering" guitar line, piano, and strings arranged by Jonny Greenwood. Yorke described it as "a love song... sort of". He said the line "because we separate like ripples on a blank shore" was the centre of In Rainbows , and that "everything's leading to that point and then going away from that point". He described " House of Cards " as "mellow and summery", and likened it to
6612-457: A single track, where they could not be further altered. According to Colin, "The idea was to make us commit to something ... It was as if we were sampling ourselves. And when you mash sounds together like that they cross-pollinate, they marinade, they interact with each other... They have little sonic babies." Yorke said the band attempted to create "a sense of disembodiment" by using elements from different versions of songs. For example, "All I Need"
6786-552: A six-album recording contract with EMI. At EMI's request, they changed their name; "Radiohead" was taken from the song "Radio Head" on the Talking Heads album True Stories (1986). Yorke said the name "sums up all these things about receiving stuff ... It's about the way you take information in, the way you respond to the environment you're put in." Radiohead recorded their debut EP, Drill , with Hufford and Edge at Courtyard Studios. Released in May 1992, its chart performance
6960-467: A soundtrack, Subterranea , to The Panic Office , an installation of Radiohead artwork in Sydney, Australia. Yorke and Selway released their solo albums Tomorrow's Modern Boxes and Weatherhouse in late 2014. Jonny Greenwood scored his third Anderson film, Inherent Vice ; it features a version of an unreleased Radiohead song, "Spooks", performed by Greenwood and members of Supergrass . Junun ,
7134-458: A statement, Yorke responded: "We don’t endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump , but we still play in America. Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing the government. Music, art and academia is about crossing borders not building them, about open minds not closed ones, about shared humanity, dialogue and freedom of expression." Ed O%27Brien Edward John O'Brien (born 15 April 1968)
In Rainbows - Misplaced Pages Continue
7308-510: A string arrangement composed by Jonny Greenwood. Later that month, another new song, " These Are My Twisted Words ", featuring krautrock -like drumming and guitars, was leaked via torrent , possibly by Radiohead. It was released as a free download on the Radiohead website the following week. Commentators saw the releases as part of Radiohead's new unpredictable release strategy, without the need for traditional marketing. In 2009, Yorke formed
7482-458: A surprise set at Glastonbury Festival , performing Eraser and Radiohead songs. Selway released his debut solo album, Familial , in August. Pitchfork described it as a collection of "hushed" folk songs in the tradition of Nick Drake , with Selway on guitar and vocals. Radiohead released their eighth album, The King of Limbs , on 18 February 2011 as a download from their website. Following
7656-733: A traditional record sale. Reznor released his sixth album, Ghosts I–IV , under a Creative Commons licence the following year. The singer Lily Allen said the release was "arrogant" and sent a bad message to less successful acts, saying: "You don't choose how to pay for eggs. Why should it be different for music?" The Sonic Youth bassist, Kim Gordon , said the release "seemed really community-oriented, but it wasn't catered towards their musician brothers and sisters, who don't sell as many records [as Radiohead]. It makes everyone else look bad for not offering their music for whatever." The Guardian journalist Will Hodgkinson argued that Radiohead had made it impossible for less successful musicians to make
7830-411: A virtuoso." O'Brien also sings backing vocals, which Pitchfork described as Radiohead's "most consistent secret weapon". While Jonny Greenwood plays most of Radiohead's lead guitar parts, O'Brien often creates ambient effects, making extensive use of effects units . He said of the technique: "It's a bit like you're creating a canvas. That would be in accompaniment with Thom playing chords on
8004-540: A way of finding money or livings to be made out of it." Yorke told the BBC : "We have a moral justification in what we did in the sense that the majors and the big infrastructure of the music business has not addressed the way artists communicate directly with their fans ... Not only do they get in the way, but they take all the cash." Radiohead's managers differed from the rest of the music industry and felt that non-profit peer-to-peer file sharing should be legalised. They defended
8178-576: A website, radiohead.tv, where short films, music videos, and studio webcasts were streamed. Hail to the Thief debuted at number one in the UK and number three on the Billboard chart, and was eventually certified platinum in the UK and gold in the US. The singles " There There ", " Go to Sleep " and " 2 + 2 = 5 " achieved heavy circulation on modern rock radio. At the 2004 Grammy Awards , Radiohead were again nominated for Best Alternative Album , and Godrich and
8352-409: Is acclaimed as a landmark record and one of the best albums in popular music, with complex production and themes of modern alienation . Their fourth album, Kid A (2000), marked a dramatic change in style, incorporating influences from electronic music , jazz , classical music and krautrock . Though Kid A divided listeners, it was later named the best album of the decade by multiple outlets. It
8526-621: Is also about beauty, like a majestic view, and what we did on this record was to allow the songs to be epic when they have to be". He cited "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" as an example of a song that was "obviously epic in scope". Yorke said Radiohead considered In Rainbows "our classic album, our Transformer , our Revolver , our Hunky Dory ". Yorke said that the lyrics were based on "that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking, 'I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something else'." He likened them to Radiohead's 1997 album OK Computer , but "much more terrifying". He said that, unlike Hail to
8700-456: Is an English guitarist, songwriter and member of the rock band Radiohead . He releases solo music under the name EOB . O'Brien attended Abingdon School in Oxfordshire , England, where he formed Radiohead with schoolmates. O'Brien said his role was to "service the songs" and support the songwriter, Thom Yorke . He often creates ambient sounds and textures, using effects , sustain units and
8874-406: Is often acclaimed as one of the best albums of all time. OK Computer saw O'Brien use less distortion and more delay and other effects, creating a sound that was "more about textures". O'Brien became depressed during the extensive OK Computer tour, but focused on supporting Yorke. After the tour, he returned to Oxford, used large amounts of drugs and fell further into depression. He said: "I
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#17328582329229048-542: The Billboard Hot 100 ; it was Radiohead's first song to enter the chart since "High and Dry" (1995) and their first US top 40 since "Creep". In July, Radiohead released a digitally shot video for " House of Cards ". Radiohead held remix competitions for "Nude" and " Reckoner ", releasing the separated stems for fans to remix. In April 2008, Radiohead launched W.A.S.T.E. Central, a social networking service for Radiohead fans. In May, VH1 broadcast In Rainbows – From
9222-404: The 100 greatest artists of all time , and included five of their albums in its lists of the " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ". Radiohead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School , a private school for boys in Abingdon, Oxfordshire . The guitarist and singer Thom Yorke and the bassist Colin Greenwood were in
9396-404: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time . In 2004, after finishing the world tour for their sixth studio album, Hail to the Thief (2003), Radiohead went on hiatus. As Hail to the Thief was the final album released under their record contract with EMI , they had no contractual obligation to release new material. The drummer, Philip Selway , said Radiohead still wanted to create music, but took
9570-550: The Boss DD-5 delay pedal as "key to the sound of The Bends and OK Computer ... It's the only delay that can make those OK Computer sounds." In the Kid A sessions, at the suggestion of Michael Brook , the creator of the Infinite Guitar , O'Brien began using sustain units, which allow guitar notes to be sustained indefinitely. He combined these with looping and delay effects to create synthesiser-like sounds. To create
9744-642: The Cartoon Network programming block Adult Swim . Unable to choose only one winner, Radiohead awarded the full prize money of $ 10,000 each to four semifinalists, who created videos for "15 Step", "Weird Fishes", "Reckoner" and "Videotape". On 16 January 2008, a surprise Radiohead performance at the London record shop Rough Trade East was relocated to a nearby club after police raised safety concerns. Radiohead toured North America, Europe, South America and Japan from May 2008 until March 2009. To determine how they could reduce carbon emissions , Radiohead commissioned
9918-629: The Coachella and Glastonbury festivals. They were joined again by Deamer. The tours included a performance in Tel Aviv in July 2017, disregarding the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign for an international cultural boycott of Israel . The performance was criticised by artists including Roger Waters and Ken Loach , and a petition urging Radiohead to cancel it was signed by more than 50 prominent figures. In
10092-472: The EBow , and provides backing vocals . With musicians including the Radiohead drummer, Philip Selway , O'Brien toured and recorded with the 7 Worlds Collide project in the 2000s. His first solo album, Earth , was released in 2020. O'Brien had been writing songs for years, but lacked confidence and felt they had a character that would be lost with Radiohead. He began a North American tour in February 2020;
10266-516: The EMI A&;R representative Keith Wozencroft at a record shop and handed him a copy of the demo. Wozencroft was impressed and attended a performance. That November, On a Friday performed at the Jericho Tavern to an audience that included several A&R representatives. It was only their eighth gig, but they had attracted interest from several record companies. On 21 December, On a Friday signed
10440-669: The Featured Artists Coalition , a nonprofit organisation set up to protect the rights of featured musical artists, particularly in the digital age . He appeared in a 2011 episode of the BBC Radio 5 Live sports programme Fighting Talk in support of Record Shop Day . In 2013, O'Brien cofounded the Laundry, a workspace, restaurant and nightclub converted from a laundry in London Fields . In 2019, Hackney Council announced that
10614-498: The Hail to the Thief tour, Radiohead went on hiatus to spend time with their families and work on solo projects. Yorke and Jonny Greenwood contributed to the Band Aid 20 charity single " Do They Know It's Christmas? ", produced by Godrich. Greenwood composed soundtracks for the films Bodysong (2004) and There Will Be Blood (2007); the latter was the first of several collaborations with
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#173285823292210788-600: The Kid A sessions, including "Life in a Glasshouse", featuring the Humphrey Lyttelton Band . Radiohead stressed that they saw Amnesiac not as a collection of B-sides or outtakes from Kid A but an album in its own right. It topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number two in the US, and was nominated for a Grammy Award and the Mercury Music Prize . Radiohead released " Pyramid Song " and " Knives Out " as singles, their first since 1998. Radiohead began
10962-502: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2019; O'Brien and Selway attended the induction ceremony and gave speeches. O'Brien thanked his bandmates for their musicianship and friendship, saying that "some of the nights we have in the rehearsal studio [are] like transcendental moments". In 2020, O'Brien said his role in Radiohead was to "service the songs" and support Yorke. He said: "I've always been like his older brother ... I always say that he
11136-629: The Second Summer of Love . In 1991, On a Friday signed a record contract with EMI and changed their name to Radiohead. They found early success with their debut single, " Creep ", from their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993). For their second album, The Bends (1995), the guitarists' roles were more divided, with Yorke generally playing rhythm , Greenwood lead and Ed O'Brien providing effects. The Bends received positive reviews and elevated Radiohead's profile. Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), brought them international fame and
11310-475: The UK singles chart when EMI rereleased it in September. To build on the success, Radiohead embarked on a US tour supporting Belly and PJ Harvey , followed by a European tour supporting James and Tears for Fears . Radiohead began work on their second album in 1994 with the veteran Abbey Road Studios producer John Leckie . Tensions were high, with mounting expectations to match the success of "Creep". To break
11484-483: The US charts , the album eventually met with mainstream recognition there, earning Radiohead their first Grammy Awards recognition, winning Best Alternative Album and a nomination for Album of the Year . " Paranoid Android ", " Karma Police " and " No Surprises " were released as singles, of which "Karma Police" was most successful internationally. OK Computer went on to become a staple of "best-of" British album lists. In
11658-514: The University of Exeter , Yorke played with the band Headless Chickens, performing songs including future Radiohead material. He also met Stanley Donwood , who later became Radiohead's cover artist. In 1991, the band regrouped in Oxford, sharing a house on the corner of Magdalen Road and Ridgefield Road. They recorded another demo, which attracted the attention of Chris Hufford, Slowdive's producer and
11832-440: The University of Southern California Marching Band at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards . In early October 2007, a Radiohead spokesperson reported that most downloaders paid "a normal retail price" for the digital version of In Rainbows , and that most fans had pre-ordered the limited edition. Citing a source close to the band, Gigwise reported that In Rainbows had sold 1.2 million digital copies before its retail release; this
12006-462: The iTunes Store and Amazon MP3 . On 10 June 2016, it was added to the streaming service Spotify . The pay-what-you-want release, the first for a major musical act, attracted international media attention and sparked debate about the implications for the music industry. According to Mojo , it was "hailed as a revolution in the way major bands sell their music", and the media's reaction was "almost overwhelmingly positive". Time called it "easily
12180-487: The ondes Martenot . The lyrics are less political and more personal than previous Radiohead albums. Radiohead released In Rainbows online and allowed fans to set their own price, saying this liberated them from conventional promotional formats and removed barriers to audiences. It was the first such release by a major act and drew international media attention. Many praised Radiohead for challenging old models and finding new ways to connect with fans, while others felt it set
12354-487: The "Celtic, folky" music of Led Zeppelin . O'Brien lives in north London. With his wife, Susan Kobrin, he has a son, born in January 2004, and a daughter, born in 2006. Around 2000, O’Brien gave up alcohol, saying it was "fucking him up", and began using meditation . In 2011, he and his family moved to Brazil for a year, living on a farm near Ubatuba . In March 2020, O'Brien announced that he had contracted COVID-19 and
12528-495: The 1968 instrumental " Albatross " by Fleetwood Mac . Mike Diver of Drowned in Sound described " Jigsaw Falling into Place " as a "bass-propelled pop-rock head-bobber". The lyrics were inspired by the chaos witnessed by Yorke when drinking in Oxford, a combination of elation and "a much darker side". Yorke said composing "Videotape" was "absolute agony", and that it "went through every possible parameter". He initially wanted it to be
12702-493: The American band Phish as an influence on his solo shows, saying: "[They're] like a jazz band; they are willing to take risks for a moment of musical transcendence. That's what I'm after — I want to tap into that." He cited the music of Brazil, such as the music of Carnival and Jorge Ben , as an influence on Earth . Other influences included Earth, Wind & Fire , Arcade Fire , Underworld , Bill Withers , Talking Heads and
12876-559: The Astoria , was released in 1995. By late 1995, Radiohead had already recorded one song that would appear on their next record. " Lucky ", released as a single to promote the War Child charity's The Help Album , was recorded in a brief session with Nigel Godrich, the young audio engineer who had assisted on The Bends. Radiohead decided to self-produce their next album with Godrich, and began work in early 1996. By July they had recorded four songs at their rehearsal studio, Canned Applause,
13050-463: The Basement , a special episode of the music television show From the Basement in which Radiohead performed songs from In Rainbows . It was released on iTunes in June. From mid-2008 to early 2009, Radiohead toured North America, Europe, Japan and South America to promote In Rainbows , and headlined the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2009. Days after Radiohead signed to XL, EMI announced
13224-621: The Ether festival in July 2005, Jonny Greenwood and Yorke performed a version of the future In Rainbows track "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" with the London Sinfonietta orchestra and the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth . Regular recording sessions began that August, with Radiohead updating fans on their progress intermittently on their new blog, Dead Air Space. The sessions were slow, and the band struggled to regain confidence. According to Yorke, "We spent
13398-567: The La Fabrique studio near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence , France. The sessions were marred by the death of Godrich's father and Yorke's separation from his wife, Rachel Owen , who died from cancer in 2016. Work was interrupted when Radiohead were commissioned to write the theme for the 2015 James Bond film Spectre . After their song, " Spectre ", was rejected, Radiohead released it on the audio streaming site SoundCloud on Christmas Day 2015. Radiohead's ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool ,
13572-542: The Moon , although Yorke said the lyrics were inspired by observing the "speed" of the world in the 1990s. Yorke's lyrics, embodying different characters, had expressed what one magazine called "end-of-the-millennium blues" in contrast to the more personal songs of The Bends . According to the journalist Alex Ross , Radiohead had become "the poster boys for a certain kind of knowing alienation" as Talking Heads and R.E.M. had been before. OK Computer received acclaim. Yorke said he
13746-487: The R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe , along with distinctive music videos for "Just" and "Street Spirit", helped sustain Radiohead's popularity outside the UK. The night before a performance in Denver, Colorado, Radiohead's tour van was stolen, and with it their musical equipment. Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a stripped-down acoustic set with rented instruments and several shows were cancelled. Their first live video, Live at
13920-604: The Radiohead bassist, Colin Greenwood, plus the drummer Omar Hakim , the Invisible members Nathan East and Dave Okumu , the folk singer Laura Marling , the Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley and the Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche . The music was inspired by O'Brien's time living in Brazil and attending Carnival , which he described as a "musical eureka moment". The first track, " Brasil ",
14094-523: The Radiohead consensus." Selway and Jonny Greenwood appeared in the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as members of the fictional band the Weird Sisters . Radiohead began work on their seventh album in February 2005. Instead of involving Godrich, Radiohead hired the producer Spike Stent , but the collaboration was unsuccessful. In September 2005, Radiohead contributed "I Want None of This",
14268-555: The Thief (2003). Radiohead began work on In Rainbows in early 2005. In 2006, after their sessions with the producer Spike Stent proved fruitless, they re-enlisted their longtime producer, Nigel Godrich . Radiohead recorded in the country houses Halswell House and Tottenham House , the Hospital Club in London, and their studio in Oxfordshire, using conventional rock instrumentation plus electronic instruments, strings, piano and
14442-459: The Thief was overlong, Radiohead wanted their next album to be concise. Yorke said: "I believe in the rock album as an artistic form of expression. In Rainbows is a conscious return to this form of 45-minute statement ... Our aim was to describe in 45 minutes, as coherently and conclusively as possible, what moves us." They settled on 10 songs, saving the rest for a bonus disc included in the limited edition. Yorke recorded "Last Flowers", included on
14616-526: The Thief , there was "very little anger" in In Rainbows: "It's in no way political, or, at least, doesn't feel that way to me. It very much explores the ideas of transience. It starts in one place and ends somewhere completely different." In another interview, Yorke said the album was about mortality and the realisation that he could die at any moment. O'Brien described the lyrics as universal and about "being human", with no political agenda. The title In Rainbows
14790-444: The UK and in the US. The success was Radiohead's highest chart placement in the US since Kid A . It became their fifth UK number-one album and sold more than three million copies in one year. The album received acclaim for its more accessible sound and personal lyrics. It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and won the 2009 Grammy awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. It
14964-522: The US Billboard 200 and number seven on the UK Albums Chart . It was nominated for five categories in the 54th Grammy Awards . Two tracks not included on The King of Limbs , " Supercollider" and "The Butcher ", were released as a double A-side single for Record Store Day in April. A compilation of King of Limbs remixes by various artists, TKOL RMX 1234567 , was released in September. To perform
15138-624: The US. It was the fifth Radiohead album nominated for the Mercury Prize , making Radiohead the most shortlisted act in Mercury history, and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Song (for "Burn the Witch") at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards . It appeared on several publications' lists of the best albums of the year. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Radiohead toured Europe, Japan, and North and South America, including headline shows at
15312-492: The album on Radiohead's blog, writing: "Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days; we've called it In Rainbows ." The post contained a link to inrainbows.com, where users could pre-order an MP3 version of the album for any amount they wanted, including £0. The release was a landmark use of the pay-what-you-want model for music sales. It was suggested by Radiohead's managers, Bryce Edge and Chris Hufford, in April 2007. According to Selway, "Because [the album]
15486-426: 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 . Although Radiohead released no singles from Kid A , promos of " Optimistic " and " Idioteque " received radio play, and a series of "blips", short videos set to portions of tracks, were played on music channels and released free online. Radiohead continued
15660-486: The album, saying: "The music took a different direction and became much more organic, sensual and sexual, so I started working with wax and syringes." He described the final artwork as "very colourful ... It's a rainbow but it is very toxic, it's more like the sort of one you'd see in a puddle." Radiohead did not reveal the cover until the retail release. The limited edition includes a booklet containing additional artwork by Donwood. On 1 October 2007, Jonny Greenwood announced
15834-406: The band experimenting with song structures and incorporating ambient , avant-garde and electronic influences, prompting Rolling Stone to call the album a "stunning art-rock tour de force". Radiohead denied being part of the progressive rock genre, but critics began to compare their work to Pink Floyd . Some compared OK Computer thematically to the 1973 Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of
16008-480: The band's early period, Yorke emerged as the main songwriter. According to Colin, the band members picked their instruments because they wanted to play together, rather than through any particular interest: "It was more of a collective angle, and if you could contribute by having someone else play your instrument, then that was really cool." They played few gigs, and focused on rehearsing in village halls in Oxfordshire. The area had an active independent music scene in
16182-507: The bands on their roster." According to Eamonn Forde, the author of The Final Days of EMI , Radiohead had lost faith in EMI and thought the new ownership would be a "bloodbath". O'Brien said Radiohead had believed a deal with EMI was possible, and that "it was really sad to leave all the people [we'd worked with] ... But Terra Firma don't understand the music industry." Hands believed that Radiohead would only have canceled their self-release plan with
16356-419: The best response to piracy was to explore alternative ways to connect with fans, offering content at different price points: "The pay-what-you-want aspect isn't something to be followed slavishly ... It's the willingness to try it and the connection with fans that made it successful that should be an inspiration." As Radiohead's recording contract with EMI ended in 2003, Radiohead recorded In Rainbows without
16530-466: The bonus disc, in the Eraser sessions. In Rainbows was mastered by Bob Ludwig in July 2007 at Gateway Mastering, New York City. In Rainbows incorporates elements of art rock , experimental rock , alternative rock , art pop , and electronica . O'Brien said Radiohead were hesitant to create an "epic" record, which they felt had negative associations of stadium rock . However, he conceded that "epic
16704-559: The building would be demolished to make way for luxury flats. In 2014, O'Brien and Selway signed an open letter protesting a ban on guitars in British prisons and stating that music was important for rehabilitation . O'Brien worked with Fender to design a signature model guitar, the EOB Stratocaster , which went on sale in November 2017. It features a tremolo bridge and a sustainer pickup . In 2018, he became an "informal patron" for
16878-530: The case was dropped under the Jordan ruling , which sets strict time limits on trials. Radiohead released a statement condemning the decision. A 2019 inquest returned a verdict of accidental death . After the King of Limbs tour, the band members worked on further side projects. In February 2013, Yorke and Godrich's band, Atoms for Peace, released an album, Amok . The pair made headlines that year for their criticism of
17052-439: The chart since " High and Dry " (1995) and Radiohead's first US top-40 song since their debut single, " Creep " (1992). In July, Radiohead released a video for "House of Cards", made with lidar technology instead of cameras. In March 2008, Radiohead ran a contest with the animation company Aniboom whereby entrants submitted concepts for animated music videos for In Rainbows songs. Semifinalists were chosen by TBD Records and
17226-525: The co-owner of Oxford's Courtyard Studios. Hufford and his business partner, Bryce Edge, attended a concert at the Jericho Tavern; impressed, they became On a Friday's managers. According to Hufford, at this point the band had "all of the elements of Radiohead", but with a rougher, punkier sound and faster tempos. At Courtyard Studios, On a Friday recorded the Manic Hedgehog demo tape, named after an Oxford record shop. In late 1991, Colin happened to meet
17400-468: The confidence to bring them to Radiohead and felt they had a "distinct energy" that would be lost if they became a "hybrid product". O'Brien's debut solo work, the non-album track "Santa Teresa", was released on 4 October, 2019. Stereogum described it as a "haunting" ambient instrumental in the style of Brian Eno and Fennesz . O'Brien's debut solo album, Earth , was released on 17 April 2020 on Capitol Records to positive reviews. It features
17574-416: The decision had not been made for financial gain, and that if money had been Radiohead's motivation they would have accepted an offer from Universal Records . For the In Rainbows download, Radiohead employed the network provider PacketExchange to bypass public internet servers , using a less-trafficked private network. The download was packaged as a ZIP file containing the album's ten tracks encoded in
17748-399: The director Paul Thomas Anderson . In July 2006, Yorke released his debut solo album, The Eraser , comprising mainly electronic music. He stressed it was made with the band's blessing, and that Radiohead were not breaking up. Jonny Greenwood said: "He had to get this stuff out, and everyone was happy [for Yorke to make it] ... He'd go mad if every time he wrote a song it had to go through
17922-517: The engineer Darrell Thorp received the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album . In May 2003, Radiohead launched radiohead.tv, where they streamed short films, music videos and live webcasts from their studio. The material was released on the 2004 DVD The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time . A compilation of Hail to the Thief B-sides, remixes and live performances, Com Lag (2plus2isfive) ,
18096-449: The environmental group Best Foot Forward. Based on the findings, Radiohead played in amphitheatres rather than smaller venues and focused on playing in city centres to reduce reliance on flights for attendees. They also used a carbon-neutral "forest" of LEDs on stage. Radiohead recorded a live video, In Rainbows — From the Basement , broadcast on VH1 in May 2008. In February 2009, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed "15 Step" with
18270-532: The environmental pressure group Extinction Rebellion , which he described as "incredibly enlightened". In 2019, O'Brien joined the RSPB Let Nature Sing project, which aimed to get birdsong into the UK charts to raise awareness of the decline in Britain's birdlife. In 2020, O'Brien contributed to Ear Opener, an online video course aimed at helping young people write music. That November, he gave evidence to
18444-448: The final Radiohead record, and was motivated by a desire to secure their legacy as a great band. In an effort to break the deadlock, Radiohead decided to tour for the first time since 2004. They performed in Europe and North America in May and June 2006, and returned to Europe for several festivals in August, performing many new songs. According to Yorke, the tour forced them to finish writing
18618-399: The first move." In the 2010s, Gigwise and DIY credited In Rainbows as the first " surprise album " — a major album released without prior publicity — ahead of acts such as Beyoncé and U2. The release also drew criticism. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails thought it did not go far enough, and accused Radiohead of using a compressed digital release as a bait-and-switch to promote
18792-429: The free music streaming service Spotify . Yorke accused Spotify of only benefiting major labels with large back catalogues, and encouraged artists to build their own "direct connections" with audiences instead. In February 2014, Radiohead released an app, Polyfauna , a collaboration with the British digital arts studio Universal Everything, with music and imagery from The King of Limbs . In May, Yorke contributed
18966-578: The greater depth they aimed for on their second album. It was Radiohead's first collaboration with their future producer, Nigel Godrich , then working under Leckie as an audio engineer , and the artist Stanley Donwood . Both have worked on every Radiohead album since. Though sales of My Iron Lung were low, it boosted Radiohead's credibility in alternative circles, creating commercial opportunity for their next album. Having introduced more new songs on tour, Radiohead finished recording their second album, The Bends , by 1995, and released it that March. It
19140-770: The guitarist Johnny Marr , including a 1957 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top and a 1964 Gibson SG . Colin Greenwood contracted temporary hearing loss and tinnitus brought upon by faulty headphones. In December 2006, sessions took place at Halswell House in Taunton , and Godrich's studio at the Hospital Club in Covent Garden , London, where Radiohead recorded "Videotape" and completed " Nude ". In January, Radiohead resumed recording in their Oxfordshire studio and started to post photos, lyrics, videos and samples of new songs on Dead Air Space. In June, having wrapped up recording, Godrich posted clips of songs on Dead Air Space. Feeling Hail to
19314-446: The high-pitched chiming sound that introduces " Lucky ", O'Brien strums above the guitar nut . He creates the reverberating pops on the introduction of " 2 + 2 = 5 ". On " Karma Police ", O'Brien distorts his guitar by driving a delay effect to self-oscillation, then lowering the delay rate, creating a "melting" effect. The ambient track "Treefingers" was created by processing O'Brien's guitar loops. On "Dollars and Cents", O'Brien uses
19488-557: The influential DJ Yoav Kutner , and in March, after the song became a hit there, Radiohead were invited to Tel Aviv for their first show overseas. Around the same time, "Creep" became a hit in America, a " slacker anthem" in the vein of " Smells Like Teen Spirit " by Nirvana and " Loser " by Beck . It reached number two on the Billboard Modern Rock chart , number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number seven on
19662-426: The late 1980s, but it centred on shoegazing bands such as Ride and Slowdive . On a Friday played their first gig in 1987, at Oxford's Jericho Tavern . On the strength of an early demo, On a Friday were offered a record deal by Island Records , but they decided they were not ready and wanted to go to university first. They continued to rehearse on weekends and holidays, but did not perform for four years. At
19836-447: The line, we just seemed to piss off a lot of people ... What we're doing isn't that radical." The album was ranked one of the best of all time by publications including Time and Rolling Stone; Rolling Stone , Pitchfork and the Times named it the best album of the decade. Radiohead's fifth album, Amnesiac , was released in May 2001. It comprised additional tracks from
20010-399: The most important release in the recent history of the music business". Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that "for the beleaguered recording business Radiohead has put in motion the most audacious experiment in years". NME wrote that "the music world seemed to judder several rimes off its axis", and praised the fact that everyone, from fans to critics, had access to the album at
20184-462: The most of any act. Seven Radiohead singles have reached the top 10 on the UK singles chart : "Creep" (1992), " Street Spirit (Fade Out) " (1996), " Paranoid Android " (1997), " Karma Police " (1997), " No Surprises " (1998), " Pyramid Song " (2001), and " There There " (2003). "Creep" and " Nude " (2008) reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 . Rolling Stone named Radiohead one of
20358-479: The music industry should not think of piracy as lost sales, as Radiohead had shown that even releasing music free had not deterred it. Based on this report, Wired concluded that "by 'losing' the battle for the email addresses of those who downloaded their album via bit torrent, [Radiohead] actually won the overall war for the public's attention – no easy feat, these days". In an article for the album's tenth anniversary, NME argued that Radiohead had demonstrated that
20532-448: The new chief executive. EMI executives including Keith Wozencroft, who had signed Radiohead to EMI, travelled regularly to Radiohead's studio in hopes of negotiating a new contract. The executives were "devastated" when Radiohead told them they would not be signing. O'Brien later said he had not realised Radiohead's importance to EMI: "That probably sounds really naive. But there weren't people going, 'You're so important.' We were just one of
20706-479: The period as a "real low point"; he and O'Brien developed depression, and the band came close to splitting up. After the success of OK Computer , Radiohead bought a barn in Oxfordshire and converted it into a recording studio. They began work on their next album with Godrich in early 1999, working in studios in Paris, Copenhagen, and Gloucester before their new studio was completed. Although their success meant there
20880-421: The piano — you're building up a cloud of effects behind." O'Brien usually plays Fender Stratocasters , including an Eric Clapton Stratocaster . He also plays Gretsch and Rickenbacker guitars, including a twelve-string Rickenbacker. O'Brien said in 2017 that his most used effects for Radiohead were distortion , an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man delay and a DigiTech Whammy pitch shifter. He described
21054-440: The producer Nigel Godrich and the cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Radiohead's experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock . Radiohead signed to EMI in 1991 and released their debut album, Pablo Honey , in 1993. Their debut single, " Creep ", was a worldwide hit, and their popularity and critical standing rose with The Bends in 1995. Their third album, OK Computer (1997),
21228-438: The protracted recording and more conventional rock instrumentation of In Rainbows , Radiohead developed The King of Limbs by sampling and looping their recordings with turntables . It was followed by a retail release in March through XL, and a special "newspaper album" edition in May. The King of Limbs sold an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 copies through Radiohead's website. The retail edition debuted at number six on
21402-494: The recording was, 'This is the last time I'm doing this. I'll never summon up the energy to do this again. So I'm going to put everything I can into it.'" He was motivated by a desire to secure Radiohead's legacy as a great band, and said in 2008: "In my view, we've made three really great records, The Bends , OK Computer and Kid A . What we needed was another great record just to seal it." By 2011, Radiohead had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. They were inducted into
21576-702: The recordings and compositions but licensed the music to record labels. Licensing agreements were managed by Radiohead's publisher, Warner Chappell Music Publishing . In Rainbows was released on CD and vinyl in Japan by BMG on 26 December 2007, in Australia on 29 December 2007 by Remote Control Records , and in the United States by the ATO imprint TBD Records and in Canada by MapleMusic and Fontana on 1 January 2008. Elsewhere, it
21750-521: The recordings were mastered the following month. In 2007, EMI was acquired by the private equity firm Terra Firma . Radiohead were critical of the new management, and no new deal was agreed. The Independent reported that EMI had offered Radiohead a £3 million advance, but had refused to relinquish rights to the band's back catalogue. An EMI spokesman stated that Radiohead had demanded "an extraordinary amount of money". Radiohead's management and Yorke released statements denying that they had asked for
21924-670: The recordings. On 16 June 2012, an hour before gates were due to open at Toronto's Downsview Park for the final concert of Radiohead's North American tour, the roof of the venue's temporary stage collapsed , killing the drum technician Scott Johnson and injuring three other members of Radiohead's road crew . After rescheduling the tour, Radiohead paid tribute to Johnson at their next concert, in Nîmes, France, in July. In June 2013, Live Nation Canada Inc, two other organisations and an engineer were charged with 13 charges under Ontario health and safety laws. In September 2017, after several delays,
22098-492: The release as "a solution for Radiohead, not the industry", and doubted "it would work the same way [for Radiohead] ever again". Radiohead have not used the pay-what-you-want system for subsequent releases. In February 2013, Yorke told the Guardian that though Radiohead had hoped to subvert the corporate music industry with In Rainbows , he feared they had instead played into the hands of content providers such as Apple and Google : "They have to keep commodifying things to keep
22272-528: The release of their debut single, " Creep ", that September, Radiohead began to receive attention in the British music press, not all of it favourable; NME described them as "a lily-livered excuse for a rock band", and "Creep" was blacklisted by BBC Radio 1 as "too depressing". Radiohead released their debut album, Pablo Honey , in February 1993. It reached number 22 in the UK charts. "Creep" and its follow-up singles "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and " Stop Whispering " failed to become hits, and " Pop Is Dead ",
22446-433: The release, Warner Chappell reported that although most people paid nothing for the download, prerelease sales for In Rainbows had been more profitable than the total sales of Hail to the Thief and that the limited edition had sold 100,000 copies. In 2009, Wired reported that Radiohead had made an "instantaneous" £3 million from the album. Pitchfork saw this as proof that, thanks to their fans, "Radiohead could release
22620-509: The report as "wholly inaccurate", but said the results had been good. Another survey, conducted by the industry organisation Record of the Day, found that 28.5% of those who downloaded the album paid nothing or £0.01 and the average price per download was £3.88. In December 2007, Yorke said that Radiohead had made more money from digital sales of In Rainbows than the digital sales of all previous Radiohead albums combined. In October 2008, one year after
22794-543: The rhythmically complex King of Limbs material live, Radiohead enlisted a second drummer, Clive Deamer , who had worked with Portishead and Get the Blessing . In June, Radiohead played a surprise performance on the Park stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival, performing songs from The King of Limbs for the first time. With Deamer, Radiohead recorded The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement , released online in August 2011. It
22968-406: The same time, calling it an unusual "moment of togetherness". The U2 singer Bono praised Radiohead as "courageous and imaginative in trying to figure out some new relationship with their audience". The rapper Jay-Z described the release as "genius", and the singer Courtney Love wrote on her blog: "The kamikaze pilot in me wants to do the same damn thing. I'm grateful for Radiohead for making
23142-416: The same year, Radiohead became one of the first bands in the world to have a website, and developed a devoted online following; within a few years, there were dozens of fansites devoted to them. OK Computer was followed by the year-long Against Demons world tour, including Radiohead's first headline Glastonbury Festival performance in 1997. Despite technical problems that almost caused Yorke to abandon
23316-587: The same year; the guitarist Ed O'Brien was one year above, and the drummer Philip Selway was in the year above O'Brien. In 1985, they formed On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room. The band disliked the school's strict atmosphere—the headmaster once charged them for using a rehearsal room on a Sunday—and found solace in the music department. They credited their music teacher for introducing them to jazz , film scores , postwar avant-garde music , and 20th-century classical music . While each member contributed songs in
23490-692: The share price up, but in doing so they have made all content, including music and newspapers, worthless, in order to make their billions. And this is what we want?" The release came at a time when CD sales were falling due to internet piracy . An unidentified executive at a major European label told Time: "This feels like yet another death knell. If the best band in the world doesn't want a part of us, I'm not sure what's left for this business." U2's manager, Paul McGuinness , said that 60 to 70 percent of Radiohead fans had pirated In Rainbows , and saw this as an indication that Radiohead's strategy had failed. The media measurement company BigChampagne concluded that
23664-450: The songs. He said: "Rather than it being a nightmare, it was really, really good fun, because suddenly everyone is being spontaneous and no one's self-conscious because you're not in the studio ... It felt like being 16 again." After the tour, Radiohead discarded the recordings made with Stent and re-enlisted Godrich. According to Yorke, Godrich gave them "a walloping kick up the arse". To focus them, Godrich transferred their rhythm tracks to
23838-462: The soundtrack for the BBC drama series Eureka Street . He contributed guitar to the 2003 Asian Dub Foundation album Enemy of the Enemy . With Selway and other musicians, O'Brien toured and recorded with Neil Finn as part of the 7 Worlds Collide project. He provided guitar and backing vocals on their 2001 live album and the 2009 album The Sun Came Out . O'Brien is a founding director of
24012-533: The soundtracks Bodysong (2004) and There Will Be Blood (2007). In March 2005, Radiohead began writing and recording in their Oxfordshire studio. They initially chose to work without their longtime producer, Nigel Godrich . According to the guitarist Ed O'Brien , "We were a little bit in the comfort zone ... We've been working together for 10 years, and we all love one another too much." The bassist, Colin Greenwood , later denied this, saying Godrich had been busy working with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck . At
24186-404: The stage, the performance was acclaimed and cemented Radiohead as a major live act. Grant Gee , the director of the "No Surprises" video, filmed the band on tour for the 1999 documentary Meeting People Is Easy . The film portrays the band's disaffection with the music industry and press, showing their burnout over the course of the tour. Since its release, OK Computer is often acclaimed as
24360-504: The studio. His solution was to have a string section play every note of the scale , blanketing the frequencies. Radiohead recorded a version of "Nude" during the OK Computer sessions, but discarded it. This version featured a Hammond organ , a "straighter" feel, and different lyrics. For In Rainbows , Colin Greenwood wrote a new bassline , which Godrich said "transformed it from something very straight into something that had much more of
24534-583: The typical formalities of record promotion, placing them on the same level as Beyoncé and Kanye West ". In May 2009, Radiohead began new recording sessions with Godrich. In August, they released " Harry Patch (In Memory Of) ", a tribute song to Harry Patch , the last surviving British soldier to have fought in World War I , with proceeds donated to the British Legion . The song has no conventional rock instrumentation, and instead comprises Yorke's vocals and
24708-420: The window panes missing ... There were places you just basically didn't go. It definitely had an effect. It had some pretty strange vibes." The sessions were productive and the band recorded " Jigsaw Falling into Place " and " Bodysnatchers ". Yorke wrote on Dead Air Space that Radiohead had "started the record properly now ... starting to get somewhere I think. Finally." Radiohead used several guitars borrowed from
24882-454: The world could experience the music at the same time, and preventing leaks in advance of a physical release. A special "discbox" edition of In Rainbows , containing the record on vinyl, a book of artwork, and a CD of extra songs, was also sold from Radiohead's website. The retail version of In Rainbows was released in the UK in late December 2007 on XL Recordings and in North America in January 2008 on TBD Records , reaching number one in
25056-843: Was Andy Summers of the Police, particularly his use of delay and chorus effects on " Walking on the Moon ". His other influences include Peter Buck of R.E.M , Paul Weller of the Jam , Johnny Marr of the Smiths , John McGeoch of Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the Edge of U2 . O'Brien admired how these guitarists created "space" rather than playing conventional solos. He said: "They were great guitarists, but they weren't lead guitarists ... My favourite guitarists know when not to play. Then you make more of it when you do play. Make it count." O'Brien cited
25230-405: Was "amazed it got the reaction it did. None of us fucking knew any more whether it was good or bad. What really blew my head off was the fact that people got all the things, all the textures and the sounds and the atmospheres we were trying to create." OK Computer was Radiohead's first number-one UK chart debut, and brought them commercial success around the world. Despite peaking at number 21 in
25404-602: Was 10; O'Brien said this was when music became his "refuge". He grew up listening to post-punk acts such as Siouxsie and the Banshees , Adam and the Ants , Depeche Mode , the Police and David Bowie . He said: "It was a very foetal [time] for music because people who went to art college or artists, or musicians, suddenly thought, 'Oh, I can be that. ' " The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School , an independent school for boys in Abingdon, Oxfordshire . While O'Brien
25578-529: Was also broadcast by international BBC channels and released on DVD and Blu-ray in January 2012. The performance included two new songs, " The Daily Mail" and "Staircase ", released as a double A-side download single in December 2011. In February 2012, Radiohead began their first extended North American tour in four years, including dates in the United States, Canada and Mexico. On tour, they recorded material at Jack White 's studio Third Man Records , but discarded
25752-452: Was also broadcast on Current TV . The webcasts featured performances of In Rainbows songs, covers of songs by New Order , the Smiths and Björk , poetry, and videos created with the comedian Adam Buxton and the filmmaker Garth Jennings . Colin Greenwood described the webcasts as spontaneous and liberating, bypassing the usual lengthy process of commissioning music videos. The first single from In Rainbows , "Jigsaw Falling into Place",
25926-468: Was assembled from takes from four different versions. For three weeks in October 2006, Radiohead worked at Tottenham House in Marlborough, Wiltshire , a country house scouted by Godrich. The band members lived in caravans, as the building was in a state of disrepair. Yorke described it as "derelict in the stricter sense of the word, where there's holes in the floor, rain coming through the ceilings, half
26100-565: Was chosen because it was open-ended and not provocative or polarising, and reflected Donwood's artwork. The opening track, " 15 Step ", features a quintuple meter and a handclap rhythm inspired by " Fuck the Pain Away " by Peaches . Radiohead recorded cheers by a group of children from the Matrix Music School & Arts Centre in Oxford. "Bodysnatchers", which Yorke described as a combination of Wolfmother , Neu! and "dodgy hippy rock ",
26274-415: Was critical of the release, calling it a "wasted opportunity". In 2009, EMI reissued Radiohead's back catalogue in expanded editions. As social media expanded around the turn of the decade, Radiohead gradually withdrew their public presence, with no promotional interviews or tours to promote new releases. Pitchfork wrote that around this time Radiohead's "popularity became increasingly untethered from
26448-635: Was designed by Radiohead's longtime collaborator Stanley Donwood . Donwood worked in the studio while Radiohead worked on the album, allowing the artwork to convey the mood of the music. He displayed images in the studio and on the studio computer for the band to interact with and comment on. He also posted images daily on the Radiohead website, though none were used in the final artwork. Donwood experimented with photographic etching , putting prints into acid baths and throwing wax at paper, creating images influenced by NASA space photography. He originally planned to explore suburban life, but realised it did not fit
26622-530: Was developed using extensive looping and sampling . A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) prominently featured Jonny Greenwood's orchestral arrangements. Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Selway and O'Brien have released solo albums. In 2021, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood debuted a new band, the Smile . By 2011, Radiohead had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Their awards include six Grammy Awards and four Ivor Novello Awards , and they hold five Mercury Prize nominations,
26796-413: Was dismissed by Radiohead's co-manager Bryce Edge as "exaggerated". According to research released in November 2007 by the market research firm Comscore , downloaders paid an average of $ 2.26 per download globally, and 62% of downloaders paid nothing. Of those who paid, the average paid was $ 6 globally, with 12% paying between $ 8 and $ 12, around the typical cost of an album on iTunes . Radiohead dismissed
26970-489: Was driven by dense riffs and ethereal atmospheres, with greater use of keyboards. It received stronger reviews for its songwriting and performances. While Radiohead were seen as outsiders to the Britpop scene that dominated music media at the time, they were finally successful in the UK, as the singles " Fake Plastic Trees ", " High and Dry ", " Just ", and " Street Spirit (Fade Out) " became chart successes. "High and Dry" became
27144-471: Was followed by Amnesiac (2001), recorded in the same sessions. Hail to the Thief (2003), with lyrics addressing the war on terror , blended the band's rock and electronic sides, and was Radiohead's final album for EMI. Radiohead self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), as a download for which customers could set their own price , to critical and chart success. Their eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011), an exploration of rhythm,
27318-413: Was in the year above Yorke and the bassist, Colin Greenwood , and four years above Colin's brother, the guitarist Jonny Greenwood . In 1985, they formed On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room. They continued to rehearse during holidays while the members attended university. O'Brien studied economics at the University of Manchester , where he took part in
27492-429: Was like the dad of the band and I'm the mum. My job was to always put my arm around him, and his job was to be Thom." Radiohead's producer, Nigel Godrich , described O'Brien as "very much a diplomat". O'Brien releases solo music under the name EOB. After making demos with the producer Ian Davenport in 2014, he recorded with the producer Flood from late 2017 to early 2019. He had written songs for years, but lacked
27666-462: Was no longer pressure from their record label, tensions were high. The members had different visions for Radiohead's future, and Yorke suffered from writer's block , influencing him toward more abstract, fragmented songwriting. O'Brien kept an online diary of their progress. After nearly 18 months, recording was completed in April 2000. Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A , was released in October 2000. A departure from OK Computer , Kid A featured
27840-408: Was nominated for five other Grammy awards, including Radiohead's third nomination for Album of the Year . Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed " 15 Step " with the University of Southern California Marching Band at the televised award show. The first single from In Rainbows , " Jigsaw Falling into Place ", was released in January 2008, followed by " Nude " in March, which debuted at number 37 in
28014-423: Was playing Lysander in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream , he met Thom Yorke , who was scoring the production. Yorke asked him to join him for a jam . According to O'Brien, "Before that, [life] was a bit confusing, a bit crap. And then suddenly ... I felt something very strong, almost like some kind of epiphany, almost like: 'This is it. ' " One year below the drummer, Philip Selway , O'Brien
28188-483: Was poor. As it was difficult for major labels such as EMI to promote bands in the UK, where independent labels dominated the indie charts , Radiohead's managers planned to have Radiohead use American producers and tour aggressively in America, then return to build a following in the UK. Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade , who had worked with the US bands Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. , were enlisted to produce Radiohead's debut album, recorded quickly in Oxford in 1992. With
28362-459: Was positive, and Radiohead were praised for finding new ways to connect with fans. However, it drew criticism from musicians such as Lily Allen and Kim Gordon , who felt it undercut less successful acts. In Rainbows was downloaded an estimated 1.2 million times on the day of release. Colin Greenwood explained the internet release as a way of avoiding the "regulated playlists" and "straitened formats" of radio and TV, ensuring fans around
28536-417: Was promoted on Google Ads with an advert falsely claiming that In Rainbows was included. EMI removed it, citing a "data source glitch". A spokesperson for Radiohead said they accepted this was a genuine mistake. Following the release of In Rainbows , Radiohead broadcast two webcasts from their Oxfordshire studio: "Thumbs Down" in November 2007 and "Scotch Mist" on New Year's Eve. In the US, "Scotch Mist"
28710-412: Was recorded when he was in a period of "hyperactive mania". The lyrics were inspired by Victorian ghost stories , the 1972 novel The Stepford Wives and Yorke's feeling of "your physical consciousness trapped without being able to connect fully with anything else". On "All I Need", Jonny Greenwood wanted to capture the white noise generated by a band playing loudly in a room, which never occurs in
28884-535: Was released digitally in May 2016, followed by retail versions in June via XL Recordings. It was promoted with music videos for the singles " Burn the Witch " and " Daydreaming ", the latter directed by Anderson. The album includes several songs written years earlier, including " True Love Waits ", and strings and choral vocals performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra . It became Radiohead's sixth UK number-one album and reached number three in
29058-512: Was released in April 2004. In May 2003, Radiohead embarked on a world tour and headlined Glastonbury Festival for the second time. The tour finished in May 2004 with a performance at the Coachella Festival in California. Hail to the Thief was Radiohead's final album with EMI; in 2006, The New York Times described Radiohead as "by far the world's most popular unsigned band". Following
29232-414: Was released in January 2008, followed by "Nude" on 31 March. They were accompanied by music videos directed by Buxton and Jennings. Radiohead held remix competitions for "Nude" and "Reckoner", releasing the separated stems for purchase, and streamed the entries on their website. "Nude" debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 ; boosted by sales of the stems, it was the first Radiohead song to enter
29406-452: Was released on 31 December 2007 by the independent record label XL Recordings , which had released Yorke's solo album The Eraser . The CD release came in a cardboard package containing the CD, lyric booklet, and several stickers that could be placed on the blank jewel case to create cover art. In Rainbows was the first Radiohead album available for download in several digital music stores, such as
29580-432: Was released on 5 December 2019, followed by "Shangri-La" on 6 February. O'Brien began a North American tour in February 2020; a larger Earth tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . O'Brien contributed a remix of Paul McCartney 's song "Slidin ' " to the 2021 remix album McCartney III Imagined . In January 2024, O'Brien said he was "deep into" recording his second album. In 1999, O'Brien contributed to
29754-415: Was single, on my own … I was the lowest I've ever been. It was the irony as well – you're at the top, that old cliché." Radiohead's next albums, Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), marked a dramatic change in sound, incorporating influences from electronic music , classical music , jazz and krautrock . O'Brien initially struggled with the change, saying: "It's scary – everyone feels insecure. I'm
29928-459: Was subpar. The collaboration with Stent was unsuccessful. Concerned by the lack of progress, Radiohead's management suggested they break up. Brian Message, one of their managers, said later: "You have to be honest if it's not working. You have to have passion about what you do." O'Brien said Radiohead decided to continue because "when you got beyond all the shit and the bollocks, the core of these songs were really good". He felt In Rainbows could be
30102-417: Was taking quite long, our management were twiddling thumbs at points and they were just coming up with ideas. And this was one that really stuck." Colin Greenwood explained the release as a way of avoiding the "regulated playlists" and "straitened formats" of radio and TV, ensuring listeners around the world would experience the music at the same time and preventing leaks in advance of a physical release. He said
30276-405: Was the bestselling vinyl record of 2008 and is certified platinum in the UK and Canada and gold in the US, Belgium and Japan. In Rainbows won Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package , and was ranked one of the best albums of the year and the decade by various publications. Rolling Stone included In Rainbows in its updated lists of
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