Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of
Thom Yorke (lead vocals, guitar, piano),
Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments),
Colin Greenwood (bass),
Phil Selway (drums, percussion) and
Ed O'Brien (guitar, backing vocals).
Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" 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 alienation, OK Computer is often acclaimed as
one of the landmark records 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 and jazz influences.
Hail to the Thief (2003),
a mix of piano and guitar driven rock, electronics and lyrics inspired
by war, was the band's final album for their major record label, EMI.
Radiohead initially self-released their seventh album In Rainbows (2007)
as a digital download for which customers could set their own price, to
critical and chart success. Their eighth album, The King of Limbs
(2011), was an exploration of rhythm and quieter textures, which the
band released independently.
Radiohead have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, with the
band's work being placed highly in both listener polls and critics'
lists; they have the distinction of doing so in both the 1990s and
2000s. In 2005, Radiohead were ranked number 73 in Rolling Stone's list
of "The Greatest Artists of All Time", while Jonny Greenwood and Ed
O'Brien were both included in Rolling Stone's list of greatest
guitarists, and Thom Yorke in their list of greatest singers. In 2009,
Rolling Stone readers voted the group the second best artist of the
2000s.
