Year 13 Media Production: Research: Radiohead

Radiohead are an alternative rock band from England. They released their first single, 'Creep', in 1992. The song became an international hit after the release of their first album 'Pablo Honey' in 1993. Their popularity in the United Kingdom continued to rise with the release of their second album, 'The Bends' in 1995. The band's greatest achievement was to come in 1997 with the release of 'Ok Computer', their third studio album. Ok Computer thrust them into the international spotlight due to the album's intensity, expansive sound and themes of modern alienation. This album has gone on to be considered by the many as a landmark album of the 1990s.

The band took some time off following this success and did not produce another album together until 2000/2001 when 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac' were released. These albums marked an evolution in Radiohead's musical style as they incorporated experimental electronic music. Thom Yorke has also said the lesser known genres such as Krautrock and post-punk were an influence when creating these alums. The Kid A/Amnesiac sessions are considered their greatest body of work to date by any fans. Next came the album 'Hail to the Thief' in 2003, which was a mix of guitar-driven rock, electronics and lyrics inspired by war. This was the last album for the band on the major record label, EMI. Radioheads first six albums combined had sold more that 25 million copies by 2007. This drove the band to independently release their seventh album, 'In Rainbows' in 2007, originally as a digital download which customers could set their own price. It was then released in physical form to critical and chart success.

Radiohead's work is known over the globe and has appeared in a huge amount of listener polls and critic lists. As of 2005, Radiohead were ranked number 73 in Rolling Stone magazine's "The Greatest Artists of All Time", personally I would have placed them higher due to the length of their musical scope. Although the band's early work was influential of British rock music, musicians in a wide variety of genres have been influenced by their later work, due to its experimental nature and accessibility.

The band consists of:

Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, beats)