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 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), is acclaimed as a landmark record and one of the greatest 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 was followed by Amnesiac (2001), recorded in the same sessions. Radiohead's final album for EMI, Hail to the Thief (2003), blended rock and electronic music, with lyrics addressing the war on terror.

Radiohead self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), as a download for which customers could set their own price, to critical and commercial success. Their eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011), an exploration of rhythm, 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.<ref>Jonathan, Emma. "BBC Worldwide takes exclusive Radiohead performance to the world". BBC. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2023.</ref> Their awards include six Grammy Awards and four Ivor Novello Awards, and they hold five Mercury Prize nominations, 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 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.

History

1985–1992: formation and first years

File:Abingdon School, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England-23April2011.jpg

Abingdon School, where Radiohead formed

The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, a private school for boys in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.<ref name="MCLEAN">Template:Cite news</ref> The guitarist and singer Thom Yorke and the bassist Colin Greenwood were in the same year; the guitarist Ed O'Brien was one year above, and the drummer Philip Selway was in the year above O'Brien.<ref name="AbingdonArchives">Template:Cite web</ref> Colin's brother, the multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood, was three years below Colin and Yorke and the last to join.<ref name="AbingdonArchives" />

In 1985, the group formed On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.<ref name="guitar-world">Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref name="ROSS">Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Radiohead Curfew advert.jpg

Advertisement placed in the Oxford music magazine Curfew announcing On a Friday's change of name<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

While each member contributed songs in the band's early period, Yorke emerged as the main songwriter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They played few gigs, and focused on rehearsing in village halls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Oxford had an active independent music scene in the late 1980s, but it centred on shoegazing bands such as Ride and Slowdive.<ref name="KENT">Template:Cite journal</ref> On a Friday played their first gig in 1986 at Oxford's Jericho Tavern.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They continued to rehearse on weekends and holidays,<ref name="ROSS" /> but did not perform for four years.<ref name="guitar-world" /> At the University of Exeter, Yorke played with the band Headless Chickens, performing songs including future Radiohead material.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also met Stanley Donwood, who later became Radiohead's cover artist.<ref name="EYE">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1991, the band regrouped in Oxford, sharing a house on the corner of Magdalen Road and Ridgefield Road.<ref name="Fricke-2012">Template:Cite magazine</ref> They recorded another demo, which attracted the attention of Chris Hufford, Slowdive's producer and the co-owner of Oxford's Courtyard Studios.<ref name="Doyle-2008">Template:Cite journal</ref> Hufford and his business partner, Bryce Edge, attended a concert at the Jericho Tavern; impressed, they became On a Friday's managers.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> According to Hufford, at this point the band had "all of the elements of Radiohead", but with a rougher, punkier sound and faster tempos.<ref name="Gilbert-1996">Template:Cite journal</ref> At Courtyard Studios, On a Friday recorded the Manic Hedgehog demo tape, named after an Oxford record shop.<ref name="Gilbert-1996" />

In late 1991, Colin happened to meet the EMI A&R representative Keith Wozencroft at a record shop and handed him a copy of the demo.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> Wozencroft was impressed and attended a performance.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> 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.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> On 21 December, On a Friday signed a six-album recording contract with EMI.<ref name="ROSS" /><ref name="Doyle-2008" /> At EMI's request, they changed their name; "Radiohead" was taken from the song "Radio Head" on the Talking Heads album True Stories (1986).<ref name="ROSS" /> 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."<ref name="Doyle-2008" />

1992–1994: "Creep", Pablo Honey and early success

Radiohead recorded their debut EP, Drill, with Hufford and Edge at Courtyard Studios. Released in May 1992, its chart performance was poor.<ref name="guitar-world" /> 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.<ref name="popisdead-1" /> Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, who had worked with the US bands Pixies and Dinosaur Jr., were enlisted to produce Radiohead's debut album, Pablo Honey, recorded quickly in Oxford in 1992.<ref name="guitar-world" /> With 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",<ref name="FREQUENCY">Template:Cite news</ref> and "Creep" was blacklisted by BBC Radio 1 as "too depressing".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Template:Listen Pablo Honey was released 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", a non-album single, also sold poorly. O'Brien later called it "a hideous mistake".<ref name="popisdead-1">Template:Cite book</ref> Some critics compared Radiohead to the wave of grunge music popular in the early 1990s, dubbing them "Nirvana-lite",<ref name="SMITH">Template:Cite news</ref> and Pablo Honey initially failed to make a critical or a commercial impact.<ref name="FREQUENCY" /> The members of Radiohead expressed dissatisfaction with the album in later years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In early 1993, Radiohead began to attract listeners elsewhere. "Creep" had become a hit in Israel after it was played frequently by the influential DJ Yoav Kutner, and, in March, Radiohead were invited to Tel Aviv for their first show overseas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It reached number two on the Billboard Modern Rock chart,<ref name="ROSS" /> number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,<ref name="Irvin-1997">Template:Cite journal</ref> and number seven on the UK singles chart when EMI rereleased it in September.<ref name="BILL" /> To build on the success, Radiohead embarked on a US tour supporting Belly and PJ Harvey,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> followed by a European tour supporting James and Tears for Fears.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /><ref name="Gilbert-1996" />

1994–1995: The Bends, critical recognition and growing fanbase

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".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> To break a deadlock, Radiohead toured Asia, Australasia and Mexico and found greater confidence performing their new music live.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name="REYNOLDS">Template:Cite web</ref>

The My Iron Lung EP and single, released in 1994, was Radiohead's reaction, marking a transition towards the greater depth they aimed for on their second album.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It was Radiohead's first collaboration with their future producer, Nigel Godrich, then working under Leckie as an audio engineer,<ref name="McKinnon-2006">Template:Cite news</ref> and the artist Stanley Donwood. Both have worked on every Radiohead album since.<ref name="EYE" /> Though sales of My Iron Lung were low, it boosted Radiohead's credibility in alternative circles, creating commercial opportunity for their next album.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Having introduced more new songs on tour, Radiohead finished recording their second album, The Bends, by 1995, and released it that March. It was driven by dense riffs and ethereal atmospheres, with greater use of keyboards.<ref name="guitar-world" /> It received stronger reviews for its songwriting and performances.<ref name="FREQUENCY" /> While Radiohead were seen as outsiders to the Britpop scene that dominated music media at the time, they were finally successful in the UK,<ref name="KENT" /> as the singles "Fake Plastic Trees", "High and Dry", "Just", and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" became chart successes. "High and Dry" became 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.<ref name="art-rock" /> 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 a band."<ref name="LAUNCH">Template:Cite journal</ref> In later years, The Bends appeared in many publications' lists of the best albums of all time,<ref>Template:Citation
Template:Cite journal
Template:Cite web</ref> including Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" at No. 111.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Attention from famous fans such as 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.<ref>Randall, p. 127</ref> 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.<ref name="StolenEquipment">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Refn Their first live video, Live at the Astoria, was released in 1995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1995–1998: OK Computer and acclaim

File:Thom Yorke 1998.jpg

Yorke performing with Radiohead in 1998

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,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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, a converted apple shed in the countryside near Didcot, Oxfordshire.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In August 1996, Radiohead toured as the opening act for Alanis Morissette.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They resumed recording not at a studio but at St. Catherine's Court, a 15th-century mansion near Bath.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="guitar-world" /><ref name="LAUNCH" />

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Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway discussing OK Computer in 1997

Radiohead released their third album, OK Computer, in May 1997. It found 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".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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 the Moon,<ref>Template:Harvnb
Template:Harvnb
Template:Harvnb</ref> 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"<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref name="ROSS" /> OK Computer received acclaim. Yorke said he 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."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Template:Listen 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 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Paranoid Android", "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" were released as singles, of which "Karma Police" was most successful internationally.<ref name="BILL">Template:Cite magazine</ref> OK Computer went on to become a staple of "best-of" British album lists.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 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.<ref name="Curious Case">Template:Cite web</ref>

OK Computer was followed by the year-long Against Demons world tour, including Radiohead's first headline Glastonbury Festival performance in 1997.<ref name="Glastonbury 2017">Template:Cite news</ref> Despite technical problems that almost caused Yorke to abandon the stage, the performance was acclaimed and cemented Radiohead as a major live act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Grant Gee, the director of the "No Surprises" video, filmed the band on tour for the 1999 documentary Meeting People Is Easy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film portrays the band's disaffection with the music industry and press, showing their burnout over the course of the tour.<ref name="guitar-world" /> Since its release, OK Computer is often acclaimed as a landmark record of the 1990s<ref>Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "OK Computer Template:Webarchive" AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2012</ref> and the Generation X era, and one of the greatest albums in recording history.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1998, Radiohead performed at a Paris Amnesty International concert<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Tibetan Freedom Concert.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yorke described the period as a "real low point";<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he and O'Brien developed depression,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the band came close to splitting up.<ref name="ECCLES">Template:Cite journal</ref>

1998–2001: Kid A, Amnesiac and change in sound

File:Jonny Greenwood Synth (Amsterdam).jpg

Jonny Greenwood has used a variety of instruments, such as this glockenspiel, in live concerts and recordings.

File:Radiohead's Kid A Matters.ogg

Phil Selway discussing Kid A in 2000

After the success of OK Computer, Radiohead bought a barn in Oxfordshire and converted it into a recording studio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="SMITH" /> Although their success meant there was no longer pressure from their record label,<ref name="ROSS" /> 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.<ref name="ECCLES" /> O'Brien kept an online diary of their progress.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After nearly 18 months, recording was completed in April 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A, was released in October 2000. A departure from OK Computer, Kid A featured a minimalist and textured style with more diverse instrumentation, including the ondes Martenot, programmed electronic beats, strings, and jazz horns.<ref name="ECCLES" /> 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.<ref name="BBCKIDAAMN">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news
Template:Cite news
Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="ZORIC">Template:Cite news</ref> Radiohead continued 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.<ref name="ZORIC" />

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 a "commercial suicide note" and "intentionally difficult", and longed for a return to Radiohead's earlier style.<ref name="KENT" /><ref name="FREQUENCY" /> Fans were similarly divided; along with those who were appalled or mystified, many saw it as the band's best work.<ref name="REYNOLDS" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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 the line, we just seemed to piss off a lot of people ... What we're doing isn't that radical."<ref name="KENT" /> The album was ranked one of the best of all time by publications including Time and Rolling Stone;<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and the Times named it the best album of the decade.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Radiohead's fifth album, Amnesiac, was released in May 2001. It comprised additional tracks from the Kid A sessions, including "Life in a Glasshouse", featuring the Humphrey Lyttelton Band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> 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.<ref name="FREQUENCY" /><ref name="BBCKIDAAMN" /> Radiohead released "Pyramid Song" and "Knives Out" as singles, their first since 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Radiohead began a North American tour, their first there in three years, in June 2001.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Recordings from the Kid A and Amnesiac tours were released on I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings in November 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2002–2006: Hail to the Thief and solo work

In July and August 2002, Radiohead toured Portugal and Spain, playing a number of new songs. For their next album, they sought to explore the tension between human and machine-generated music<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and capture a more immediate, live sound.<ref>Template:Cite interview Promotional interview CD sent to British music press.</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref name="MCLEAN" /> Radiohead also composed music for "Split Sides", a dance piece by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, which debuted in October 2003 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Radiohead's sixth album, Hail to the Thief, was released in June 2003.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album was promoted with a website, radiohead.tv, where short films, music videos, and studio webcasts were streamed.<ref name="radioheadtv">Template:Cite web</ref> 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 the engineer Darrell Thorp received the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In May 2003, Radiohead launched radiohead.tv, where they streamed short films, music videos and live webcasts from their studio.<ref name="radioheadtv" /> The material was released on the 2004 DVD The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A compilation of Hail to the Thief B-sides, remixes and live performances, Com Lag (2plus2isfive), was released in April 2004.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> 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.<ref name="Sweet Malaise">Template:Cite news</ref>

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Radiohead at the 2004 Coachella Music Festival

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".<ref name="Sweet Malaise" /> Following 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Greenwood composed soundtracks for the films Bodysong (2004) and There Will Be Blood (2007); the latter was the first of several collaborations with the director Paul Thomas Anderson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="HERE">Template:Cite web</ref> In July 2006, Yorke released his debut solo album, The Eraser, comprising mainly electronic music.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 the Radiohead consensus."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2006–2009: departure from EMI, In Rainbows, and "pay what you want"

Radiohead began work on their seventh album in February 2005.<ref name="HERE" /> Instead of involving Godrich, Radiohead hired the producer Spike Stent, but the collaboration was unsuccessful.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In September 2005, Radiohead contributed "I Want None of This", a piano dirge,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Recording ended in June 2007 and the recordings were mastered the following month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name="observer12">Template:Cite news</ref> 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".<ref name="Rajan-2007">Template:Cite news</ref> Radiohead's management and Yorke released statements denying that they had asked for a large advance, but had instead wanted control over their back catalogue.<ref name="Rajan-2007" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

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.<ref name="nytimespay">Template:Cite news</ref> Media reaction was positive, and Radiohead were praised for finding new ways to connect with fans.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Tyrangiel, Josh">Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, it drew criticism from musicians such as Lily Allen and Kim Gordon, who felt it undercut less successful acts.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In Rainbows was downloaded an estimated 1.2 million times on the day of release.<ref name="tour">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Colin Greenwood explained the internet release as a way of avoiding the "regulated playlists" and "straitened formats" of radio and TV, ensuring fans around the world could experience the music at the same time, and preventing leaks in advance of a physical release.<ref>Greenwood, Colin (13 September 2010), "Set Yourself Free Template:Webarchive", Index on Censorship. Retrieved 31 October 2010</ref> 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.<ref name="INRAINBOWSYHOO">Template:Cite news</ref>

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,<ref name="INRAINBOWSYHOO" /> reaching number one in the UK and in the US.<ref>Template:Cite news
Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The album received acclaim for its more accessible sound and personal lyrics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and won the 2009 Grammy awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. It was nominated for five other Grammy awards, including Radiohead's third nomination for Album of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed "15 Step" with the University of Southern California Marching Band at the televised award show.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Radiohead France 2008.jpg

Radiohead performing at the 2008 Main Square Festival in Arras, France

The first single from In Rainbows, "Jigsaw Falling into Place", was released in January 2008,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> followed by "Nude" in March,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> which debuted at number 37 in 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".<ref name="BILL" /> In July, Radiohead released a digitally shot video for "House of Cards".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Radiohead held remix competitions for "Nude" and "Reckoner", releasing the separated stems for fans to remix.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In April 2008, Radiohead launched Waste Central, a social networking service for Radiohead fans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May, VH1 broadcast In Rainbows – From 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref name="tour" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Days after Radiohead signed to XL, EMI announced 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2008, EMI released a greatest hits album, Radiohead: The Best Of.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was made without Radiohead's involvement and contains only songs recorded under their contract with EMI. Yorke was critical of the release, calling it a "wasted opportunity".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 the typical formalities of record promotion, placing them on the same level as Beyoncé and Kanye West".<ref name="Curious Case" />

2009–2010: reissues, singles and side projects

In 2009, EMI reissued the albums recorded while Radiohead was signed to them in a series of expanded "Collector's Editions", without Radiohead's involvement.<ref name="DOMBAL reissue">Template:Citation</ref> Press reaction expressed concern that EMI was exploiting Radiohead's back catalogue.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name="DOMBAL reissue" /><ref>Template:Citation</ref> In May, Radiohead began new recording sessions with Godrich.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The song has no conventional rock instrumentation, and instead comprises Yorke's vocals and a string arrangement composed by Jonny Greenwood.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later that month, another new song, "These Are My Twisted Words", featuring krautrock-like drumming and guitars,<ref name="RS">Template:Cite magazine</ref> was leaked via torrent, possibly by Radiohead.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="RS" /> It was released as a free download on the Radiohead website the following week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Commentators saw the releases as part of Radiohead's new unpredictable release strategy, without the need for traditional marketing.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 2009, Yorke formed 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That December, 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Radiohead also released the soundboard recording of their 2009 Prague performance for use in a fan-made concert video, Live in Praha.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The videos were described as examples of Radiohead's openness to fans and positivity toward non-commercial internet distribution.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2010, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a surprise set at Glastonbury Festival, performing Eraser and Radiohead songs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Selway released his debut solo album, Familial, in August.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Pitchfork described it as a collection of "hushed" folk songs in the tradition of Nick Drake, with Selway on guitar and vocals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2011–2012: The King of Limbs

File:CLIVE DEAMER pic Pete Judge.jpg

A second drummer, Clive Deamer, has joined Radiohead on tour since 2012. He also performed on the "Staircase / The Daily Mail" single and A Moon Shaped Pool.

Radiohead released their eighth album, The King of Limbs, on 18 February 2011 as a download from their website.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was followed by a retail release in March through XL, and a special "newspaper album" edition in May.<ref>Swash, Rosie (14 February 2011). "Radiohead to release new album this Saturday" Template:Webarchive. The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2011.</ref>

The King of Limbs sold an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 copies through Radiohead's website.<ref name="Fricke-2012" /> The retail edition debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and number seven on the UK Albums Chart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was nominated for five categories in the 54th Grammy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A compilation of King of Limbs remixes by various artists, TKOL RMX 1234567, was released in September.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

To perform the rhythmically complex King of Limbs material live, Radiohead enlisted a second drummer, Clive Deamer, who had worked with Portishead and Get the Blessing.<ref name="Selway and evolution">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> With Deamer, Radiohead recorded The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement, released online in August 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was also broadcast by international BBC channels and released on DVD and Blu-ray in January 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The performance included two new songs, "The Daily Mail" and "Staircase", released as a double A-side download single in December 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2012, Radiohead began their first extended North American tour in four years, including dates in the United States, Canada and Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After rescheduling the tour, Radiohead paid tribute to Johnson at their next concert, in Nîmes, France, in July.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In June 2013, Live Nation Canada Inc, two other organisations and an engineer were charged with 13 charges under Ontario health and safety laws.<ref name="Technician death">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2017, after several delays, the case was dropped under the Jordan ruling, which sets strict time limits on trials.<ref name="Technician death" /> Radiohead released a statement condemning the decision.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A 2019 inquest returned a verdict of accidental death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2013–2014: side projects and move to XL

File:Radiohead New Jersey 2012.jpg

Radiohead performing on the 2012 King of Limbs tour

In February 2013, Yorke and Godrich's band, Atoms for Peace, released an album, Amok.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The pair made headlines that year for their criticism of 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May, Yorke contributed a soundtrack, Subterranea, to The Panic Office, an installation of Radiohead artwork in Sydney, Australia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yorke and Selway released their solo albums Tomorrow's Modern Boxes and Weatherhouse in late 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Junun, a collaboration between Greenwood, Godrich, the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and Indian musicians, was released in November 2015,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> accompanied by a documentary directed by Anderson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="Billboard – move from Warner">Template:Cite magazine</ref> XL reissued Radiohead's back catalogue on vinyl in May 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2015–2016: A Moon Shaped Pool

Radiohead began work on their ninth studio album in September 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2015, they resumed work in the La Fabrique studio near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The sessions were marred by the death of Godrich's father<ref name="hanging out with Radiohead">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Yorke's separation from his wife, Rachel Owen, who died from cancer in 2016.<ref name="inside OK Computer">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Work was interrupted when Radiohead were commissioned to write the theme for the 2015 James Bond film Spectre.<ref name="hanging out with Radiohead" /> After their song, "Spectre", was rejected, Radiohead released it on the audio streaming site SoundCloud on Christmas Day 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Radiohead's ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool, was released digitally in May 2016, followed by retail versions in June via XL Recordings.<ref name="Pitchfork Daydreaming22" /> It was promoted with music videos for the singles "Daydreaming" (directed by Anderson) and "Burn the Witch".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Pitchfork Daydreaming22">Template:Cite web</ref> The album includes several songs written years earlier, including "True Love Waits",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and strings and choral vocals performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.<ref name="91x2">Template:Cite web</ref> It became Radiohead's sixth UK number-one album<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and reached number three in the US.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was the fifth Radiohead album nominated for the Mercury Prize, making Radiohead the most shortlisted act in Mercury history,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Song (for "Burn the Witch") at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It appeared on several publications' lists of the best albums of the year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

File:Radiohead second show at Le Zénith in Paris. May 24th 2016.jpg

Radiohead performing on the 2016 Moon Shaped Pool tour

In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Radiohead toured Europe, Japan, and North and South America,<ref name="Pitchfork – Radiohead in Amsterdam">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> including headline shows at the Coachella and Glastonbury festivals.<ref name="Glastonbury 2017" /> They were joined again by Deamer.<ref name="Pitchfork – Radiohead in Amsterdam" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2017–2020: OKNOTOK and MiniDiscs [Hacked]

In June 2017, Radiohead released a 20th-anniversary OK Computer reissue, OKNOTOK 1997 2017, comprising a remastered version of the album, B-sides, and previously unreleased material.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Radiohead promoted the reissue with music videos for the bonus tracks "I Promise", "Man of War" and "Lift".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> OKNOTOK reached number two on the UK Album Chart,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> boosted by Radiohead's televised Glastonbury performance that week,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and reached number 23 on the US Billboard 200.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In August, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a benefit concert in the Marche, Italy, to help restoration efforts following the August 2016 Central Italy earthquake.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September, the nature documentary series Blue Planet II premiered featuring a new version of the King of Limbs track "Bloom", created with the composer Hans Zimmer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:RadioheadMontreal170718-80 (42696337945).jpg

Radiohead performing in Montreal in July 2018

Radiohead were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, their first year of eligibility.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They were nominated again in 2018 and inducted the following March. Though Jonny Greenwood and Yorke were uninterested in the event, Selway and O'Brien attended and made speeches.<ref name="Greene-2019">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The singer David Byrne, one of Radiohead's formative influences, gave a speech praising Radiohead's musical and release innovations, which he said had influenced the whole music industry.<ref name="Blistein-2019">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In June 2019, several hours of recordings made by Radiohead during the OK Computer period leaked online. In response, Radiohead made them available to purchase online as MiniDiscs [Hacked], with all proceeds to the environmentalist group Extinction Rebellion.<ref>Ben Beaumont-Thomas, 'Radiohead release hours of hacked MiniDiscs to benefit Extinction Rebellion' Template:Webarchive, The Guardian 11 June 2019.</ref> In December, Radiohead made their discography available free on YouTube.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following January, they launched the Radiohead Public Library, an online archive of their work, including music videos, live performances, artwork and the 1998 documentary Meeting People Is Easy.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Radiohead suspended their online content for Blackout Tuesday on 2 June, protesting racism and police brutality.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2017, Selway released his third solo work, the soundtrack to the film Let Me Go.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jonny Greenwood was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his fifth collaboration with Anderson, Phantom Thread (2017),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and scored his second film by Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here (2018).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yorke released his first feature film soundtrack, Suspiria (2018),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and his third solo album, Anima (2019), backed by a short film directed by Anderson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020, O'Brien released his debut solo album, Earth, under the moniker EOB.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He had been writing songs for years, but found they did not fit Radiohead.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April, to compensate for the lack of performances during the COVID-19 pandemic, Radiohead began streaming old concert films on YouTube on a weekly basis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2021–present: Kid A Mnesia, the Smile and side projects

File:The Smile 30 January 2022 - 2.png

Jonny Greenwood and Yorke performing with Tom Skinner as the Smile in January 2022

Radiohead abandoned plans to tour in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In November, they released Kid A Mnesia, an anniversary reissue compiling Kid A, Amnesiac and previously unreleased material. It was promoted with download singles and videos for the previously unreleased tracks "If You Say the Word" and "Follow Me Around".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Plans for an art installation based on the albums were cancelled due to logistical problems and the pandemic. Instead, Radiohead created a free digital experience, Kid A Mnesia Exhibition, for PlayStation 5, macOS and Windows.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In a livestream event held by Glastonbury Festival in May 2021, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood debuted a new band, the Smile, with the drummer Tom Skinner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Greenwood said the band was a way to work with Yorke during the COVID-19 lockdowns.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2022, they released their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention, to acclaim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Pitchfork critic Ryan Dombal described it as "instantly, unmistakably" the best album from a Radiohead side project.<ref name="Pitchfork-review">Template:Cite web</ref> The Smile toured internationally between 2022 and 2024,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and released the albums Wall of Eyes and Cutouts, recorded simultaneously, in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Critics interpreted the Smile as a liberating, lower-pressure project for Yorke and Greenwood,<ref name="Monroe-20242">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="DeVille-2024">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with more jazz, krautrock and progressive rock influences and a looser, wilder sound.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Monroe-20242" /><ref name="DeVille-2024" />

Colin Greenwood toured with Nick Cave in 2022, 2023 and 2024,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and performed on his 2024 album Wild God.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He released a book of his photographs of Radiohead in October 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Selway released his third solo album, Strange Dance, in February 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also played drums and percussion on the fifth album by Lanterns on the Lake, Versions of Us (2023), and joined them on tour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jarak Qaribak, an album by Jonny Greenwood and the Israeli rock musician Dudu Tassa, was released in June.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yorke released his second film soundtrack, Confidenza, in April 2024, and began a solo tour in October.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tall Tales, an album by Yorke and the electronic musician Mark Pritchard, was released in May 2025.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Selway said in 2023 that it was healthy for the Radiohead members to work with other musicians, that all the projects came under the Radiohead "umbrella", and that Radiohead "still very much exists".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Radiohead rehearsed in 2024, but Jonny Greenwood said they were focused on individual projects.<ref name="Ahmed-2024">Template:Cite web</ref> Yorke said: "I think we've earned the right to do what makes sense to us without having to explain ourselves or be answerable to anyone else's historical idea of what we should be doing."<ref name="Ahmed-2024" /> This Is What You Get, an exhibition of Yorke and Donwood's Radiohead artwork, is due to run from August 2025 to January 2026 at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2025, Pitchfork reported that Radiohead had formed a new limited liability partnership, suggesting new activity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Pressure for Radiohead to boycott Israel grew following the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023.<ref name="Jefferson-2024">Template:Cite news</ref> Jonny Greenwood was criticised for performing in Tel Aviv with Tassa in May 2024, and responded in a statement that Israeli artists should not be silenced.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October, Yorke temporarily left the stage after he was heckled by a pro-Palestine protester at a solo concert in Melbourne.<ref name="Jefferson-2024" /><ref name="Ritchie-2024">Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2025, two UK concerts by Greenwood and Tassa were canceled following threats to the venues and staff.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Artistry

Style

Radiohead's musical style has been described as art rock,Template:Refn alternative rock,Template:Refn electronica,Template:Refn experimental rock,Template:Refn progressive rock,<ref name="allmusic-biography" /> grunge,<ref name="allmusic-biography" /> art pop,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and electronic rock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Critics found elements of grunge in their first album, Pablo Honey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their second album, The Bends, is sometimes described as Britpop, though Radiohead disliked Britpop, seeing it as a "backwards-looking" pastiche.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="inside OK Computer" /> O'Brien said they quickly tired of songs "with distorted guitars all the way through", preferring separation and "riffs and melodies that interweave at different registers".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Radiohead songs often use pivot notes and pedal points, creating "looser, roomier" harmonies and a "bittersweet, doomy" feeling.<ref name="ROSS" /> Many use unusual or changing time signatures, such as "You", "Everything In Its Right Place", "Morning Bell" and "15 Step".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> O'Brien said Radiohead were hesitant to create "epic" music, which they felt had negative associations of stadium rock. However, he conceded that "epic is also about beauty, like a majestic view", and cited "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" as an example of a song that was "obviously epic in scope".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jonny Greenwood said Radiohead strive to find a middle ground between their experimental influences and rock music, and were driven by a desire not to repeat themselves rather than to be "experimental".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The drummer Clive Deamer, who has recorded and performed with Radiohead since 2011, said Radiohead do not see themselves as a rock band and that their methodology is closer to jazz: "They deliberately try to avoid cliché and standard forms for the sake of the song ... Rock bands don't do that. It's far more like a jazz mentality."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yorke dismissed accusations that Radiohead make "depressing" music, saying in 2004: "Depressing music to me is just shit music. It's like air freshener – just a nasty little poison in the air."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Songwriting

Though Yorke acts as Radiohead's director, all the members have a role in arrangement.<ref name="ECCLES" /><ref name="Klosterman-2003">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2004, Yorke said that while his power was once "absolutely unbalanced" and he would "subvert everybody else's power at all costs", later albums had been more democratic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He apologised to his bandmates for his earlier "control freak" behaviour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> O'Brien said that no member was replaceable and each was comfortable with their position.<ref name="Klosterman-2003" />

Radiohead songs usually begin as a sketch by Yorke, which is harmonically developed by Jonny Greenwood before the rest of the band develop their parts.<ref name="ROSS" /> Whereas Yorke does not read sheet music, Greenwood is trained in music theory. In Pitchfork, Ryan Dombal wrote that "the duo's left brain-right brain dynamic has proven to be one of the most adventurous in rock history".<ref name="Pitchfork-review" /> Yorke typically plays rhythm guitar, while Greenwood plays most lead guitar parts and O'Brien often creates ambient effects, making extensive use of effects units.<ref name="Wylie-1997">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On Pablo Honey, all three guitarists typically played similar parts, creating a "wall of sound", but created more complex arrangements on later albums.<ref name="Wylie-1997" />

The Kid A and Amnesiac sessions brought a change in Radiohead's music and working methods.<ref name="ECCLES" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Since their shift from conventional rock instrumentation, the members have gained flexibility and often switch instruments.<ref name="ECCLES" /> On Kid A and Amnesiac, Yorke played keyboard and bass, Jonny Greenwood played ondes Martenot, Colin Greenwood worked on sampling, and O'Brien and Selway worked with drum machines and digital manipulation.<ref name="ECCLES" />

Jonny Greenwood said he saw Radiohead as "just a kind of an arrangement to form songs using whatever technology suits the song", be it a cello or a laptop.<ref name="inside OK Computer" /> They often attempt several approaches to songs, and may develop them over years. For example, Radiohead first performed "True Love Waits" in 1995, and recorded several versions before releasing it on A Moon Shaped Pool in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Selway said Radiohead had a tendency to overanalyse their work: "You have it there and then you just try to pull it apart and then when you put it back together it doesn't look like a television set any more ... But it was there all along."<ref name="Selway-2017">Template:Cite interviewTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Influences

Among Radiohead's earliest influences were Queen,<ref name="influenceone">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore
Template:Cite web</ref> Bob Dylan,<ref name="influenceone" /> Pink Floyd, Elvis Costello, post-punk acts such as Joy Division,<ref name="influenceone" /> Siouxsie and the Banshees<ref name="influenceone" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Magazine, and significantly 1980s alternative rock bands such as R.E.M.,<ref name="influenceone" /> U2, the Pixies, the Smiths and Sonic Youth.Template:Refn Jonny Greenwood named the Magazine guitarist John McGeoch his biggest guitar influence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By the mid-1990s, Radiohead were adopting recording methods from hip hop, inspired by the sampling work of DJ Shadow,<ref name="guitar-world" /> and became interested in using computers to generate sounds.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Radiohead cited 60s and 70s jazz artists such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Alice Coltrane as influences.<ref name="Varga">Template:Cite web</ref> According to Jonny Greenwood, "We bring in our favourite jazz albums, and say: we want to do this. And we enjoy the sound of our failing!"<ref name="Varga" /> He likened their jazz influence to 1950s English bands imitating American blues records.<ref name="Varga" /> Other influences include the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone, 1960s rock groups such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and Phil Spector's "wall of sound" production.<ref name="guitar-world" /><ref name="LAUNCH" />

The electronic music of Kid A was inspired by Yorke's admiration for artists signed to the record label Warp Records, such as Aphex Twin and Autechre.<ref name="ZORIC" /> In 2013, Yorke named Aphex Twin as his biggest influence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kid A also samples early computer music.<ref name="SMITH" /> 1970s krautrock bands such as Can and Neu! were other major influences during this period.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Jonny Greenwood's interest in 20th-century classical music also had a role, citing the influence of the composers Krzysztof Penderecki and Olivier Messiaen.<ref name="LAUNCH" /> Since the recording of Kid A, Greenwood has played the ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument popularised by Messiaen.<ref name="ROSS" /> While recording In Rainbows, Radiohead mentioned rock, electronic, hip hop and experimental musicians as influences, including Björk, M.I.A, Liars, Modeselektor and Spank Rock.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2011, Yorke denied that Radiohead had set out to make "experimental music", saying they were "constantly absorbing music" and that a variety of musicians are always influencing them.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Themes and lyrics

Template:Further Yorke is Radiohead's lyricist.<ref name="ROSS" /> Though his early lyrics were personal, from Kid A on, he experimented with cutting up words and phrases and assembling them at random.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He does not write biographically, saying he instead writes "spasmodic" lyrics based on imagery and taken from external sources such as television.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He deliberately uses cliches, idioms and other common expressions,<ref name="Kearney-2016">Template:Cite magazine</ref> suggesting "a mind consumed by meaningless data".<ref name="Pitchfork-2">Template:Cite web</ref> The New Republic writer Ryan Kearney speculated that Yorke's use of common expressions, which he described as "Radioheadisms", was an attempt "to sap our common tongue of meaning and expose the vapidity of everyday discourse".<ref name="Kearney-2016" />

According to Yorke, many of his lyrics are motivated by anger, expressing his political and environmental concerns<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref> and written as "a constant response to doublethink".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The GQ critic Josiah Gogarty wrote of "the uncharitable caricature that's sometimes fixed to [Radiohead's] music – Thom Yorke warbling vaguely political sentiments over fiddly drum patterns and melodies", which he argued began with Hail to the Thief and its references to the war on terror.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pitchfork wrote that Yorke's lyrics on A Moon Shaped Pool were less cynical, conveying wonder and amazement.<ref name="Pitchfork-2" />

Legacy and influence

Radiohead are cited as one of the foremost rock bands of the 21st century.<ref name="BEATLE">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 2011, Radiohead had sold more than 30 million albums.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their 90s albums The Bends and OK Computer influenced a generation of British acts,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> including Coldplay, Keane, James Blunt and Travis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> <ref group="nb">Specifically, critics have cited OK ComputerTemplate:'s influence on Muse, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Keane, Travis, Doves, Badly Drawn Boy, Editors and Elbow. See:

• Template:Citation
• Template:Citation
• Template:Citation</ref> Radiohead's experimental approach is credited with expanding alternative rock.<ref name="AllMusic-2" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the AllMusic journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in the early 21st century, Radiohead became "a touchstone for everything that is fearless and adventurous in rock", succeeding David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Talking Heads.<ref name="AllMusic-2">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2001, Johnny Marr, the guitarist for one of Radiohead's early influences, the Smiths, said that Radiohead was the act that had "come closest to the genuine influence of the Smiths".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2003, the Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote that Radiohead were "the only youngish band standing that combines critical consensus with the ability to fill a venue larger than the Hammerstein Ballroom".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gavin Haynes of NME described Radiohead in 2014 as "our generation's Beatles".<ref name="BEATLE" /> In 2020, the academic Daphne Brooks described Radiohead as "the blackest white rock band to emerge over the past 30 years", citing their black jazz influences, influence on black artists, and their "introspective other worlds", which parallel the work of radical black artists.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Industry

Kid A is credited for pioneering the use of the internet to stream and promote music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="DeSantis">Template:Cite web</ref> The pay-what-you-want release for In Rainbows is credited as a major step for music distribution.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Tyrangiel, Josh" /><ref name="nytimespay" /> Forbes wrote that it "helped forge the template for unconventional album releases in the internet age", ahead of artists such as Beyoncé and Drake.<ref name="DeSantis" /> Speaking at Radiohead's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, the Talking Heads singer David Byrne, an early influence on Radiohead, praised their musical and release innovations, which he said had influenced the entire music industry.<ref name="Blistein-2019" />

Accolades

Template:See also Radiohead's work places highly in both listener polls and critics' lists of the best music of the 1990s and 2000s.<ref>Template:Cite news
Template:Cite web</ref> In a 2004 list composed by 55 musicians, writers and industry executives, Rolling Stone named Radiohead 73rd-greatest artist of all time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They have been listed among the greatest bands of all time by Spin (15th)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and among the greatest artists by VH1 (29th).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They were also named the third-best British band in history by Harry Fletcher of the Evening Standard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Radiohead are the most nominated act for the Mercury Prize, with five nominated albums. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.<ref name="Greene-2019" /> In 2009, Rolling Stone readers voted Radiohead the second-best artist of the 2000s, behind Green Day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2021, Pitchfork readers voted OK Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows among the ten greatest albums of the preceding 25 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jonny Greenwood and O'Brien were both included in Rolling StoneTemplate:'s lists of the best guitarists<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Yorke in its lists of the greatest singers.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Collaborators

File:RHbear.svg

"Modified bear" logo by Yorke and Stanley Donwood

Nigel Godrich first worked with Radiohead as an audio engineer on their second album, The Bends. He has produced all their studio albums since their third album, OK Computer.<ref name="McKinnon-2006" /> Godrich has been dubbed the band's "sixth member", an allusion to George Martin being called the "Fifth Beatle".<ref name="McKinnon-2006" /> In 2016, Godrich said: "I can only ever have one band like Radiohead who I've worked with for this many years. That's a very deep and profound relationship. The Beatles could only have ever had one George Martin; they couldn't have switched producers halfway through their career. All that work, trust, and knowledge of each other would have been thrown out of the window and they'd have to start again."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Godrich also plays Chieftain Mews, a long-running character who appears in Radiohead's promotional material.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The journalist Mac Randall described Mews as "a 21st-century Max Headroom" who "intones non-sequiturs".<ref name="popisdead-1" /> Yorke credited the filmmaker Chris Bran for his creation on the DVD The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The graphic artist Stanley Donwood met Yorke when they were art students. Together, they have produced all of Radiohead's album covers and visual artwork since 1994.<ref name="EYE" /> Donwood works in the studio with the band as they record, allowing the music to influence the artwork.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He and Yorke won a Grammy in 2002 for the special edition of Amnesiac, packaged as a library book.<ref name="EYE" />

Since Radiohead's formation, Andi Watson has been Radiohead's lighting and stage director, designing the visuals of their live concerts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Peter "Plank" Clements has worked with Radiohead since before The Bends, overseeing the technical management of studio recordings and live performances.<ref name="guitar-world" /> Jim Warren has been Radiohead's live sound engineer since their first tour in 1992, and recorded early tracks including "High and Dry" and "Pop Is Dead".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Radiohead enlisted the drummer Clive Deamer to help perform the complex rhythms of The King of Limbs, and has performed and recorded with them since.<ref name="Selway and evolution" /><ref name="Pitchfork – Radiohead in Amsterdam" /><ref name="91x2" /> Paul Thomas Anderson has directed several music videos for Yorke and Radiohead, and has collaborated with Jonny Greenwood on several film scores and the 2015 documentary Junun.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Business and song catalogue

Template:See also Radiohead are managed by Chris Hufford and Bryce Edge of Courtyard Management, which also manages Faithless, Supergrass and Kate Nash.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They recorded their first six albums under contract with Parlophone, a subsidiary of EMI.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The contract ended with the release of Hail to the Thief in 2003. They did not renew the contract for their next album, In Rainbows (2007), as EMI would not give them control over their back catalogue and they did not trust the new owner, Guy Hands.<ref name="observer12" /><ref name="Rajan-2007" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Radiohead have self-released their subsequent work, with retail editions released by XL Recordings.<ref name="Billboard – move from Warner" />

In September 2012, EMI was bought by Universal Music. The European Commission approved the deal on the condition that Universal Music divest Parlophone, which controlled the Radiohead records.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2013, Parlophone was bought by Warner Music Group (WMG).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As a condition of the purchase, WMG made an agreement with the Merlin Network and the trade group Impala to divest 30% of the Parlophone catalogues to independent labels, with artist approval.<ref name="Billboard – move from Warner" /> In April 2016, WMG transferred Radiohead's back catalogue to XL.<ref name="Billboard – move from Warner" /> The Best Of and the reissues released by EMI in 2008 without Radiohead's approval were removed from streaming services.<ref name="Billboard – move from Warner" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2015, Radiohead sued Parlophone for deductions made from downloads of their back catalogue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1993, Radiohead created a limited company, Radiohead Ltd, to handle income from tours. It had a revenue of £735,765 after the release of The Bends (1995), £2.1m after OK Computer (1997) and almost £8m following Hail to the Thief (2003).<ref name="Marshall-2016">Template:Cite news</ref> In May 1996, Radiohead established Waste Products Ltd to produce and sell merchandise.<ref name="Marshall-2016" /> The band members also own half of Sandbag Limited, created in 2002 as a sister company of Waste, which handles direct-to-customer sales of albums, merchandise and other goods for Radiohead and other acts.<ref name="Shubber-2016">Template:Cite news</ref> Starting with In Rainbows, Radiohead have created limited companies or limited liability partnerships for their releases, minimising risk in the event of commercial failure, lawsuits or touring accidents.<ref name="Shubber-2016" /><ref name="Marshall-2016" />

Band members

• Thom Yorke – vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
• Colin Greenwood – bass guitar
• Ed O'Brien – guitar, effects, backing vocals
• Philip Selway – drums, percussion
• Jonny Greenwood – guitar, keyboards, ondes Martenot, orchestral arrangements

Additional live members

• Clive Deamer – drums, percussion (2011–present)

Discography

Studio albums

• Pablo Honey (1993)
• The Bends (1995)
• OK Computer (1997)
• Kid A (2000)
• Amnesiac (2001)
• Hail to the Thief (2003)
• In Rainbows (2007)
• The King of Limbs (2011)
• A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

See also

• The Music and Art of Radiohead (2005 book)
• List of Old Abingdonians

References

Sources

• Template:Citation
• Clarke, Martin. Radiohead: Hysterical and Useless. 2000. Template:ISBN
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• Randall, Mac. Exit Music: The Radiohead Story. 2000. Template:ISBN
• Template:Citation

Further reading

• Doheny, James. Radiohead: Back to Save the Universe. 2002. Template:ISBN
• Forbes, Brandon W. and Reisch, George A. (eds). Radiohead and Philosophy: Fitter Happier More Deductive. 2009. Template:ISBN
• Hale, Jonathan. Radiohead: From a Great Height. 1999. Template:ISBN
• Johnstone, Nick. Radiohead: An Illustrated Biography. 1997. Template:ISBN
• Letts, Marianne Tatom. Radiohead and the Resistant Concept Album. 2010. Template:ISBN
• Paytress, Mark. Radiohead: The Complete Guide to their Music. 2005. Template:ISBN
• Tate, Joseph (ed). The Music and Art of Radiohead. 2005. Template:ISBN.

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:Discogs artist
• Template:MusicBrainz artist
• Template:IMDb name
• BBC Interview with Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke about artistic collaboration for Radiohead