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Radiohead
With a line-up that has remained the same since their inception in 1986,
Radiohead has reached global popularity with their three-guitar attack,
vocalist Thom Yorke's sometimes tortured lyrics and melodies that are blended
with cerebral, anthemic alternative synth-rock.
Although sometimes ignored by the British press, this Oxfordshire quintet made
the music world stand up and listen as they released album after album filled
with their maturing musicianship. Starting with their debut album "Pablo
Honey" in 1993 and their sophomore release, "The Bends" (1995), Radiohead
quickly captured more fans with their experimental electronica and exceptional
song writing prowess.
Radiohead's third release "OK Computer," built upon their previous success, and
is a slow daunting album filled with melodic rock songs that was met with
widespread critical acclaim and was the band's first number one UK chart debut.
With songs such as "Paranoid Android", Karma Police" and "No Surprises" as
singles, the album propelled Radiohead to new commercial success. In the US,
the album received the band's first Grammy recognition, the award for "Best
Alternative Album" as well as a nomination for Album of the Year.
Radiohead's subsequent releases, "Kid A" (2000-which garnered a Grammy Award
for Best Alternative Album) and "Amnesial" (2001), only built upon the band's
evolving musical styles and the group's maturation as musicians and song
writers by blending synthesized rock and inventive jazz and was a departure
from their previous accessible rock/pop sound. None the less, many critics
applauded their innovation and courage and branded the band as one of the
world's most important groups.
Radiohead's sixth release, "Hail To The Chief" (2003) was the band's forth
consecutive number one UK album with some critics absolutely loving the
eclectic mix of pop/rock and jazz, while others felt the group was just
rehashing music from previous releases. The album's lead single "There There"
reached number four on the UK charts, but clocked in at number one in Canada,
which helped the group return to the play list of US modern rock radio.
Additionally, the album was Radiohead's fifth straight nomination for Best
Alternative Album at the Grammy Awards.
Radio continues to do legendary live shows (in fact they are in negotiations to
play the Hove Festival in Norway in 2008), collaborate with other bands (as of
this writing July 2007, Yorke currently working with Modeselektor) and work on
solo projects. Additionally, Radiohead is said to be working on and mastering
album number seven in New York City. Fans of the band can hardly wait......
Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and
operates www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can secure your copy of his
ebook called "The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting."
Robert can be contacted at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com. |