Radiohead hails from lush Oxford, England, where Thom Yorke (vocals), Jonny Greenwood
(guitar, keyboards, xylophone) Ed O'Brien (guitar), Colin Greenwood (bass) and Phil Selway
(drums) first began playing together in 1987. The quintet didn't explore music as a full-time
option, however, until its members dropped out of their respective institutions of higher education
in the early '90s. Opting out of the typical barrage of London gigs, the group played the majority of
their shows at home and still managed to create an impressive industry buzz that sent label reps
scrambling to Oxford in droves. They eventually signed with Capitol for the release of their first
album, 1993's Pablo Honey. Radiohead were the first to market with the whole self-loathing
thing; their single "Creep" (off Pablo Honey) predated Beck's "Loser" by a year and shot to the top
of the singles charts in both Britain and the United States. After the song faded from the charts
and the airwaves, however, many mistakenly passed the band off as another one-hit wonder. In
1995, with the release of The Bends, Radiohead earned their long-due respect. Critics raved
about the album and the band landed a spot on R.E.M.'s European tour. Radiohead's third
album, OK Computer, was released in June 1997 and immediately hit No. 1 on the British album
charts. By the close of the year, the album had topped countless "Best of '97" lists and was
nominated for two Grammy Awards and four Brit Music Awards.
Radiohead hails from lush Oxford, England, where Thom Yorke (vocals), Jonny Greenwood
(guitar, keyboards, xylophone) Ed O'Brien (guitar), Colin Greenwood (bass) and Phil Selway
(drums) first began playing together in 1987. The quintet didn't explore music as a full-time
option, however, until its members dropped out of their respective institutions of higher education
in the early '90s. Opting out of the typical barrage of London gigs, the group played the majority of
their shows at home and still managed to create an impressive industry buzz that sent label reps
scrambling to Oxford in droves. They eventually signed with Capitol for the release of their first
album, 1993's Pablo Honey. Radiohead were the first to market with the whole self-loathing
thing; their single "Creep" (off Pablo Honey) predated Beck's "Loser" by a year and shot to the top
of the singles charts in both Britain and the United States. After the song faded from the charts
and the airwaves, however, many mistakenly passed the band off as another one-hit wonder. In
1995, with the release of The Bends, Radiohead earned their long-due respect. Critics raved
about the album and the band landed a spot on R.E.M.'s European tour. Radiohead's third
album, OK Computer, was released in June 1997 and immediately hit No. 1 on the British album
charts. By the close of the year, the album had topped countless "Best of '97" lists and was
nominated for two Grammy Awards and four Brit Music Awards.
