Listening to it now, all the signs are there of what would come, but at that point the band was still uneven and too rooted in the familiar rock structures to fully distinguish themselves. It was a stylish rock LP in rock n’ roll’s last great era. The album was solid, but didn’t grab too much attention until later when the band was established. Given the enormous success of “Creep,” Radiohead had all the signals of being a one-hit wonder. Radiohead’s music can often be compared to many other styles, including those listed above, yet always seems to stand apart. This seemed to be another grunge song in form, but had too much style compared to the raw licks of the Seattle sound. Following the heels of grunge, Madchester, Shoegazers and the burgeoning acid house/rave scene, this song rose above as an emotional rock song, rising from gentle folk strumming to aggressive, hard guitar breaks and attention-grabbing lyrics. Their very first single massively announced their arrival. Credit for this goes to their fantastic song writing skills, inventive style, and amazing musicianship.Ĭreep Stop Whispering Anyone Can Play Guitar \ Pablo Honey (1993) But yet… every time their albums come out I find myself listening to them and inevitably enjoying them. His nasally, moaning vocal style grates on me at times, and while he’s a distinctive and capable singer, it often takes away from their splendid music. Making this list has been great and there are so many incredible songs, but personally I grow tired of their sound – and especially Thom Yorke’s voice. I’ve never followed them closely and never had an interest in seeing them live. If you’re not familiar with the band, I certainly encourage listening to their albums in full.ĭespite this, I must admit my affection for the band runs shallow. So even when their songs stand alone, which many of them certainly do, the additional challenge is choosing which songs to include on the playlist without resorting to picking them all. This is also true because their albums are unfailingly great. More than any band of the modern era of rock and pop music, Radiohead can lay claim to being an “album band” in which their arrangements are best heard together. Amazingly, they’ve held the same lineup from their first album to today (all the more remarkable given there are brothers in the line-up, Jonny and Colin Greenwood, which we know doesn’t always work out – see, Oasis and the brothers Gallagher).ĭoing a retrospective of this band is daunting. They achieved success right from the start of their recording career and have always set themselves apart from any typical trend or genre. Originally called ‘On a Friday’, based on their usual rehearsal day at school, the band adopted the name ‘Radiohead’ when they signed their first contract with EMI, taken from a Talking Heads song. They formed in 1985 while attending school together in Abingdon, England, a suburb of Oxford and an hour’s drive northeast from London.