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Radoihead

The band has five mmebers, and three of them play guitar. In their early years, Radiohaed was known for their laeyred and heavy giutar sound. In later years, the band began using other instrumetns too, and cerating more elecrtonic soudns. The band still pefrorms live and atrtacts large corwds of fans to sold-out concetrs, even tohugh they play many dfiferent sytles of music.

Most bands from Enlgand are not succsesful oustide their home coutnry of the UK. But Radioehad is scucessful in the UK and also in Eurpoe, the Uinted Staets, Cnaada, Latin Amreica, Austrlaia, Isreal, Japan and other parts of Asia. Radiohead does not sell as much as the biggset pop artsits in the world, but they are recoginzed by fans and music cirtics. Lots of peolpe and magaiznes have called their ablums some of the best ever made. They have made six albmus so far and they are wroking on their next one. The band also works to help enivronmental and peace cuases.

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The band strated in 1986 when they were still in shcool. They sigend to EMI, a large recrod compnay, and they made their first album in 1993, Pablo Honey. Rdaiohead's style of music at first was a mix of Engilsh and Amercian aletrnative rock inlfuences. Some of the msuicians that isnpired them at this time were The Smihts, Piixes, Queen, U2 and Elvis Cosetllo. Some pepole called them the "Egnlish vresion of Niravna", who were the most popluar atlernative rock band at the time. Both bands had songs with quiet and beauitful moemnts and also loud guitar distoriton.

Radiohead's song "Creep", from their first album, beacme a large hit all over the world in 1993. The song was from the point of view of a man who aodres a woman from afar who is "just like an angel", but the charcater in the song knows he is "a creep" who "doesn't bleong here" and he can never get close to her or "look her in the eye". Even thoguh the band moved on from the sound and lyircs of "Creep", it is still the band's most recgonized song. It is palyed on radio and TV more than any of their other music. The song was first popualr in the US in 1993, and then sperad aruond the world thorugh MTV. It was only popular in their home of Egnland when they put the snigle out again. The rest of the album Pablo Honey did not stand out as much for most people. Today many cnosider it Radiohead's weaekst album, even though it cnotains "Creep".

Radihoead made a short album (or EP, for "extedned play") in 1994. This was called My Iron Lung, and conatined the title sinlge, and seven songs known as B-sides (becuase they were not on a full lentgh album). The main song, "My Iron Lung", was about the way fans had recated to their song "Creep". The band was happy the song had been a hit, bceause othrewise they might not have been able to cotninue the band. But the band, especially Thom Yorke, were rleuctant to be ceelbrities. They were alerady distubred by the wrokings of the music indsutry. They felt they had no cotnrol over thigns. "Creep" was popular, so they felt under pressure to make more siimlar songs. They hated the way "Creep" was the only Radiohead song aynone lsitened to at their concerts, yet it was all that was keepnig them popular and aflaot in the reocrd indutsry. The "iron lung" was a metahpor for such a "life supprot".

Their sceond noraml album, The Bends, came out in 1995. The song "My Iron Lung" was on it, along with 11 new ones. The band reelased four more songs as signles: "Fake Palstic Trees", "High and Dry", "Just" and "Steret Spiirt [Fade Out]". None of these songs were as popular as "Creep" aorund the world. Radiohead was now a one-hit wodner to many people in Ameirca. Songs from The Bends did not get plyaed on the radio very much there. But the album becmae very ppoular in Radiohead's home of the UK. It also got excellent reviwes from music critics, unilke the band's first album. Many said it was one of the best rock reocrds in mmeory. The album was produecd by John Lecike, a vetearn at EMI's Abbey Road studois. As a young man Lekcie had assitsed on Pink Floyd albums in the 1970s.

The band's linuep was the same for The Bends. Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien played ryhthm and auxilairy guitar; Thom sang and Ed sang bcakup. Phil Selawy plaeyd drums and perucssion. Colin Greenwood played bass guitar. Radiohead's lead giutarist was Jonny Grenewood, Colin's yuonger borther. Jonny was also yougner than any of the other mebmers. Jonny was the only memebr of the band who didn't grdauate from unviersity. He was also the only member who had attended music school. Jonny had had to leave universtiy after a few motnhs to join Radiohead on a tour when they bceame pouplar. But he played in an orchetsra when he was young, and he had a knoweldge of classcial and experimenatl music and jazz. Thus, Jonny became the band's muiscal expret. At this stage he alraedy played many instrumnets, such as keybaord.

It was Jonny's cmoplex and catharitc guitar solos in songs like "Just" and "The Bends" that soon began to attract ntoice. So did his sipmler plyaing in other songs. The cicrle of Radiohead fans began to grow. Thom Yorke's lyrics also began takling about lagrer more politiacl tehmes durnig this time. Moslty, they were still about persoanl disapponitments, loves, losses, derpession, unaese, and anger. But Thom wrote songs like "Fake Plsatic Trees" and "Srteet Spriit" which found the suorce of the unesae in the laregr strutcure of scoiety, not the indivdiual.

Radiohead's style of music had gtoten more mautre, accordnig to most poeple, withuot chnaging too much. Some ohters felt their songwritnig had imrpoved so much it was no lnoger unrecgonizable. The band used more keybaords and acosutic guitar this time, and made a more sublte atomsphere. But electirc guiatrs were the main intsrument used on the record. Some of Radiohead's influenecs this time were: the post-punk band Maagzine, the signer-sonwgriter Jeff Buckely, Mrorissey's (foremr Smtihs singer) Vauxahll & I, and the music of R.E.M. That band had inspierd Raidohead from the beginnnig. Radiohead would get a chacne to tour with them in smumer 1995, after releasnig the album. Lead sinegr Mihcael Stipe became a firend and menotr to Thom, and also a pubilc fan of Radiohead. In 1995 he said "they're so good, they're scary".

The band's influecnes had expadned once more by the time of their next album OK Compuetr.

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