Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.
But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.
Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.
We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.
RADIOHEAD
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) | Readers’ Poll Results
It was April 1995, and I’d headed to the lunchtime concert on a whim—a restless high school senior pursuing the promise of singles heard on the radio. British-leaning and discerning, San Francisco’s LIVE 105 was one of the world’s first stations to recognize the merits of the Oxfordshire-based five-piece. Not only did they jump on “Creep,” Radiohead’s first single from debut Pablo Honey (1993), but they were quick to add “High and Dry” and “Fake Plastic Trees,” singles from sophomore LP The Bends (1995), to their rotation, dispelling the one-hit-wonder rumors which are just beyond laughable now.
It seemed to happen overnight. One day I was casually dropping in on Radiohead’s free show along the San Francisco Bay. The next, no amount of cash nor coaxing could negotiate my entrance. Two years had passed, and the band were playing the same smallish clubs, which might’ve still worked had it not been for one thing—their third album, OK Computer.
Where its predecessors were roundly enjoyable rock records, with memorable, if sometimes derivative, moments, OK Computer was a bold, blippy twist forward. For an album that explores the existential unease and sterile horrors of the digital age, OK Computer pulses with the neural circuitry, and emotional anguish, behind it. Unsurprisingly, business-minded label reps thought the gloomy album would flop, failing to see the magnificence of its artistry. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Futuristic yet familiar, OK Computer instantly enraptured critics and fans, propelling Radiohead into a league of their own.
Though ceaseless touring and media attention nearly sapped the band’s soul (see their documentary Meeting People Is Easy), Radiohead returned even stronger. Perched from their untouchable stratospheric throne, they pitched the glistening electronic pair, Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), further redrawing the lines of alternative rock and reinforcing their unstoppable genius status. For all my lazing with OK Computer in the languorous LA sun, the glitchy, jazzy reverie of Kid A would fast become my new favorite, the second consecutive conceptual masterpiece.
Pressing into the new millennium, Radiohead delivered Hail to the Thief (2003). As their sixth studio LP in 10 phenomenal years, the record seemed a sonic summary of all that came before. Despite its political ire, the album seemed a bit safe in the wake of consistent innovation. After a brief hiatus, which allowed the members a bit of a breather and space to explore solo projects, Radiohead turned heads yet again with the self-released, pay-what-you-wish In Rainbows (2007). Released a year before singer Thom Yorke’s 40th birthday, Radiohead’s seventh album is filled with introspective, beautiful and haunting lyrics—acutely aware of life’s finality.
The King of Limbs, self-released in 2011, was another exercise in experimentation. Perhaps the weirdest, and least accessible, of the lot, the loop- and sample-heavy album shuffles through eerily danceable soundscapes, offering ample fodder for both meandering minds and frenzied feet. A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) emerged five years later—a lapse that might suggest the quintet’s creativity is finally waning. Spare and pensive, the band’s ninth studio album is yet another entry in a delightfully unpredictable oeuvre—just another jigsaw falling into place.
Rayna’s 3 Favorite Radiohead Albums of All Time:
1. Kid A (2000)
2. In Rainbows (2007)
3. OK Computer (1997)
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