at a glance...

Hometown: Oxford, England
Year Formed: 1987

Members:
Thom Yorke -vocals, guitar
Jonny Greenwood -guitars
Ed O'Brien -guitars
Colin Greenwood -bass
Phil Selway -drums

Bands In The Family:
UNKLE, Badly Drawn Boy, Unbelievable Truth, R.E.M., Björk, PJ Harvey

Notes:
On A Friday relied on hometown support of their first EP, Drill, before signing a major-label deal. Changing their name to Radiohead (from a Talking Heads song) the band released Pablo Honey in 1993, spawning the anti-hero smash, "Creep." The song became so engrained in the U.S. mainstream conscience, Radiohead were immediately written off as one-hit wonders. Their second album, the lush and complex The Bends, prevented the pundits from burying the band. While it saw brisk sales, critics raved, ranking Radiohead as one of the premiere bands in the world, a positioned solidfied by the 1997 release of OK Computer, which debuted at No. 1 in their home country's charts. A consensus best album choice by critics, OK Computer even convinced conservative NARAS members to give the band a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, which the band snubbed by refusing to attend or perform at the ceremony. Initial plans for Massive Attack to remix the entire album fell through in deference to Massive Attack's release of Mezzanine. Instead, to satisfy fans, Radiohead released Airbag, a six-song EP featuring several B-sides from their UK singles. The band's groundbreaking music videos and tour film (available on 7 Television Commercials and Meeting People Is Easy, respectively) further displayed the band's artistic bent and desire to expand boundaries. The highly-anticipated Kid A arrived in 2000.

Links:
Radiohead Mothership
We Love Radiohead

OK, let's get this out of the way now: those expecting Pablo Honey to be on the same masterpiece level as Radiohead's subsequent albums will be disappointed.

But that doesn't mean it isn't a worthy album, this is Radiohead we're talking about. Pablo Honey even begins with a song that probably could have fit on The Bends. "You" features that now-distinct Johnny Greenwood-style of guitar that twinkles, crashes, and buzzes, all in the span of one minute. Diverse songs like "Ripcord," "Lurgee," and "Blow Out" can easily be understood as seeds that would eventually beget the Radiohead sound.

As opposed to the lovely lethargy of their follow-ups, Pablo Honey is a very energetic album. Unfortunately, it's that unrefined energy which overwhelms it in the end. The band play like kids in a candy store, grabbing at everything from punk ("How Do You?") to glam ("Anyone Can Play Guitar") without much rhyme or reason. It's very easy to hear the influence of The Stone Roses ("Stop Whispering") and The Smiths ("Thinking About You") on this early incarnation of Radiohead. Both are good songs on their own, but the way Pablo Honey jumps from place to place makes it sound overeager and lacking in confidence.

This is exactly why "Creep" is the best track on Pablo Honey. What makes this song stand out is its willingness to step outside the bounds of convention. For example, "I Can't" is a great track that could end a full minute earlier than it does, instead it finishes with an unnecessary guitar solo. The hacked guitar riff of "Creep" is a slap in the face of such cliches and expectations. From there, the whole thing beautifully combusts into a chaos of external mockery or wrought self-deprecation (depending on which of the two versions is playing). It transcends virtually every song created during the 1990's - hell, I'd say it's one of the best songs in the history of rock. It's such a defining statement that it ultimately dwarfs everything else on Pablo Honey.

This may be Radiohead's most straight-handed album, but there are several hints that the band had begun to establish their own sound. In the context of what occurred with later albums, this makes Pablo Honey a fascinating listen.