Despite the much higher regard The Bends has compared to Pablo Honey, there is not too much musical difference between the two, ranging from grungy guitar rock to beautiful ballads that accentuated Yorke’s peak falsetto. When I said before that Radiohead wielded that weapon hanging over their heads, I say they also did that musically. As it stands, The Bends would be the absolute epitome of everything the band had done before. He would only be the mixer for this and the band’s sophomore effort, but the relationship the band would create with their soon-to-be producer would see both parties reach new artistic levels. This production was also important for the introduction of Nigel Godrich to the equation. With the lyrics from the title track having such hints as “their only song/just like the last one”, it was clear that the band was going to fight conceptions of their lack of individuality in a very active nineties music scene. And they saw fit to take that sword and slice all opponents who sought their end.įirst came the My Iron Lung EP, which saw the band experimenting with different textures and sonic capabilities to their already layered guitar rock sound. “Creep” was the band’s Sword of Damocles. But with that hit overshadowing everything else that came on Pablo Honey, there was the fear from the band that they would forever be pegged as a one-hit wonder. Radiohead came out of their debut album with an achievement most acts cannot claim a genuine bonafide hit.

Radiohead discography kickass