When Thom Yorke (vo/g/key, born Oct. 7, 1968), Ed O'Brien (g, born Apr. 15, 1968) and Colin Greenwood (b, born June 26, 1969) first met at a private boys school in Abingdon, a small town in Oxford, their mutual love of Joy Division and the Smiths made them fast friends. After playing in a local band TNT, they decided to form their own band On A Friday in 1987, joined by Phil Selway (d, born May 23, 1967) and Colin's brother Jonny (g/key, born Nov. 5, 1971). That's how the Radiohead started out.

After a few years' break for the members to finish their academic careers, the band reunited in 1991 and landed a deal with EMI Records. By that time, they had changed their name to Raidiohead (named after a song by Talking Heads) and developed a following that eventually led to their nationwide success spurred by the groundbreaking single 'Creep' and their debut 'Pablo Honey' in 1993, which climbed to UK Top 10 and US Top 40. The highly anticipated second set 'Bends' (1995) gave a boost to the enthusiasm, including hypnotic staples 'High And Dry' and 'Fake Plastic Trees'. They went on a European and American tour opening for R.E.M., who were among the artists hooked on Radiohead's music along with Alanis Morisette and the Pretenders.

Their 1997's third release 'Ok Computer' became the biggest success both critically and commercially, immediately reaching No.1 on UK charts and earning the numerous number of awards including the Best Alternative Rock Performance at the 40th Grammy in 1998.

The follow-up 'Kid A' came as a shock. Released in the midst of electronica revolution, the album introduces progressive electronic sounds drastically, throwing away their previous guitar sounds which built a huge fan base. Despite the mixed reviews, the album debuted at top of both UK and US charts, proving they established an unrivalled status in music scene. In 2001, 'Amnesiac' was released. The album was, in fact, recorded during the 'Kid A' session and employed the same strategy, again with controversial results.

Hailed as the most influential rock band of '90s, Radiohead returned in 2003 with their sixth studio album 'Hail To The Thief'. The set seems to cover all of their musical aspects, mixing the furious guitar-driven 'Bends' and 'OK Computer' with the techno-leaning experimental 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac'.